By bsekula, on January 7th, 2008
January 07, 2008.
From a recent article posted in the San Jose Mercury News by Melinda Sacks…
I took the liberty of highlighting important benefits in each of the points. The benefits of weight training are numerous and this article does a good job of highlighting some of the more
important ones.
Even though this article is geared toward women, the same benefits listed apply to men. So you guys don’t get off that easy.
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Researchers say that most women who exercise still spend the majority of their time doing cardio, often ignoring the benefits of weight lifting. But unless a doctor advises otherwise, weight lifting can provide enormous advantages for most women, according to studies from such institutions as the Mayo Clinic, Harvard and Stanford universities. As with any new physical activity, check with your doctor if you have any health issues.
Here are the top 10 reasons sports medicine doctors and fitness . . . → Read More: Why Women Should Lift Weights
By bsekula, on August 9th, 2007
If you are in the health care industry, whether it be pharmaceuticals, medicine, research, administration, or you’re just interested in your own health and wonder what others think, read this article. If you’re somewhat skeptical of medicine, health care and big pharma, and you think the health care system needs revamping, you really should read this. It’s long but very . . . → Read More: Read This!
By bsekula, on August 1st, 2007
This is a few days old but I still wanted to comment. In case you missed it, a study released last week indicated obesity was socially contagious. Authors of the study concluded that if you lived, worked or were friends with an obese person, you were more likely to be obese. Conversely, if you were height and weight proportionate, your friends and family were likely to be the same. Hence the socially contagious theme behind the research. You remember the old saying…”Birds of a feather…”In some respects the adage is true. You’re not going to find the best lawyers or financial firms on the low-rent side of town, are you? Of course not, they’re likely to be right next door to each other or in the next building – downtown or in the financial district. But when it comes to this socially contagious idea, I completely disagree with the theory. Here’s . . . → Read More: Stupid Obesity – Socially Contagious?
By bsekula, on July 18th, 2007
From the American Heart Association…
“Research shows that when properly supervised and prescribed in the light of a patient’s history and condition, whether they have cardiovascular disease or not, resistance training increases muscular strength, endurance, independence, and ability to perform a large range of activities. It reduces disability and enhances quality of life. Other benefits include increase in bone mineral density and lean body mass.”In their recently updated public statement (a full pdf version can be found here) on weight lifitng and heart disease, the AHA has recommended doctors encourage their patients to participate in strength training exercise. Anyone in the fitness industry worth their credentials on the wall could have told you this years ago. I don’t know how many older clients I’ve trained that walked at least twice as fast once their session was over compared to when it started – no comments about trying to get away from me . . . → Read More: Resistance training good for heart health?
By bsekula, on July 11th, 2007
Exercise is good. Inflammation in the body is bad! – it’s significantly related to a whole host of cardiovascular diseases.The most frequently measured biomarker of inflammation in the body is C-reactive protein (CRP). High levels of CRP indicate high levels of inflammation. Essential fatty acids (Omega 3′s, for example) are known to reduce inflammation – so eat some fresh, Wild Salmon today . Other foods known to reduce inflammation are fresh fruits and vegetables, like berries, grapes, celery and avocadoes (there are more but that’s a quick list). Green tea has some anti-inflammatory characteristics too. Fitness has been shown to be inversely related to CRP, the more fit you are the less CRP in your bloodstream. What hasn’t been very well understood, however, is the mechanism that’s in play. For example, if you are highly fit and have low CRP levels, is that because you are fit or are the . . . → Read More: Why exercise is good!
By bsekula, on July 8th, 2007
So glad you asked!There are many ways to effectively lose weight, some better than others. But for most of us, at least according to this study, your plan should have some accountability. The study compared formal weight loss programs (diet and exercise only) to those that had a meeting/group component included, which they referred to as dietary counseling. Weekly meetings helped participants understand what their bodies were going through, how to deal with setbacks and learning to live a new lifestyle. Those in the counseling group lost 10-15 pounds and kept it off for approximately 1 year, significantly greater weight loss and long-term success than diet and exercise alone. Now I know what you are thinking, only 10-15 pounds? I want/need to lose 25, 50 pounds or more. That’s not the point. The point is they lost weight and kept it off for a year. If you need to lose more . . . → Read More: What's the best way to lose weight?
By bsekula, on July 3rd, 2007
One major problem in the fitness/health/wellness industry is the lack of a clear, concise message. For example, how much exercise do you need? How often should you exercise? What form of exercise is best?
Pose these questions to 10 different trainers and you’re likely to get 10 different answers. And it’s not just personal trainers. Different think tanks, non-profits and the like involved in the fitness, health and wellness industry have published their own recommendations. Some say accumulate 30 minutes per day, some say you should exercise for at least an hour each day and some recommend high intensity exercise. They are, quite literally, all over the place. I could sit here and dissect each one, but that’s not the point of this post, so I won’t do that. The point of this post is to shed light on how easily it can appear that an entire field of study has . . . → Read More: Confused yet?
By bsekula, on June 14th, 2007
Potential New Target For Type 2 Diabetes Found By Penn Researchers“We hope that drug companies will look for new ways to modify fat metabolism in type 2 diabetics using these possible targets.” Big Pharma dovetails quite nicely with the tertiary nature of our health care system. You don’t visit the doctor before you get sick. Type II diabetes and most chronic cardiovascular conditions are almost completely related to lifestyle. Eat a diet high in nutrient deficient, highly processed foods, do very little physical activity and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict glucose metabolic problems in your future. But the purpose of this post is to shed light on the dependence of federal research monies on Big Pharma. The quote above is taken directly from the article and shows that perfectly. It’s as if researchers using federal money are directing the research focus of Big Pharma. Why do we need . . . → Read More: And it continues…
By bsekula, on June 13th, 2007
As a former academic (and fully aware of the importance of scientific publications), there are times when I scratch my head and wonder, “Federal dollars were spent on this!”In nearly all cases, outcomes are predictable within an expected range. It’s called the scientific method. With no desire to get into a discussion of the scientific method, a recent study looked at the role of diet on recovery from colon cancer. You can read the summary. Here is the first paragraph:“Patients with stage III colon cancer who have undergone surgery and chemotherapy with the goal of cure may have a higher risk of relapsing and dying early if they follow a predominantly “Western” diet of red meat, fatty foods, refined grains, and desserts, according to research led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.”As I read this summary, all I could think was, “What type of diet do you think got . . . → Read More: How did they get there in the 1st place?
By bsekula, on June 13th, 2007
According to this summary and proponents of vitamin D, yes your risk of cancer (and many other diseases) can be significantly reduced with normal levels of vitamin D. But what does that have to do with sunlight, you ask?Good question. After all, cancer institutes, dermatological societies and even sunscreen manufacturers extoll the benefits of sunscreen and limited exposure for skin health. Skin cancer is dangerous and can be fatal. So if sunlight is the main culprit, how can it be helpful?Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to the sun. In fact, significant rises can be seen in as little as 15-20 minutes. But there is a catch…Get a daily dose without sunscreen…it blocks vitamin D production. How much exposure? At least 15 minutes and some say up to 1 hr. Any more than that and you will need the . . . → Read More: Can a daily dose of sunlight prevent cancer?
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