High Intensity Exercise Cuts Diabetes Risk
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Most people who workout hard never, ever have a problem with diabetes. So this study (linked over at MPF) is not really shocking, but does shed some light on why…
Regular exercise can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Many people feel they simply don’t have the time to follow current exercise guidelines, and that’s unfortunate, he says, because his team found that “doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism in just two weeks.” Current recommendations include 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity a week.
His team found that “low-volume, high-intensity training … substantially improved both insulin action and glucose clearance in otherwise sedentary young males.”
That shows that “we do not yet fully appreciate the traditional connection between exercise and diabetes,” Timmons says.
The test subjects used exercise bikes to perform quick, rigorous sprints for 30 seconds totaling 15 minutes over a two-week period. The participants were either sedentary or recreationally active, but none was in a structured exercise program.
“This novel approach may help people to lead a healthier life, improve the future health of the population, and save the health service millions of pounds [or dollars] simply by making it easier for people to find the time to exercise.”
The key principle is pretty simple, but I think it goes further, i.e. body composition has a huge effect on how we metabolize foods. People with a high muscle content vs fat metabolize food differently than sedentary overweight people. I suspect that in addition to the insulin sensitivity and glucose clearing effect that intense exercise has on metabolism, muscle mass has a big effect on these factors because of increased base (resting) metabolism. Add the 2 together and you have a cure for diabetes. But of course we already know that. The problem is how you get people to do high intensity exercise when you can’t even get them to walk around the block once a day. Sigh…
Watching Your Calories When You Eat Out
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Watch this clip and you will be a amazed at some of the stuff people eat without ever really knowing how bad it is. This is good info to pass along to friends and family. Just by making small changes in your diet, you can cut major calories from your diet. The bread tip is especially important. When I was at lunch today, the first thing the other guys did was order cheese bread. So it was bread+butter+cheese. There were a crazy amount of calories and cholesterol consumed in just the appetizer.
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I tell people this stuff all the time and they look at me like I’m from Mars. We are so used to the concept of “I can eat whatever I want” that the idea of being careful and selective with what we eat is completely foreign to most people.
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
Being one of the more healthy fast food places doesn’t guarantee that everything is low fat and low cal. In fact, 2 of Chic-fil-A’s most commonly ordered items are just about the worst for you. I was surprised to see that the Chicken Caesar wrap was as bad as the standard deep fried Chic-fil-a sandwich. The wrap and the dressing are the big culprits. But both have over 400 calories (480 and 420) and both had 16 grams of fat. (All of these stats are available on their website.) So, go for the grilled items, especially the grilled chicken club without mayo. It is more like 300 calories, which makes a big difference if you add that extra 100-150 calories up for a whole week. If you check the calories on their dressings, you will see where the problem is- the caesar dressing comes in a 2.5 serving packet and has 160 calories per serving. Since most people use the whole packet, they are getting 320 calories of pure fat before you even add the wrap. So it is probably much worse than the 480 calories. Try the honey mustard instead- it only has 45 calories. That is a huge difference. It is all in the details… Oh, yeah, skip the fries.
The Cost of Obesity in America
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, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
At least he is trying!
2 health related articles popped up today on MSNBC- One on how Canada requires airlines to provide 2 seats to obese persons at the airlines expense, and the second on how hard health care reform will be when 70% of the US is overweight or obese.
The second article has several really bad logical errors- the worst of which is that providing gastric bypass surgery as a covered procedure will fix our problem. I don’t have any problem with covering the procedure but let’s face it- that only holds if 70% or even 35% of adult Americans are going to get gastric bypass. I guess you could put gastric bypass clinics on the corners next to the MacDonalds, but that is a lot of people. “What are you doing today?†“Oh, I’m going to get an eye exam and new glasses and I think I’ll stop and get a gastric bypass on the way homeâ€.
The real issue, of course, is that people simply will not be responsible about their lifestyle and health. The problem with irresponsibility is that it always costs someone- you, me, or usually, both. The current financial crisis is a pretty good example of the cost of irresponsibility. But I personally think that the current health crisis will exact an even bigger toll because it won’t just be money and jobs, it will be lives.
As for me, my health insurance rates went up by almost 50% since I am now in the high risk, over 50, age group. The fact that I am probably lower risk than most 30 year olds means nothing since even though insurance companies rate people for risk for driving, life insurance and just about everything else, it is not politically correct to expect people to be responsible with their health and lifestyle. “Normal†in America is now fat. Since most of the politicians and insurance industry executives are all fat too, we will just have to struggle along under the weight (pun intended) of this insanity until the system can no longer sustain it. I give it about 5 years, tops.
A lot of people don’t really feel the cost of this since they have company provided health insurance. But the cost is still there- they just lower your salary or wages to pay for it. It really would be beneficial if your company gave you the money as part of your salary and made you buy your own insurance from a pool of approved companies, one of which only insures healthy normal weight people. Then people would have a big financial motivation to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
At any rate, if you think that the answer is a Canadian style national health care system, read the article… there is typically a 6-12 month wait to see a doctor for non-emergency situations.
Reduce Your Chances of Diabetes with these 8 Foods
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
MSN Health has a quick slide show from Prevention that lists 8 possible foods that may help prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes. There are a few surprises- like lowfat ice cream! Actually, it is lowfat dairy products that help, and lowfat yogurt is a better choice since it contains far more protein and calcium. At any rate, check out the list. All of these are really easy to incorporate into your diet, so sit down and plan on how you can use these foods to lower your risk of diabetes.
1) Coffee
2) Vitamin D (Milk, Eggs, or supplements)
3) Lowfat Ice Cream or yogurt
4) Cinnamon
5) fiber-rich whole grains, such as brown rice or quinoa
6) Carrots
7) High fiber cereal like barley- see also number 5 above
8 ) Magnesium- found in nuts and leafy greens. I recommend eveyone take a Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc supplement every day. They are dirt cheap and you can get them at the grocery store.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Sports, Youth/fit | Add Comment
I saw this posted by Andrew over at MPF and thought I would pass the link along. Check out the videos and various tests that they use for assessing functional movement for athletes. I think these are all worth trying simply to get an idea of your strength/mobility. You will probably find weaknesses and imbalances in your body that need work. Check out Functional Movement- and read carefully how each test is done.
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
Here is a sign of the times… the US Army is having to turn down up to 30% of recruits because they are too fat to make it through basic training. I have a friend who recently joined the Navy and he said that what he saw during the physicals led him to think that at least 1/3rd of the recruits who made it that far were so fat and out of shape that they wouldn’t make it to basic training. The scary thing about all of this is that most people don’t think they are fat. The new “normal” is fat and it changes how people view themselves and everyone else.
FORT JACKSON, S.C. – The Army has been dismissing so many overweight applicants that its top recruiter, trying to keep troop numbers up in wartime, is considering starting a fat farm to transform chubby trainees into svelte soldiers.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Bostick, head of the Army Recruiting Command, said he wants to see a formal diet and fitness regimen running alongside a new school at Fort Jackson that helps aspiring troops earn their GEDs.
Bostick told The Associated Press that obesity looms as “a bigger challenge for us in the years ahead” than any other problem that keeps young people from entering the military, including lack of a GED or high school diploma, misconduct or criminal behavior and other health issues such as eye or ear problems.
On a related note, a friend sent me this article from FOX News about a couple in England who were turned down for adoption because the Husband was morbidly obese with a body mass index of 42. They of course think that they are being “discriminated against” and that they could offer the child a “happy and safe home”. It all depends on how you define safe, I suppose. Perpetuating an unhealthy lifestyle of poor diet and lack of exercise is not safe for children. With childhood diseases like diabetes at epidemic proportions, I think the authorities are correct to not allow this couple to adopt. Kids learn lifestyle choices from their parents and these people, while probably very nice, have obviously made some bad choices. The scary part, is that I doubt they see anything wrong with being morbidly obese- Even if it costs them their health- and society a lot of money in insurance and health care costs down the road. I’ll be ranting about that tomorrow since I just my new health insurance premiums for the new year.
5 Healthy Foods to Try This Year
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Number one on the list is Greek Yogurt. It is made differently from what we typically call yogurt here in the US, but it is not hard to find. Many grocery stores carry it now. The rest of the list has some things that you probably won’t find on a typical grocery store shelf, but you might… a lot of the better stores have fairly large health food sections, so look and see. I highlighted the yogurt because it is quick and easy- no prep or cooking involved. The dried fruit is also a good quick healthy food. Some of the others do require prep and cooking, so if that is not your thing, just add in the ones that fit your lifestyle. Every little bit helps!
“Greek-style yogurt is higher in protein than the regular variety,†says Jonny Bowden, author of “The Healthiest Foods on Earth.†One commercially available full-fat product lists 15 grams of protein for a one-cup serving, and its 2 percent-fat version lists 19 grams. With studies touting the value of a high protein breakfast, Greek yogurt is a great way to start the day. “Eating protein in the morning keeps you satisfied and cuts down your urge to overeat during the rest of the day, and Greek-style yogurt is a fast way to get it,†says Bowden.
Check out the whole list here at MSNBC.
Gym Memberships in Hard Economic Times
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
MSNBC has a article on what to do about your gym membership when times are tough and it seems that the money could be used elsewhere. There are a few good suggestions, but the general tone of the article seems wrong to me. My advice is this- cut back somewhere else and look for the best deal out there. There are 3 gyms in my town that have monthly rates under 20.00/mo. That is 67 cents/day. The local Golds Gym is offering a 15.00/mo membership with no contract and 10.00/mo extra for a partner. That is an amazing deal and worth skipping a half cup of coffee for. The reason I say this is because most of us never really stop to think about all the places we waste money that could be better spent elsewhere. So if you are like most of us now and watching your pennies, don’t give up one of the most important health benefits you have- you gym membership.
One friend of mine tells me regularly that he wants to join the gym so he can work out with us but that the cost is keeping him from doing it. The problem is that the cost isn’t the problem. He eats crap food at Waffle House several times a week that costs him more than the gym membership! If he would skip one junk food meal a week, he could pay for his 20.00/mo gym membership. Plus, as we all know, the cost of a bad diet and lack of exercise will be astronomical when he is older.
So don’t give in to the temptation to cancel your gym membership. In the end, it saves you far more than it costs- plus you get the added benefits of working out with friends, less stress and a better mental state as well. Now go to the gym and work out!
BTW, Andrew over at MPF has a good post about home gym equipment and whether people will actually use it when they buy it.
I think part of the reason that fitness is such big business is that it just ain’t that hard to convince someone that if you throw money at a problem, you’ve solved it. We throw money down the fitness wishing well because we don’t want to jump in there ourselves.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Sports, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
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