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August 2007 - Posts
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With the summer coming to a close and the Labor Day weekend fast approaching, how about a fun and healthy activity that will lift your spirit and ad some spice to your weekend. Take a road trip!
This past weekend, a friend and I drove down to Columbia, SC. My friend was interested in the University of South Carolina for grad school and I own a car - so we made a trip out of it. We left early on Saturday and drove down through Virginia, North Carolina, and into South Carolina. The trip was fun and relaxing. We took our time, listened to music, played license plate games and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
The best part of the trip were all the unplanned things that happened. We got lost in Columbia and couldn’t find our hotel. We ate at a diner and chatted with the locals. We ventured off the freeway and saw what the Carolinas had to offer. If you avoid rushing to get somewhere, road trips allow you to leave your troubles at home, break your routine and keep your stress level down.
My one difficulty with the trip was the lack of food choices. I was amazed at the number of Waffle Houses, McDonald's and Cracker Barrel's at every rest stop on the interstate highways. It seemed that all the food choices were unhealthy and it took some searching to find a convenience store that sold fruit, yogurt, low-fat sandwiches and other healthy choices. This is another good reason to get off the highways and explore the small towns. You may just find a great local restaurant with healthier options. Or if you don’t have time for a scenic trip, bring some healthy snacks and load up on water - and don't forget your camera!
So grab a map and look for a destination that you’ve always wanted to see. Or be really spontaneous and throw a dart at a map of your state or the U.S. And head to where the dart lands. Now that's an adventure!
Justin – A Lumen
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Alzheimer’s is a progressive and serious brain disease. More than 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer’s. Although symptoms can vary widely, the first problem many people notice is forgetfulness severe enough to affect their work, lifelong hobbies or social life. As the disease progresses, other symptoms include confusion, trouble with organizing and expressing thoughts, misplacing things and getting lost in familiar places. The most common form of this disease is dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Let’s first cover some common concerns for foods that have been commonly thought to lead to the disease. One concern has been the relationship of aluminum and its possible link to this disease. Since the 1960s, aluminum has been used in everyday products such as pots and pans, soda cans, antacids and antidepressants. So far no research has successfully linked aluminum as a contributor to this disease.
The other concern involves the use of artificial sweeteners and the potential cause for memory loss. Nutrasweet, Equal and Splenda are all artificial sweeteners that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in foods and beverages. According to the FDA, as of May 2006, there has been a lack of any scientific evidence from over 100 laboratory studies to conclude that these sweeteners are unsafe.
So what factors can play a role in putting us at risk for this disease? We can’t change certain factors such as age, family history and heredity. Currently, research is starting to study the strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s. There are other strong links between brain health and heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of your body’s richest networks of blood vessels. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart or blood vessels. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Other evidence suggests that overall health may help keep the brain healthy. In next week’s blog, I’ll take a closer look at what you can do for overall health and memory.
Rebecca
Rebecca Mohning M.S., R.D., L.D. is a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer. She received her Bachelor’s degree in dietetics and her graduate degree in exercise and sports science from Iowa State University. She also has a personal training certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. Rebecca currently has her own private nutrition and fitness consulting business is the Washington DC area.
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The next few weeks, we'll be reading What Healthy People Know: and the 7 things they do be healthy and live long, by Dr. Bob Gleeson. The first two chapters introduce us to Dr. Bob, his background and his reasoning for writing the book.
The resounding theme of the first two chapters is that we control up to 70% of our own health outcomes over our lifetimes. He sites study after study that show most of the factors that debilitate our health and reduce the quality of our lives (or end them) are vastly controlled through personal choices. He talks about heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases being largely preventable. He starts by listing traits that were found in a 20+ year long study of nurses. The study found that those who shared the following traits only had 20% of the risk for having a heart attack as the rest of the group. These women:
1. Did not smoke
2. Got 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week
3. Maintained a normal body weight
4. Ate a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fiber and healthy fats
5. Consumed very little alcohol
While these choices seem to be common sense, the science has clearly shown that they truly do impact one's health. Dr. Gleeson proposes that these habits don't have to be dramatic or followed 100% of the time, just consistently. No one has a heart attack from one bacon cheeseburger and fries, but eating artery clogging foods more days than not certainly puts you at risk. And studies show that your genes don't have nearly the impact on your health as these types of personal choices.
He gives the analogy of investing in your health like you invest in your retirement. Most people realize the benefits of saving over their lifetime rather than waiting until they are about to retire, or just doing nothing and become poor in their later years. Just as saving over time adds up to a comfortable life in retirement, so does paying attention to one's health little by little, over decades. And the even better news is, that it's never too late to start- even if you've made some bad choices up until now.
The next few chapters will tell us exactly how to make simple lifestyle changes that add up to better health and longevity as we age. I look forward to reading Chapters 3 and 4, on living to be 100, and smoking. Until then, happy reading!
Dell- a Lumen
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- Two structured swim workouts and one distance-only (preferably in open water) swim workout
- Commute to work on my bike three days
- Group bike ride on Saturday or Sunday morning
- Run directly after biking once or twice
- One long slow distance (LSD) and one medium-to-hard run
- One or two strength training workouts
- At least 7 hours of sleep every night
- One rest day
- Three healthy meals per day
- 80 ounces of water per day
- Stop drinking soda!!!
Now, if I could do that, consistently, every week...I think I would feel confident that I was as "in shape" and healthy as I could be. Of course there are other things that are important that don't necessarily fit into a weekly schedule. For instance, more than one rest day per week should be incorporated every 3 or 4 weeks.
Is this doable? Is it too much? Too little?
For me, I know it is doable. I've done it many times. Unfortunately, not in the last few months. For others, this may not be doable and IS too much. And for some others, this may be too little (I wish I was you). Level of fitness activity should be tailored to the individual and depends on many factors. In my opinion though, most people - including myself - should do more. There are SO many benefits to being "in shape". Have you ever finished a workout early in the morning and felt that invigorating deep breath in the shower that gives you all the life you need for the coming day? That's really what it's all about.
I am so weak on nutrition. My flawed philosophy has always been that as long as I keep myself active, I can eat or drink just about anything I want. It's sort of worked throughout most of my life. The older I get, the more flawed that philosophy becomes. I'll just say that it is much harder to keep the extra pounds off. And, where did all my energy go??? If I don't eat and drink right, I weigh too much and/or don't have the energy I need...period.
I hope this generates some discussion. There is a lot more to be said. And I sure don't know it all.
Thanks!
Jered (A Lumenos plan consumer)
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Last week, I had a dream that I woke up, took a shower and got ready for work like any other day. But when I walked outside, everything was different. I wasn’t in DC anymore but standing on a mountaintop. The view was amazing and I could see for miles. We were in the midst of a mountain range and there were snow-covered peaks in every direction. The sun began to set and the reds, yellows and oranges of the sky were gorgeous. I looked on either side of me and realized that I wasn’t alone. There were about 30 other people all looking the same direction. Somehow I knew that this was my village and we had all climbed the up mountain watch the sun set. The sun continued to set and the sky darkened. I felt completely at peace with the people around me. And then I woke up.
Laying in my bed and reliving my relaxing, but odd, dream, I grabbed the notepad that lives on my bedside table and jotted the details of my dream. I wanted to keep track of what I was dreaming and try to figure out what it meant. In searching some web sites, I found one that said, “mountains in dreams indicate many large obstacles to overcome but they can be positive or negative depending on the context of the dream”. Since I was on top of the mountain and at peace with the people around me, does that mean I conquered my obstacle? Maybe.
I also looked at some of the theories of why we dream. Some researchers believe that we dream for purely physiological reasons - that dreaming exercises our brain’s connections while we are asleep but they serve no other function. While other scientists believe that dreams focus upon our thoughts and emotions and help us deal with issues present in our daily life or even in our subconscious. But scientists did agree that dreams are such a mysterious phenomenon that it will take much more study to understand the reasons for why we dream.
My suggestion for you is to keep a dream log of your own. Place some paper or a notepad by your bed and write down the scary, happy, weird dreams you have. Do some research on the meaning of your dreams and come up with your own theories about what they mean or why we dream.
Justin – A Lumen
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There are millions of people who live with Multilple Sclerosis (MS) and living with this disease can be challenging. It can have a major impact on daily activities like going to work, looking after one's family etc. since some of the symptoms MS sufferers face daily include vison problems, fatigue, memory lapses and more. Last week I talked about the local news article in Minneapolis where an entire condominium building was developed for people with MS. There are organizations and online Websites...
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We continue this week with the second part of Eating for Energy. As you are training, the muscles need adequate nutrients to maintain the strength – and the body thrives on calories and fluids for energy. Without adequate protein intake the muscles will be broken down for protein use in the body. Most people get enough protein on a daily basis, but the body needs 1.0-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The minimum protein requirement for women is 60 grams per day and 70 grams per day...
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, sometimes disabling, disease of the central nervous system affecting between 350,000 and 500,000 people in the U.S. according to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. If affects twice as many women as men. MS develops more often in Caucasians than in other races. About 200 new cases of MS are diagnosed in the U.S. every week.
No matter how much you exercise, how healthful your diet is, or how well you take care of yourself, there is no way to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS). It affects people randomly. The disease is somewhat manageable if detected early; medications may slow the progress of the disease and the severity of symptoms. Also good nutrition; adequate rest; avoidance of stress, heat, and extreme physical exertion; and good bladder hygiene may improve quality of life and reduce symptoms of this disease once someone has it.
The area of research covering the nutritional benefits in the treatment and/or prevention of this disease is limited. Some studies have explored the possible benefits of the omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids, used in the maintenance and repair of the central nervous system. The studies have suggested that these supplements might slow the progress of the disease and reduce the severity and duration of relapses. Other important nutrients possible for preventing symptoms include a diet low in saturated fat and adequate in protein. The carbohydrate intake should be from high fiber sources to prevent constipation which is a common side effect of this disease.
Overall, we know that medical therapy in conjunction with nutritional therapy can result in optimal symptom management for patients with MS. For the rest of us that are not diagnosed with this disease the continuance of a well-balanced diet is still very important in the prevention of many other diseases as well.
Rebecca
Rebecca Mohning M.S., R.D., L.D. is a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer. She received her Bachelor’s degree in dietetics and her graduate degree in exercise and sports science from Iowa State University. She also has a personal training certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. Rebecca currently has her own private nutrition and fitness consulting business is the Washington DC area.
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The Ignite Book Club is starting a new book next week, and I'm excited to be blogging about it and discussing the book with everyone. The book is called "What Healthy People Know: And the 7 things they do to stay healthy and live long" by Dr. Bob Gleeson. You can pick up a copy at Amazon here, or at your local bookstore.
Dr. Mike Parkinson, Lumenos's former medical director, is a huge fan of Dr. Bob and this book. He often cited studies from the book in his presentations to Lumenos consumers. I read the first few pages, and it promises to be an exciting and informative read, about the daily choices we make that control the outcome of our health. It was encouraging to read that even if you aren't in the best health currently or you've made some poor choices in the past, it's never too late to turn things around and get healthy ! So, pick up a copy of the book and let's discuss it next Tuesday.
See you then!
Dell- a Lumen
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Through my discovery and understanding of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), as part of writing these blogs, I've also come across research articles and new findings about this disease. One article that sounds promising is one where researchers have made a genetic advance in 30 years and found a first new MS gene. To read the article click here . What does this mean? While there has always been speculation that there is a strong genetic connection with this disease, identifying this gene in individuals shows...
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Hi, my name is Sara. I’m 34 years old and have a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy. Between having a child and hitting my mid-30’s I’ve noticed definite changes in my metabolism and my body in general. In the past I’ve gotten away with not exercising for the most part. If I wanted to lose weight I just ate less. But it finally got to the point where eating less became not eating at all. With some help I recognized that I had a problem and I hope not to have any recurrences. Meanwhile, I had been doing some exercise in the winter/early spring but I’ve fallen off the wagon in the last six months. I live in Texas and consider the outdoors off limits from May – September. The heat index today is a sweltering 106. The answer would be to join a gym and it is something I’m considering. But my husband and I were thinking we’d wait until January until we got finances in better shape and had the extra $50 to spend on dues. So I’m back to thinking about what I can do inside for the next six months to get moving.
My job is very sedentary. I sit in front of a computer for 95% of my workday. To make matters worse I very often eat lunch at my desk. Luckily, I watch what I eat and don’t go for fatty snacks during the day but still I’ve noticed a definite, shall we say, “flattening” of my rear in the last six months. I know it’s due to my lack of exercise and I keep vowing to start taking walks during lunch again but it never seems to happen.
I am pledging here and now to take a 15 minute walk at least 3 times a week. I also found some info on wall squats that I can do at work. http://backandneck.about.com/b/a/257688.htm. They work on the hips, abdomen, quads and back. Any other suggestions of work/desk exercises would be greatly appreciated!
sarac
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Do you feel like you’re always competing against time? You do? Great, because I do too. As I take on more responsibilities I feel my life has grown overworked and overstressed. So I think it’s time I try to simplify some things.
Here are some of the things I think I can do to help streamline my life and alleviate the growing stress.
Prep for the next work day. Mornings are busy enough and I think one way I can add a little time back in my day is to lay my clothes out the night before (ironed, if necessary) and pack my bag (gym clothes included) for work and leave it by the door so I can pick it up on my way out.
Wake up early and write a task list. I think that if I go into the day prepared I can be more efficient, so I’m going to try to wake up 10 minutes early and write a task list for the day, categorizing my tasks by what I need to complete vs. what I want to complete.
Minimize distractions at work. Some distractions can’t be avoided, but some can. While at work, I plan to turn off my MSN messenger and only check e-mail periodically (if they need me bad enough, they can call me!).
Add more time to the end of my day. After work, I plan to pick only 2 hours of TV for the week and reduce my internet time to 15 minutes per day. It should give me more time to call my parents and maybe even finish that book I started three years ago.
Get organized. I plan to put all my important information (account numbers, passwords) in a secure location so I won’t have to remember all my different passwords and the information will be easily accessible for future look-up. I’m also going to sign up for automatic deduction for all my bills so I don’t have to deal with checks and postage stamps.
Plan Ahead. I am going to make all my necessary appointments (hair cuts, auto check-ups, dental appointments) for the rest of the year. Plus, I am going to load up on greeting cards (birthday, mother’s day, thank you) and actually send them out on time.
Don’t forget to look below for the answer to Puzzle #1 from last week.
Justin – A Lumen
Question:
Which one of these sentences is the odd one out?
David ushered cartooned kittens.
Simon wanted another nail.
Every artistic girl loves Easter.
Badgers rarely eat any more.
Will rabbits eat nettles?
Can rare animals nobble elephants?
Answer: The fourth sentence, “Badgers rarely eat any more”. The initial letters of the words spell Bream, a fish. The other sentences all spell birds.
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The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that approximately 400,000 Americans acknowledge having MS and each week about 200 more are diagnosed with this disease. Worldwide, MS could affect close to 2.5 million individuals. Research shows some common trends among people who get this disease including - 1) Most people diagonosed with the disease are aged between 20-50 yrs. 2) Two-third as many women suffer from MS as men 3) MS occurs more commonly among people with northern European ancestry...
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As you continue your training program, your overall nutrition program is important. We have already focused on pre-workout and post-workout nutrition , but let’s take a closer look at the overall nutrition program. The best diet for optimal health includes a diet with moderate protein, low fat, and some carbohydrate. The diet should consist of a variety of foods in moderation – this will give you the best fuel for energy. The next important concept is timing of meals and snacks. It takes the stomach...
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Ignite is hosting a 2nd free online Live Chat event with registered dietitian and certified personal trainer, Rebecca Mohning -- Tuesday, August 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The topic of this Live Chat is Fitness, Training and Healthy Eating.
Join us at 3:00 to ask any of your food and nutrition questions live online -- like What should I eat if I'm training for a race? or What are the best foods to help me manage my weight? You can even just join to see what others are asking and the advice she's sharing. If you're participating in Ignite-A-Thon, this is the place to go to get answers to all your training questions. (At Rebecca's last Live Chat, we learned great tips on starting a new fitness activity.)
To participate in the Live Chat, visit Ignite on Tuesday, August 21 at 3:00 p.m. ET and sign in. Then, on the home page, click on the orange Live Chat button (top right corner).
You could win a prize, too. Every Ignite user who posts a comment or question during the Live Chat will be entered into a Sweepstakes Drawing for one of five $20 gift cards a health-focused retail store. (Official rules below.)
Hope to see you at the Live Chat!
Kerry (a Lumen) |
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