Researchers at the Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital in Athens, Greece discovered that men who regulary participated in high intensity activity such as marathons , tended to expierence stiffness of the large arteries. The information was provided via press release from the American College of Cardiology. The researchers measured blood pressure and pulse wave velocity in 49 men who trained for marathons and 46 who did not. The researchers found that both measures were higher in marathoners than in the control group. High intensity exercise seemed to correlate with arterial stiffness.

Lead author, Despina Kardara,M.D. states,”our data suggest that exercise may have an inverted u-shape in relation with arterial stiffness. Summerizing lack of exercise increase the likley hood of cariovascular events as does to much exercise. Kandra sites this is important because stiff arteries lead to high blood pressure as well impairment of proper heart function.

Aortic stiffness is a indicator of cardiovascular disease, atherosclorosis and predictor of early death.

My Thoughts- balance!

Finally a study women can truly enjoy!

Studies on both rats and humans by researchers at Cambridge University have found a drop in cognitive and physical activity performance following several days of consuming a high fat diet. Lead researcher Dr, Andrew Murray and colleagues compared two groups of rats, the group was fed a normal diet  and trained to run an a treadmill and perform simple cognitive tasks. Half the rats were later switched over to a high fat diet and evaluated how well they completed the same tasks. After a few days the high fat rats performed 30% less and were much less successful in performing cognitive tasks.

It is unclear why a high fat diet impairs cognitive function , insulin resistance is a possibility because it reduces the efficacy of glucose an important fuel for brain function. As far as exercise performance a high fat diet causes the body to release proteins that can reduce metabolic efficiency.

As we age, engaging in a consistent  exercise routine is critical to our overall health, the trick is to find a balance so that we may achieve optimal health without the nagging injuries that can derail any well intentioned athlete.

Prevention and variation is key to staying on track.

Warm up and stretch prior to each workout.

Exercise through out the week and not just on the weekend.

Add variation to your workout in order to avoid any overuse injuries.

Feeling injured ice immediately.

Add a rest day.

Good Luck!

Prehydrate- The best defense is a smart offense and the best way to prevent a heat related illness is to drink 8 ounces of fluid prior to exercise. Proper hydration also enhances performance.
Break for water- Try to drink 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes.
Stayed informed on current hydration requirements- An   average person should consume 96 ounces of water daily. Intake should increase with activity.

Find shade- Working out in the shade can drop heat temperatures by 10 degrees.
Cold blankets and bandannas- Store a blanket or a wet bandanna in an ice chest for a post workout reward.

A study at the National Institute of Health and  Nutrition put rats through a series of swim test. The researchers divided the rats into two groups. One group of rats paddled in a small pool for six hours, divided into two sessions of three hours each. The second group of rats were weighted and made to stroke vigorously for a short but intense period of time. After 20 seconds they were scooped up and allowed to recover for 10 seconds before being placed back into to pool for 20 seconds more of vigorous exercise . The researchers had the rats repeat these difficult intervals 14 times. After the sessions where completed the researchers tested each rats muscle fiber activity and found out that the rats who had gone for a 6 hour swim showed molecular changes that would increase endurance. To the researchers surprise the second group of rats who performed high intensity interval training for less than 5 minutes showed the same molecular change.

Researchers are questioning whether humans, like the second group of rats, can increase endurance with only a few minutes of very strenuous exercise instead of hours. A growing number of scientists say YES!

We  all know by now the importance of cardiovascular exercise and seem to think that’s all we need to do. Strength training is often over looked because of time. Not only does strength training help prevent many chronic health conditions by increasing lean muscle mass  improving upon weight control. It minimizes the risk of injury by fortifying our muscles and bones so that we may enjoy an active lifestyle into our senior years. When thought of in these terms the returns are great.

The Center for Disease Control recommends muscle strengthening exercise on two or more days a week targeting all major muscle groups. The goal should be to perform each exercise for 8-12 repetitions to fatigue, no more than fifteen. I encourage 2-3 sets to insure muscle optimal muscle fiber recruitment.

Why all this fuss, because as we age we shrink, we literally lose muscle density unless we keep our bodies challenged through consistent and proper overload. Without  proper training women start to lose muscle mass by age 40, men age 50. The earlier you start the better but it is never to late, recent studies have reported strength gains into our seventies.

How many of you set time aside to strength train?

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A few years ago experts touted 20 minutes of moderate activity should do it, now that’s no longer 100% true. Recently the Center for Disease control recommended 150 minutes a week of walking and The National Academy of Sciences recommends 60 minutes a day. It is also clear from reputable data that 30 minutes of brisk walking is enough to prevent chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart condition, hypertension and certain types of cancer.

What about weight loss? In my opinion that is a whole different conversation. A recent study done at the Harvard School of Public Health stated that 30 minutes of activity may not be enough to control weight depending on the amount of calories we take in.
One hour a day of walking may be needed to prevent weight gain. If your cut short on time  a more vigorous work out is needed in order to burn the same amount of calories.

We all know exercise is a must, so lets make the time to make it COUNT!

This is what happens in the real world, we diet and exercise to lose one pound a week!  I preach slow and steady wins the race, patience is a virtue to comfort my clients. I am very happy to see a one pound per week  of weight loss, what’s frustrating is when the scale does not move. WHY?

The body has a built in self protection, once we have lost about 10% of our bodyweight cutting 500 calories a day isn’t enough to keep losing .

Here are some tips to help trick your body.

Add high intensity strength training.
Try high intensity interval conditioning.
My favorite, a cheat meal so your body does not think it is being starved.

Hope this helps!
Does anyone have any other tricks?

Perceptions often determine reality. It’s unfortunate that much of our society has been conditioned to perceive what is good and healthy for us as also that which is “not fun” or “comfortable.” Consequently, many people cringe when hearing talk of physical exertion or glutton-free nutrition. Now, a recent study suggests that simply perceiving and consuming a food that is “healthy” may lead to increased hunger and overeating.

College students were asked to sample a protein bar and were told either that they were testing “a new health bar,” or a “chocolate bar that is very tasty and yummy with a chocolate-raspberry core.” Some time afterward researchers questioned the students about their hunger. Interestingly, hunger was rated higher by those who consumed the bar labeled as “healthy.”

Moreover, a control group who did not receive anything to eat, but who did examine the bars, was also asked to rate their hunger at the later time. The controls reported hunger at the same level as those who had eaten the bar labeled as “tasty and yummy.”

In a second study, researchers used bread instead of a protein bar, and labeled the bread in a similar manner. Afterwards, participants were offered pretzels. The participants who ate the bread labeled as “low-fat and nutritious” also ate more pretzels.

The third component of the study provided a choice of two protein bars, randomly labeled as healthy or tasty. In this case, ratings of hunger were similar between groups indicating that the power to choose may be as important as perceived deprivation.

In any weight loss program it is important to understand the psychological and emotional relationships people have with food. Avoid labeling foods with the understanding that people may be more likely to overeat later if they perceive to be depriving themselves of satiety.

HealthDay. Calling a Food ‘Healthy’ May Make You Hungrier. Friday, April 2, 2010.

The  goal of the study, conducted by Tufts University researchers, was to examine the accuracy of the stated calories of foods selected for weight loss and sold in stores and restaurant chains across the United States. The researchers found that calories listed on 29 restaurant food labels contained 18% more calories than posted and frozen meals contained 8% more calories than listed on the label.

Why, the study revealed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  allows up to 20% excess energy content but weight must be no less than 99% of the stated value. This might lead manufactures to add more food per package to insure compliance with the standards.

As health conscience consumers the only way to deal with this discrepancy in food labeling is to avoid processed food all together.

A recent study appeared in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association stating that commercially prepared food may contain 20%  more calories than posted on the food label.

The  goal of the study, conducted by Tufts University researchers, was to examine the accuracy of the stated calories of foods selected for weight loss and sold in stores and restaurant chains across the United States. The researchers found that calories listed on 29 restaurant food labels contained 18% more calories than posted and frozen meals contained 8% more calories than listed on the label.

Why, the study revealed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  allows up to 20% excess energy content but weight must be no less than 99% of the stated value. This might lead manufactures to add more food per package to insure compliance with the standards.

As health conscience consumers the only way to deal with this discrepancy in food labeling is to avoid processed food all together.

A recent study appeared in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association stating that commercially prepared food may contain 20%  more calories than posted on the food label.

The  goal of the study, conducted by Tufts University researchers, was to examine the accuracy of the stated calories of foods selected for weight loss and sold in stores and restaurant chains across the United States. The researchers found that calories listed on 29 restaurant food labels contained 18% more calories than posted and frozen meals contained 8% more calories than listed on the label.

Why, the study revealed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  allows up to 20% excess energy content but weight must be no less than 99% of the stated value. This might lead manufactures to add more food per package to insure compliance with the standards.

As health conscience consumers the only way to deal with this discrepancy in food labeling is to avoid processed food all together.

The researchers stated that this additional benefit may be the result of a decrease in urinary calcium excretion when on the lower sodium DASH diet.

The subjects salt reduction seems to have long term effects on bone health but  more research is needed to confirm the lifetime benefits of a DASH- type diet.