Polycystic ovary syndrome tied to obesity
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
MSNBC has an article about a relatively unknown condition among women called polycystic ovary syndrome. The symtoms are acne; hair growth on the face, chest, stomach and other areas; weight gain; patches of thick, dark brown skin and other traits that would be very embarrassing to most women. The thing that caught my eye is that the study sees a correlation with obesity-
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While the exact cause of PCOS isn’t clear, obesity is a major risk factor for the condition, says Robert Norman, one of the authors of the review recently published in the medical journal The Lancet.
“It’s a condition that’s relatively silent when you’re thin,” says Norman, director of the Research Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Adelaide, Australia. “But as people go from being thin to being overweight, it suddenly becomes visible.”
…Researchers think that as some women gain weight, their bodies experience a sort of insulin overload, which increases production of male hormones known as androgens.
If you know someone at risk for this condition, you may want to pass this article along. I really wonder how many other diseases and conditions we are going to find linked to obesity as time moves on. It is like our bodies are telling us that they were never meant to live like this- if we will only listen!
Good Foods For Workout Recovery
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
There is an article over at MSN listing some good foods to help healing and recovery after workouts, running, etc. Some of these you probably know about, but some were new to me so I ‘ll pass it along. One that I didn’t know about was red bell peppers. They have a huge amont of vitamin C- so if you like them, eat them up. If you don’t like them, there is always the vitamin C staple- Oranges. I still supplement with extra tablets throughout the day so that I get at least 2 grams per day.
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Just one red bell pepper provides 380 percent of the recommended Daily Value of vitamin C, a nutrient crucial for repairing connective tissues and cartilage. By contributing to the formation of collagen, an important protein used to build scar tissue, blood vessels, and even new bone cells, vitamin C facilitates the healing process. “Work in vitamin C throughout the day, every two or three hours or so,” says Sass, for five daily servings.
Runners-up: papaya, cantaloupe, oranges
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
Like we needed another study to tell us that… But wait, the news gets worse. We are getting fatter every year with no end in sight. Reuters has the article and I stole the delightful picture at the top from them too. Heck, just that picture ought to scare people into not eating for a month. But, since everyone is fat, no one thinks they are fat anymore. It is the “new normal”.
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“Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are robbing America of our health and productivity.”
Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year and obesity rates did not fall in any states, the report said.
“Rates of adult obesity now exceed 25 percent in 19 states, an increase from 14 states last year and 9 in 2005. In 1991, none of the states exceeded 20 percent,” the Trust said in a statement.
The group advocates a concerted effort to fight obesity in the United States, where more than 60 percent of adults are either obese or overweight.
…Obesity and overweight are defined using body mass index, a measure of height versus weight that is accepted by health experts. A body mass index of 25 or above is considered overweight, while 30 or above constitutes obesity, with a greater risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
“Particularly when looking at kids, there are health impacts now. There are going to be even greater health impacts later,” Levi said. “If we aren’t addressing the childhood obesity problem now, there is not going to be affordable health care reform.”
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I really am frightened about the future of health insurance and what it will cost even just a few years down the road. As the baby boomers start feeling the effects of a lifetime of overeating and no exercise, the rest of us will feel the effects of trying to pay for the medical costs to care for these people. I see health insurance going the way of homeowners insurance in Florida. It will be hard to get, very expensive, have high deductibles and have caps on total benefits. In the end we will all pay for our lifetime eating orgy.
Posted by: Curt | Under: Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Supplements | Add Comment
If you are like me, and are trying to cut down on your caffeine intake, you should check out DietBlog’s list of the 10 most caffeinated diet sodas. Some of the diet sodas have up to 30% more caffeine than the regular version. Diet Pepsi Max takes the trophy with 69mg of caffeine. For reference, drip brewed coffee has between 60 and 120mg per cup.
Since most of my caffeine comes from coffee, I am now mixing my beans 50/50, regular and decaf. I’m still getting a fair amount of caffeine since I drink a whole pot every day, but cutting down 50% puts me back in the realm of “normal”. I doubt most people who drink diet soda realize that they are getting so much caffeine. It is worth thinking about since some caffeine is generally OK, but too much can make you anxious and affect your ability to sleep soundly.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Back when I was bodybuilding and determined to conquer the world (many years ago), I was visiting a gym in my home town of Rochester, NY. As luck would have it, Danny Padilla was working out there that afternoon. I was doing arms that day and started my usual routine of curls using an easy curl bar and dumbbells. I didn’t recognize him right away since I really wasn’t expecting to meet a pro bodybuilder in a little gym in Rochester. So when he said “hey let me show you how to do those the right way”, I didn’t realize who was giving me tips for doing arm exercises. It slowly dawned on me who this was because he was way bigger and in way better shape than any normal “big” guy in a gym. Plus, he’s only about 5′2″ tall. So here is what he showed me, and I still do them like this today- Do seated dumbbell curls with your palms turned out. Keep them turned out for the entire range of the exercise and make sure you go all the way down until you get full extension on your arms. Do them both arms at a time so you don’t tend to swing them up or use momentum. They will kill your biceps and you don’t need to use a lot of weight. They are also easy on your elbows since your arms aren’t locked into a certain position by a bar. I consider these the “squat” of bicep exercises. The pictures show the starting and ending points for the exercise.
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There are lots of other good bicep exercises, but I suggest adding these if you don’t do them and then pick some other exercises that you like or that work well for you.
Save Money on Health Care Costs
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
MSN has a good article on how to cut your health care costs- especially if you are either not covered or under-covered by health insurance. I might need to remember this stuff since I signed up for a high deductible Health Savings Plan last year. These work well for single people who don’t go to the doctor very often. The premiums are about 1/3 less than a normal 80% plan but the deductible is $1200.00. So you pay everything until you hit the 1200.00 limit and then they pay 100% after that. It is good coverage for catastrophic illnesses and accidents, but not if you have a bunch of kids that are always needing to go to the doctor. Here’s where the article affects me- Say I need an MRI because of my back problems. With the insurance I have, it would cost me the full amount up to 1200.00. But according to this article, many labs and facilities are willing to give cash discounts and negotiate a price with you-
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Need an expensive test that’s going to cost you a hefty out-of-pocket sum? It might be worthwhile to compare prices among different labs and clinics; fees can vary widely. To compare prices, you need to know the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code, a universally accepted number that corresponds to an MRI, a specific lab analysis, or any other billable service. The American Medical Association’s Web site, ama-assn.org, has an easy-to-use CPT search engine. Once you have the code, you can get price quotes from several providers. You may be surprised at how well you’ll do. “For a CT scan, the price could range between $500 and $1,500 at two different facilities,” says Devon Herrick, PhD, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas.
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Check out the rest of the tips. Lots of good stuff there.
Posted by: Curt | Under: Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness | Add Comment
I saw this over at Reuters this morning. Kinda good news, bad news in my mind.
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BOSTON (Reuters) – Gastric bypass surgery not only helps obese people drop weight and look better, it also helps them live significantly longer, according to two reports published on Wednesday.
The studies in the New England Journal of Medicine confirm what doctors had long suspected but never proved.
The years gained are significant, with lifespan prolonged by up to 40 percent and rates of diabetes, cancer and heart disease all lower.
“The question as to whether intentional weight loss improves life span has been answered, and the answer appears to be a resounding yes,” Dr. George Bray of Louisiana State University wrote in a commentary.
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One of the big problems with this is the simple fact that it forces a change in someones lifestyle when in fact they really didn’t want to change. Like I’ve said before “people change when they want to”. I don’t know the statistics, but a fair number of people who get this surgery lose a lot of weight initially and then start to gain it back since they can slowly stretch out their stomach again. On top of that, nothing is keeping them from eating all the wrong kinds of food. So they tend to eat high calorie, low nutritional value junk. I know of a couple of cases like this. I don’t know what the answer is, but America will soon be the land of fat people, gastric bypass and heart bypass surgery. Somehow we have to teach our next generation that it is better to go out and do things rather than sit in front of a TV playing video games and eating junk food. With the natural bent of man towards laziness, I wonder if it is possible in an extremely affluent society like ours.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
One of the things people ask me when they workout with me is why I close my eyes when I’m doing certain exercises. The simple answer is because I can concentrate better. Of course there are certain exercises that you can’t and shouldn’t close your eyes on- like some free weight exercises. You need to see the bar/weight to keep the proper alignment and balance, but even then you may actually help your balance if you are comfortable enough with the movement and can close your eyes.
But for most machines it definitely helps to shut out the distractions once you have the proper form down. So, I never close my eyes when I’m doing squats, but I do when I’m on most leg machines. Give it a try, but start with exercises that you “can do with your eyes closed”. No pun intended.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Go to any gym and you are likely to see guys that do reps past exhaustion by getting someone to spot them while they do forced reps. The basic idea is that you can exhaust the muscle even more if you do a couple more with someone helping you. But a study published by the National Institute of Health suggests otherwise.
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There were no significant differences in strength or power gains between groups. In conclusion, when repetition failure was reached, neither additional forced repetitions nor additional set volume further improved the magnitude of strength gains. This finding questions the efficacy of adding additional volume by use of forced repetitions in young athletes with moderate strength training experience.
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My experience is that when the muscle is exhausted from doing the set, adding extra reps does not help. When you’re done, you’re done. That lines up pretty much with what this study found. So save the wasted effort and use it on the next set! But, make sure you have really done the set to exhaustion. I find that most people don’t have a problem doing too much, their problem is that they quit at the first sign of discomfort. So get your partner to push you a little- that last rep is the really important one.
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
The Southeast US has been very hot (95-105 deg F) for the past month and when you add in the humidity that is common down here, it it miserable. In fact, it is hot enough that most people don’t want to even go outside much less exercise or run. But if you are a runner, there are some basic things to remember that are common sense and yet get ignored consistently. Even the top runners in the world fall victim to some of these potholes.
Here is one of them from the MSN article-
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Preparations for Sunday long runs start on Saturday, when, Dunaway says, “I eat light and drink heavy”—as in water, not Lone Star Beer, which he saves for the night after the run, along with all the spicy Cajun food that he forgoes the night before. “Your body has to digest all that, and in the really intense heat, that’s tough on your stomach,” says Dunaway. The night before summer long runs, he sticks with salads and fruits, which are not only light but also have a high water content to assist with hydration.
The hot, moist conditions Dunaway and his running partners face in Louisiana demand extra caution. Humidity on top of heat drastically decreases the body’s ability to cool itself. “Sweating doesn’t cool the body; it’s the evaporation of the sweat that makes you feel cooler,” says Lisa Bliss, M.D., medical director of the Badwater Ultramarathon. “When it’s humid, it’s harder for the sweat to evaporate.” The most effective way to deal with the oppressive combination of high humidity and heat? “Let your body self-select the pace,” says Dr. Bliss.
In other words, when it’s hot, slow down. “If it ain’t happening, it ain’t happening,” says Dunaway. “What we say here is ‘Don’t be a hero in the heat.’”
Check out the whole article- there are a lot of good tips.
