“A new fitness watch designed as the lynchpin for a new generation of smart exercise gear was introduced today by Olathe-based Garmin International. The Garmin FR60 was designed to connect wirelessly to a new line of exercise equipment indoors, but also was designed to allow triathletes to track their progress running, cycling and swimming outdoors. In developing the watch, Garmin redesigned a previous product, the Forerunner 50. The new watch is smaller, and resembles a traditional watch more than its predecessor. Like the Forerunner 50, the FR60 doesn't use GPS technology to track an exerciser's progress, relying on a foot pod that uses sensors to measure stride, speed, cadence, distance and calories burned. ‘Indoors or out, it’s easier than ever to set fitness goals and track your progress with the fashionable yet affordable FR60,’ said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. ‘While you exercise, the easy-to-use FR60 accurately tracks your time, calories burned, heart rate and other data from linked fitness equipment.’ The FR60 connects wirelessly with a heart rate monitor, foot pod, a bike speed and cadence sensor, and a new line of exercise equipment. That exercise gear line, from other manufacturers, is expected to be unveiled at the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association trade show in March. The gear - treadmills, spin bikes, elliptical trainers - will use Garmin's ANT technology to link wirelessly to the FR60. Like other Garmin ANT-powered gear, the FR60 will download data from fitness sessions viw a home computer to the Garmin Connect Web site.”
http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/978
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Fitness Tech: 15 of the Hottest Health and Exercise Gadgets, Gizmos and Apps [Slideshow]
“Given the long-held stereotype of the couch potato/video gamer, it may seem a little surprising that video games and other technology would be used to help us get in shape and lose weight. But tech is increasingly being used to do just that. Fitness technology can even make the process more fun (or at least less painful), thanks to the broadening category of exergaming (literally a portmanteau of exercise and gaming); the popularity of Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution; health and music apps for your smartphone and the myriad other fitness tech (or, tech that just makes fitness easier). Without further ado, we present 15 examples of fitness tech that fired up our urge to move.”
http://www.cio.com/special/slideshows/2009/01/fitness_tech_and_exergaming/index
http://www.cio.com/special/slideshows/2009/01/fitness_tech_and_exergaming/index
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
An Encouraging Word About Winter
“This time of year, it is easy to get discouraged. The holidays are over, the economy is in a funky place, and the winter weather is cold with chilly winds, ice, and snow. However, your attitude determines your altitude! Here are some suggestions to overcome the winter blues and make the most out of each day.Get physical exercise. You don’t have to cocoon yourself inside all winter. There are still fun outside activities that you can do, such as hiking, skiing, and snowmobiling. You should also either work out at home or join one of the health clubs in our area, and make a commitment to work out regularly. You’ll feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. I speak from personal experience, being a member of a local health club.”
http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2009/01/27/living/doc497deb5603985123377505.txt
http://www.journalinquirer.com/articles/2009/01/27/living/doc497deb5603985123377505.txt
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Be Thrifty and Stay Healthy
“Trim expenses or trim your waistline? It's tempting to cut where it's easiest -- by skipping that blood-pressure medicine that costs $200 a month, or that $40 monthly gym membership. Or switching from fish and skinless chicken breast to cheaper meats such as ground beef and hot dogs. But be careful, say experts, because efforts to cut expenses by cutting back on health care or exercise can sometimes ricochet back and hurt you in the long run. Already, doctors' offices are starting to see a wave of patients who have delayed seeing a doctor and are now suffering the consequences. "People are coming in sicker, so we're seeing an increase in more serious illnesses. What may have been bronchitis has progressed to pneumonia, for example," said Dr. Scott Brady, chief executive officer of CentraCare, Florida Hospital's network of urgent-care centers. Now, he says, those people risk missing more work days to recover -- and may have to take more-expensive medication. To take care of your body and your budget, consider some simple steps that may keep you out of the doctor's office while saving you money as well. And don't forget to exercise, which can counteract some of the negative side effects of stress. Like sleep, exercise doesn't have to cost a dime. If you want to join a health club, however, shop around and negotiate. Right now, health-club owners are offering discounts -- beyond the standard New Year's resolution specials -- to attract new members and retain old ones. For consumers, that's good news. ‘It never hurts to ask what they can set you up with,’ said Rosemary Lavery of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. If you're already a member, you might be able to renegotiate your membership fee. If you don't want to pay a monthly fee, there are plenty of exercise opportunities in the community. Try running, walking or biking on one of Central Florida's many fitness trails, said Dr. Susan Hewlings, assistant professor of medical education for the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine. ‘The best thing people can do is find something they enjoy. You want exercise to be your escape, so you have to make it fun.’”
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-frugal2709jan27,0,3369860.story
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-frugal2709jan27,0,3369860.story
UFC To Open Line of Gyms For Regular Folks
“The Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning to go toe-to-toe with the country's biggest fitness club chains, and the founder of 24 Hour Fitness is in its corner. UFC Gym officials said they are close to breaking ground on the first of five health clubs planned in California, and plan to build more such gyms across the country and in Canada. ‘We're going to force all these other gyms to take it up to another level,’ UFC President Dana White told The Associated Press on Monday. ‘Just like we have in the fight business, and everyone's trying to compete with us now, same thing's going to happen in the fitness industry.’ White said most gyms and health clubs haven't changed in years, giving the mixed martial arts league an opportunity to attract new fitness customers or others wanting to get different kinds of workouts under the same roof. The gyms aren't intended for professional or wannabe fighters. White said each gym would offer classes in several different disciplines of martial arts, as well as unconventional workouts for people looking to change their routines from typical treadmills and free weights. Each will contain an octagon, the eight-sided caged ring used in UFC fights. UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta said the gyms would resemble the scenes at UFC fights, with energetic participants, music blasting, and large plasma televisions. ‘We didn't want to just build one gym somewhere,’ Fertitta said. "This is going to become its own separate, profitable business and company on the side, and we're talking about rolling out hundreds of gyms all over the place.’ According to numbers released Monday by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade association for the fitness industry, a survey of 17 leading health club companies showed that sales increased an average of 1 percent year over year for the third quarter of 2008, mostly because of a 3.8 percent increase in membership dues. Revenues from other sources were nearly the same, the trade group said. The index represented 200 individual clubs, the trade group said. Fertitta and White said the Las Vegas-based UFC has partnered with former executives at 24 Hour Fitness to build the gyms, including Mark Mastrov, the founder of the company that today has more than 400 clubs in 16 states, 24 gyms in Asia and more than 3 million members.”
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/2009-01-27-3129618706_x.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/2009-01-27-3129618706_x.htm
Kai Fitness Centre Prepared To Launch Female-Only Gyms Once Regulations Are Clear
“The owner of Kai Fitness Centre in Jeddah has revealed that it would be the first chain in Saudi Arabia to open a health club for women once there are clear regulations on operating female-only gyms. Kai Fitness owner and founder Dr Badr AlShibani said: “There is a huge demand from women to have their own fitness centers. However, there is no clear government regulation on this. ‘At present, KAI Fitness Center is a men’s club,’ continued AlShibani. ‘However, as soon as there is a clear regulation regarding building fitness centres for women, we will be the first to invest.’ AlShibani said that currently people can ‘operate a women health club if it’s technically connected to a hospital’. He said, however, that the increasing awareness in Saudi Arabia of the positive impact of exercise on health would be the ‘catalyst’ to bringing in new regulations regarding female-only health clubs. AlShibani said he was committed to encouraging Saudi nationals to workout at the gym by expanding Kai Fitness and making it affordable. He revealed expansion plans for 25 branches of Kai Fitness over the next three years, which will include mini fitness centres within communities aimed at making exercise more accessible.”
http://hoteliermiddleeast.com/article-3337-demand_for_womens_fitness_grows_in_ksa/
http://hoteliermiddleeast.com/article-3337-demand_for_womens_fitness_grows_in_ksa/
Fighting The Epidemics of Obesity and Diabetes
“Diabetes is exploding - it now afflicts some 200 million individuals worldwide and is fast becoming the No. 1 epidemic of our time. In the U.S. alone, more than 22 million people have diabetes, which is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, preventable amputations and blindness. Now, thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the prestigious Burroughs Wellcome Fund, UCLA's next generation of scientists will be trained in multiple disciplines to fight diabetes through the newly established Burroughs Wellcome Fund Inter-school Training Program in Metabolic Disease (BWF-ITP-MD). The BWF-ITP-MD, a Ph.D. education and research training program devoted entirely to the understanding of metabolic diseases, will bring together researchers and educators from the UCLA School of Public Health, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and other UCLA entities. ‘Our hope is to develop an integrative training and research framework where students can learn to assess the many seemingly distinct aspects of dietary, lifestyle and genetic factors that cause these prevalent phenotypes,’ said Dr. Simin Liu, program co-director and a professor of epidemiology and medicine. ‘Once trained, these scientists will be able to develop better insights and system strategies to curb this epidemic.’ In short, Liu said, the goal of the program is to ‘provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary education and research training in all facets, attacking such metabolic diseases across the board, from sick molecules to sick populations.’”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136742.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136742.php
Health Club Lives By Bold Mission
“At the Bradenton Health and Racquet Club, President Paul Hartford operates his business with the mind set of a public safety official. From Hartford’s point of view he’s in the business of saving lives. ‘What I’m trying to do in this facility is not just get members in the gym but get families involved, get children involved,’ Hartford said. ‘We’re dealing with health care, but we’re not dealing with the nucleus of the problem: proper exercise and nutrition.’ At far right, Paul Hartford, standing, and Joey Perea, seated, are co-founders of the new Bradenton Health and Racquet Club with members of their staff in the 2-story machine workout area at the club. Hartford strives to make the Bradenton Health and Racquet Club meet everyone’s interests and needs in those areas. The 23,000-square-foot facility at 6500 Manatee Ave. W. has three competition-size racquet courts and equipment that includes treadmills, elliptical machines, stair masters, stationary bikes and weights that range from 5 to 150 pounds. The health club offers aerobics, yoga, spinning, pilates, martial arts and stretching classes, and personal training sessions are available as well as nutritional evaluations for members. And amenities include child care center, massage therapy, a tanning center, a juice bar, a sauna, and men’s and women’s locker rooms. ‘Our commitment is sustaining a positive environment in which our members feel consistently motivated and at home in a high-energy atmosphere,’ Hartford said. In March 2008, Hartford took over as president of the club, which has about 2,000 members. Membership is $39.99 a month on a no-contract basis or $399.99 for a year. Hartford vows to stop accepting membership when the club’s client base reaches 4,000 and start a waiting list for future members. ‘Most fitness centers it’s just sell, sell, sell to the point you can’t fit everyone in the door,’ Hartford said. ‘We want to be able to service our members.’ And his clients appreciate the promise.”
http://www.bradenton.com/business/story/1178714.html
http://www.bradenton.com/business/story/1178714.html
Blacks In Western Pennsylvania Have High Rates Of Kidney Failure; Educational Campaigns Encourage Prevention, Early Detection
“Western Pennsylvania has the highest rate of blacks with end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Renal Data System, and as a result health care workers are targeting the group with prevention and early detection messages, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. According to the Tribune-Review, blacks are almost four times as likely as whites to die of kidney failure. Major risk factors for kidney disease include high blood pressure and diabetes, according to the Tribune-Review. Cheryl Winkler, head of the molecular genetic epidemiological studies section at the National Cancer Institute, said, "If you go to a dialysis center, it's disproportionately African-Americans. This has been known for a long time, but nobody was ever quite sure why." In a study published in the journal Nature in October 2008, Winkler and her colleagues found a gene associated with people of African descent that increased risk for kidney failure. She said, ‘What we're hoping that means is that we can begin to screen people in the future and tell them their risk for kidney disease and perhaps develop better therapeutics and drugs,’ adding, ‘We could have a form of personalized medicine.’ Health care workers encourage exercise, healthy eating and other behaviors to prevent the onset of obesity, high blood pressure and other conditions that can lead to kidney disease. The University of Pittsburgh Center for Minority Health's Healthy Black Family Project provides blacks with educational material, offers no-cost African dance classes to help encourage physical activity and ‘bring[s] doctors into the community to foster trust,’ the Tribune-Review reports (Heinrichs, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 1/25).”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136787.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136787.php
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Dear President Obama - Men's Fitness Editor in Chief urges our new President to create real change by getting America back in shape
“Congratulations on your historic ascension to the highest office in the land. Like many others, I am heartened by it and the promise of an Obama presidency. I am also quite cognizant of the challenges ahead—for all of us. Your task is daunting. The economy. War. Energy. Health care. Housing. Food prices. Not to mention restoring our image around the globe. And that's just your to-do list for February. Now add to your agenda this critical need: Getting America Fit. You're certainly aware of the increasingly alarming (and expanding) state of the American waistline. We can blame a myriad of factors, ranging from poor eating habits to sedentary lifestyles. Childhood obesity has been given much attention (rightly so), but the rest of us could use a few more trips to the gym, as well. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, fewer than one in three Americans between 18 and 64 gets regular exercise. That we stop these trends and change our health and fitness habits is as critical as ending our dependence on foreign oil. It might actually be easier, too, if someone on your team would make shaping up our nation a true priority. Why do it? Well, you certainly know. We've twice recognized your own passion for fitness by naming you one of the Fittest Men in America (in 2005 and again last year), and now everyone knows of your love for basketball and your regular workouts. Beyond the physical and mental benefits of leading a fitter lifestyle, doing so also impacts the cost of health care. And as you seek to ensure that every American has health coverage, those savings could be monumental. Where do you start? Here are some ideas:
· Put some juice behind two bills now languishing in Congress. Both provide tax incentives for Americans who make a commitment to getting fit. The Personal Health Investment Today Bill (introduced in January '07 by your fellow Illini, Representative Gerald Weller, R.) allows a deduction of up to $1,000 for exercise equipment and gym membership fees. The Workforce Health Improvement Program Act (March '07) allows employees to exclude up to $900 from their gross income for fees, dues, or membership expenses paid by an employer. Last year, we published our first Fittest Companies in America list. Each company selected showed a significant rise in productivity and employee self-esteem, as well as a decline in health costs.”
http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/439?cid=RSS
· Put some juice behind two bills now languishing in Congress. Both provide tax incentives for Americans who make a commitment to getting fit. The Personal Health Investment Today Bill (introduced in January '07 by your fellow Illini, Representative Gerald Weller, R.) allows a deduction of up to $1,000 for exercise equipment and gym membership fees. The Workforce Health Improvement Program Act (March '07) allows employees to exclude up to $900 from their gross income for fees, dues, or membership expenses paid by an employer. Last year, we published our first Fittest Companies in America list. Each company selected showed a significant rise in productivity and employee self-esteem, as well as a decline in health costs.”
http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/439?cid=RSS
"Poll: What won't you sacrifice? Even in a tough economy, there are some expenses you refuse to cut back on
This is based on a Money magazine reader poll conducted from Dec 9 to
11, 2008. 1,383 responses:
Not willing to give up:
Gym Membership: 48%
Eating Out: 41%
Extra Car: 35%
Premium Cable: 30%
Fine Wine and Spirits: 20%
Willing to give up:
New Gadget: 89%
Sporting Events: 87%
Big Vacation: 83%
Expensive Clothes: 80%
Cultural Events: 78%"
11, 2008. 1,383 responses:
Not willing to give up:
Gym Membership: 48%
Eating Out: 41%
Extra Car: 35%
Premium Cable: 30%
Fine Wine and Spirits: 20%
Willing to give up:
New Gadget: 89%
Sporting Events: 87%
Big Vacation: 83%
Expensive Clothes: 80%
Cultural Events: 78%"
Find Fit At Gym | Workout Facility Must Meet All Your Needs
“New Year's resolution season is in full swing, and it's past time to find a gym. You won't be alone in that quest. January is a huge month for health clubs, with about a million people joining nationwide - 50 percent more than during any other month of the year, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportclub Association. That membership boom means most clubs offer some of their best specials and promotions this time of year, so it's a great time to join. But what should you look for? A small club catering just to men, just to women or just to people who want 20-minute workouts? A gigantic all-inclusive club? We asked fitness experts to give their advice about what to look for when you're sizing up a club to join. Here's what they said: […]”
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/131/story/752097.html
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/131/story/752097.html
Lifestyle Changes Help Reduce Child Obesity
“A new review of studies spread over five continents finds that overweight or obese children and teens can lose weight with lifestyle changes sometimes coupled with medication. Lead reviewer Hiltje Oude Luttikhuis, M.D., with the Beatrix Children's Hospital in Groningen, the Netherlands, and her colleagues analyzed 64 randomized controlled trials of lifestyle therapy and drug interventions. Behavioral lifestyle therapy aims to change thinking patterns and actions. For example, children and adolescents were encouraged to have breakfast and to eat regular meals, while controlling portions. They were also encouraged to reduce sedentary behaviors like watching TV and to increase physical activity. Techniques used to change these thinking patterns included self-awareness, self-monitoring and goal setting for eating and physical activity. Participants also learned cognitive behavior strategies that included ways to deal with stress. Studies took place in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and South America (Brazil). The new review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136102.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136102.php
Family-Based Programs Effective In Child And Adolescent Obesity
“Family-based lifestyle interventions that not only modify diet and physical activity but also include behaviour therapy programs can help obese children lose weight and maintain that loss for at least six months. This Cochrane Review also found that in adolescents the effect lasts for at least 12 months. Adding weight controlling drugs orlistat or sibutramine to behaviour change programs for adolescents may provide additional benefits. These findings mark a change in opinion. A systematic review performed in 2003 could not find enough data to draw any conclusions about the effects of different programs. This time the researchers identified 64 randomised controlled trials involving 5230 participants, enabling them to see some definite effects. ‘It is now clear that family-based, lifestyle interventions that include a behavioural program aimed at changing diet and physical activity provide significant and clinically meaningful decreases in overweight and obesity in both children and adolescents compared with standard care or self help regimes,’ says lead researcher Hiltje Oude Luttikhuis, who works at Beatrix Children's Hospital and the Department of Epidemiology in Groningen, Netherlands.”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136128.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136128.php
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Why Barack Obama Is Fit To Govern
“So today is the day when Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. He also enters the White House with the distinction of being the fittest President the States has ever known. The accolades could continue; healthiest leader among the G8 (group of nations); I could go on. Obama discovered the 'exercise effect' at the age of 22, when he decided to stop dabbling with drugs and alcohol. His focused turned to running and it has remained an embedded part of his life for the past 25 years. ‘The main reason I do it is to clear my head and relieve me of stress,’ Obama told Men's Health. ‘My blood pressure is pretty low and I tend to be a healthy eater. Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There's always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I'll lift [weights] one day, do cardio the next. I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout.’ Obama's commitment to exercise is causing quite a debate. It polarises opinion. Some ask: How does a President of the United States make time to exercise six days per week? Others: Shouldn't the President be focusing on the job? Obama's response is: ‘It gives you more mental endurance and more energy to think clearly,’ he said. ‘For a president, that's not a bad thing.’ It will be interesting to see how Obama continues this exercise regime when he moves into the White House. However, it is clear that this 47-year old, six-pack President is already re-defining what 'middle age' means for men who balance the needs of home, health and a career. Obama's fitness achievements may act to inspire more middle-age individuals in England to become more active. The last Active People survey showed that just over 21% of 45-54 year olds exercised at least three-times weekly for at least 30 minutes. That figure includes both men and women. It has risen since the previous Active People survey, but only just. So, the majority are still finding reasons not to take up sport and exercise and the reason cited normally involves a lack of time. So here's a question: If the President of the United States can make time for exercise, shouldn't we?”
http://oxygen-blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/why-barack-obama-is-fit-to-govern.html
http://oxygen-blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/why-barack-obama-is-fit-to-govern.html
Chronically Ill or Disabled Kids Need Exercise, Too
“Children with chronic illnesses or disability can often benefit from the right exercise program, showing improved quality of life, greater aerobic capacity and better function, according to a report published this month. But chronically ill or disabled children and teens who aren't active can get out of shape and too fat, just like their peers who aren't challenged by illness or disability, warns Dr. Patrick J. Morris of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Morris notes that children with cerebral palsy often have movement problems that make it difficult to walk, let alone exercise. But he points to a study in seven teens with the disease that showed three months of training improved their aerobic capacity and their ability to stand, walk, jump and run. Physical activity is also beneficial to individuals with spinal cord injuries, Morris adds. And while the jury is still out on whether exercise can help people with cystic fibrosis get stronger and breathe more easily, he notes, the studies to date show no evidence that physical activity is harmful for these patients. Even children with the bleeding disease hemophilia can engage in physical activity, according to Morris, if they choose a sport that's appropriate for their fitness and coordination level. Aerobic workouts can clearly help children with asthma get stronger and more fit, although the evidence is not as clear on whether training affects symptoms like breathlessness or the amount of medication a patient needs. Exercise is also crucial for helping children with type 2 diabetes manage their illness, according to Morris, but a study out last year showed that adolescents found the hardest thing about following an exercise program was ‘lack of motivation.’ Just because exercise can benefit young people with disease ‘doesn't mean it's easier to get these kids to sign on to physical activity,’ Morris concedes. To help motivate them, he suggests emphasizing ‘fun approaches with variety and freedom that are supported by peers, that have the option of family participation, and that foster success.’ Morris points to the offerings of Courage St. Croix, a rehab and resource center for disabled individuals near his home, as examples of activities that fit the bill: ‘power wheelchair soccer, hockey, softball or rugby; ...handcycling, SCUBA, rock climbing, kayaking, downhill skiing, water skiing, golf, archery, and bicycling; ... and yoga, tai chi and horseback riding.’ ‘Physical activity,’ he concludes, ‘is a positive intervention for children growing up with the challenge of a chronic disease or disability. When physical activity becomes a lifestyle for these children, they're supported on their way to becoming happier, healthier adults who are up to any challenge.’”
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50I4JX20090119?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50I4JX20090119?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews
Low-Cost Strategies to Maintain Health in Hard Times
“Everyone needs to make sacrifices during hard economic times, but you don't have to shortchange your health. Experts with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston say people can live healthy and cut their risk of cancer without breaking the bank by following several free and low-cost strategies. Get moving. Moderate to intensive aerobic exercise, including brisk walking, are good for the heart and can help cancer survivors reduce the risk of recurrence. ‘The most consistent evidence we have so far for reducing the risk of several types of cancer is exercise and avoiding becoming obese,’ D. Jeffrey Meyerhardt, a Dana-Farber gastrointestinal cancer specialist, said in a news release issued by the institute. Activities can include taking the stairs instead of an elevator, using a stationary bicycle or treadmill while watching TV, or playing a team sport. Eat healthy. Keeping consumption of processed sugars, red meat and calories low, but fruits and vegetables high, helps you maintain a healthy weight and cuts the risk of certain cancers. ‘Many of the beneficial nutrients in fruits and vegetables are concentrated in the pigment or rich colors, which are often in the skins,’ said Stacy L. Kennedy, a nutritionist at Dana-Farber. An apple a day is a good start. The uncooked skin contains the cancer-fighting antioxidant quercitin. Pumpkin, sweet potato, squash (butternut and acorn), carrots and other orange fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids, cancer-fighting nutrients shown to lower one's chances of getting of colon, prostate, lung and breast cancer. Quit smoking. Kicking the habit will save you money later in health-care costs. ‘Even though there have been many recent advances in lung cancer treatments, the most effective way to eradicate lung cancer is to prevent it from ever happening,’ said Dr. Bruce Johnson, director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber, noting that smokers who stay off tobacco for at least 10 to 20 years cut lower their chances of developing lung cancer by 50 percent. Though smoking is the cause of 80 percent of all lung cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, it also increases the risk of oral, throat, pancreatic, uterine, bladder and kidney cancers. Mind your Ps and Qs. Obviously you save money by cutting out alcohol consumption, but you may also lower the risk of developing some cancers. For example, Dana-Farber researchers found one drink a day for postmenopausal women may raise their risk for breast cancer.”
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=623112
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=623112
Physically Able Stroke Patients Often Sedentary
“Many people who have survived a stroke have the ability to be physically active but aren't, according to research published in the journal Stroke. ‘We were surprised and troubled at how little physical activity our participants with stroke were doing at home and in their community,’ study investigator Dr. Janice Eng told Reuters Health. ‘These were not people with severe stroke, but they had what we consider mild stroke; all could walk independently, yet their physical activity was less than half of what similar aged persons without stroke normally do.’ Their sedentary lifestyle could increase their risk of a second stroke, Eng warned. To gauge how active people with stroke are, Eng, from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and colleagues had 40 stroke patients wear an accelerometer on each hip for three consecutive days at home and during a 6-minute walk test in the laboratory. ‘Importantly,’ Eng said, ‘we found that these individuals had the physical ability, but were not using their abilities to do physical activity.’ This is ‘worrisome, as people with chronic conditions can easily fall into a cycle of sedentary lifestyle and further disability,’ she added. More than half of the stroke survivors (58 percent) did not meet recommended physical activity levels. We know that up to 30 percent of people who have a stroke go on to have another stroke,’ Eng said. ‘Given that physical activity and exercise is such a key method to reduce the risk of a second stroke, we really need to get the message out to these individuals, their families and health care workers that regular physical activity is an essential lifestyle modification for people who have had a stroke.’”
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/19/eline/links/20090119elin020.html
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/19/eline/links/20090119elin020.html
Youngsters Often Miss Diet And Exercise Marks
“According to their parents, pre-school children have somewhat better diets than school-age children, but both groups fall short when it comes to getting recommended amounts of exercise. Dr. Hollie A. Raynor, of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and co-investigators, assessed parents' reports of their children's diet and activity levels. Of 174 boys and girls, about half (49 percent) were preschoolers (2 to 5.9 years old) and 51 percent were school-age children (6 to 12.9 years). Parental reports of physical activity levels showed just 51 percent of kids, aged 2 to 12 years old, participated in sweat-inducing play or exercise for the recommended minimum of 60 minutes on most days, they report in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Overall, 47 percent of the school-age kids were at risk for or were overweight, compared with 22 percent of the pre-school age kids, the investigators found. They also found that fewer pre-school kids ate salty and sweet snacks daily -- 14 and 16 percent, respectively. Conversely, reports showed nearly double this intake among school-age kids -- about 26 percent ate salty and nearly 30 percent ate sweet snacks daily. On average, parents' reported pre-school children ate minimum recommended daily servings of low fat dairy products, but school-age children did not. Moreover, while kids, regardless of age, minimally met recommended vegetable intake of 1 to 2.5 cups daily, and generally ate the recommended 1 to 1.5 cups of fruit daily, parents reported nearly 74 percent of the children ate fast food at least once a week. In this study, parents' perspectives, as a whole, suggest ‘children's eating and leisure-time behaviors are not close to meeting current recommendations,’ Raynor said. As unhealthy eating and activity habits tend to increase as children age, Ray.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090119/hl_nm/us_youngsters_marks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090119/hl_nm/us_youngsters_marks
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