Health Tips

 

DIABETES PREVENTION   10% According to the Diabetes Prevention Program, overweight study participants who lost just 5 to 10 percent of their weight reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.  Both aerobic exercise and resistance training can affect the way the body processes blood sugar – and doing both is more effective than doing either one alone.  For best results:  Get your heart pumping.  The more aerobically fit you are, the more efficiently your muscles will metabolize sugar.  Aim for 150 minutes of cardio per week.  Buff up:  Resistance training (like lifting weights) builds muscle mass, which can improve insulin sensitivity.  Get in one or two 20 – 30 minute strength-training sessions per week.

WALKING

AMERICAN DISCOVERY TRAIL  The American Discovery Trail winds 5,048 miles from Delaware to California.  You can now travel the trail virtually.  Record your local daily walks (in minutes, steps or miles), log your stats on about.com’s “Walking USA” page, and then follow your virtual progress on the trail graph.

Before you go out for a walk or jog in warm weather, rub lip balm over each eyebrow.  It will keep sweat (and sunscreen) out of your eyes.

Walking in natural surroundings has been shown to relieve stress more than walking through city streets.

Plus, walking in a new environment has been shown to boost memory and creativity, so your brain will get a workout too.

RESISTANCE TRAINING Numerous studies on middle-aged women indicate that resistance training alone can speed up your metabolism as it helps you maintain muscle mass. Source:  Weight Watcher Magazine September/October 2010

UPHILL CLIMB     Compared to walking, hiking increases your workout’s intensity.  Your core abdominal and back muscles work harder as they stabilize you over uneven surfaces.  And if you are hiking up a hill, all of your muscles – including your heart – get a better workout.  Hiking on a steep grade and rough terrain also works hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes, so you get a firmer backside. Source: Healthy Cooking Oct./Nov. 2010

VITAMIN D  Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to diabetes, osteoporosis and even cancers.  While more studies are needed to determine the real risks of Vitamin D deficiency, it is known that as many as half of all adults and 30% of children and teens don’t have enough D in their blood – and being overweight is linked to lower levels.  Many experts now recommend at least 1,000 IU daily.

 

TAKE YOUR ROUTINE OUTSIDE  Exercise is a known mood booster, because it increases feel-good brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Moving your workout outdoors can boost your mood even more, because researchers speculate that many Americans are deficient in vitamin D, a mood-enhancing nutrient that we get from exposure to the sun’s rays.  In fact, a recent study found that overweight individuals are twice as likely to be lacking the nutrient.  Just 15 minutes of outdoor exercise can produce sufficient vitamin D and happiness-boosting serotonin.  Source: Weight Watchers Magazine May/June 2010

WORKOUT TUNES  Create a playlist of fast, fun and crazy music to workout to.  Studies suggest that listening to music while exercising may rev up endurance by 15 percent.  Source: Weight Watchers Magazine Sept./Oct. 2010

SIZE DOES MATTER  Losing weight can greatly help to reduce your risk of breast cancer and improve your odds of survival if you’re diagnosed with the disease.  There are some women whose genes predispose them to breast cancer only when they’re overweight.  We have incredibly good evidence that maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your risk of breast cancer.  Overweight or obese women produce an abundance of substances – including, estrogen, cytokines, and insulin – that act as fuel for the development of breast cancer cells.  And the heavier you are, the greater your risk.  The extra weight also makes it more difficult to diagnose breast cancer because mammograms becomes less effective.  Weight Watcher magazine – September/October 2010

 

 

FARTLEK  Have you ever heard the word fartlek?  Interval training – also known as fartlek (translation: speed play) in Sweden, its country of origin – involves mixing short bursts of intensity into your regular workout.  This highly efficient method of exercise burns more calories in less time.  Whether you walk, swim, bike or use and elliptical machine, interval training can work for you.  For example, you can incorporate interval training into a walking routine by alternating from a regular-paced stride to a high-speed walk every few minutes.  Increasing intensity, even for 2 minutes at a time, results in a higher calorie burn, so you can shorten your usual workout and still get the same payoff.  The frequency and intensity of each interval is up to you.  As your body adjusts to the increased intensity, add in more quick bursts of fast walking or jogging and extend the duration of each burst.  Source: Healthy Cooking magazine Dec./Jan 2011                  If you are using a treadmill or other aerobic equipment, challenge yourself by using the “interval” program to automatically add inclines, increased resistance and higher speed bursts to your workout.  Source: Healthy Cooking magazine June/July 2008 

WIDEN YOUR BLOOD VESSELS   Twice an hour while sitting, take two really deep breaths.  Draw as much air into your lungs as you can, hold for 5 seconds and breath out.  This combats fatty sludge in your blood vessels by sending out nitric oxide scavengers to eat up the harmful fat deposits.  Source: Healthy Cooking magazine February/March 2011 – page 22

EXERCISE – STAIRS   Adding stairs into your usual walk can increase your calories burned by an impressive

 Walking or riding a bike uphill is an added challenge for your heart, muscles and lungs.  Tackle some inclines once or twice a week.  Lean forward when walking uphill to engage your glute muscles.  And remember to take shorter steps, keeping your knees slightly bent, when going downhill. Source:  Healthy Cooking magazine June/July 2008