Category: prevention and fitness

Health lessons from the Women’s World Cup

I watched the final game of the Women’s World Cup between Japan and the United States.  Tuning in a few minutes late I was stunned to see I  missed the first 2 goals! Believe me, I paid attention the rest of the game and was not disappointed. I admired the skill, talent and energy of both teams and with other Americans cheered the United States team’s victory  clinching the world champion title 5-2.

Besides enjoying the action I was more impressed by  the class and grace demonstrated by both teams as winners and as losers. That is the greatest lesson we can teach children and I hope parents used that as a “teachable moment”.

2015-07-06 08.02.56

I observed the superb fitness level of these and the other participants in the World Cup. Running up and down a field , kicking a ball and outmaneuvering opponents for 90 minutes is exhausting, but they made it look almost easy.  We can’t all be world class athletes  but we can be physically active in some way.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 

  • moderate-intensive physical activity for 150 minutes or more per week

  • vigorous-intensity activity for at least 75 minutes per week

  • engaging in muscle strengthening activity at least twice per week.

 

Medical studies show that exercise can prevent or improve many chronic health conditions and lack of exercise contributes to many diseases.

  • Physical activity may reduce the risk of cancers of the breast, colon, uterus, prostate and pancreas.

  • Regular exercise may help prevent diabetes and heart disease.

  • Exercise can relieve joint and back pain due to arthritis.

  • Depression is treated with physical activity successfully

 

With proper guidance, anyone can perform some exercise or other physical activity regularly. I stay active with walking, bicycling, ballroom dancing, gardening and have recently tried yoga

 

ballroom dancing
dancing in a competition with my pro instructor

I have more energy and stamina when I am active regularly, and get sluggish if I don’t.

What do you do to stay active, fit and moving? please share and encourage someone else.

More information here

Physical Activity Basics from the CDC

Which weight loss programs work best?

In my last post about obesity, I described a woman who lost weight by some fairly simple yet effective lifestyle changes.

6 steps to losing weight and gaining hope

But some people like and do better with something structured. Therefore, commercial weight loss programs are plentiful and popular. But do they work?

Do structured weight loss programs help people lose weight?
Do structured weight loss programs help people lose weight?

A group of internal medicine specialists reviewed 45 studies which evaluated the effectiveness of several commercial weight loss programs, including Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Medifast, Nutrisystem, Slim Fast, The Biggest Loser Club, eDiets and Atkins. They looked at amount of weight loss as well as possible harms. The studies compared the use of these programs to doing nothing, or minimal counselling and support.

I think this study is helpful because it looked at sustained weight loss at one year. People often can lose weight short term, but then gain it back. Successful weight loss must be maintained. Of the programs evaluated, Jenny Craig performed best, with almost 5% greater weight loss than the control group; Weight Watchers was next with 2.6% greater loss.

There are other factors which may have impacted the results. People who use these programs may be more motivated in the first place. Also, most of the participants were female, so the results may not apply to males.

These programs often involve some amount of counselling, education and group support, which helps some people stay committed to the process. Some involve purchasing food plans or meal replacement products which make it easier to eat healthy food but are sometimes cost prohibitive.

If you have used these or other structured weight loss programs, please leave a comment about your experience. Was it helpful, and for how long? Was it easy or hard to stick to? Was it worth the money you paid?

via Efficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs: An Updated Systematic ReviewEfficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs | Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

Books featuring recipes from these two successful programs (these are affiliate links)

Weight Watchers Cook It Fast

Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

The Jenny Craig Cookbook: Cutting through the Fat

Jenny Craig Diabetes Cookbook

Go here for a true story about one woman’s success using Weight Watchers- “Breaking up with junk food”