Archive for October, 2009
Trick-or-Treat-Give Me Something Good to Eat
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It’s that time of year again, the beginning of the season for consumption of all things sweet. Halloween marks the start of the holiday season that extends until the beginning of January. The tendency to overindulge in sweet treats rises, the sugar rush ensues, and waistlines expand. Considering the rise in childhood obesity, here are some ideas to curb the sugar rush, and still keep the kids happy and healthy.
For the ghosts and goblins that come knocking: Select dark chocolate options for trick-or-treaters. Dark chocolate has health benefits such as antioxidants. Give out granola bars, 100% fruit chews, and yogurt or carob covered raisins. Look for the fun or mini size candy options for the ghouls and goblins; the smaller the better. Or, avoid candy altogether and hand out coloring books and crayons, glow sticks, or stickers.
And for your little pumpkins, avoid all unnecessary sugar on the day of Halloween. Omit soda, fruit drinks, certain cereals and other sugary stuff since you know they’ll be eating candy. Feed them a healthy meal before they go out roaming the neighborhood. The hungrier they are, the more candy they will eat along the way. Get them exercising! Throw in a Thriller mix and have a little zombie dance party. Also, have them walk from door to door.
Do you have any tips for healthy treaters?
"Missing the Mark" But Still a Winner in the Long Run? Your Oxnard Chiropractor Explains
Posted by: | Comments“Close” isn’t generally a word we associate with success. In point of fact, not many things in life, it seems, count much at all if you “miss the mark” or don’t “hit a bull’s eye.” Well, it would seem that this may not be absolutely true when it comes to living longer. As a Chiropractor in Oxnard, who has many older patients and who is also fully dedicated to encouraging my patients to exercise at every age level, I was very happy to read about the results of the following study.
Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” of the nearly 4,400 healthy Americans in their recent study, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels doubled the risk of dying over the next nine years as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (That is to say, those 20 percent who were almost at the lowest fitness levels.) This is the proverbial “bad news/good news” type of result. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a confirmed sofa spud. But, it is genuinely good news for those who haven’t completely embraced a sedentary lifestyle but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, “exertive.” Apparently, those people who continue to be just moderately fit as they age may live longer than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.
Between 1986 and 2006, researchers evaluated the fitness levels of 4,384 middle-aged and senior adults during exercise treatmill tests. For approximately nine years thereafter, the researchers followed the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were considered in the study. This, in and of itself, accentuates the importance of physical fitness itself. In an email to Reuters Health, lead researcher, Dr. Sandra Mandic of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, stated: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”
Nearly two-thirds of the least-fit study participants were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”
After classifying the study group participants by fitness levels, the researchers discovered that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit men and women had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “hit a bull’s eye,” so to speak) had died during the follow-up period.
The five fitness-level groups reported little difference, overall, in their reported exercise practices during most of their adult lives, but notably, they contrasted in activity levels only in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”
And, perhaps it goes without saying, that regular chiropractic care is important along the way to may sure that you are well-adjusted for those higher levels of fitness. Call me, Dr. Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor. I’m here to help you be all that you can be!
SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.
Meatless Monday
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What’s for dinner at your house tonight? How about a meat–free dish? Just by reducing animal protein in your diet, you could lessen your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Many people have found that reducing animal protein consumption can help with low energy and sugar cravings. You can also improve the health of our environment by preserving natural resources like water and fossil fuels.
Join a growing number of people all over the country in the Meatless Monday movement and pledge to eat meat-free once a week. What will you eat in place of your meat entrée? Try incorporating more vegetables into your meal, which are high in fiber and will make you feel full and satisfied. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds are also a great meat alternative. They are high in protein, iron and magnesium and contain little to no saturated fat.
You’ll also reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.
People are confused about how to start making improvements to their health, let alone make sizable changes to the environment. Start with what you put on your dinner plate. Start today. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to make a difference. Michael Pollan recently stated on the Oprah show: “Even one meatless day a week — a meatless Monday, which is what we do in my household — if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million mid-size sedans off the road.”
Need recipe ideas? Check out Meatless Monday’s recipe page. Just think about the health message you’re starting today and how you can extend it for the rest of the week. Go meatless and the possibilities are endless!
Where your health is concerned, Donald Bolt, your Oxnard Chiropractor, knows it is crucial for you to drink enough water on a daily basis. The chant is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water, second only to air, is necessary for human survival. Therefore, one would suppose that drinking a healthy amount of water would be as visceral as breathing in a sufficient quantity of air, but a surprising 75 percent of people in our country have mild, incessant dehydration. (Most people aren’t getting enough oxygen either, but let’s talk about why staying well-hydrated is so important.) You have no foundation for good health without drinking an adequate amount of water. Every system in your body — every cell, tissue, and organ — requires water to function properly. Water is the essential element for saliva and the fluids surrounding the joints. Water regulates the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. The improvement of nutrient absorption and toxin removal, as well as the reduction of heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches have been associated with staying well-hydrated.
Athletes are distinctly at risk when it comes to problems produced by dehydration. Researcher, Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, said of athletes,”Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are.” According to researchers at Indiana State University, a high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts. In fact, 80 percent of football players presented with dehydration during pre-season physical examinations.
Confused about how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like your Chiropractor in Oxnard, Dr. Bolt, and most other health care professionals, suggest a minimum of eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day for many patients, but for our athletic patients, or for individuals who are overweight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. There is a fairly simple way for you to make certain that you’re drinking an adequate amount of water. Your urine color is a good indicator. If it is a light, pale yellow, it’s an indication that you’re well-hydrated!
