Archive for the 'FITNESS NEWS' Category

A new study of middle school girls shows that after-school programs, in addition to school physical education classes, may be one answer to reducing obesity in teens.

The just-released results of the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) showed that moderate to vigorous after-school physical activity, in programs that can range from hip hop dancing to surfing, can modestly increase the amount of physical activity for young teenage girls, to the point that it could prevent excess weight gain of about two pounds per year.

The TAAG study found that programs which linked schools in six geographic regions of the U.S. with community partners (such as the YMCA or YWCA, local health clubs, and community recreation centers) increased time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among the middle-school female students by about two minutes per day, or 80 calories a week. This finding occurred after three years of the intervention, but not after two years.

TAAG showed a reduction of 8.2 minutes of sedentary behavior in girls in the intervention schools. Furthermore, the best results were seen in programs offered between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, which suggest that after-school programs are more effective than programs offered at other times, such as morning weekdays and weekends.

For millions of American children and teens playing sports, good nutrition is critical for maximum health, performance and normal growth.

Yet, with all the information available out there, it’s becoming harder than ever for a young athlete to filter truth from myth, and detangle the good from the bad and the ugly, says Amanda Leonard, M.P.H., R.D., a pediatric sports nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

The Good

As a general rule, 20 to 30 percent of the calories in a young athlete’s diet should come from fat, 50 to 65 percent from carbohydrates and 15 to 20 percent from protein.

The Bad

Dehydration among children playing sports is common, especially in the hot summer months, but may go unnoticed in its milder forms, Leonard says.

To avoid dehydration:

• Before exercise, drink 4 to 8 ounces
• During activity, drink 4 ounces every 15 minutes
• After exercise, drink 16 to 24 ounces per every pound lost

The Ugly

The dietary supplements are not tested by Food and Drug Administration before they reach the market, so their benefits and safety are not verified independently. Pediatricians should always ask young athletes whether they take dietary supplements because some can aggravate pre-existing conditions. Creatine, for example, can cause kidney damage in a child with pre-existing kidney problems.

Avoiding consumptions of ice creams, burgers and pizzas? Do you think that these foods are harmful for your waist? But this may not be the truth. Actually these foods can help you in weight loss.

Here are the foods which you can add back into your diet:

Red meat: Lean red meat is great choice for women who are trying to lose weight. Red meat is an excellent source of protein which takes longer time to digest. So, it keeps you feel full for longer time.

Ice cream: Here is the good news for all the ice cream lovers. According to the recent research, women who have at least one serving of full-fat dairy products per a day can gain less weight than the women who don’t. Conjugated linoleic acid is a compound found in milk is the main cause of weight loss.

For three more foods, which give waistline a favor, visit:

http://www.cnn.com/

Testosterone supplements provide little benefit in men over the age of 60 who have low levels of testosterone. These supplements can increase lean body mass and decrease body fat, but they won’t improve strength, mobility or mental abilities.

Usually, the levels of testosterone decrease as men age. The amount of decrease greatly varies in men. Loss of testosterone is associated with many symptoms of aging like: loss of strength, muscle mass, bone mass, mental facility and also increase in abdominal fat mass.

There is a chance of getting metabolic syndrome for men who consume testosterone supplements. This is a predictor of type 2 diabetes and is characterized by obesity and unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Testosterone supplements also improve insulin sensitivity but lower the levels of good high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

To know about further benefits and effects of testosterone supplements, visit:

http://www.healthscout.com/

The newly updated food pyramid is mainly focused on special dietary needs for people older than 70. According to the modified food pyramid, older people should be careful to get sufficient amounts of calcium, fiber, vitamin D and B12. The emphasis is also on regular workouts and adequate fluid intake.

According to the experts, adults over the age of 70 have unique dietary needs. Older adults must choose nutrient rich foods like, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy and high-fiber whole grains.

The new food pyramid points out that packaged versions of fruits and vegetables, for instance frozen and canned or dried fruits might be the good alternatives to fresh varieties for some adults.

Following regular physical activity can decrease the risk of chronic diseases and lower body weights.

To know more benefits of new food pyramid, visit the below link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

According to expert’s view, exercises which are performed at high intensity will give more results than the normal exercises.

The latest studies have proved that people who are vigorously individually active will live for more life span and they enjoy an enhanced quality of life than the normal people or the individuals who are moderately active.

Exercises are essential because they promote strong bones and health. It makes the body feel good, while decreasing the aging progression. Exercise helps people to lose weight, perk up health, gain weight, trim down the risk of illness while supporting the mind to function appropriately.

The average weight among people who are overweight or obese has increased dramatically in the last 10 years.

But among those who are thin there has been little change - Cancer Research UK scientists announce recently.

Almost 12,000 men and women had their weight and waist measurements taken in 1993/4.

Researchers then compared these statistics with weight and waist measurements in a similar sample taken from the Health Survey for England 10 years later.

For related information on thin stay thin while fat are getting fatter, visit:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85010.php

Latest researches have proved that the person who is thin stay thin throughout their life, where as the person who is fat getting fatter. That means the experts observed that slimmer adults are almost slim after 10 years where as the heaviest people became much heavier after 10 years.

These inequalities are mostly seen on the people who are under 45. People who are fat are not taking interest or compromising in performing exercises that help to burn more calories due to the difficulties they face while performing those exercises with their huge bodies.

Steroids are not only used by sports man, but people who want to improve their physical appearance with strong muscles are also using these steroids. Most of the non athletes who have the intention to improve their physical appearance are taking larger doses of steroids.

The doses which are taken by them are larger than previously recorded and they are not stopping steroid abuse even though they are all admitted to adverse side effects [Side Effects of Steroids]. Health concerns are not enough to deter their steroid use.

The survey was conducted to identify the current trends in steroid taking habits. The various researchers posted a mysterious, self administered opinion poll to several message boards on the websites popular among steroid users.

It is known that the usage of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is widespread among body builders to increase their muscle strength and size. 500 AAS users are participated in a survey.

Obese people are six times as likely to develop gullet (oesophageal) cancer as people of ‘healthy’ weight, shows research published ahead of print in the journal Gut.Rates of oesophageal cancer have been rising rapidly, and in some countries, they have risen faster than those of every other major cancer, say the authors.

For related information on Obesity and risk of Gullet cancer, visit:

http://www.eurekalert.org

Obesity is directly linked to the esophagus deterioration, but it can be preventable. Esophageal cancer is related to the Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). High body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat increases the GERD symptoms.

If your body mass index is between 25 and 29.9, it is defined as being overweight. If it is 30 or higher, it is defined as obese.

How obesity affects esophagus?

GERD affects the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and causes injury to the esophagus due to the exposure to stomach acid. LES connects the esophagus with stomach and allows food to pass from mouth to stomach.

Gastro esophageal means combination of esophagus and stomach. Gastro esophageal reflux is the return of contents of stomach back up into the esophagus. It occurs when LES is weak or relaxes inappropriately allowing the contents of the stomach to flow back up into esophagus.

When autumn comes, almost everyone will be suffering with cold and flu. Autumn means cold weather and seasonal allergies. But yoga can help by strengthening and balancing your immune system against sinus conditions. Yoga poses are powerful tools to stimulate or calm the immune system.

If allergy symptoms are increased, it indicates that your immune system is working over time. Mucus producing process of immune system causes headaches, stuff nose, ears and sinuses, sore throat and difficulty in breathing attacking innocuous invaders.

When you relax through yoga, the nervous system makes the immune system to calm down and stop attacking the foreign bodies, which are cleared out naturally in a person who is non-allergic by sneezing once or twice in a day.