The Importance Of Exercise, Healthy Heart [Video]

“We all know by now that exercise is good for your heart, but what exactly is it about exertion that gets your ticker pumping? For the past couple of years, a group has been working with the Harvard athletics department to examine how…”

http://www.boston.com/video/viral_page/?/services/player/bcpid21962023001&bctid=48414992001

Tai Chi Has Major Benefits For Arthritic Knees

“People suffering from creaky knees may want to give Tai Chi a try. In a study, researchers found that practicing the Chinese mind-body exercise led to improvements in pain, function and even mental health for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. Some of these benefits persisted for a full year after the study began -- months after people had stopped doing the exercises. ‘The Tai Chi group seems to have developed a general sense of well being, suggesting that there may be synergy between the physical and mental components of this discipline,’ note Dr. Chenchen Wang of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and colleagues in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. ‘These findings are promising because there are few efficacious long-lasting treatments for knee osteoarthritis.’ Tai Chi has been shown to improve strength and balance, reduce pain, and ease depression and anxiety in people with chronic illness, the researchers add, but evidence on its benefits for people with knee osteoarthritis has been inconclusive.”

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/11/05/eline/links/20091105elin004.html

Obesity Causes 100,000 US Cancer Cases: Report

“Obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year -- and the number will likely rise as Americans get fatter, researchers said on Thursday. Having too much body fat causes nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer -- a type of cancer of the uterus -- and a third of esophageal cancer cases, the American Institute for Cancer Research said. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. The American Cancer Society projects that 1.47 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year and 562,000 will die of it. More than 26 percent of Americans are obese, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher. BMI is equal to weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. A person 5 feet 5 inches tall (165 cm) becomes obese at 180 pounds (82 kg). Additionally, nearly a third of Americans are overweight, defined as having a BMI of 25 to 30. The study combined findings from AICR research linking diet, physical activity and fatness with cancer risk with national surveys on obesity and cancer incidence. ‘We then worked out the percentage of those specific cancers that would be prevented if everyone in the United States maintained a healthy weight,’ the group said in a statement.”

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/11/05/eline/links/20091105elin025.html

Working Up A Sweat To Solve The Health Care Crisis [written by an Anytime Fitness Manager in Billerica, MA]

“What if exercise were a pill? Can you imagine how different things would be if we could simply pop a couple of workout tablets and receive all the benefits of actual physical exercise? I can hear the incessant commercials now urging, ‘Ask your doctor if exercise is right for you.’ And I bet, if exercise was a pill, there would be powerful interests spending and stirring millions to ensure it remains accessible and affordable for all Americans. As we know, exercise is not a pill. However, exercise is medicine and there’s a wealth of research showing how it can prevent chronic diseases and extend healthy lives. Knowing that, why aren’t we including exercise as part of the solution to our health care crisis? Physical inactivity has been called “the greatest public health problem of our time,” and it contributes to the estimated $147 billion annual cost of obesity in the United States. In southern California, Kaiser Permanente keeps track of its patients’ physical activity to see if they are meeting the new federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, believing there is no greater indicator of health and longevity than how many minutes a person exercises each week. Yet as a nation, we still spend less than 1 percent of our total health care expenditures on prevention and wellness. This has to change. […]Not everyone can or will begin an exercise program. But countless Americans will if we make exercise options more affordable and accessible and if we continue to forge partnerships between the fitness industry and the health care community that encourage the use of exercise as medicine. Neither idea is revolutionary; both have been proven to work. In Minnesota, the state where Anytime Fitness, Inc. is based, we’ve seen how a small incentive, like paying individuals $20 for using a fitness facility eight or more times a month, promotes more regular exercise, lowers health care costs and improves overall health.”

http://www.wickedlocal.com/billerica/news/lifestyle/columnists/x880806622/Guest-Commentary-Working-up-a-sweat-to-solve-the-health-care-crisis

Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Wellness Program Could Be Model For Health Reform

... All employees also are given access to on-site fitness centers and programs and are offered subsidies for gym memberships. Studies have shown the program - called ‘Live for Life’ - has resulted in significant improvements in employee health as well as a reduction in company health care costs. Recently, Johnson & Johnson also launched a project to market corporate wellness administration to other companies.”...

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/healthquest/johnson-a-johnsons-corporate-wellness-program-could-be-model-for-health-reform

Institute To Fight Obesity Opens

“The Rotherham Institute for Obesity is part of a programme by NHS Rotherham which will see £3.5m invested over the next three years to tackle the problem.Based at Clifton Medical Centre, it offers a gym, cooking classes and specialist support services. The centre has specialist staff such as obesity nurses and dieticians. The centre was officially opened at 1300 BST by Professor David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, to tie in with National Obesity Week which runs until Sunday. Dr Matthew Capehorn, clinical manager at the centre, said: ‘Obesity is a growing problem amongst all ages of the population with nearly one third of children and over half of the adult population overweight or obese.’ ‘In Rotherham we are leading the way in tackling this issue. However, we recognise that there is no quick fix and that it may take some years before the trends can be reversed.’ Dr Capehorn added: ‘Let's remember that spending £3.5m now on obesity actually saves many more millions in reduced amounts of heart disease, diabetes, fertility problems, osteoporosis, arthritis.’...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/8345926.stm

Wrap-UP on 10a IHRSA Latin America

“Thanks for all the people present at my speech in 10a IHRSA Latin America. I had so much fun speaking on service design and moderating the Branding Workshop with my dear friend and renowned architect Patricia Totaro. At the event we had the opportunity do discuss some key themes that forms the basis of an innovation strategy. In between those themes: Understand the basis of the Pyramid, Digital Brands, Digital Communities, Service Design, Branding, Brasil economic perspectives (remarkable presentation by my friend, host of the television show Manhattan Connection and renown economist Ricardo Amorim) and other issues really relevant for the Wellness Entrepreneur. I am twice satisfied...

http://designloyalty.blogspot.com/2009/11/wrap-up-on-10a-ihrsa-latin-america.html