Researchers recruited healthy, active young men and fed them a bad diet for six weeks. A group of them that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. What’s more, they burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently.

According to the New York Times:

… Working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.

Sources:

Journal of Physiology Nov 1, 2010;588(Pt 21):4289-302

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Here I go again talking about exercise, one of my favorite subjects as your Oxnard chiropractor when it comes to an essential part of good health that no one can do for you but

But, with holiday shopping and other “to-do” activities, even the simple exercise options above might fall by the way side. Your lunch break becomes an opportunity to get pressing holiday necessities accomplished and if you’re in a rush, you may find parking close to a mall or market entrance, and taking an elevator instead of the stairs far less time-consuming.

However, many holiday activities offer ways for you to get the 30 minutes of daily moderate physical activity that your body needs. And, in addition to the usual health benefits, making sure you continue to get exercise will also help your body burn extra holiday calories! And, of course, as I’ve mentioned before, you don’t need to get in your 30 minutes all at once, but instead, exercising in 10- to 15-minute “chunks” can also be beneficial.

So, here are a few tips to healthfully get you through the holiday season:

If you’re holiday shopping and in a hurry, continue to park farther away from the mall entrance, and get your heart pumping by picking up your walking pace. You’ll save time and get a workout. Once you’re inside, remind yourself that taking the stairs may seem to take longer, but waiting for the elevator is often more time consuming. And, when your purchases aren’t too heavy or bulky, try carrying them instead of using a shopping cart to help get your heart pumping and strengthen your muscles.

If you’re hosting guests for the holiday, getting ready for them and cleaning after they leave can be a good way to get in your aerobic exercise. Housework, such as vacuuming, mopping, scrubbing, and even decorating (and “undecorating”) uses large muscle groups like those in your legs and back. The most important thing is to get your heart rate up at a consistent level for at least 10 minutes without stopping.

Don’t let inertia set in during the holidays. It’s hard to start exercising again once you’ve gotten out of the habit. And, if it helps, keep an image of Santa Claus and his big round belly in mind. Remember, he only exercises one night a year!

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The researchers at Osaka International University and Kobe University studied the differences between the sweating responses of men and women as they participated in exercises in which the intensities were changed, i.e., four groups of trained and untrained females and males cycled continuously for an hour in a controlled climate with increasing intensity intervals. The results? Men were shown to be more efficient at sweating, and that while exercise training improves sweating in both sexes, the degree of improvement is greater in men. Untrained females had the worst sweating response of all requiring a higher body temperature to begin sweating. The bottom line? According to the study’s coordinator, Yoshimitsu Inoue, “It appears that women are at a disadvantage when they need to sweat a lot during exercise, especially in hot conditions.” This finding may explain why men and women cope differently with extremes in temperatures, with women adapting better to hot environments, but men having greater efficiency of action under the same conditions.

But, sweat or “glow,” exercise for both sexes is essential for good health, including a strong musculoskeletal system.

Source: Experimental Physiology

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New research at Mid Sweden University and the Karolinska Institue found that the maximum capacity for oxygen uptake is twice as great among active senior men compared with men who do not exercise. (Twice as much oxygen intake!) “The high values for maximum oxygen-uptake capacity that we have measured have never been reported before in a population of men of advanced age,” says Per Tesch, professor of sports science who led the study of seniors who are still active skiers. (Some of Sweden’s skiing icons, some now more than 90 years old, took part!)

The conclusion of this study is that “humans have a great potential to maintain a high level of physical work capacity and, thereby, a better quality of life even at advanced ages.” The study is part of a larger collaborative project whose ultimate purpose is to study how musculature, the circulatory apparatus, and performance are affected by lifelong exercising well into senior years.

So, there you have it… One more good reason to get your body moving and to keep going no matter what your age!

Sources: Expertanswer, AlphaGalileo Foundation.

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Obesity is an enormous problem of epidemic proportions in this country. Factors such as changing eating habits (from healthy to “fast, fatty, and excessive”) and a sedentary lifestyle (for children as well as adults) have contributed to the obesity problem. It is also postulated that excessive consumption of fat creates failures in the signal transmitted by neurons controlling satiety in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus, and that these failures can lead to uncontrollable food intake and, consequently, obesity.

The researchers demonstrated that exercising (in this case exercising obese rodents) showed signals of restored satiety in hypothalamic neurons and decreased food intake. These findings confirmed that physical activity contributes to the prevention and treatment of obesity, not only by increasing energy expenditure, but also by modulating the signals of satiety and reducing food intake.

So, there you go, another good reason to exercise brought to you by your friendly chiropractor in Oxnard!

Source:
PLoS Biology

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine explained in a university news release that the “unified body construction” of a laptop, with its inseparable keyboard and monitor, makes it difficult for users to configure their equipment in a way that minimizes risk to their bodies. For instance, awkward positioning of the fingers and body can cause nerve injury to the wrist and prompt the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, while poor neck position and shoulder posture can cause muscle strain and soreness in those areas.

Researcher, Dr. Kevin Carneiro, a physician in the UNC School of Medicine’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and his colleagues point out that laptop users can take specific steps to minimize their risk. So, listen up and heed the tips below:

• If you are working at a computer, your body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees and hips.
• Use a docking station and cables to hook up to an external monitor and/or separate keyboard that are movable to encourage better posture.
• With the help of a docking station, position the computer so you can read the screen without bending your neck.
• Pay attention to the chair you sit in — look for one that is adjustable and comes with back support.
• Tilt the screen so you don’t need to bend your neck, and place the mouse so that your wrists are in a neutral position (one in which they are aligned with your arm and not raised above it).
• Take frequent short breaks every 20 minutes or so — this can help rest muscles and encourage position shifting. Do some shoulder shrugs, gentle forward head rolls, and shoulder scrunches to stretch your muscles.
• Stay hydrated — drinking plenty of water can help keep discs in your back lubricated.

In addition, be sure to watch out for warning signs, such as pain and tingling. These may mean you need to use better posture, take more breaks, or see your chiropractor in Oxnard!

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Health experts, such as chiropractors, and the U.S. government all recommend getting daily exercise — about an hour a day of moderate exercise for most adults — to keep weight off and prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plus, we chiropractors are well aware that keeping weight off not only helps to prevent the diseases just mentioned, but it also helps to slow down, and often prevent, arthritis and stress injuries of the musculoskeletal system caused by excess weight.

But, excess weight is not only caused by, and sustained through, lack of exercise. Here are some more “fun facts” from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics:

• The prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over has increased from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2009.
• In 2009, 9 percent of adults 18 and over had diabetes, up from 8.2 percent in 2008 and 5 percent in 1997.
• 20.6 percent of adults smoked, about the same as in 2008.
• Nearly 23 percent of adults had at least one day of binge drinking in 2009, defined as having five or more drinks in a day.
• Most Americans believe they are healthy. More than 66 percent said they had excellent or very good health, down from 68.5 percent in 2008. 2.4 percent said they had poor health.
• Just over 4 percent of all Americans said they had an asthma attack in the past year

There are no shortcuts and no way to get around it: Good health and vibrant wellness is created and maintained through an overall healthy lifestyle.

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Let’s face it, life these days has become a spectator sport for many people. Kids sit in front of the television or their computers — and so do adults! Business often demands it and, after a long day of sitting at the computer at the office, “relaxation” or “family time” frequently comes in the form of vegging in front of the TV. There is growing evidence to suggest that people (and in the case of this particularly study, women) who are physically active in mid-life and beyond have a lower chance of dementia, as well as the “more minor” forms of cognitive impairment in old age. However, until now there has been less clarity regarding the importance of physical activity for women early in life and at different stages of life. The researchers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Canada compared the physical activity and cognition of 9,344 women at different ages (teenage, age 30, age 50, and late-life) to investigate the effectiveness of activity at different life stages on later cognitive abilities.

“Our study shows that women who are regularly physically active at any age have lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who are inactive, but also that being physically active at teenage is most important in preventing cognitive impairment,” said Laura Middleton, PhD, who lead the research. And, in addition, she and her research team found that women who were physically inactive as teenagers, but became physically active at age 30 or age 50 had significantly reduced their odds of cognitive impairment as well compared to those who remained physically inactive. “Low physical activity levels in today’s youth may mean increased dementia rates in the future,” Middleton added.

What’s good for the body is always good for the brain. So be smart and stay that way by being physically active. Motion is life, so get moving!

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If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that as your Oxnard Chiropractor I believe that exercise, at any age, is one of the main keys to good health and longevity. You’ve heard me say that “motion is life,” and it becomes all the more critical as people age. Movement slows down degenerative changes and often prevents many of them from occurring at all. In addition, movement enhances blood flow, respiration, and elimination, and keeps every organ stronger and healthier. So, you can imagine my excitement when I read about a “senior’s playground” that opened in London’s Hyde Park recently. The playground was the result of senior residents campaigning for more facilities to help older people to get fit. Brilliant! Talk about an idea whose time has come!

Organizers said that a large group of older people began lining up early in the morning to try the six low-impact fitness machines that included a cross-trainer, a stationary bicycle, and a sit-up bench.

The playground is aimed at people over 60, but the gentle exercise would also be beneficial for patients recovering from operations or injury. Similar play areas for the elderly are already availabe in other European countries. So, why not here in the U.S.? Older people need a “free” friendly outside exercise area where they not only won’t feel intimidated by younger people, but will be able to socialize as they improve their health.

So, got a pen and paper handy? How about a laptop? Even your cell phone will work! Start a campaign in the Oxnard area for a “playground for seniors.” If you don’t personally need one today…you will sometime in the future!

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So ladies, take a walk! Do it for your health’s sake! For more information on this interesting study, click the link provided above.

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