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Archive for the ‘Activities to Support Health’ Category

Childhood obesity has seen a dramatic rise in the last 20 years. Research shows that obesity affects children in almost the same way it does adults.

o High cholesterol, high level of triglycerides and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol, and low level of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or good cholesterol: a combination of these leads to metabolic syndrome which places a child at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

o Hypertension or high blood pressure: can result in stroke, heart problems, and kidney failure. May cause severe headaches, vomiting, fatigue, breathlessness, and blurred vision or loss of vision.
o Cardiovascular disease: 60% of obese children are at a high risk for heart problems in later life, even if they lose weight as adults.

o Orthopedic problems like bow legs, tibia vara or Blount’s disease, and slipped capital femoral epiphysis. These problems will result in low levels of physical activity, thus leading to more weight gain.

o Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea: frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. Results in snoring, and disrupted sleep patterns which cause drowsiness, headaches, daytime sleeping, a decrease in concentration levels, behavioral problems, memory defects, and a reduction in stamina. Long-term sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart and lung disease.

o Gastro-intestinal disorders: non-alcoholic liver disease caused by fat deposits in the liver, and gall bladder disease. A small percentage of obese children are at a risk for gastroesophagael reflux and gastric emptying disturbances.

o Polycystic ovary syndrome or Stein-Leventhal syndrome: cysts or boils in the ovaries. Leads to excessive hair growth, acne, early puberty, and irregular menses. Also increase the risk for infertility, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

o Respiratory disorders like asthma and breathlessness during minimal exertion, thus curtailing physical activity.

o Type 2 diabetes: leads to very low or very high levels of blood sugar, and increases a child’s risk for cardiovascular problems like coronary artery disease and narrowing of the arteries, high blood pressure, nerve and kidney damage, skin infections, and osteoporosis.

o Obese children are generally at a higher risk for dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

When it comes to good health, movement is life and staying fit is very important and this especially true of the spine. It is important to maintain flexibility and range of motion especially after an injury or to decrease the affects of degenerative disease.

Some of the best exercise for the back is to simply walk. This strengthens the spine and maintains good overall health. I frequently recommend that the patient lift some light weights to create resistance and rebuild muscles that may have atrophied from lack of use during an injury. You don’t have to purchase expensive weights. Exercise bands or even cans of vegetables provide enough resistance to help the spine. Stretching is very important as the muscles tend to spasm which causes decreases blood flow. Stretching lengthens these muscles again and allows free blood flow and increased oxygen levels.

Patients frequently ask if they should focus on low impact or high impact exercise to get back into shape after a disc related problem. The best avenue is to begin slowly. One of the biggest mistakes for a patient is to attempt to return to their former level of exercise prior to the injury. When returning to an exercise routine it must begin slow and moderate as to not overdo or reinjure the back or neck. Exercising consistently, the individual can work up to the level of exercise they previously enjoyed.

I had a patient in his early 40s who was responding well to the DRS Protocol and had achieved an 80% sustained improvement after just a few weeks of care. Suddenly he stopped making progress and even took a step back in improvement. We talked several times about what issue could be causing his problem. After an additional two weeks of treatment and reevaluation, he finally confessed he’d started running again. His goal was to run in a mini-marathon that was a month away. I strongly advised him to allow his spine to heal first, but he refused and due to noncompliance he was released from care. This patient, after not being able to complete the marathon, ended up having a spinal fusion and did not run that year or the anytime after. He has not competed since due to complications from his spinal fusion. This illustrates that patience and focus are required to fully heal, and the gains from treatment can be undone if the body isn’t allowed time to recover.

Early in treatment specific exercises such as running and weight lifting must be avoided although, this doesn’t mean that the patient will never be able to take them up again. The reason is to avoid the pressure these activities put on the disc which could cause reinjury and slow healing.

One particular area of concern is exercise machines. There are a big variety of machines from stationary bicycles to ellipticals. While riding the recumbent bicycle is great exercise, this and other equipment such as ellipticals take the body out of natural alignment which can temporarily change the center of gravity. This can place additional pressure points within the spine due to this unnatural motion. A degenerative spine problem may also be exacerbated by this unnatural alignment. It is better to choose exercise machines that don’t alter the normal gait and balance of the body in motion.

The benefits of exercising in the water are many. Water or aquatic exercise which would include swimming, improves cardiovascular fitness, improves endurance and overall strength. In the water the body is buoyant and the likelihood of muscle, bone and joint injuries is reduced. Exercise in the water gives the benefit of excellent method of exercise in a non-weight bearing environment

Exercise balls are also popular and can help with balance and increasing the strength of core abdominal muscles. While using exercise balls isn’t for everyone they are good for some patients and just simply balancing in a sitting position each day can help tremendously.

Every patient is different and I recommend various exercises and methods according to the needs and recovery of each individual patient. Once they have recovered, I encourage them to continue to exercise regularly in order to keep their back and spine in the optimal shape to avoid another injury.

Have you ever had the pleasure of picking your very own berries fresh from bush, shrub or vine and experiencing the burst of flavour and fragrance warm from the sun? MMMM-mmm – that taste sensation of sweet and sour, fruity flavour wakes up your taste buds and is so scrumptious.

Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, cranberries, mulberries, raspberries and blackberries to name just a few of the obvious ones, and then there are the super-berries like: goji berries, acai and others and all are turning out to have remarkable health benefits.

New studies are showing that berries contain unique phyto-chemicals that may help to prevent cancer, heart disease, age-related declines and much, much more. It would make sense to enjoy them as often as you can, however, for most of us this is not going to be often enough. That’s because the greatest health benefits come with consistent, regular use of a wide variety of berries. It is with regular use that come the greatest benefits, this means eating 1 to 1

As part of a healthy lifestyle we should all endeavour to get an adequate amount of exercise to maintain overall good health. Our spine and our back are immensely important parts of our body as we depend on them to keep us straight and support our full body weight. The relatively small section at the base of our spines is where we put most strain whilst carrying out our usual daily activities with all the twisting and turning that this entails. The only way to strengthen our back properly is through exercise. Back pain can be attributed to many causes such as arthritis, osteoporosis or some kind of disc injury all of which are fairly serious and debilitating conditions. Our hope however, is that any back pain we suffer throughout our lives is no more than a muscle strain which will heal in time.

Self help treatments such as exercise can sometimes aggravate the problem or if there is an underlying medical condition causing the back pain it may indeed make the pain become more chronic due to lack of proper treatment. Medical conditions which can cause back pain as a symptom include kidney infections. For this reason it is very important that a doctor is consulted firstly to rule out any serious problems and secondly to advise on the best course of treatment.

It is possible to go through life without having any major back problems and those of us who do should be eternally grateful. If care is taken when lifting heavy objects and ensuring that this is done in the correct way i.e. bending the knees and keeping the back straight this goal should be achievable. If this is not done we put massive amounts of strain on our back and in particular on our back bone which is only about 2 inches in diameter. It is expected to support a large percentage of our body weight plus the weight we are trying to lift. Something has to give!

One very simple and quick method of preventing back pain is to do some stretching exercises after any physical activity using the back muscles has taken place. Activities such as everyday chores including gardening or sporting activities including cycling and swimming. These exercises are very easy, simply bend over from the waist with your arms hanging loosely. Hold this position for about 30 seconds then gently straighten up again. This allows all the muscles from behind the knees up to the neck stretch and loosen up. Such exercises are excellent as a way of preventing back pain from sitting in the same position for long periods of time.

As well as relieving back pain these exercises can also be used as a preventative measure by helping in the fight against obesity which can also contribute to back pain.

Try these simple exercises and feel the difference.

1. Find a flat hard surface and lie on your back lift your right knee and pull it in towards your chest using your arms, repeat for the left knee and so on.

2. Muscles which are not aligned properly can often cause severe back pain. By putting pressure on the abdomen relief can often be gained. This is done using the following exercise. Lie flat on the floor on your back. Lift both knees up and push down with the stomach muscles.

3. The use of light weights be also be useful. Standing on a level surface with your feet approx. 18″ apart very slowly and carefully lift your arms upwards and out to the side then to the front and relax.

4. By bending slowly from the waist first to the front then back and from left to right do this on a firm level surface. It is really good way of stretching the back muscles.

All of these exercises are gentle and most people should be able to carry them out without much difficulty. By doing these stretches regularly the back will begin to strengthen and the pain should subside. This will not happen overnight! It will take time and patience – do not be tempted to be more aggressive with the exercises in the hope of faster results otherwise you may do more harm than good.

Whether or not you suffer back pain these exercises are very useful for general good health and a healthy back.

Nutrition is a fundamental requirement of the body to produce energy and other substances to support the activities of life. To meet the human nutritional needs, we consume food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes we mix together the meals with additional food such as cakes, fruits, vegetables, or other kinds of food. In reality, many people think that the food is consumed only to overcome hunger and to survive living. More people are eating without caring for correct or healthy diets.

Food that meets the needs of the body metabolism and are supposed to support the human activities are healthy foods with balanced diets. We never realized that incorrect diet causes considerable bad effects. Eating food with high calorie level without balancing it with vegetables and fresh fruit will cause imbalance metabolism to our body. Every bit of extra calories in our body will be stored as fat deposits.

The appearance of excess calories will cause drowsiness after meals. For an employee, those conditions will decrease productivity. They need 15 minutes to 1 hour to recover from drowsiness and to be fresh again.Try to think, feel and imagine what we will see every time we walk into the office after lunch. The time wasted declines productivity which is equivalent to a great loss.

Changing patterns of eating for a healthy life is a very good appropriate first step to each employee as well as yourself for a healthy lifestyle. The body uses the food that we eat for the process of body cell metabolism. The result of metabolism is metabolites used in the formation of new cells. New cells that are formed are normal cells, fat cells and possibly the formation of abnormal cells. What cells are formed depend on the food we eat.

Follow a healthy lifestyle by adopting healthy eating patterns with a balanced diet
Combine 60-70% of fruits with 30-40% of protein and carbohydrates.
Reduce the portion of carbohydrates and replace them with vegetables and fruits.
Eat fruits and vegetables at the beginning of a meal.
Exercise 15-20 minutes every day (a walk would be fine).
Drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day.
In order for you to have a healthy body, as well as a sexy and athletic posture, you need to do aerobic exercises.

With a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy and balanced diet, our body will be fresher, will have optimum stamina, and will be healthy, slim and sexy, accompanied by increased productivity. All this is equivalent to a healthy lifestyle and happiness.

Nutrition, physical activity and obesity are key priorities in the EU public health policy and are taken up by the Public health action programmer (2008-2013). Nutrition for sports consists of a high intake of carbohydrates. Nutrition is a topic that is always of great interest to women.

The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the world’s top researchers, clinical nutritionists and industry to advance our knowledge and application of nutrition for the sake of humans and animals.

The Commission will establish and maintain a Community Register; the Register will include the lists of both authorized and rejected health claims, as well as nutrition claims. In addition, book reviews and discussions on current literature are provided, as well as news from German Soil Science Society (DBG) and the German Society for Plant Nutrition (DPG).

Learn how to transform your health, reverse chronic disease and free yourself from pharmaceuticals by mastering the fundamental laws of nutrition.

Anaerobic Activities

All our activities are based on the principles of sustainable development: achieving a sensible balance between economic, ecological and social needs.

Carbohydrates are also the only fuel that can be used in anaerobic activities where the muscles do not get enough oxygen (think sprinting or weight lifting). You can do this manually reading food labels, calculating the caloric value in every food and beverage you consume and also keeping a log of all your exercise activities and calculating how much calories you burn with each and every physical activity you undertake daily.

Weight training will support your metabolism better than most other activities. Such exercises entice you with dancing, weight training and many other activities.

Burn Calories with physical Activity

A balanced diet and regular physical activity, along with restraining from smoking, are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health. As always, before making any change in your diet or activity, consult your physician.

Carbs are especially important shortly before and after physical activity. They are actually used before protein as an energy source while engaged in physical activity. When talking about burning calories during physical activity, a calorie is a measure of the energy used by your body.

A wide variety of foods can fit within this pattern, if consumed in moderation, in appropriate portions and combined with regular physical activity.

Learn to prepare Food

Learn which foods or food substances, as part of an overall healthy diet, may reduce you and your child’s risk of certain diseases. Learn simple way to prepare food: Try to learn various simple ways of preparing food for yourself.

Nutritional and calorie facts provided for the above food groups include: vitamins, minerals, foliate and dietary fiber, as well as protein and carbs.