Do you want to exercise more, but just can't find the time? Then how about getting a pedometer?
It's a simple device that just does one simple thing... measures how many steps you take during the day. But that simple device can also get you taking more steps every day. And that means burning more calories along the way.
These devices have been around for years and have been used time and time again in different exercise type programs. They are usually used to help measure just how much work a person is doing during the day by just walking around. Most experts recommend we try and get 10,000 steps per day to help stay fit. But with all the sitting we do at work and home, most of us get much less than that. The average one of us only takes a little more than 5,000 steps per day and that puts us in the sedentary category. But now it looks like just having a pedometer will get you to walk more. Pedometer wearers in a recent study ended up walking 2,000 more steps per day just by wearing a pedometer. They also increased their overall activity.
All that extra walking means extra calories burned each day. And that means extra pounds lost, just by strapping on that little step measuring device... the pedometer.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sugar Water Gargle
Are you lacking in self control, especially this time of the year. Maybe your best bet is to gargle with some sugar water.
As surprising as this sounds, gargling with sugar water boosts self control, something most of us can use more of heading into the holidays with all those tempting treats.
These next few weeks are going to be big tests for everyone's self control. With all the office parties and big dinners, it'll be though to avoid overeating. But if you have trouble with self control this time of the year, or any other time for that matter, this new study might be just what you need.
Researchers found that when people simply gargled with sugar sweetened water they ended up having more self control on tests they had to perform. But the same didn't happen when they gargled with the artificial sweetener Splenda. Scientists think the self control comes about because the sugar hits taste buds on the tongue which activate a motivation center in the brain.
Participants gargled for three to five minutes to get that boost in self control. And the researchers involved in the study think this same trick might work if you're trying to lose weight and can't resist that extra dessert or if you're working out and want to do just a bit more lifting.
Either way, gargling with sugar water before hitting a party might help you avoid too much of those dishes you want to avoid.
As surprising as this sounds, gargling with sugar water boosts self control, something most of us can use more of heading into the holidays with all those tempting treats.
These next few weeks are going to be big tests for everyone's self control. With all the office parties and big dinners, it'll be though to avoid overeating. But if you have trouble with self control this time of the year, or any other time for that matter, this new study might be just what you need.
Researchers found that when people simply gargled with sugar sweetened water they ended up having more self control on tests they had to perform. But the same didn't happen when they gargled with the artificial sweetener Splenda. Scientists think the self control comes about because the sugar hits taste buds on the tongue which activate a motivation center in the brain.
Participants gargled for three to five minutes to get that boost in self control. And the researchers involved in the study think this same trick might work if you're trying to lose weight and can't resist that extra dessert or if you're working out and want to do just a bit more lifting.
Either way, gargling with sugar water before hitting a party might help you avoid too much of those dishes you want to avoid.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Cheerleading As A Sport
A doctor's group wants to label cheerleading as a sport, but probably not for reasons you'd think.
The doctors want it to be called a sport so it gets some of the same benefits of other school sports, mostly in the name of safety.
Cheerleading has changed over the years. Today's teams not only compete, but also incorporate gymnastic type tumbling and acrobatics. And because of that, cheerleaders also end up suffering more injuries than other sports. As a matter of fact, cheerleading injuries have quadrupled since 1980 alone. It also accounts for the vast majority of high school female athlete concussions and catastrophic injuries.
Because of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first cheerleading safety guidelines. Included are recommendations to designate cheerleading as a sport so cheerleaders will get the same benefits as other sports, which pediatric experts hope will help cut down on overall injuries. Using these guidelines, they are recommending cheerleaders be required to pass preseason sports physicals and to have access to strength training and conditioning coaches. And because of the potential for concussions, they want to make sure that, like other sports, cheerleaders are removed from activities if they have a head injury.
Other groups, namely the National Federation of High Schools and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors have enacted similar rules already, but this pediatric group is hoping their guidelines continue to be a wakeup call for this "sport" so it can still be enjoyable, but also as safe as possible.
The doctors want it to be called a sport so it gets some of the same benefits of other school sports, mostly in the name of safety.
Cheerleading has changed over the years. Today's teams not only compete, but also incorporate gymnastic type tumbling and acrobatics. And because of that, cheerleaders also end up suffering more injuries than other sports. As a matter of fact, cheerleading injuries have quadrupled since 1980 alone. It also accounts for the vast majority of high school female athlete concussions and catastrophic injuries.
Because of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first cheerleading safety guidelines. Included are recommendations to designate cheerleading as a sport so cheerleaders will get the same benefits as other sports, which pediatric experts hope will help cut down on overall injuries. Using these guidelines, they are recommending cheerleaders be required to pass preseason sports physicals and to have access to strength training and conditioning coaches. And because of the potential for concussions, they want to make sure that, like other sports, cheerleaders are removed from activities if they have a head injury.
Other groups, namely the National Federation of High Schools and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors have enacted similar rules already, but this pediatric group is hoping their guidelines continue to be a wakeup call for this "sport" so it can still be enjoyable, but also as safe as possible.
Eye Drop & Nasal Spray Warning
There is a new warning out about something many of us have in our medicine cabinet that could be more harmful than most of us think.
We're talking about simple eye drops or nasal sprays that most of us have in our houses and probably don't give a second thought about. But the FDA is warning that they could prove toxic to children who accidentally get a hold of them.
The products they are warning us about contain the active ingredients Tetryhydrozoline, Oxymetazonline or Naphazoline. All these ingredients end in chemical compound word Zoline. They are sold under a variety of brand names like Visine, Dristan and Mucinex as well as the generic equivalents.
According to the FDA, a child swallowing as little as 1/5 of a teaspoon can have serious adverse effects. Thankfully no child has died from an overdose yet, but over the last few years children have been hospitalized after swallowing small amounts of these medicines. Problems have ranged from nausea and vomiting, to fast heart rates, excess sleepiness and even comas.
These medicines can be very helpful if used correctly. And that means storing them in a safe place out of the reach of children, especially since the vast majority of their bottles don't have childproof tops, something the government is trying to mandate.
We're talking about simple eye drops or nasal sprays that most of us have in our houses and probably don't give a second thought about. But the FDA is warning that they could prove toxic to children who accidentally get a hold of them.
The products they are warning us about contain the active ingredients Tetryhydrozoline, Oxymetazonline or Naphazoline. All these ingredients end in chemical compound word Zoline. They are sold under a variety of brand names like Visine, Dristan and Mucinex as well as the generic equivalents.
According to the FDA, a child swallowing as little as 1/5 of a teaspoon can have serious adverse effects. Thankfully no child has died from an overdose yet, but over the last few years children have been hospitalized after swallowing small amounts of these medicines. Problems have ranged from nausea and vomiting, to fast heart rates, excess sleepiness and even comas.
These medicines can be very helpful if used correctly. And that means storing them in a safe place out of the reach of children, especially since the vast majority of their bottles don't have childproof tops, something the government is trying to mandate.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Younger Stroke Victims
Although we are winning the battle against strokes, one age group is having more strokes than ever before.
It looks like more people are having strokes at a younger age and that means more years dealing with its after effects.
Strokes, like heart attacks, are usually something we worry about as we get older. But a new study, just published by the American Academy of Neurology, has found that one-in-five stroke victims are now under the age of 55. And in the words of the "Stroke Association," these new numbers are alarming.
This study looked at more 1 million people here in the U.S. Researchers found that 19% of them, or nearly one-in-five, had a stroke in 2005. That's a large increase from the slightly more than one-in-10 having them back in 1993.
Although they aren't sure exactly why this is happening, stroke experts think it could have to do with the similar increase we are seeing in obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol in this same age group. And having a stroke this young can cause more lifetime disability.
More research is going into trying to figure out what is exactly behind these numbers, but keeping healthy, by eating right, exercising and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol can be your best defense against having a stroke yourself.
It looks like more people are having strokes at a younger age and that means more years dealing with its after effects.
Strokes, like heart attacks, are usually something we worry about as we get older. But a new study, just published by the American Academy of Neurology, has found that one-in-five stroke victims are now under the age of 55. And in the words of the "Stroke Association," these new numbers are alarming.
This study looked at more 1 million people here in the U.S. Researchers found that 19% of them, or nearly one-in-five, had a stroke in 2005. That's a large increase from the slightly more than one-in-10 having them back in 1993.
Although they aren't sure exactly why this is happening, stroke experts think it could have to do with the similar increase we are seeing in obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol in this same age group. And having a stroke this young can cause more lifetime disability.
More research is going into trying to figure out what is exactly behind these numbers, but keeping healthy, by eating right, exercising and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol can be your best defense against having a stroke yourself.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tomatoes For Stroke
Do you want to cut down on your chances of having a stroke? Then maybe the key is to bite into a tomato.
And the beauty of it is that it doesn't have to be a whole tomato. It could even be tomato sauce, or even better, a slice of pizza, that can help cut your risk of having a stroke. Researchers have found that the antioxidant in tomatoes, lycopene, reduced the chances of men having a stroke. And although the study didn't look at women, the same is probably true for them as well.
This study, published in the journal Neurology, found that men with the highest levels of lycopene also had the lowest levels of strokes. Tomatoes are rich in lycopenes. It is also in tomato products like marinara sauce, pizza sauce and even ketchup. But if tomatoes aren't your thing, then you can also find high levels of lycopenes in other fruits like watermelon, papaya, grapefruit and mangos.
This study first started off to see if vitamins A or E cut stroke risk. Surprisingly they didn't, but the researchers instead found out about how beneficial lycopenes were in keeping this devastating problem at bay.
So the next time you sit down to eat, grab that tomato. It could be doing a lot more for your health than you think.
And the beauty of it is that it doesn't have to be a whole tomato. It could even be tomato sauce, or even better, a slice of pizza, that can help cut your risk of having a stroke. Researchers have found that the antioxidant in tomatoes, lycopene, reduced the chances of men having a stroke. And although the study didn't look at women, the same is probably true for them as well.
This study, published in the journal Neurology, found that men with the highest levels of lycopene also had the lowest levels of strokes. Tomatoes are rich in lycopenes. It is also in tomato products like marinara sauce, pizza sauce and even ketchup. But if tomatoes aren't your thing, then you can also find high levels of lycopenes in other fruits like watermelon, papaya, grapefruit and mangos.
This study first started off to see if vitamins A or E cut stroke risk. Surprisingly they didn't, but the researchers instead found out about how beneficial lycopenes were in keeping this devastating problem at bay.
So the next time you sit down to eat, grab that tomato. It could be doing a lot more for your health than you think.
Early Migraine Treatment
If you suffer from migraines, do they seem hard to control? It could all be in the timing.
It does seem to all come down to the timing, at least when you decide to finally treat a migraine and not just wait to see if it will get better.
Millions of Americans suffer from migraines. These headaches can range from minor inconveniences to ones that can be debilitating and long lasting. The problem tends to happen when a migraine patient is deciding whether the headache is big enough to treat "yet." If it gets better on its own great, but if it gets worse it's probably going to be even harder to treat later on.
That's also the finding of a new study presented by the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that the best hope of making sure the migraine didn't get worse was to treat it within the first 20 minutes of symptoms. They also found that after 4 hours, the symptoms tend to spiral out of control to the point where the migraine starts affecting the entire body and gets even harder to treat.
According to them, a lot of migraine sufferers wait because they have been told to just ride it out for a while and not take the medicines unless absolutely necessary. But they are recommending making sure that decision is made sooner than later once symptoms start.
It does seem to all come down to the timing, at least when you decide to finally treat a migraine and not just wait to see if it will get better.
Millions of Americans suffer from migraines. These headaches can range from minor inconveniences to ones that can be debilitating and long lasting. The problem tends to happen when a migraine patient is deciding whether the headache is big enough to treat "yet." If it gets better on its own great, but if it gets worse it's probably going to be even harder to treat later on.
That's also the finding of a new study presented by the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that the best hope of making sure the migraine didn't get worse was to treat it within the first 20 minutes of symptoms. They also found that after 4 hours, the symptoms tend to spiral out of control to the point where the migraine starts affecting the entire body and gets even harder to treat.
According to them, a lot of migraine sufferers wait because they have been told to just ride it out for a while and not take the medicines unless absolutely necessary. But they are recommending making sure that decision is made sooner than later once symptoms start.
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