ScienceDaily (June 20, 2008) — Individuals who are obese are at increased risk of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As 75%-95% of previously obese individuals regain their lost weight, many researchers are interested in developing treatments to help individuals maintain their weight loss.
A new study, by Michael Rosenbaum and colleagues, at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, has provided new insight into the critical interaction between the hormone leptin and the brain's response to weight loss.
Leptin levels fall as obese individuals lose weight. So, the authors set out to see whether changes in leptin levels altered activity in the regions of the brain known to have a role in regulating food intake.
They observed that activity in these regions of the brain in response to visual food-related cues changed after an obese individual successfully lost weight. However, these changes in brain activity were not observed if the obese individual who had successfully lost weight was treated with leptin. These data are consistent with the idea that the decrease in leptin levels that occurs when an individual loses weight serves to protect the body against the loss of body fat.
Further, both the authors and, in an accompanying commentary, Rexford Ahima, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, suggest that leptin therapy after weight loss might improve weight maintenance by overriding this fat-loss defense.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Walking and cycling
For the last two weeks I've been on vacation, so I've had to improvise to keep trekking. This past week alone, I logged in 3 four-mile hikes, 2 six-mile hikes, a twelve-mile hike and a thirty three-mile bike ride, which was killer as I ride a modified single speed beach cruiser and all this week it has been mid-90's here in Texas.
Saw some interesting scenery too!
Saw some interesting scenery too!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
THINK FAT LOSS, NOT WEIGHT LOSS.
Don’t weigh yourself everyday. This is absolutely pointless since body-weight is mainly water and that can fluctuate drastically throughout the day and from day-to-day. This is especially true for women, whose weight can fluctuate even more than men’s due to fluid retention and the menstrual cycle.
If you are obsessive about weighing in, do yourself a favor and throw away the scale. Your disposition and outlook will improve dramatically. A positive mental outlook will help your exercise program more than knowing you weigh “x” pounds today and “y” pounds tomorrow. If you want a practical measure of your success, use common sense and a mirror.
If your clothes feel more lose, you are thinner. If you look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see, you are burning fat. If your friends tell you you look better you do. Who cares what the scale says! Instead of using the scale, take your measurements (chest/bust, arms, waist, hips, and thighs) when you start your exercise program and chart your progress as you workout by re-measuring every five to six weeks.
Read more here
If you are obsessive about weighing in, do yourself a favor and throw away the scale. Your disposition and outlook will improve dramatically. A positive mental outlook will help your exercise program more than knowing you weigh “x” pounds today and “y” pounds tomorrow. If you want a practical measure of your success, use common sense and a mirror.
If your clothes feel more lose, you are thinner. If you look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see, you are burning fat. If your friends tell you you look better you do. Who cares what the scale says! Instead of using the scale, take your measurements (chest/bust, arms, waist, hips, and thighs) when you start your exercise program and chart your progress as you workout by re-measuring every five to six weeks.
Read more here
Weight-loss the Taubes way
- Expending more energy than we consume – exercising more or eating less – does not make us lose weight. It makes us hungry.
- Dietary fat is not a cause of obesity or heart disease. The problem is the carbohydrates in our diet, and their effect on the hormone insulin.
- Insulin makes us store calories as fat. Simple carbohydrates – starches and sugars – raise insulin levels and so lead to excessive fat storage.
- The smaller the amount of fattening carbs you eat, the leaner you’ll be.
- Obseity is not a disorder of overeating – it’s a disorder of excess fat accumulation. We overeat because we are hormonally driven to grow fat; we don’t grow fat because we overeat.
Read more here.
- Dietary fat is not a cause of obesity or heart disease. The problem is the carbohydrates in our diet, and their effect on the hormone insulin.
- Insulin makes us store calories as fat. Simple carbohydrates – starches and sugars – raise insulin levels and so lead to excessive fat storage.
- The smaller the amount of fattening carbs you eat, the leaner you’ll be.
- Obseity is not a disorder of overeating – it’s a disorder of excess fat accumulation. We overeat because we are hormonally driven to grow fat; we don’t grow fat because we overeat.
Read more here.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Brief, intense exercise benefits the heart
Short bursts of high intensity sprints -- known to benefit muscle and improve exercise performance—can improve the function and structure of blood vessels, in particular arteries that deliver blood to our muscles and heart, according to new research from McMaster University.
The study, lead by kinesiology doctoral student Mark Rakobowchuk, is published online in the journal American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative & Comparative Physiology.
The findings support the idea that people can exercise using brief, high-intensity forms of exercise and reap the same benefits to cardiovascular health that can be derived from traditional, long-duration and moderately intense exercise.
"As we age, the arteries become stiffer and tend to lose their ability to dilate, and these effects contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease," says Maureen MacDonald, academic advisor and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology. "More detrimental is the effect that blood vessel stiffening has on the heart, which has to circulate blood".
The research compared individuals who completed interval training using 30-second "all-out" sprints three days a week to a group who completed between 40 and 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling five days a week.
It found that six weeks of intense sprint interval exercise training improves the structure and function of arteries as much as traditional and longer endurance exercise with larger time commitment.
"More and more, professional organizations are recommending interval training during rehabilitation from diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease. Our research certainly provides evidence that this type of exercise training is as effective as traditional moderate intensity training," says MacDonald. "We wouldn't be surprised to see more rehabilitation programs adopt this method of training since it is often better tolerated in diseased populations".
Further, this research also shows that those who have a hard time scheduling exercise into their life can still benefit from the positive effects, if they are willing to work hard for brief periods of time, she says.
Source: McMaster University
The study, lead by kinesiology doctoral student Mark Rakobowchuk, is published online in the journal American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative & Comparative Physiology.
The findings support the idea that people can exercise using brief, high-intensity forms of exercise and reap the same benefits to cardiovascular health that can be derived from traditional, long-duration and moderately intense exercise.
"As we age, the arteries become stiffer and tend to lose their ability to dilate, and these effects contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease," says Maureen MacDonald, academic advisor and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology. "More detrimental is the effect that blood vessel stiffening has on the heart, which has to circulate blood".
The research compared individuals who completed interval training using 30-second "all-out" sprints three days a week to a group who completed between 40 and 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling five days a week.
It found that six weeks of intense sprint interval exercise training improves the structure and function of arteries as much as traditional and longer endurance exercise with larger time commitment.
"More and more, professional organizations are recommending interval training during rehabilitation from diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease. Our research certainly provides evidence that this type of exercise training is as effective as traditional moderate intensity training," says MacDonald. "We wouldn't be surprised to see more rehabilitation programs adopt this method of training since it is often better tolerated in diseased populations".
Further, this research also shows that those who have a hard time scheduling exercise into their life can still benefit from the positive effects, if they are willing to work hard for brief periods of time, she says.
Source: McMaster University
Monday, June 2, 2008
What is Nordic walking?
Q: What is Nordic walking?
A: Nordic walking is fitness walking with lightweight poles that take stress off the lower body. A time-efficient, low-impact, total-body workout, Nordic walking was developed in Scandinavia as a summer training exercise for cross-country skiers in the 1930s.
Q: How do you use the poles?
A: It's a learned skill. You drag the poles behind you and push off with them, the same as in cross-country skiing.
Rather than bend your elbows and pump your arms with each step, as in power walking, you reach out straight in front of you, keeping your hands slightly lower than your elbows. The tip of the pole stays behind your body. (Poles come with instructions, and some include a video.)
"You drag the poles, plant and push off and get a good stride going. Plant and push," says Amy Kalb, 34, of Fort Worth, who has been using Nordic walking poles since last fall.
Q: What's special about the poles?
A: A little longer and lighter than regular trekking poles, Nordic walking sticks have a spiked tip on the end for soft surfaces and little rubber "boots" or paws to slip over the tip for walking on asphalt pavement or concrete. Some poles are adjustable, but they can be purchased in fixed lengths, ranging from about 42 to 54 inches. The fixed lengths are considered more stable.
"The little rubber boots we tested are meant for concrete or sidewalk walking, but the differences (between trekking poles and Nordic walking poles) are a little confusing. Often, trekking poles are shorter and meant primarily for balance. ... Some trekking poles are marketed for Nordic walking (or have separate tips you add for Nordic walking). You just need to be sure you are buying what you want," Church said by phone.
Q: What do Nordic walkers say?
· "You can use them anywhere. I walk with them two or three times a week, usually on the horse trails out around Benbrook Lake (near Fort Worth, Texas)," Kalb says. "I think they are a lot of fun, and they definitely help my form, let me walk faster and keep my back from hurting."
· "You can feel muscles engage in your whole upper body, but especially your back," says Kalb's friend Davy Kady. She was recently visiting from California when she tried Nordic walking for the first time.
· Fitness walking is "the simplest, most underrated, overlooked recreational exercise out there, especially for recovery days, and when you add poles, it increases all the benefits," says Rick Faulkner, co-owner of Colonel's Bicycles in Fort Worth.
Q: Any other benefits?
A: The poles add a level of stability that encourages older, less steady walkers to take up the sport, and poles reduce risks, Church says. "You are a lot less likely to be attacked by a dog or a mugger with a big stick in your hand."
Q: Where can I get sticks?
A: LEKI and Exel are the largest manufacturers of trekking and Nordic walking poles. They are sold in pairs and available at specialty stores including Backwoods in Fort Worth, Mountain Sports in Arlington, Texas, and REI in Dallas. Prices range from $99 to $199.
A: Nordic walking is fitness walking with lightweight poles that take stress off the lower body. A time-efficient, low-impact, total-body workout, Nordic walking was developed in Scandinavia as a summer training exercise for cross-country skiers in the 1930s.
Q: How do you use the poles?
A: It's a learned skill. You drag the poles behind you and push off with them, the same as in cross-country skiing.
Rather than bend your elbows and pump your arms with each step, as in power walking, you reach out straight in front of you, keeping your hands slightly lower than your elbows. The tip of the pole stays behind your body. (Poles come with instructions, and some include a video.)
"You drag the poles, plant and push off and get a good stride going. Plant and push," says Amy Kalb, 34, of Fort Worth, who has been using Nordic walking poles since last fall.
Q: What's special about the poles?
A: A little longer and lighter than regular trekking poles, Nordic walking sticks have a spiked tip on the end for soft surfaces and little rubber "boots" or paws to slip over the tip for walking on asphalt pavement or concrete. Some poles are adjustable, but they can be purchased in fixed lengths, ranging from about 42 to 54 inches. The fixed lengths are considered more stable.
"The little rubber boots we tested are meant for concrete or sidewalk walking, but the differences (between trekking poles and Nordic walking poles) are a little confusing. Often, trekking poles are shorter and meant primarily for balance. ... Some trekking poles are marketed for Nordic walking (or have separate tips you add for Nordic walking). You just need to be sure you are buying what you want," Church said by phone.
Q: What do Nordic walkers say?
· "You can use them anywhere. I walk with them two or three times a week, usually on the horse trails out around Benbrook Lake (near Fort Worth, Texas)," Kalb says. "I think they are a lot of fun, and they definitely help my form, let me walk faster and keep my back from hurting."
· "You can feel muscles engage in your whole upper body, but especially your back," says Kalb's friend Davy Kady. She was recently visiting from California when she tried Nordic walking for the first time.
· Fitness walking is "the simplest, most underrated, overlooked recreational exercise out there, especially for recovery days, and when you add poles, it increases all the benefits," says Rick Faulkner, co-owner of Colonel's Bicycles in Fort Worth.
Q: Any other benefits?
A: The poles add a level of stability that encourages older, less steady walkers to take up the sport, and poles reduce risks, Church says. "You are a lot less likely to be attacked by a dog or a mugger with a big stick in your hand."
Q: Where can I get sticks?
A: LEKI and Exel are the largest manufacturers of trekking and Nordic walking poles. They are sold in pairs and available at specialty stores including Backwoods in Fort Worth, Mountain Sports in Arlington, Texas, and REI in Dallas. Prices range from $99 to $199.
Easy way to burn calories
Nordic walking is low-stress, low-impact weight-loss method
By CAROLYN POIROT McClatchey Newspapers
When researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas found that Nordic walking burns 20 percent more calories than regular power walking, they expected the new sport to take off among fitness enthusiasts eager to take up lightweight trekking poles and turn low-stress walking into a great weight-loss workout.
"In Finland, you can't get from the airport to your hotel without seeing hundreds of people walking with sticks," says Dr. Tim Church, former medical director of the Cooper Institute. He headed the 2002 study that found using poles to push off while walking increases calories burned and oxygen consumed without any perceived increase in exertion. A few participants in the study and Church himself increased their calorie burning by more than 40 percent, without increasing their walking speed. The average was 20 percent.
"It's really pretty simple," Church says. "The more muscle mass you use (in any exercise), the more oxygen you consume and calories you expend. When you use sticks, you get your arms and shoulders and neck into your walking. The more vigorously you pole, the more calories you use."
By CAROLYN POIROT McClatchey Newspapers
When researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas found that Nordic walking burns 20 percent more calories than regular power walking, they expected the new sport to take off among fitness enthusiasts eager to take up lightweight trekking poles and turn low-stress walking into a great weight-loss workout.
"In Finland, you can't get from the airport to your hotel without seeing hundreds of people walking with sticks," says Dr. Tim Church, former medical director of the Cooper Institute. He headed the 2002 study that found using poles to push off while walking increases calories burned and oxygen consumed without any perceived increase in exertion. A few participants in the study and Church himself increased their calorie burning by more than 40 percent, without increasing their walking speed. The average was 20 percent.
"It's really pretty simple," Church says. "The more muscle mass you use (in any exercise), the more oxygen you consume and calories you expend. When you use sticks, you get your arms and shoulders and neck into your walking. The more vigorously you pole, the more calories you use."
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