Archive for October, 2009
It’s that time of year again, the beginning of the season for consumption of all things sweet. Halloween marks the start of the holiday season that extends until the beginning of January. The tendency to overindulge in sweet treats rises, the sugar rush ensues, and waistlines expand. Considering the rise in childhood obesity, here are some ideas to curb the sugar rush, and still keep the kids happy and healthy.
For the ghosts and goblins that come knocking: Select dark chocolate options for trick-or-treaters. Dark chocolate has health benefits such as antioxidants. Give out granola bars, 100% fruit chews, and yogurt or carob covered raisins. Look for the fun or mini size candy options for the ghouls and goblins; the smaller the better. Or, avoid candy altogether and hand out coloring books and crayons, glow sticks, or stickers.
And for your little pumpkins, avoid all unnecessary sugar on the day of Halloween. Omit soda, fruit drinks, certain cereals and other sugary stuff since you know they’ll be eating candy. Feed them a healthy meal before they go out roaming the neighborhood. The hungrier they are, the more candy they will eat along the way. Get them exercising! Throw in a Thriller mix and have a little zombie dance party. Also, have them walk from door to door.
Do you have any tips for healthy treaters?
While “close” may count in horseshoes, it isn’t usually a word we affiliate with success. In point of fact, very little in life, it seems, counts much at all if you don’t “hit the bull’s eye” or a “grand slam.” Luckily for some, this may not be entirely the case when it comes to an extended lifespan. As a chiropractor in Orlando, who has many senior patients and who is also a firm believer in the advantages of exercise at every age, I was very interested in the following study.
Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” in a recent study of nearly 4,400 healthy U.S. adults, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels were twice as likely to die over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (That is to say, those 20 percent who were close to the lowest fitness levels.) This is the time-honored “bad news/good news” type of result. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a confirmed sofa spud. However, it is genuinely good news for those who haven’t quite hit rock bottom in the sedentary lifestyle department but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, “exertive.” Apparently, those people who continue to be just moderately fit as they grow older may live longer than those who are completely out-of-shape, the study suggests.
The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior men and women whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For approximately nine years thereafter, the researchers pursued the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were considered in the study. This, in and of itself, accentuates the importance of physical fitness itself. In an email to Reuters Health, Dr. Sandra Mandic, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and lead researcher of the study wrote: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”
Nearly two-thirds of the least-fit study participants were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”
After separating the study group participants by fitness levels, the researchers found that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit participants had died during the same period. Among adults in the most-fit group (the ones who “hit bull’s eyes and grand slams,” so to speak) only 6 percent died during the follow-up period.
The notable finding was that overall, the five fitness-level groups showed little difference in their reported exercise practices over their adult lives, but where they contrasted was their activity levels in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”
In this particular study, irrespective of weight and other health issues such as those mentioned above, fitness is undeniably linked to longevity. Therefore, exercise is essential to the extension of our lifespan. And, of course, just think of the health advantages we could all experience if we worked our way up into the higher levels of fitness.
SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.
What’s for dinner at your house tonight? How about a meat–free dish? Just by reducing animal protein in your diet, you could lessen your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Many people have found that reducing animal protein consumption can help with low energy and sugar cravings. You can also improve the health of our environment by preserving natural resources like water and fossil fuels.
Join a growing number of people all over the country in the Meatless Monday movement and pledge to eat meat-free once a week. What will you eat in place of your meat entrée? Try incorporating more vegetables into your meal, which are high in fiber and will make you feel full and satisfied. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds are also a great meat alternative. They are high in protein, iron and magnesium and contain little to no saturated fat.
You’ll also reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.
People are confused about how to start making improvements to their health, let alone make sizable changes to the environment. Start with what you put on your dinner plate. Start today. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to make a difference. Michael Pollan recently stated on the Oprah show: “Even one meatless day a week — a meatless Monday, which is what we do in my household — if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million mid-size sedans off the road.”
Need recipe ideas? Check out Meatless Monday’s recipe page. Just think about the health message you’re starting today and how you can extend it for the rest of the week. Go meatless and the possibilities are endless!
Chiropractors, like your Orlando Chiropractor, are dedicated to making their patients aware of the importance of drinking plenty of water each day. The positive repetitive stress is on “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” For humans to survive, they require air and water (in that order). A shocking 75 percent of individuals in this country are mildly and chronically dehydrated, even though drinking a healthy amount of water would presumably be as natural as breathing in a healthy amount of air. (Most people aren’t getting enough oxygen either, but that topic is for another time.) You have no foundation for good health without drinking enough water. Every system in your body — every cell, tissue, and organ — needs water to function adequately. Water is the essential element for saliva and the fluids surrounding the joints. Your blood is kept circulating and your body temperature and metabolism are regulated by water. The improvement of nutrient absorption and toxin removal, as well as the reduction of heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches have been attributed to staying well-hydrated.
When it comes to problems generated by dehydration, athletes are distinctly at risk. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, health, and Human Services. A high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts, according to researchers at Indiana State University. In fact, Pre-season physical examinations, in fact, found that 80 percent of football players presented with.
Wondering how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like the majority of other health care professionals, advise no less than eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day for quite a few of our patients, but for our patients who are athletes, or for individuals who carry around excess weight or exercise or work where it’s hot, we recommend even more. How can you be sure if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? The color of your urine is a good indicator. You’re well-hydrated if it comes out a light, pale yellow!