Dancing, Walking While Carrying Objects Can Improve Balance In Elderly, Review Shows

by | May 7, 2014 | Exercise | 0 comments

Exercise It’s well known that balance exercises can help elderly people avoid dangerous falls — but a new Cochrane Review shows just what kinds of exercises seem to be most effective.

Researchers found that the best ways to improve balance “involved exercises that challenged people’s balance while they were standing,” study researcher Tracey Howe, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said in a statement.

The exercises that were done three times a week for three months seemed to be the most effective, she added. The Telegraph reported that these sorts of activities include dancing and carrying objects while walking.

“What you have to do is combine activities, such as carrying things while walking or dancing which involves using various parts of the body,” Howe told The Telegraph. “It is well worth the elderly putting their favorite music on at home and having a little jig.”

Surprisingly, plain old walking and riding a bicycle didn’t seem to be that effective at reducing falls among the older population, Howe added, though of course there are many other health benefits associated with these activities.

Continue reading

10 Foods With Hidden Sweet Spots

by | May 6, 2014 | Sugars | 0 comments

Sugar When it comes to sugar, cupcakes and cookies are obvious diet derailers. The real saboteurs of healthy eating however are sneaky sources of the sweet stuff, which in a day of meals and snacks can add up to serious trouble — especially if you’re among the 25.8 million Americans who suffer from diabetes. To address the epidemic, uncover 10 foods with added sugar that may surprise you.

1. Fast-food chicken sandwich
I’ve seen a lot of sneaky sources of sugar, but I was shocked to discover that many of the fried chicken sandwiches offered at popular fast food joints can contain up to 16 grams of the sweet stuff — that’s 4 teaspoons of sugar per sandwich!

2. Packaged bread
Think you’re doing yourself a favor by buying a loaf of honey wheat? Think again. Bread manufacturers add sugar to retain moisture, add softness and lend a mild sweetness to their breads. If you’re having trouble finding a loaf without added sugar, keep in mind that ingredients are listed by weight. The farther down sugar appears on the ingredients list, the less a slice will contain.

3. Coleslaw
A few varieties of the store-bought coleslaw that I found in my grocery store contain up to 3.5 teaspoons of sugar per 1 cup serving. The easiest way to avoid sugar in your slaw is to make the popular cabbage dish at home and leave the white stuff out — some recipes for call for sugar, others don’t. Still, if you’re short on time, and the only option on the shelf contains sugar, mix in some additional shredded cabbage and low-fat Greek yogurt to cut the sugar and fat without losing the creaminess.

4. Tomato sauce
They may not taste overly sweet, but many jarred tomato and sauces are loaded with sugar. Look at the ingredient lists on some of those jars and you might even notice corn syrup in your sauce. The worst offenders I’ve found have 15 grams (nearly 4 teaspoons!) of sugar per half-cup serving. When buying pasta sauce, look for varieties with no added sugar or ones that contain less than 7 grams per serving. Fresh is always best, so if you have ripe tomatoes on hand, roast them in the oven to bring out their natural sweetness. Then blend them with a little water and sautéed garlic to make a delicious homemade sauce.

5. Instant oatmeal
Aside from the oats, sugar is the second most common ingredient in many of those flavored packets of instant oats. Some contain up to 18 grams of the sweetener — more than 4 teaspoons. It’s better to buy plain oatmeal and add fresh fruit or a dollop of honey or maple syrup for a hint of sweetness.

Read more

5 Easy Weight-Loss Tips That Really Work

by | May 5, 2014 | Exercise, Weight Loss | 0 comments

Fit As a nutritionist, I often get clients at this time of year concerned about summer — fitting into a bathing suit, getting some new clothes and navigating holiday eating and parties. I am not a fan of rigid diets, which restrict entire food groups for a short time, but rather I advocate for healthy eating and developing simple strategies which clients trying to lose weight can stick to for the long haul.

Below are simple strategies, which I have seen work for clients trying to lose weight in time for summer and more importantly, help them keep it off and be able to enjoy meals and treats with family and friends.

1. Make smart swaps.
I am a big fan of offering clients simple substitutions for their favorite foods rather than cutting foods out entirely and leaving them at a loss for what else they can include in their eating plan. As I previously wrote here: “What I have found in my private practice is that small action-oriented steps and simple substitutions tend to work a lot better.”

For example, drinking seltzer instead of soda and starting your day with bran cereal or a Greek yogurt instead of a doughnut or an oversized muffin can make a huge difference in terms of both losing weight and eating healthfully.

2. Keep a food diary
I recommend that clients keep food diaries, at least for a month or so. Writing down what you eat helps raise your awareness about exactly what and how much you are really eating. It is an excellent behavioral tool to help you practice eating mindfully. And these days, there are so many ways to keep food records. You can stick to the old-fashioned way of writing down your food habits in a spiral pad; you can keep records in your computer or iPad; or you can download an app for your smart phone.

3. Stick to regular meal times.
One way to avoid overeating is to eat at regular intervals throughout the day and not skip meals. If you are not that hungry on a particular morning for example, it is okay to eat a smaller breakfast rather than eat nothing at all. It is best not to allow yourself to get too hungry that you will just “let yourself go” and grab anything you can find.

Read more

How To Fit Exercise Into Your Routine (No Matter How Busy You Are)

by | May 2, 2014 | Exercise | 0 comments

Office man

We all know by now that maintaining an active lifestyle should be one of our top priorities in life. Only by taking care of ourselves do we stand a chance of being the kind of person we strive to be on the job, at home with our loved ones and in our communities. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Work, in particular, can get in the way of working out — in fact, there is a big paradox going on, and it becomes more obvious the more challenging (and exciting!) a job gets: On one hand, we struggle to find time to work out; on the other, we can’t afford to not exercise because it is integral to sustained success.

My co-author and I sought to get to the heart of this paradox — and figure out how to beat it — when we wrote Winning Without Losing: 66 Strategies for Building a Wildly Successful Business While Living a Happy and Balanced Life. We interviewed 25 high-powered workers from around the world who somehow manage to exemplify healthy work-life balance. Based on these interviews, we’ve put together six tips for how to fit exercise into your daily routine — no matter how busy you are with work.

1. Work Out Efficiently
Pick a workout form that you can do almost anywhere, whether you’re traveling or getting home from the office late. Ideally, this will be a form of exercise that doesn’t require much preparation (maybe save the wind surfing for the weekend) and that accomplishes significant physical gains in a short period of time (sorry, golfers). High-intensity interval training, Tabata training, bodyweight exercises and running are all great choices.

2. Cater To Your Own Likes And Dislikes
By now you might be thinking, “I hate running!” (or Tabata, or what have you) — and that’s okay. We each need to be realistic and to know ourselves. One person’s running is another person’s yoga, weight training or dance. Flexing your self-discipline muscles is often necessary when it comes to exercise, but make it easier on yourself by choosing a form of exercise that fits your lifestyle, personality and taste. Not sure what you love to do? Don’t be afraid to experiment with different forms of exercise until you find what works best for you.

3. Use Competitions As Motivation
When it comes to being successful at work, collaboration is key. But when we’re trying to motivate ourselves to exercise on a regular basis (and with enough intensity for it to really matter), competition has its merits. Today, it’s possible to find a competition suitable to your skill level in almost any sport. Whether you’re elite, beginner or somewhere in between, there’s something for all of us. Sign up, set a goal and notice what it does to you — odds are good it might be the push you need to keep yourself in the game.

Continue reading

Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Linked With High Blood Pressure

by | May 1, 2014 | General Health, Sugars | 0 comments

Soda Consuming lots of sugary drinks can expand your waistline, but you may not be aware of what it also might do to your blood pressure.

Sugar is added to many food products, but the largest source of added sugar we consume is in sugar-sweetened drinks.

Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to obesity, high blood sugar, heart disease and kidney stones. Recently published researched found it was also associated with increased blood pressure and a greater risk for developing hypertension (high blood pressure).

Aaqib Habib Malik, MD, BSc, MPH, from the Department of Internal and Preventive Medicine at Griffin Hospital and the Connecticut Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center of Derby, Connecticut, and a team of researchers conducted this study.

The researchers analyzed 12 previously published studies that reported on the effects of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages on blood pressure. The studies included 409,707 people aged 12 years and older.

The studies showed a 26 to 70 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure in people who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages compared to people who did not drink sugar-sweetened beverages.

One of the studies on teenagers found an 87 percent increase in risk of developing high blood pressure in those who drank sugar-sweetened beverages three or more times a day compared to teens who did not drink sugar-sweetened beverages.

High blood pressure was 16 to 60 percent more common in the group of people who consumed greater amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages than in people who did not drink these beverages.

The link between increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and hypertension was not dependent on age, and this link became stronger after 18 months of increased sugary beverage consumption.

A limitation of the analysis by Dr. Malik’s team was that it could only show an association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and blood pressure and not that sugar-sweetened beverages were the cause of the higher blood pressure.

The researchers explained the significance of small differences in blood pressure by saying that lowering the upper number in a blood pressure reading by two points can reduce stroke deaths by 10 percent. The upper number, called the systolic pressure, in a blood pressure reading measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. A normal systolic pressure reading is less than 120.

“All 12 studies showed positive relation between increased [sugar-sweetened beverage] intake and hypertension,” the study’s authors wrote.

These authors put forth several theories of how sugar-sweetened beverages might increase blood pressure. Sugar-sweetened beverages can lower nitric oxide in the body, causing blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise. Sugar-sweetened beverages can contain extra salt, and studies have also shown that people with increased sugar consumption also tend to eat more salt. Salt can cause changes in the body that raise blood pressure.

Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, from the Medical Advisory Board Member of the non-profit Nutritional Magnesium Association, commented, “A fascinating and little-known fact about sugar metabolism is that 28 molecules of magnesium are required to metabolize one molecule of sucrose (table sugar) and 56 molecules of magnesium are used up to metabolize one molecule of fructose (fruit sugar).

“When magnesium is diminished to that extent, the resulting magnesium deficiency can contribute to raising the blood pressure because magnesium is required to relax the muscles of the body, including the smooth muscles of the blood vessels. If there is tension in the smooth muscles of the blood vessels, then blood pressure rises,” Dr. Dean explained.

“Studies have shown that diets deficient in magnesium will produce hypertension — sugary drinks contribute to creating a magnesium deficiency in the body and and a corresponding rise in blood pressure. And 75 percent of Americans do not get nearly the [recommended daily allowance] of magnesium from their diets,” she said.

“Other studies have shown that increased levels of minerals such as potassium and magnesium in the diet have a suppressive effect on calcium-regulating hormones, which helps lower blood pressure,” she explained.

Continue reading