I love using the tips I find from the "Sneaky Chef." You can subscribe to their newsletter for tips and recipes. http://www.thesneakychef.com/blog/
Sneaky Fitness Rescues Texting Tweens
By Missy on January 23, 2010
Startling new research reveals that our kids are spending about 8 hours a day in front of electronic devices like computers, TVs and cell phones. Plus, another recent study found that people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to have health problems of all kinds. With a 17% kids' obesity rate in the US, parents can draw the conclusion that it is extremely urgent that we address our kids' inactive lifestyles immediately!
While everyone knows that it is a lost cause to ban these devices, we can counter these alarmingly dangerous influences with a few simple, Sneaky Fitness strategies:
1. "Walk the talk" – Parents can require that kids pace or walk around the house for at least one hour of their phone or texting time (Burns double the calories of sitting)
2. Parents can replace the computer chair with a simple balance ball (Builds core strength and improves posture)
3. Parents can "plant" items in the TV room - such as mini trampoline, Bosu or hippety hop/balance ball – and can require that kids use one of those items for at least one hour of their TV time (Burns at least 143 more calories than sitting)
4. Parents can make a rule against "chat 'n chew": that is, no eating in front of the TV or computer or while on phone or other electronic device. This will eliminate mindless eating! (research indicates that children consume substantially more calories in a meal if they are watching television while they eat)
Adapted from SNEAKY FITNESS: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness into Your Child's Everyday Life, by Missy Chase Lapine, The Sneaky Chef, and Larysa DiDio (Running Press, Jan 2010)
Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Vaccines and autism: Separating fact from fiction
Vaccines and autism From BabyCenter
I've heard that a preservative in some vaccines can cause autism — what's going on?
A controversy is raging over this right now, with government and mainstream scientists on one side, and several small but vocal advocacy groups on the other. And many parents have been left feeling confused and frightened about their children's health.
The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and around the world. Most scientists say that's not so.
Over the last decade, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad, and all have concluded that there's no link between autism and exposure to thimerosal. But some health activists challenge the validity of the existing science and assert that the U.S. government has conspired with vaccine manufacturers to cover up the truth about thimerosal and autism.
We may learn more soon. Several health institutions are continuing to conduct research on the risks of exposure to thimerosal. What's more, now that the preservative has been removed from all childhood vaccines in the United States (manufacturers stopped using it in 1999), everyone will be watching what happens to autism rates in this country over the next few years. There's been no sign of a slowdown yet.
Why was thimerosal added to vaccines in the first place?
Thimerosal has been used for 70 years as a preservative to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi in vaccines. Many vaccines are stored most efficiently in large multi-dose vials from which health workers must draw individual doses, leaving the vaccine vulnerable to contamination every time the rubber top is punctured by a new syringe. Several deadly incidents of contaminated vaccines in the 1920s prompted vaccine manufacturers to begin adding preservatives to all multi-dose vials of vaccines.
Thimerosal used to be one of the most widely used preservatives. Now that most vaccines no longer contain thimerosal, they have to be stored in individual dose vials or pre-filled syringes — a system that's more expensive for vaccine manufacturers.
Is it true that thimerosal contains mercury?
Thimerosal contains a mercury compound known as ethyl mercury. This is not the same as methyl mercury, found in high amounts in some fish. Methyl mercury accumulates in human tissue and, at certain levels, can impair cognitive development in young children — which is why the FDA now says that toddlers shouldn't eat too much fish, for example.
Ethyl mercury, on the other hand, hasn't been as well studied, so not much is known about the health implications or long-term effects of being exposed to it. But research conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has established that the body eliminates ethyl mercury much more quickly than it does methyl mercury, so ethyl mercury doesn't accumulate in human tissue.
NIAID is continuing to study ethyl mercury and its impact on human health. According to mainstream research to date, the only known side effects of exposure to thimerosal in vaccines are minor reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site in some patients.
Is it true that children were exposed to unsafe levels of mercury from thimerosal?
From the mid-1980s until 1999, as shots were added to the list of routine childhood immunizations, children in the United States were exposed to more and more thimerosal. Some versions of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and Hib vaccines, as well as the hepatitis B and flu shots, contained the preservative.
In 1997 the FDA reviewed food and drugs containing mercury and found that some children may have been exposed to a cumulative dose of 187.5 micrograms (mcg) of ethyl mercury from all sources during the first six months of life. This amount exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for methyl mercury exposure. (There are no federal safety standards for ethyl mercury.)
As a precautionary measure, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed in 1999 that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in all childhood vaccines. Today, childhood vaccines contain no more than trace amounts of thimerosal, and children are exposed to a cumulative dose of less than 3 mcg of mercury from vaccines by the time they're 6 months old.
What's the evidence that thimerosal is linked to autism?
Some advocacy groups point to a handful of studies done in the late 1990s that purported to show that thimerosal triggered autism. These studies were conducted by Mark Geier, M.D., and his son David. Mark Geier, a geneticist by training and a former researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has served as a consultant and expert witness in support of claimants in a number of vaccine injury cases brought before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, as well as civil cases.
According to the Geiers, children exposed to thimerosal in vaccines are six times as likely to have autism as unexposed children. They base their conclusions on their analysis of data obtained from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a U.S. government reporting system that compiles vaccine-related health complaints.
In a detailed critique of the Geiers' findings, the AAP explained the problem with relying on VAERS data — namely, that the system collects complaints but has no means of evaluating their legitimacy. "Health effects reported to VAERS as being associated with vaccines may represent true adverse events, coincidental occurrences, or mistakes in filing," the AAP said.
Experts at the AAP were also troubled by the Geiers methodology, arguing that the father and son didn't specify "how their data were generated, thus preventing accurate review of their methods and replication of their outcomes." The Institute of Medicine (IOM) found the Geiers' work to be full of methodological flaws and dismissed the results as "uninterpretable."
Other experts have questioned the Geiers' qualifications and disputed their findings. One court official, who presided over a vaccine injury case for which Mark Geier served as a professional witness, said his testimony was "not reliable or grounded in scientific methodology and procedure. His testimony is merely subjective belief and unsupported speculation." Geier has been similarly admonished in a number of other vaccine injury cases.
What's the evidence that thimerosal is not linked to autism?
Over the last decade, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad and concluded that there's no link between exposure to thimerosal and autism. Here are details from some of the most recent reports:
In 2003, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control examined data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project, a database in which eight HMOs log their patients' vaccine records, including any adverse reactions. The authors analyzed the records of more than 120,000 children at two different HMOs and found no difference in autism rates among children exposed to various levels of thimerosal.
In 2004, the World Health Organization examined the records of more than 100,000 children in Great Britain and found no link between thimerosal exposure and increased risk for autism. In fact, the children who had been exposed to thimerosal had lower rates of developmental disorders than the children who hadn't.
Also in 2004, the IOM evaluated the latest research on the issue, including five major studies that examined the health records of hundreds of thousands of children in the United States, Britain, Denmark, and Sweden as well as the Geiers' studies. (The IOM is a division of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious independent body not affiliated with the U.S. government.) The IOM concluded: "The body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
Experts who have looked closely at the data also point out that the rise in autism rates does not, in fact, correspond to an increase in exposure to thimerosal. In Great Britain, for example, the incidence of autism has risen dramatically since the 1980s. But only one vaccine (the DTP) administered in Britain contains thimerosal. All the other vaccines given there are thimerosal-free, and always have been.
Thus, rates of autism have multiplied in Britain while exposure to thimerosal in vaccines has remained constant. And a 2003 study of children in Denmark found that autism rates continued to rise there at the same rate as they did worldwide, even after the country stopped using thimerosal in vaccines in 1992.
Wasn't there some link between the MMR vaccine and autism?
In 1998, the British medical journal The Lancet published a study connecting the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism. Researchers noticed that eight of the 12 autistic children being studied had started showing symptoms of autism around the time they received their MMR shots, and hypothesized that the children were having a physical reaction to the vaccine.
It turned out to be just a coincidence, and the study has now been repudiated by several of the researchers and retracted by The Lancet. The study had nothing to do with thimerosal, which has never been used in the MMR vaccine, but people continue to confuse the two issues.
How can I tell if my child received vaccines that contained thimerosal?
If your child was vaccinated after the year 2001, it's unlikely that he was exposed to more than trace amounts of thimerosal. In 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), asked vaccine manufacturers to reduce or eliminate the use of thimerosal in vaccines, and manufacturers took steps to comply.
Some doctors' offices continued to use existing stockpiles of vaccines containing thimerosal, but most experts believe they would have been used up by 2001 or 2002. Ask your child's doctor if you want to know for sure.
Isn't thimerosal still used in flu shots and some others?
Thimerosal is still used as a preservative in adult flu shots. Thimerosal-free formulations are available for infants, children, and pregnant women, but there's not always enough to meet demand, and doctors routinely run out of thimerosal-free supplies.
Also, some tetanus-diphtheria booster shots, which are given to children age 7 or older, contain thimerosal. Finally, thimerosal is still used in some childhood vaccinations in other countries, mostly in the developing world.
What are the risks of not immunizing my child?
The benefits of vaccinating your child far outweigh the risks — for your child and for your community as a whole. A certain percentage of children have adverse reactions to vaccines, but such incidents are rare, given the large number of children vaccinated each year.
Julia McMillan, a professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, likes to remind parents about the number of serious diseases now controlled or eliminated by vaccinations.
"Many parents today are too young to remember the toll these diseases took before vaccines were developed," she says. "Polio has not been seen in the United States for decades. Measles, which still kills children in Africa every day, has been virtually eliminated in the United States. Mumps, which can result in deafness and sterility, is now rare in the United States. Within two years of the introduction of the Hib shot, there has been a 60 percent reduction in incidents of bacterial meningitis. Our vaccination program has been one of the most successful health campaigns — in terms of saving lives — in history. But it will only continue to be successful if people have their children vaccinated."
If enough people decided not to be vaccinated, these illnesses could easily spread to epidemic proportions again. We know this is true because it has happened: When measles vaccination rates in the United States dropped in the late 1980s, more than 100,000 people came down with the disease and 120 died from it. In 1998, when immunization rates were back up, only 89 people became sick from measles and no one died.
Other diseases, such as polio and diphtheria, are still only a plane ride away. And even if you and your family never leave the country, lots of people do travel and they can unknowingly bring these diseases back with them. The more people in your community don't get vaccinated, the more quickly disease can spread throughout the population.
Where can I get more information on thimerosal and vaccine safety?
This is a complex issue, and given the widespread rumors and contradictory reports, it's not surprising that parents are alarmed and confused. Start by talking to your child's doctor. And if you'd like to do some reading on your own, there's no shortage of information available on the Web.
Here are Web sites for major U.S. government health organizations that offer information on thimerosal:
• Centers for Disease Control
• Food and Drug Administration
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
I've heard that a preservative in some vaccines can cause autism — what's going on?
A controversy is raging over this right now, with government and mainstream scientists on one side, and several small but vocal advocacy groups on the other. And many parents have been left feeling confused and frightened about their children's health.
The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and around the world. Most scientists say that's not so.
Over the last decade, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad, and all have concluded that there's no link between autism and exposure to thimerosal. But some health activists challenge the validity of the existing science and assert that the U.S. government has conspired with vaccine manufacturers to cover up the truth about thimerosal and autism.
We may learn more soon. Several health institutions are continuing to conduct research on the risks of exposure to thimerosal. What's more, now that the preservative has been removed from all childhood vaccines in the United States (manufacturers stopped using it in 1999), everyone will be watching what happens to autism rates in this country over the next few years. There's been no sign of a slowdown yet.
Why was thimerosal added to vaccines in the first place?
Thimerosal has been used for 70 years as a preservative to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi in vaccines. Many vaccines are stored most efficiently in large multi-dose vials from which health workers must draw individual doses, leaving the vaccine vulnerable to contamination every time the rubber top is punctured by a new syringe. Several deadly incidents of contaminated vaccines in the 1920s prompted vaccine manufacturers to begin adding preservatives to all multi-dose vials of vaccines.
Thimerosal used to be one of the most widely used preservatives. Now that most vaccines no longer contain thimerosal, they have to be stored in individual dose vials or pre-filled syringes — a system that's more expensive for vaccine manufacturers.
Is it true that thimerosal contains mercury?
Thimerosal contains a mercury compound known as ethyl mercury. This is not the same as methyl mercury, found in high amounts in some fish. Methyl mercury accumulates in human tissue and, at certain levels, can impair cognitive development in young children — which is why the FDA now says that toddlers shouldn't eat too much fish, for example.
Ethyl mercury, on the other hand, hasn't been as well studied, so not much is known about the health implications or long-term effects of being exposed to it. But research conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has established that the body eliminates ethyl mercury much more quickly than it does methyl mercury, so ethyl mercury doesn't accumulate in human tissue.
NIAID is continuing to study ethyl mercury and its impact on human health. According to mainstream research to date, the only known side effects of exposure to thimerosal in vaccines are minor reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site in some patients.
Is it true that children were exposed to unsafe levels of mercury from thimerosal?
From the mid-1980s until 1999, as shots were added to the list of routine childhood immunizations, children in the United States were exposed to more and more thimerosal. Some versions of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and Hib vaccines, as well as the hepatitis B and flu shots, contained the preservative.
In 1997 the FDA reviewed food and drugs containing mercury and found that some children may have been exposed to a cumulative dose of 187.5 micrograms (mcg) of ethyl mercury from all sources during the first six months of life. This amount exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for methyl mercury exposure. (There are no federal safety standards for ethyl mercury.)
As a precautionary measure, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed in 1999 that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in all childhood vaccines. Today, childhood vaccines contain no more than trace amounts of thimerosal, and children are exposed to a cumulative dose of less than 3 mcg of mercury from vaccines by the time they're 6 months old.
What's the evidence that thimerosal is linked to autism?
Some advocacy groups point to a handful of studies done in the late 1990s that purported to show that thimerosal triggered autism. These studies were conducted by Mark Geier, M.D., and his son David. Mark Geier, a geneticist by training and a former researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has served as a consultant and expert witness in support of claimants in a number of vaccine injury cases brought before the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, as well as civil cases.
According to the Geiers, children exposed to thimerosal in vaccines are six times as likely to have autism as unexposed children. They base their conclusions on their analysis of data obtained from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a U.S. government reporting system that compiles vaccine-related health complaints.
In a detailed critique of the Geiers' findings, the AAP explained the problem with relying on VAERS data — namely, that the system collects complaints but has no means of evaluating their legitimacy. "Health effects reported to VAERS as being associated with vaccines may represent true adverse events, coincidental occurrences, or mistakes in filing," the AAP said.
Experts at the AAP were also troubled by the Geiers methodology, arguing that the father and son didn't specify "how their data were generated, thus preventing accurate review of their methods and replication of their outcomes." The Institute of Medicine (IOM) found the Geiers' work to be full of methodological flaws and dismissed the results as "uninterpretable."
Other experts have questioned the Geiers' qualifications and disputed their findings. One court official, who presided over a vaccine injury case for which Mark Geier served as a professional witness, said his testimony was "not reliable or grounded in scientific methodology and procedure. His testimony is merely subjective belief and unsupported speculation." Geier has been similarly admonished in a number of other vaccine injury cases.
What's the evidence that thimerosal is not linked to autism?
Over the last decade, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad and concluded that there's no link between exposure to thimerosal and autism. Here are details from some of the most recent reports:
In 2003, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control examined data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Project, a database in which eight HMOs log their patients' vaccine records, including any adverse reactions. The authors analyzed the records of more than 120,000 children at two different HMOs and found no difference in autism rates among children exposed to various levels of thimerosal.
In 2004, the World Health Organization examined the records of more than 100,000 children in Great Britain and found no link between thimerosal exposure and increased risk for autism. In fact, the children who had been exposed to thimerosal had lower rates of developmental disorders than the children who hadn't.
Also in 2004, the IOM evaluated the latest research on the issue, including five major studies that examined the health records of hundreds of thousands of children in the United States, Britain, Denmark, and Sweden as well as the Geiers' studies. (The IOM is a division of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious independent body not affiliated with the U.S. government.) The IOM concluded: "The body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism."
Experts who have looked closely at the data also point out that the rise in autism rates does not, in fact, correspond to an increase in exposure to thimerosal. In Great Britain, for example, the incidence of autism has risen dramatically since the 1980s. But only one vaccine (the DTP) administered in Britain contains thimerosal. All the other vaccines given there are thimerosal-free, and always have been.
Thus, rates of autism have multiplied in Britain while exposure to thimerosal in vaccines has remained constant. And a 2003 study of children in Denmark found that autism rates continued to rise there at the same rate as they did worldwide, even after the country stopped using thimerosal in vaccines in 1992.
Wasn't there some link between the MMR vaccine and autism?
In 1998, the British medical journal The Lancet published a study connecting the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism. Researchers noticed that eight of the 12 autistic children being studied had started showing symptoms of autism around the time they received their MMR shots, and hypothesized that the children were having a physical reaction to the vaccine.
It turned out to be just a coincidence, and the study has now been repudiated by several of the researchers and retracted by The Lancet. The study had nothing to do with thimerosal, which has never been used in the MMR vaccine, but people continue to confuse the two issues.
How can I tell if my child received vaccines that contained thimerosal?
If your child was vaccinated after the year 2001, it's unlikely that he was exposed to more than trace amounts of thimerosal. In 1999 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), along with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), asked vaccine manufacturers to reduce or eliminate the use of thimerosal in vaccines, and manufacturers took steps to comply.
Some doctors' offices continued to use existing stockpiles of vaccines containing thimerosal, but most experts believe they would have been used up by 2001 or 2002. Ask your child's doctor if you want to know for sure.
Isn't thimerosal still used in flu shots and some others?
Thimerosal is still used as a preservative in adult flu shots. Thimerosal-free formulations are available for infants, children, and pregnant women, but there's not always enough to meet demand, and doctors routinely run out of thimerosal-free supplies.
Also, some tetanus-diphtheria booster shots, which are given to children age 7 or older, contain thimerosal. Finally, thimerosal is still used in some childhood vaccinations in other countries, mostly in the developing world.
What are the risks of not immunizing my child?
The benefits of vaccinating your child far outweigh the risks — for your child and for your community as a whole. A certain percentage of children have adverse reactions to vaccines, but such incidents are rare, given the large number of children vaccinated each year.
Julia McMillan, a professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, likes to remind parents about the number of serious diseases now controlled or eliminated by vaccinations.
"Many parents today are too young to remember the toll these diseases took before vaccines were developed," she says. "Polio has not been seen in the United States for decades. Measles, which still kills children in Africa every day, has been virtually eliminated in the United States. Mumps, which can result in deafness and sterility, is now rare in the United States. Within two years of the introduction of the Hib shot, there has been a 60 percent reduction in incidents of bacterial meningitis. Our vaccination program has been one of the most successful health campaigns — in terms of saving lives — in history. But it will only continue to be successful if people have their children vaccinated."
If enough people decided not to be vaccinated, these illnesses could easily spread to epidemic proportions again. We know this is true because it has happened: When measles vaccination rates in the United States dropped in the late 1980s, more than 100,000 people came down with the disease and 120 died from it. In 1998, when immunization rates were back up, only 89 people became sick from measles and no one died.
Other diseases, such as polio and diphtheria, are still only a plane ride away. And even if you and your family never leave the country, lots of people do travel and they can unknowingly bring these diseases back with them. The more people in your community don't get vaccinated, the more quickly disease can spread throughout the population.
Where can I get more information on thimerosal and vaccine safety?
This is a complex issue, and given the widespread rumors and contradictory reports, it's not surprising that parents are alarmed and confused. Start by talking to your child's doctor. And if you'd like to do some reading on your own, there's no shortage of information available on the Web.
Here are Web sites for major U.S. government health organizations that offer information on thimerosal:
• Centers for Disease Control
• Food and Drug Administration
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The middle-of-the-night survival kit
The middle-of-the-night survival kit (By Laura Flynn McCarthy, Parenting.com
My husband and I make sure we have several stockpiles: one in our baby backpack, one set for each grandparents house since we visit them both often, and one set at home.
A little preparation can go a long way toward making those 2 A.M. sick calls easier. Some things to have on hand:
In the medicine chest...
* Pain and fever relievers. Stock both children's ibuprofen and children's acetaminophen (or the infant formulations for kids under 2) and jot down the correct dose for each approved by your doctor.
* A children's antihistamine and cortisone cream (with doctor-approved instructions)
* Saline nose drops or spray
* Nasal aspirator
* Medicine dropper
* Prescription pain-relief eardrops (if your child is prone to infections)
* Petroleum jelly
* Digital thermometer
The middle-of-the-night survival kit
My husband and I make sure we have several stockpiles: one in our baby backpack, one set for each grandparents house since we visit them both often, and one set at home.
A little preparation can go a long way toward making those 2 A.M. sick calls easier. Some things to have on hand:
In the medicine chest...
* Pain and fever relievers. Stock both children's ibuprofen and children's acetaminophen (or the infant formulations for kids under 2) and jot down the correct dose for each approved by your doctor.
* A children's antihistamine and cortisone cream (with doctor-approved instructions)
* Saline nose drops or spray
* Nasal aspirator
* Medicine dropper
* Prescription pain-relief eardrops (if your child is prone to infections)
* Petroleum jelly
* Digital thermometer
The middle-of-the-night survival kit
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, October 3, 2009
The High Price of Protecting Kids
As a young parent I am part of the growing concern of toys with toxic lead and other chemicals in them. However, I have several small business friends who would immediately go out of business if they had to personally test the material they sold. Have they looked into having the large companies, that sell the material in the first place, test their own products? I think they need to start at the top where the material is being made instead of passing on the testing to the millions of individual business owner.
The High Price of Protecting Kids
After millions of toys were pulled from shelves because of lead contamination in 2007, Congress enacted a law requiring that many toys be tested for toxins. Now, some small-business owners fear those rules will ruin them. One woman told Congress recently that testing batches of her stuffed giraffes would raise the cost of each from about $15 to more than $200, while individual testing could increase the price to as much as $2000.
Rep. Jason Altmire (D., Pa.), chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, says the law empowers the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to enact common-sense rules that make it easier for small businesses to show that their products are safe. But the CPSC claims the law offers little flexibility, and the agency estimates the cost of compliance in the billions. “Protecting kids from contaminated products is our top priority,” says Altmire, “and there is going to be a cost to that. But to say every home business in the country has to ship its products for testing at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars was not the intent of the law.”
—J. Scott Orr
The High Price of Protecting Kids
After millions of toys were pulled from shelves because of lead contamination in 2007, Congress enacted a law requiring that many toys be tested for toxins. Now, some small-business owners fear those rules will ruin them. One woman told Congress recently that testing batches of her stuffed giraffes would raise the cost of each from about $15 to more than $200, while individual testing could increase the price to as much as $2000.
Rep. Jason Altmire (D., Pa.), chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, says the law empowers the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to enact common-sense rules that make it easier for small businesses to show that their products are safe. But the CPSC claims the law offers little flexibility, and the agency estimates the cost of compliance in the billions. “Protecting kids from contaminated products is our top priority,” says Altmire, “and there is going to be a cost to that. But to say every home business in the country has to ship its products for testing at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars was not the intent of the law.”
—J. Scott Orr
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Dealing With Change
We often forget to take care of ourselves when we’re wrapped up in change, but that's when we most need to focus on the S.E.E.D: Sleep, Eat, Exercise and Drink (water). Maintaining your health by getting enough sleep, eating well, drinking lots of fresh water and moving, moving, moving will give you the strength and vitality to move forward through change without getting stuck.
When you move, your life force starts flowing again and you feel empowered. Your emotions move through you, rather than staying stuck in your head. Most importantly, your energy and self-esteem improve, so you’re better able to handle stress.
When you move, your life force starts flowing again and you feel empowered. Your emotions move through you, rather than staying stuck in your head. Most importantly, your energy and self-esteem improve, so you’re better able to handle stress.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Anti-Aging Stretching
I found this article in Woman's Day June, 2009 and liked the point it made.
"Getting regular exercise is crucial-and stretching is especially key for those of us who spend most of our day in a chair. 'Siting puts pressure on your discs in your spine and shortens and tightens the front of your body which can make you feel older,' says Chris Frederick, a PT in Arizona. Stretching alleviates those problems."
"Getting regular exercise is crucial-and stretching is especially key for those of us who spend most of our day in a chair. 'Siting puts pressure on your discs in your spine and shortens and tightens the front of your body which can make you feel older,' says Chris Frederick, a PT in Arizona. Stretching alleviates those problems."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Hungry? Drink Water
The next time you reach for food, consider that you might actually just be thirsty. “Often, people don’t recognize that they’re thirsty and they eat, instead,” suggests Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, or “Dr. Batman,” author of Obesity, Cancer & Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure. We really want water, but somehow our signals get confused.
Many of us—99% of Americans by the age of 70—are dehydrated without even knowing it. According to Dr. Batman, your body’s cries for water can show up as irritability, anxiety, depression and fatigue and many other disease symptoms, such as pain. “When your body is dehydrated, it cannot get rid of the acid content inside the cells,” Dr. Batman explains. “The brain translates this acidity situation into pain at the location of the excess acid.”
We attribute our symptoms to other causes without considering a simpler one—dehydration—with an even simpler solution: Drink more water.
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
Many of us—99% of Americans by the age of 70—are dehydrated without even knowing it. According to Dr. Batman, your body’s cries for water can show up as irritability, anxiety, depression and fatigue and many other disease symptoms, such as pain. “When your body is dehydrated, it cannot get rid of the acid content inside the cells,” Dr. Batman explains. “The brain translates this acidity situation into pain at the location of the excess acid.”
We attribute our symptoms to other causes without considering a simpler one—dehydration—with an even simpler solution: Drink more water.
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
How To Improve Your Sleep
I have several friends, including myself, where sleep doesn't always come easy at night. I was sent this article and it includes the same information I have read in several magazines, so I thought I would post it.
If you haven't been sleeping well, the solution may be simpler than you think. Before you turn to addictive sleep medications, try these all natural bedtime remedies:
1. Write it down. Get worries, fears, and tomorrow's "To Do" list out of your head and onto paper.
2. Avoid alcohol before bed. Alcohol may put you to sleep, but it will also wake you up several hours later.
3. Finish vigorous exercise five hours before bed. It can take that long for your core body temperature to drop in order to fall asleep.
4. Create a restful environment. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and clutter-free. Consider using a white-noise maker.
5. Avoid stress inducing activity prior to sleep. Answering emails, paying bills or watching stress-inducing TV will keep your body restless.
6. Utilize relaxation techniques. Release the stress of the day with light stretching, soothing music, aromatherapy oil, deep breathing, meditation or a combination of these activities.© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
If you haven't been sleeping well, the solution may be simpler than you think. Before you turn to addictive sleep medications, try these all natural bedtime remedies:
1. Write it down. Get worries, fears, and tomorrow's "To Do" list out of your head and onto paper.
2. Avoid alcohol before bed. Alcohol may put you to sleep, but it will also wake you up several hours later.
3. Finish vigorous exercise five hours before bed. It can take that long for your core body temperature to drop in order to fall asleep.
4. Create a restful environment. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and clutter-free. Consider using a white-noise maker.
5. Avoid stress inducing activity prior to sleep. Answering emails, paying bills or watching stress-inducing TV will keep your body restless.
6. Utilize relaxation techniques. Release the stress of the day with light stretching, soothing music, aromatherapy oil, deep breathing, meditation or a combination of these activities.© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Daily Advice
I think it's nice to share some advice every now and then that is applicable to many people. I got this in one of my emails by "Ariane's Change Secrets" I subscribe to.
* If you don’t have high expectations for teachers, classes, parents, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc., whatever happens is a bonus. Being disappointed by unmet expectations is what hurts the most.
* Compare and Despair. The minute you compare yourself, you're setting yourself up to get depressed.
* Write down three accomplishments that you're incredibly proud of. When you're feeling down, remember, you're the person who got them done!
* Someone else in the world would do anything for your life, school, friends and clothes… even on your worst day.
* Do the thing that scares you. Nothing feels better than being courageous.
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
* If you don’t have high expectations for teachers, classes, parents, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc., whatever happens is a bonus. Being disappointed by unmet expectations is what hurts the most.
* Compare and Despair. The minute you compare yourself, you're setting yourself up to get depressed.
* Write down three accomplishments that you're incredibly proud of. When you're feeling down, remember, you're the person who got them done!
* Someone else in the world would do anything for your life, school, friends and clothes… even on your worst day.
* Do the thing that scares you. Nothing feels better than being courageous.
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc.
Summer Skin Alert
I found this increase in cancer among our kids very scary.
Melanoma diagnoses among kids rose 84% from 1975 to 2005, according to the National Cancer Institute. One bad sunburn more than doubles your kid's chances of developing the deadly skin cancer later in life, says the Skin Cancer Foundation, so remind kids to apply water-resistant sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) 30 minutes before heading outdoors. (Good Housekeeping July 2009)
Melanoma diagnoses among kids rose 84% from 1975 to 2005, according to the National Cancer Institute. One bad sunburn more than doubles your kid's chances of developing the deadly skin cancer later in life, says the Skin Cancer Foundation, so remind kids to apply water-resistant sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) 30 minutes before heading outdoors. (Good Housekeeping July 2009)
Slimmer Body Tricks
I found these tips about sodium, blood pressure and weight/exercise, and sleep in Good Housekeeping July 2009. These tips in particular either have to do with some statistics I found astounding or pertain to certain family members.
SODIUM
The American Heart Assoc. calculated that is we all cut back sodium 400mg, there would be 250,000 fewer heart disease cases and 200,000- plus fewer deaths over the next 10 years. Stepping on the scale will be less scary too. “Sodium makes you retain water, when there’s less in your body, you’ll lost fluid,” says Norman Kaplan M.D. professor of internal medicine at UT South-western Medical Center.
BLOOD PRESSURE, WEIGHT, and EXERCISE
People who cut back on salt usually eat more fresh foods. Toss in exercise and you’ll naturally be losing weight. “You can expect blood pressure to fall one point for every pound you lose,” says Dr. Kaplan. And sometimes more: “I lost 10 pounds and my pressure went down 15 points,” he adds.
SLEEP
Sleep 10% more. Sleep isn’t like pulling the car into the garage and turning off the engine,” says James Walsh, PhD, executive director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, MO. “Sleep actively restores the brain and body, including the immune system.” People who snagged less than 7 hours sleep were nearly 3x more likely to catch a cold after being exposed to viruses than well-rested souls who averaged 8 or more hours of sleep. Getting 8 hours can also help protect you from high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and help keep your weight down. (Personal note on weight * "Because you’re not awake to eat!").
SODIUM
The American Heart Assoc. calculated that is we all cut back sodium 400mg, there would be 250,000 fewer heart disease cases and 200,000- plus fewer deaths over the next 10 years. Stepping on the scale will be less scary too. “Sodium makes you retain water, when there’s less in your body, you’ll lost fluid,” says Norman Kaplan M.D. professor of internal medicine at UT South-western Medical Center.
BLOOD PRESSURE, WEIGHT, and EXERCISE
People who cut back on salt usually eat more fresh foods. Toss in exercise and you’ll naturally be losing weight. “You can expect blood pressure to fall one point for every pound you lose,” says Dr. Kaplan. And sometimes more: “I lost 10 pounds and my pressure went down 15 points,” he adds.
SLEEP
Sleep 10% more. Sleep isn’t like pulling the car into the garage and turning off the engine,” says James Walsh, PhD, executive director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, MO. “Sleep actively restores the brain and body, including the immune system.” People who snagged less than 7 hours sleep were nearly 3x more likely to catch a cold after being exposed to viruses than well-rested souls who averaged 8 or more hours of sleep. Getting 8 hours can also help protect you from high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and help keep your weight down. (Personal note on weight * "Because you’re not awake to eat!").
Monday, July 13, 2009
Diet Lies
Redbook Magazine June 2009
I just wanted to point out these myths. I'm sure you can find more info online.
MYTHS:
The more you work out, the better
Muscle weighs more than fat
Fresh fruit and veggies are more nutritious than frozen or canned.
You gain more weight in winter
I just wanted to point out these myths. I'm sure you can find more info online.
MYTHS:
The more you work out, the better
Muscle weighs more than fat
Fresh fruit and veggies are more nutritious than frozen or canned.
You gain more weight in winter
Image-Oriented Bullying
I love this story because I know a lot of us don't want to see our own children dealing with this type of bullying.
"No matter the politics, it's hard not to admire McCain's cheerful insistence that we focus on the issues-and not on appearance. When a critics mocked her by calling her a plus-sized model, she fired off a response on thedailybeast.com, admonishing people for 'image-oriented bullying' and reminding us how these tactics distract us form what really mattes."
Redbook Magazine, June 2009
"No matter the politics, it's hard not to admire McCain's cheerful insistence that we focus on the issues-and not on appearance. When a critics mocked her by calling her a plus-sized model, she fired off a response on thedailybeast.com, admonishing people for 'image-oriented bullying' and reminding us how these tactics distract us form what really mattes."
Redbook Magazine, June 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Words of Wisdom
I found these rules to be good perspective on completing tasks:
"Rules of Rock Climbing offered by veteran rock climber, Matthew Childs, to offer you much wisdom. As it turns out, they’re basically rules for life.
* Don’t let go (give up). Hang in there, and you’ll come up with solutions.
* Hesitation is bad. Momentum is good—don’t stop.
* Have a plan at all times. Don’t just plan for the hardest parts.
* Know how to rest. Regroup, calm yourself, focus and keep going.
* Fear Sucks. It keeps you focused on the consequences of failing what you’re doing, instead of on the accomplishment of what you’re doing.
* Opposites are a good thing. Don’t always follow the most obvious solution or path.
* Strength does not equal success. Sometimes flexibility does or something else.
* Know how to let go. Don’t hang on until the bitter end."
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc. All Rights Reserved | P.O. Box 115, Village Station, New York, NY 10014
"Rules of Rock Climbing offered by veteran rock climber, Matthew Childs, to offer you much wisdom. As it turns out, they’re basically rules for life.
* Don’t let go (give up). Hang in there, and you’ll come up with solutions.
* Hesitation is bad. Momentum is good—don’t stop.
* Have a plan at all times. Don’t just plan for the hardest parts.
* Know how to rest. Regroup, calm yourself, focus and keep going.
* Fear Sucks. It keeps you focused on the consequences of failing what you’re doing, instead of on the accomplishment of what you’re doing.
* Opposites are a good thing. Don’t always follow the most obvious solution or path.
* Strength does not equal success. Sometimes flexibility does or something else.
* Know how to let go. Don’t hang on until the bitter end."
© 2009 The First Thirty Days, Inc. All Rights Reserved | P.O. Box 115, Village Station, New York, NY 10014
Thursday, June 18, 2009
What Chain-Food Favorites Cost in Exercise
What Chain-Food Favorites Cost in Exercise
Posted Mon, Jun 01, 2009
My "two scoops won't hurt and neither will these french fries" approach to eating doesn't lend itself well to swimsuit season. Although the beach treks may have begun, there is time to make change. So, let me have it. What's that ice cream going to cost me in workout minutes? To tell us is Charles Stuart Platkin, also known as the Diet Detective. He is the author of five books and and host of WE TV's I Want To Save Your Life. Here is his report on what some of our chain-food favorites should cost us in time spent doing common exercises...
Note: Calorie content of foods are based on official website information at the time of publication. Minutes of exercise are averages based on a 155-pound person. The greater the weight of the person the more calories burned per minute.
DONUT
Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).
BREAKFAST SANDWICH
McDonald's Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
Panera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).
PIZZA
Pizza Hut Large Hand-Tossed Style Cheese Pizza (1 slice; 320 calories)
39 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).
CINNAMON ROLL
Starbucks Cinnamon Roll (500 calories, varies by location)
85 minutes of dancing.
HAMBURGER
Burger King Original Whopper With Cheese (770 calories)
94 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).
BROWNIE
Au Bon Pain Chocolate Chip Brownie (380 calories).
129 minutes of yoga (Hatha style).
FRIES
Wendy's Large French Fries (540 calories)
77 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).
ICE CREAM
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (0.5 cup; 270 calories)
29 minutes of running (5 mph).
BURRITO
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, Beef (410 calories)
70 minutes of dancing.
Posted Mon, Jun 01, 2009
My "two scoops won't hurt and neither will these french fries" approach to eating doesn't lend itself well to swimsuit season. Although the beach treks may have begun, there is time to make change. So, let me have it. What's that ice cream going to cost me in workout minutes? To tell us is Charles Stuart Platkin, also known as the Diet Detective. He is the author of five books and and host of WE TV's I Want To Save Your Life. Here is his report on what some of our chain-food favorites should cost us in time spent doing common exercises...
Note: Calorie content of foods are based on official website information at the time of publication. Minutes of exercise are averages based on a 155-pound person. The greater the weight of the person the more calories burned per minute.
DONUT
Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).
BREAKFAST SANDWICH
McDonald's Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
Panera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).
PIZZA
Pizza Hut Large Hand-Tossed Style Cheese Pizza (1 slice; 320 calories)
39 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).
CINNAMON ROLL
Starbucks Cinnamon Roll (500 calories, varies by location)
85 minutes of dancing.
HAMBURGER
Burger King Original Whopper With Cheese (770 calories)
94 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).
BROWNIE
Au Bon Pain Chocolate Chip Brownie (380 calories).
129 minutes of yoga (Hatha style).
FRIES
Wendy's Large French Fries (540 calories)
77 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).
ICE CREAM
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (0.5 cup; 270 calories)
29 minutes of running (5 mph).
BURRITO
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, Beef (410 calories)
70 minutes of dancing.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Determining Your Calorie Needs
Dieting Dangers
As long as there is food, there will be diets. Going on a diet is often spurred by different events, such as looking good for a wedding or reaching a milestone birthday. Instead of incorporating healthy habits to lower and maintain their weight, many people jump on the dieting bandwagon for a quick fix.
dDtermining Your Calorie Needs
Knowing exactly how many calories you body needs can make or break your fitness goals. Guessing may be enough for some people, but most of us need concrete numbers to follow. Here's a "no brainer" way to figure out your calorie consumption using the high-school algebra you thought you'd never need.
Your total calories needs includes your resting energy needs (basal metabolism) and the calories you use during various activities. Your metabolic calorie needs include breathing, heartbeat, food digestion, etc. and count for 60-70% of your total daily calorie needs! These needs vary depending on your gender, height, weight, age and the amount of lean body mass (muscle) you have.
Use the information below to calculate your resting energy needs. Before you start... you'll need to know your body weight in kilograms. You can calculate this by dividing your weight in pounds by 2.2. Use that number in the calculations below:
| determining basal calorie needs for men | |
|---|---|
| Age: | Calculation: |
| 10-18 | 17.5 x weight in kg, then + 651 |
| 19-30 | 15.3 x weight in kg, then + 679 |
| 31-60 | 11.6 x weight in kg, then + 879 |
| Over 60 | 13.5 x weight in kg, then + 487 |
| determining basal calorie needs for women | |
| Age: | Calculation: |
| 10-18 | 12.2 x weight in kg, then + 746 |
| 19-30 | 14.7 x weight in kg, then + 496 |
| 31-60 | 8.7 x weight in kg, then + 829 |
| Over 60 | 10.5 x weight in kg, then + 596 |
Now that you know how many calories you need for day to day living, you can add more calories for your daily activities. Choose the intensity level that best fits your daily routine and multiply that by the hours you do it. Below are calorie burning ranges for common activities.
| determining calorie needs for various activities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Intensity | Calories/Hour | Example |
| Very light | 80-100 | Seated or standing activities like: school, office work, driving, cooking, typing, etc. |
| Light | 110-160 | Casual walking (2.5-3.0 MPH), housecleaning, light manual labor (electrician, mechanic, carpenter, etc.), gardening/yard work, golf, etc. |
| Moderate | 170-240 | Fast walking (3.5-4.0 MPH), cycling, skiing, dancing, weight training, etc. |
| Heavy | 250-350 | Running, heavy manual labor (digging, hoeing, etc.), basketball, climbing, football, soccer, etc. |
| Exceptionally Heavy | 350 and up | Professional athletic training. |
Figure out how many calories you use during other activities throughout the day. For example, if you work at a desk all day... you burn between 80 and 100 calories per hour during your work day. If you lift weights for an hour and run on the treadmill for 30 minutes after work... add another 300 calories. Add the calories from the activities you do to your basal metabolic needs and you have your total daily caloric expenditure.
Adjusting Calories to Reach Your Goal
If your goal is to maintain your current weight, you eat enough calories to fuel your daily needs. If you want to lose weight, you should create a 500-calorie deficit everyday for safe and healthy weight loss. This calorie deficit should be a combination of increased exercise and lowering your calorie intake. If your goal is to gain weight, you should add 500 calories per day from quality foods that will give your body the additional calories and nutrients it needs to add healthy weight.
Keeping track of your eating habits and calorie intake is more effective than just "watching what you eat." Most people are surprised at how unhealthy their "healthy" diets really are. Try keeping track your exercise and diet (be honest!); then make changes so your eating plan can help you reach your health and fitness goals. Over time, you'll get used to the keeping track of what you eat and will be able to do it without much thought. It's a small price to pay for health and fitness, and you're worth the effort!
Yours In Good Health,
Denise Sarver
Master Trainer
http://www.24hourfitness.com/resources/nutrition/articles/calorie_needs.html
Fitness Myths Busted
By Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief - Posted on Tue, Jan 20, 2009, 5:26 pm PST
Happier, Healthier Youby Lucy Danziger, SELF Editor-in-Chief a Yahoo! Health Expert for Women's Health
Shoehorning your workout into a few days a week is challenging enough—don't make it tougher by buying into those nagging exercise misconceptions that may divert your attention from pursuing your better body goals.
SELF went to the pros to poke holes in these popular fitness myths that pervade gyms, pools and exercise classes. Arm yourself with the facts to keep you slim, strong and even smarter.
MYTH: Muscle turns into fat
REALITY: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it's physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.
MYTH: You need to exercise 30 minutes straight to get fit.
REALITY: Three 10-minute cardio stints offer the same healthy payback as a single 30-minute one. If you are trying to peel off pounds, of course, the more you do, the faster you'll succeed. But don't feel guilty if all you can squeeze in is a few minutes here and a few minutes there—it all adds up.
Short on time? Ratchet up the intensity of your workout: Go hard for 30 seconds on the elliptical or jog for a minute in the middle of your walk to maintain your fitness level and your habit. And remember, anything you do—whether it's a brisk 5-minute walk or carrying heavy groceries to your car—for any period of time, provides some benefit.
MYTH: Overweight people have a sluggish metabolism.
REALITY: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism. Try this fat-burning workout to really see results.
MYTH: Lifting heavy weights make women bulk up.
REALITY: Women don’t have enough of the muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even using heavy weights. The truth is, some people will gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed some of the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath. Shape sleek muscles with this workout from The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels.
MYTH: You can’t lose any weight by swimming.
REALITY: OK, it’s true that long-distance swimmers who navigate colder waters tend to retain body fat for insulation. But ask anyone who laps it up while training for a triathlon: You will sizzle off pounds in the pool, since swimming burns 450 to 700 calories an hour! One reason you might not shed flab doing freestyle? If you throw in the towel and cut your workout short. Keep it going with this full-body water workout from gold medalist Amanda Beard.
MYTH: Stretching before exercise prevents injuries and enhances performance.
REALITY: Researchers are still scratching their head over this one, since studies have yet to show conclusively that limbering up has any effect on staving off strains and other injuries. But they do know that stretching regularly can make bending, reaching, twisting and lifting easier. Best move: Save your stretching for post-exercise, when muscles are warm.
MYTH: You burn more calories exercising in chilly weather.
REALITY: If you shiver through a long run in the frigid winter air simply to experience the extra calorie burn, you might want to come in from the cold: You do torch a few extra calories during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same whether you’re exercising in Siberia or the Sahara. Try a treadmill circuit workout with a great playlist to keep you going!
MYTH: When your body gets used to an exercise, you'll burn fewer calories doing it.
REALITY: Unless you've adjusted the intensity, you'll burn as much jogging or cycling today as you did last week, last month, even last year. Experts say that this principle only applies to exercises that we're naturally inefficient at, such as using the elliptical machine: After five to six sessions, you'll be smoother in your movements and expend fewer calories—but the difference is only about 2 to 5 percent.
MYTH: The calorie readout on machines is accurate.
REALITY: If only! Research has shown that some types of machines can be off by as much as 70 percent. The culprit? Contraptions such as the elliptical machine haven’t been around long enough for exercise scientists to develop the appropriate calorie-burn equations. On the upside, stationary bikes and treadmills, the grandfathers of the gym, generally give a fairly precise reading, particularly if you enter your age and weight.
Rather than swearing by what the machine says, use the calorie readout to monitor your progress. If the tally climbs during the same workout for the same duration, you’re working harder and getting fitter. An online calorie calculator can give you a sense of which activities burn the most.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)