You hear me say it all the time: to improve your posture, you need to take frequent breaks from sitting to stand up and stretch or take a quick lap around the office.
A new study in the European Heart Journal says the same thing but for different reasons.
Researchers found that prolonged periods of sitting, even in those individuals who also perform moderate or vigorous exercise, is positively associated with worse cardio-metabolic function such as higher levels of triglycerides (an indicator of insulin resistance or pre-Diabetes), C-reactive protein(a blood marker of inflammation), lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the kind we usually need more of) and bigger waist circumference.
BUT! The study also found that even in people who spend a lot of time sitting down, the more often they get up to take breaks, the lower the level of CRP and the smaller their waist circumference!
For the number of breaks in sedentary time, the most significant difference was in waist circumference. The top 25% of people who took the most breaks had an average of 1.6 inches smaller waist circumference than those in the lowest 25%.
Over a one week period, the fewest number of breaks taken was 99 and the largest was over 1,200.
Some practical things you can do are to stand up when on the phone, take a walk to talk to a colleague instead of picking up the phone or emailing them, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and my personal favorite- drink lots of water so that you have to get up and walk to the bathroom (2 birds, 1 stone).
http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/01/08/eurheartj.ehq451.abstract
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111213031.htm
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
physically active children have bigger (and better!) brains than kids who don't!
A recent study published in Brain Research shows that kids who are more physically fit than less active peers have larger learning and memory centers of the brain (called the Hippocampus) and perform better on memory tasks.
I grew up in a suburb of a suburb of a suburb of Cleveland and was ALWAYS outside running round through the woods behind my house, exploring the creeks, riding bikes along what used to be railroad tracks before they were torn out... I started playing basketball in a league at the age of 8 and played right on up through my Senior year of high school varsity and some intramural's in college. The old 8 bit Nintendo came out when I was about 7 years old and there was no way in the world my dad was going to buy me one. In fact, I was stuck with my brother's oooold Atari, that didn't work well, but when it did, I would play Frogger for 10 minutes until I got so frustrated I'd turn it off and go play outside again :)
Living here in Phoenix, I honestly feel bad for kids who grow up in this huge metropolis of pavement and dirt, who will probably never know what cool, moist grass feels like under dirty, bare feet on a summer evening.
BUT the good news is there are still TONS of opportunities for kids to get involved in physical activities. So do your kids a favor and make them turn off the TV and the playstation. One day they'll thank you.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6SYR-50V5NMC-4&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F28%2F2010&_rdoc=20&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%234841%232010%23986419999%232460740%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=4841&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=27&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=325a844e852d11f884507be55a947411&searchtype=a
I grew up in a suburb of a suburb of a suburb of Cleveland and was ALWAYS outside running round through the woods behind my house, exploring the creeks, riding bikes along what used to be railroad tracks before they were torn out... I started playing basketball in a league at the age of 8 and played right on up through my Senior year of high school varsity and some intramural's in college. The old 8 bit Nintendo came out when I was about 7 years old and there was no way in the world my dad was going to buy me one. In fact, I was stuck with my brother's oooold Atari, that didn't work well, but when it did, I would play Frogger for 10 minutes until I got so frustrated I'd turn it off and go play outside again :)
Living here in Phoenix, I honestly feel bad for kids who grow up in this huge metropolis of pavement and dirt, who will probably never know what cool, moist grass feels like under dirty, bare feet on a summer evening.
BUT the good news is there are still TONS of opportunities for kids to get involved in physical activities. So do your kids a favor and make them turn off the TV and the playstation. One day they'll thank you.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6SYR-50V5NMC-4&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F28%2F2010&_rdoc=20&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%234841%232010%23986419999%232460740%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=4841&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=27&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=325a844e852d11f884507be55a947411&searchtype=a
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Is soy bad for children?
I'm reposting a Facebook post that Dr Bogash made regarding soy.
Should our children be eating soy? There is no doubt that the earlier a girl experiences menarche, the scarier it is. Greater risks of estrogen-related cancers like endometrial and breast. It also means that the hormonal disturbances that cause the early onset of menses are due to other physiological problems. In other words, hormonal disturbances are only the beginning of the problem. Overall, anything we can do to slow the onset of menarche the better. In this particular study, researchers found that in girls, the higher their levels of isoflavones were (found principally in soy) the later they reached menarche. Seems strange, doesn't it? The "they" who say soy is evil would have us believe that it is loaded with hormones that interfere with normal development. In this particular study (and many others...) we actually see their intake protecting normal development.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/3/556
Should our children be eating soy? There is no doubt that the earlier a girl experiences menarche, the scarier it is. Greater risks of estrogen-related cancers like endometrial and breast. It also means that the hormonal disturbances that cause the early onset of menses are due to other physiological problems. In other words, hormonal disturbances are only the beginning of the problem. Overall, anything we can do to slow the onset of menarche the better. In this particular study, researchers found that in girls, the higher their levels of isoflavones were (found principally in soy) the later they reached menarche. Seems strange, doesn't it? The "they" who say soy is evil would have us believe that it is loaded with hormones that interfere with normal development. In this particular study (and many others...) we actually see their intake protecting normal development.
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/3/556
Friday, July 2, 2010
Eating healthy is now a psychotic disorder?!?
I just finished reading this article. And then re-reading it because the claim is RIDCULOUS. If you're committed to eating healthy, unrefined, chemical-free food, you may now have an eating disorder!?! What?? And you'll probably be prescribed something used for OCD such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft to reduce your psychotic... behavior that is commitment to HEALTHY EATING. Sheesh.
Healthy food obsession sparks rise in new eating disorder
Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from a serious psychological condition characterised by an obsession with healthy eating.
The condition, orthorexia nervosa, affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated.
The condition was named by a Californian doctor, Steven Bratman, in 1997, and is described as a "fixation on righteous eating". Until a few years ago, there were so few sufferers that doctors usually included them under the catch-all label of "Ednos" – eating disorders not otherwise recognised. Now, experts say, orthorexics take up such a significant proportion of the Ednos group that they should be treated separately.
"I am definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years ago," said Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group. "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly 'pure'."
Orthorexics commonly have rigid rules around eating. Refusing to touch sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods is just the start of their diet restrictions. Any foods that have come into contact with pesticides, herbicides or contain artificial additives are also out.
The obsession about which foods are "good" and which are "bad" means orthorexics can end up malnourished. Their dietary restrictions commonly cause sufferers to feel proud of their "virtuous" behaviour even if it means that eating becomes so stressful their personal relationships can come under pressure and they become socially isolated.
"The issues underlying orthorexia are often the same as anorexia and the two conditions can overlap but orthorexia is very definitely a distinct disorder," said Philpot. "Those most susceptible are middle-class, well-educated people who read about food scares in the papers, research them on the internet, and have the time and money to source what they believe to be purer alternatives."
Deanne Jade, founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, said: "There is a fine line between people who think they are taking care of themselves by manipulating their diet and those who have orthorexia. I see people around me who have no idea they have this disorder. I see it in my practice and I see it among my friends and colleagues."
Jade believes the condition is on the increase because "modern society has lost its way with food". She said: "It's everywhere, from the people who think it's normal if their friends stop eating entire food groups, to the trainers in the gym who [promote] certain foods to enhance performance, to the proliferation of nutritionists, dieticians and naturopaths [who believe in curing problems through entirely natural methods such as sunlight and massage].
"And just look in the bookshops – all the diets that advise eating according to your blood type or metabolic rate. This is all grist for the mill to those looking for proof to confirm or encourage their anxieties around food."
copied from http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/16/orthorexia-mental-health-eating-disorder
Healthy food obsession sparks rise in new eating disorder
Eating disorder charities are reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from a serious psychological condition characterised by an obsession with healthy eating.
The condition, orthorexia nervosa, affects equal numbers of men and women, but sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated.
The condition was named by a Californian doctor, Steven Bratman, in 1997, and is described as a "fixation on righteous eating". Until a few years ago, there were so few sufferers that doctors usually included them under the catch-all label of "Ednos" – eating disorders not otherwise recognised. Now, experts say, orthorexics take up such a significant proportion of the Ednos group that they should be treated separately.
"I am definitely seeing significantly more orthorexics than just a few years ago," said Ursula Philpot, chair of the British Dietetic Association's mental health group. "Other eating disorders focus on quantity of food but orthorexics can be overweight or look normal. They are solely concerned with the quality of the food they put in their bodies, refining and restricting their diets according to their personal understanding of which foods are truly 'pure'."
Orthorexics commonly have rigid rules around eating. Refusing to touch sugar, salt, caffeine, alcohol, wheat, gluten, yeast, soya, corn and dairy foods is just the start of their diet restrictions. Any foods that have come into contact with pesticides, herbicides or contain artificial additives are also out.
The obsession about which foods are "good" and which are "bad" means orthorexics can end up malnourished. Their dietary restrictions commonly cause sufferers to feel proud of their "virtuous" behaviour even if it means that eating becomes so stressful their personal relationships can come under pressure and they become socially isolated.
"The issues underlying orthorexia are often the same as anorexia and the two conditions can overlap but orthorexia is very definitely a distinct disorder," said Philpot. "Those most susceptible are middle-class, well-educated people who read about food scares in the papers, research them on the internet, and have the time and money to source what they believe to be purer alternatives."
Deanne Jade, founder of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, said: "There is a fine line between people who think they are taking care of themselves by manipulating their diet and those who have orthorexia. I see people around me who have no idea they have this disorder. I see it in my practice and I see it among my friends and colleagues."
Jade believes the condition is on the increase because "modern society has lost its way with food". She said: "It's everywhere, from the people who think it's normal if their friends stop eating entire food groups, to the trainers in the gym who [promote] certain foods to enhance performance, to the proliferation of nutritionists, dieticians and naturopaths [who believe in curing problems through entirely natural methods such as sunlight and massage].
"And just look in the bookshops – all the diets that advise eating according to your blood type or metabolic rate. This is all grist for the mill to those looking for proof to confirm or encourage their anxieties around food."
copied from http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/16/orthorexia-mental-health-eating-disorder
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Just look for Lifecare Chiropractic!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mesa-AZ/Lifecare-Chiropractic/186308768105?ref=ts&ajaxpipe=1&__a=10
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
relax.
E A S E
We are the strivingest people who have ever lived. We are ambitious, time-starved, competitive, distracted. We move at full velocity, yet constantly fear we are not doing enough. Though we live longer than any humans before us, our lives feel shorter, restless, breathless...
Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a step back. Seriously. Take two steps back. Turn off all your electronics and surrender over all your aspirations and do absolutely nothing for a spell. I know, I know – we all need to save the world. But trust me: The world will still need saving tomorrow. In the meantime, you’re going to have a stroke soon (or cause a stroke in somebody else) if you don’t calm the hell down.
So go take a walk. Or don’t. Consider actually exhaling. Find a body of water and float. Hit a tennis ball against a wall. Tell your colleagues that you’re off meditating (people take meditation seriously, so you’ll be absolved from guilt) and then actually, secretly, nap.
My radical suggestion? Cease participation, if only for one day this year – if only to make sure that we don’t lose forever the rare and vanishing human talent of appreciating ease.
Excerpt by Elizabeth Gilbert from Seth Godin's eBook "What Matters Now"
We are the strivingest people who have ever lived. We are ambitious, time-starved, competitive, distracted. We move at full velocity, yet constantly fear we are not doing enough. Though we live longer than any humans before us, our lives feel shorter, restless, breathless...
Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a step back. Seriously. Take two steps back. Turn off all your electronics and surrender over all your aspirations and do absolutely nothing for a spell. I know, I know – we all need to save the world. But trust me: The world will still need saving tomorrow. In the meantime, you’re going to have a stroke soon (or cause a stroke in somebody else) if you don’t calm the hell down.
So go take a walk. Or don’t. Consider actually exhaling. Find a body of water and float. Hit a tennis ball against a wall. Tell your colleagues that you’re off meditating (people take meditation seriously, so you’ll be absolved from guilt) and then actually, secretly, nap.
My radical suggestion? Cease participation, if only for one day this year – if only to make sure that we don’t lose forever the rare and vanishing human talent of appreciating ease.
Excerpt by Elizabeth Gilbert from Seth Godin's eBook "What Matters Now"
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Gratitude is Good for You!
Thankfulness leads us to act in more selfless, altruistic ways which in turn builds social support, relationships and a sense of Community, all of which are tied to physical and emotional well-being.
One of the researchers at UC Davis reports that those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful. They sleep better, exercise more and even report lowered blood pressure!
The catch is, if you don't do it regularly, you won't see the benefits. It's kind of like going to the gym once a year and expecting results; there won't be any. Find multiple things to be thankful for every day, big or small.
For me, this time of year I'm incredibly thankful for the beautiful weather we have in Phoenix (though I could stand for a few degrees cooler)! I'm also thankful for hot tea and those tranquil evenings when I run. I'm grateful for fantastic friends and a wonderful church community and a family that loves me wholeheartedly, and i in return. I'm also thankful to have been given the talent and ability to help others attain optimal health!
This time of year it's easy to be reminded to have a grateful attitude, but we need to put it into practice every day of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving! :)
One of the researchers at UC Davis reports that those who offer gratitude are less envious and resentful. They sleep better, exercise more and even report lowered blood pressure!
The catch is, if you don't do it regularly, you won't see the benefits. It's kind of like going to the gym once a year and expecting results; there won't be any. Find multiple things to be thankful for every day, big or small.
For me, this time of year I'm incredibly thankful for the beautiful weather we have in Phoenix (though I could stand for a few degrees cooler)! I'm also thankful for hot tea and those tranquil evenings when I run. I'm grateful for fantastic friends and a wonderful church community and a family that loves me wholeheartedly, and i in return. I'm also thankful to have been given the talent and ability to help others attain optimal health!
This time of year it's easy to be reminded to have a grateful attitude, but we need to put it into practice every day of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving! :)
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