Category: Health & Fitness


Childhood Obesity

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
March 8, 2013

By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON,March 7 (Reuters) – U.S. companies and other groups that have made attempts to reverse the nation’s rising childhood obesity rate are starting to see results as more American kids exercise and have better access to healthy foods,they said on Thursday.

More than 1,700 U.S. cities have promoted exercise to get nearly 3 million more kids moving in the last year,according to a report by the Partnership for a Healthier America,a nonprofit that works to get private companies and organizations to pledge specific action to fight the weight epidemic.

Still,if left unchecked,about half of all Americans will be obese by 2030,according to the group,whose partners range from Darden Restaurants Inc and Walmart Stores Inc to the YMCA and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Some health advocates welcomed the findings but said more effort was still needed,including government action.

Already,one in three U.S. youth are obese and another third are overweight. Experts are worried because heavier children are more likely to remain overweight as adults,and suffer a higher incidence of diabetes,heart disease and other conditions.

“We’re seeing pockets of progress toward reversing the childhood obesity epidemic,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “For progress to reach every corner of our country,we must redouble our efforts: parents,schools,nonprofit organizations,government at all levels,and the private sector.”

Childhood obesity carries significant healthcare related costs and even poses national security risks,experts say,by reducing the pool of those fit for military service.

Some of the partner companies have pledged to change food offerings on restaurant menus or work to get more children into activities like soccer or tennis,according to the group,which released the report as part of its annual conference in Washington that also headlined First Lady Michelle Obama.

The group has said it wants to help 10 million Americans gain access to healthier foods, saying 23.5 million people in the United States – including 6.5 million children – have no nearby access to options like fresh produce or cannot afford to buy it.

Already,141 grocery stores have been built or renovated in so-called “food deserts,” often low-income urban neighborhoods without nearby grocery stores,helping more than a half-million people,it said.

“In places like Philadelphia,New York City and Mississippi – places where folks from every sector are working together – we’ve seen childhood obesity rates begin to come down,” said Obama,who has made tackling obesity her signature issue while in the White House.

Fruits and vegetables,meat and other whole foods can often be more expensive than processed ones that contain subsidized ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup.

Some health experts have been critical of the food industry for offering unhealthy products. Manufacturers have long pointed to consumer choice,but many have begun to change their offerings in recent years as more U.S. consumers become health conscious.

Newark,New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker, another honorary vice chairman and a Democrat,told MSNBC the annual progress report is important for holding companies accountable to their commitments to change.

On Thursday,several more companies joined the partnership,including GE Healthcare,part of General Electric Co,and Cerner Corp, among others.

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Losing Body Fat Series

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
March 2, 2013

Whenever I’m talking to people about being fit & getting healthy, I always hear “I want to lose weight”.  Most folks don’t even have a plan for reaching the goal, although I often chide them for using the word “want” instead of “need”, but that’s a different post for a different day.

I never hear anyone talk about losing body-fat, and since thats the real culprit, I thought it’d be cool to do a series on destroying body-fat.  If you are in a healthy range, you’ll be at a healthy weight.  So here’s part I “Eating too many high-calorie foods that don’t fill you up”.

Choose foods that help to fill you up and avoid those that deliver calories but have little filling power.  Factors that cause us to eat too many high-calorie foods include:

*Drinking your calories — Beverages aren’t very filling. So if you’re drinking your calories through regular sodas, energy drinks, blended coffee drinks, and large amounts of juice, chances are that you’re adding rather than substituting calories. Stick to lower-calorie fluids

*Not eating enough whole fruits, vegetables, salad, and whole grains — Fill up on these foods. They get the green light because they are lower in calories and higher in fiber.

*Not eating carbs with protein —Carbohydrate foods in combination with some protein can be more satiating or filling than carbs alone.

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Make your workout a H.I.I.T.

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
February 14, 2013

I’m certain there are folks in every gym in every locale debating what works v what’s a load of bull.  Truth of the matter is, what works for some WILL NOT, work for others.  But, you can always add or subtract the things you hear.

It’s not wise to take a single approach to getting stronger and becoming healthier.  I’m confident believing there’s no single activity or modality that will serve as dome “a ha” moment.  But if you stack good days, stack hard efforts you will see a difference.

This brings me to a training philosophy that, if done correctly, will make huge difference in the results you see.  High Intensity Interval Training.   The secret to succeeding with a H.I.T.T. program begins with having the right tools, right focus, right time, and right commitment.

Right Tools: you gotta have a heart rate monitor.  Don’t rely on the gym.  Most of the cardio equipment needs to be recalibrated.  Find the appratus best suited for you physically.  

Right Focus: it’s not about appearances, but results.  Don’t worry about panting in public, or looking as if your last meal, will be your last meal.  Train hard, recover well.

Right Time: understand when your body is ready to train.  Some are good with a morning workout, others afternoon or at night.  Learn when you burn.

RIGHT Commitment:  you can’t train if you don’t show-up.  Make cardio a daily ritual.  Find, no, make time to train and ditch excuses.

High intensity means, high intensity.  Tell your mind when it’s time to rest.  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are working out when you are casually moving legs, arms etc. 

Make no mistake, it’s not easy losing weight, or becoming healthy.  But, once you begin stacking good days, you’ll be amazed at the result.

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Doing better but not getting better

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
February 12, 2013

I had a phenomenal ride yesterday with a good diverse group of cyclists.  The skill level was from barely learning how to clip in to 2 decades worth of miles.  As always we talked about everything, but one conversation is sticking to me.

This one cat was super frustrated about not losing much weight and couldn’t understand why, if he was riding more why wasn’t he losing more.  Of course, my 1st question was “what are you eating”.  1st thing he said was salad and then something about a liquid diet.  Now, he was definitely 2 bills, maybe 230 with no real muscle tone.

I kept thinking about what he said as we rode over some hills and into some wind.  I understand his frustration, but he’s focusing on the wrong objective.  He’s trying to take in less calories and burn more, but he’s sending his body into survival mode.  I tried to explain without sounding like a know-it-all, that a lot of times people fail to take on enough calories before the start burning them.

The wife has this friend who was trying to eat 2k calorie diet.  She was burning 700-800 cals working out and after a few weeks noticed she had gained weight.  Well, of course since her caloric deficit was actually a caloric hole.  At some point, your body is going to start hoarding food instead of releasing it as fuel.  You gotta eat, but it’s what you eat, but the kicker is even if your diet is healthy, the cals have to be there.

After talking about this,  the guy said “that’s not what I’ve read”.  Ok, so what.  Try something different and pay attention to what happens.  Getting good calories and more water will push you to that next level.  Stop eating junk cals and figure learn your body.  I rode to the front of the group but kept looking back at him.  I thought, sometimes doing better getting out riding is not getting you better health wise.

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2 hands and a can

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
February 5, 2013

It’s been tough escaping any news about the super bowl, and more insanely all the talk about Beyonce’s performance.  I found it amusing that the NFL, an organization with a cornerstone project (Play60) that promotes getting kids active for 60 mins per day.  I imagine this is an attempt to help fight childhood obesity, which is important.  But, the 1/2 time show was sponsored by a soda company.  Ok, wait, read it again and maybe you’ll scratch your head as I did.

There’s no need to inform you of how sweetened beverages helps contribute to weight gain, or how schools across the country are trying to keep sugary drinks out if the buildings.  But, if you need a refresher, here it is:

“A substantial body of research has emerged linking the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages,even in moderate amounts,to obesity-related health conditions. For instance, people who consume just one or two sugar-sweetened drinks a day have a 26 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely drink these beverages. Men who average one sweetened beverage a day have a 20 percent higher risk of having a heart attack than men who rarely consume them”.

Now there’s nothing about kids in that blurb, but use your imagination.  So, on the one hand we want kids to play more, but on the other we are fattening them up, so they’ll play less.  Wow, talk about pissing on the fire you made.  But in other news, people are talking about the game and sponsored half time show. 

Thanks NFL.

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Where’s the horse

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
November 4, 2012

It’s been a couple months since I posted something.  More than enough time ro get away, but far too much time to be away.   I started riding again a few weeks ago and it felt like the first time I rode a bike.  My legs felt like crap, my lungs felt worse, my back ached, my neck instantly became stiff.  But I was loving every minute.

There are times I think we all loose perspective and we need something to bring us back to center, back to being present.  I can get my form back, stay on top of my health goals, but it feels damn good jumping back on that horse, my machine.

I’m starting to think about my next big idea, but until it hits me, I’m going to write a little about my quest to not only get back to my form prior to my crash, but also write about health and fitness and why it’s important.  I have some recipes to rollout and hopefully something more.

I’m going to rock out in the gym tomorrow and do some really despicable things to my legs.  I’ll also resume my luv/hate relationship with the stairmaster.  Remember…it may not be fun but it’s necessary.

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Saturday starts on Monday

Filed under: FOOD, Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
August 20, 2012

I’ve been riding for 3 tears, but over the course of the past 6 months did I discover that having a great Saturday on the bike starts with a good Monday at the food table.  It’s an all day oriented focus based on the miles and intensity you plan to do on Saturday.

My carb load this week is intense.  Aside from snacks all meals will be 60-75 percent carbs.  I remember when i would only carb up the night before a big ride, and then I tried 2 and 3 days, which is cool to pre-hydrate, but hell waiting to burn you because you may not have enough stored glycogen to get you back smiling!

I also remember when I was in the class that thought eating carbs at night led to gaining weight, fat storage until someone broke it down for me.  “Carbs are like gas, the better the grade, the better the mileage, the fuller the tank the longer you can roll without stopping”.  The other thing I noticed was the fitter the body, the better you get at burning fat for fuel. 

I need all the glycogen I can store and grubbing on as many carbs as possible is the best way to prep the body for Saturday.  But i can’t wait to have some sweets after the ride!!! (Dude, stay focused—> Shiloh’s voice).

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Great article from Peloton Magazine

Filed under: FOOD, Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
August 13, 2012
Diet PATRICK BRADY / SUNADA Some of the best news you’ll get as a cyclist is that while riding you can burn upwards of 500 calories per hour. Exceptionally hard rides can cause you to burn as much as 1,000 calories per hour. Low-cal is a phrase you are allowed to strike from your vocabulary.

Endurance athletes in general and cyclists specifically do not have significantly different dietary needs from the rest of the population. Done right, you’ll eat all the same foods you’ve been eating; you will just increase the serving sizes for some foods.

Don’t be Afraid of Carbs In short, carbs are your friend. Carbohydrates are the basic fuel your body uses to create glycogen, which is the fuel your muscles burn as you exercise. Glycogen (sugar) is to your body what gas is to your car. It is stored in your muscles and your liver, and your body generally holds about 2,000 kilocalories—enough energy to sustain about two hours of continuous activity. What happens when you ride for more than two hours without replenishing is called “the bonk.”

Glycogen is essentially a starch. To produce it, you must eat bread, pasta, rice, and other foods classified as starches. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories.

Dietary recommendations for cyclists generally advise them to consume somewhere between 45 and 65 percent of their daily calories in carbohydrate. An easy rule of thumb for carbohydrate consumption is to multiply your weight by between 2.72 and 4.54.

Example: a 168-pound rider 168 x 2.72 to 4.54 = 457 to 763 grams of carbohydrate per day

Not all carbs are created equally. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat breads, rice, and potatoes help prevent spikes and crashes in your blood sugar that can cause you to grind to a halt as suddenly as a car that has run out of gas. For quick energy, foods containing the simple sugars glucose and fructose will bring you around like fresh batteries.

To top off the tank while riding, sugary sports drinks meant to replace depleted carbohydrate stores have been shown to be effective at solution rates around 6 percent; think of how Gatorade tastes—that’s a 6 percent solution. Some people can tolerate higher concentrations, but many people will begin to experience gastric distress (burping and stomach upset) at solutions above 8 percent. If your drink tastes sweet, it is too strong.

Be aware that not all carbs are consumed equally, either. Post-ride refueling is unusually efficient and converts carbs into glycogen at three times the normal rate. For up to four hours after the ride, your body works to replace lost glycogen with the ferocity of a Wall Street trader taking advantage of a down market. Those first two hours following a ride are something of a dietary get-out-of-jail card. Almost anything you consume will be used to replace depleted glycogen stores. Get out the chocolate chip cookies! Get Plenty of Protein

Protein’s primary role in the diet of a cyclist is to help build new muscle and repair muscle tissue damaged in training. It also has two additional roles in the diet of a cyclist; protein helps the body metabolize carbohydrates and serves as a secondary fuel source during prolonged endurance events, meaning events long enough to cause your family to question your sanity, better known as centuries.

Endurance athletes need more protein than couch jockeys, but not so much more that they must resort to protein-packed shakes. The vast majority of riders will do fine with a well-balanced diet.

Dietary recommendations for cyclists generally advise them to consume somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of their daily calories in carbohydrate. An easy rule of thumb for protein consumption is to multiply your weight by .54 to .64.

Example: a 168-pound rider 168 x .54 to .64 = 91 to 108 grams of protein per day.

Consuming protein with carbohydrate can aid digestion of the carbohydrate, but research also shows that the protein is used as a fuel source, as well. Most research points to a 4:1 mix of carbs to protein. Carbohydrate/protein drinks have been shown to increase performance, decrease fatigue, and reduce post-exercise muscle soreness. There are a variety of drinks, bars, and gels that provide a mix of carbs and protein at or near this ratio.

Don’t Fear the Fat Forget about eliminating fat from your life. While it’s often cast as the villain in any diet, the cause for every weight loss scheme since the Great Depression, fat serves an important role in a healthy diet.

Fat is an important energy source, giving you staying power between meals. It helps prevent your blood sugar from crashing and causing you to suddenly feel hungry. It is also necessary because some vitamins are fat soluble and fatty acids are essential for a balanced diet.

Dietary guidelines generally suggest that anywhere from 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories should come from fat.

Example: a 168-pound rider 168 x .54 to 1.0 = 91 to 159 grams of fat per day

Some fats are definitely preferable. Choose olive and canola oils, as well as nuts, seeds, beans, and avocados to be good to your heart. Other fats, such as those that come from bacon and French fries, should be kept in check.

Stay Hydrated Proper hydration is essential for optimal performance as a cyclist. An adult human being is composed of 55–65 percent water, with men at the higher end and women at the lower end of that range.

Dehydration begins when you have lost 1 percent of your body weight in fluid. Unfortunately, you can’t wait for your body’s sense of thirst to guide hydration, as it isn’t activated until you have lost 1–2 percent of your body’s weight in fluid. Worse yet, with a 3 percent loss of fluid, your muscles begin contracting more slowly, limiting performance. A 4 percent loss of fluid causes a decline in performance of 5 to 10 percent.

So you must drink the way dictatorships vote: early and often. Even conservative estimates for cycling indicate that a cyclist should consume 5 ounces of water every 15 minutes while riding. That’s one 20-oz. bottle per hour. On hot and humid days and during particularly hard riding, that number rises rapidly. A fast ride on a day with a heat index in triple digits requires 40 oz.—two bottles—per hour.

Be Wary of Alcohol While a great glass of wine or beer can make a good meal more memorable, alcohol is as good for cycling performance as arsenic. Its presence suppresses the secretion of the hormone ADH, which acts as an antidiuretic. To offset the loss in fluid, you will need to drink an additional glass of water for every two drinks you consume. The calories contained in alcohol constitute a second problem. Unlike the calories found in carbs, proteins, or fat, the calories contained in alcohol are essentially “empty”—they have no nutritive value.

On-the-Bike Foods If you ride for more than two hours your body will need more calories than can be supplied by a sports drink. Bars and gels are the two most popular forms of sports nutrition after sports drinks. Bars, such as those by PowerBar and Clif Bar, offer a healthy dose of carbohydrate along with some protein. They are excellent for longer rides at low to moderate intensity.

Gels don’t have the caloric wallop of a bar—generally, they have about half the calories, so you must consume more of them. Because they come in liquid form and most contain no protein, they are quick to digest and are easier on the stomach. This makes them ideal for high-intensity rides that last for several hours.

Weight Loss and Cycling Cycling’s low-impact nature makes it an excellent vehicle for any weight loss goals you have. Even though you may be able to expend 3,500 or more calories in a day, you can’t actually lose a full pound each day, not unless you burn actual muscle mass.

The proverbial pound of flesh is equal to 3,500 calories. This is a reasonable amount to try to lose each week. It requires a 500-calorie deficit each day of the week, which is very achievable with a little eating discipline and a one-hour ride per day. Those who try to push beyond this can push the body into catabolism, a state in which the body consumes muscle protein to meet its caloric needs. This is the same thing that happens when you bonk and as a weight-loss strategy it is counterproductive in the extreme. Catabolism is like burning your house down instead of having a barbecue. What you want to achieve is a calorie deficit, not starvation.
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Thank you Red Kite

Filed under: Health & Fitness, Reflexion by iride4shiloh — 1 Comment
August 10, 2012

A brief conversation about an upcoming event:

Why would you train for a ride that is not a race?

I am riding with friends, and I do not want to be the weak link. I want to be helpful, and I don’t want to get off the bike. To walk uphill. There is nothing more soul-sapping.

And I like to go up.

Going up. It’s just so daunting. It feels impossible. Like you just are kidding yourself that you can get that pedal back down.

What I like is when you’re almost at your limit. And you find this place, this rhythm. That you can sustain. And you sit in that spot, just cranking it out. And next thing you know you’ve conquered a mountain.

Hm. What are you thinking? Literally, what goes on in your head?

Well that’s the beautiful part. Up to that point, you’re struggling. You’re filled with doubt. You can’t make it. And then it all settles down. And your mind goes blank. And you’re just a piston.

But seriously, no other thoughts?

All crowded out. It’s that magic focus. It’s how you go up.

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The obesity problem By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Filed under: Health & Fitness by iride4shiloh — Leave a comment
May 29, 2012

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON –A new forecast on obesity in America has health experts fearing a dramatic jump in health care costs if nothing is done to bring it under control.

The projection,released Monday,warns that 42% of Americans may end up obese by 2030 (up from 36% in 2010),and 11% could be severely obese,roughly 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight (vs. 6% in 2010).

“If nothing is done,it’s going to hinder efforts for health care cost containment,” says Justin Trogdon,a research economist with RTI International,a non-profit organization in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park.

Extra weight takes a significant toll on health. It increases the risks of type 2 diabetes,heart disease,stroke, many types of cancer,sleep apnea and other debilitating and chronic illnesses.

“The obesity problem is likely to get much worse without a major public health intervention,” says the study’s lead researcher,Eric Finkelstein,a health economist with the Duke University Global Health Institute.

In an earlier study,Finkelstein and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that medical-related costs of obesity may be as high as $147 billion a year,or roughly 9% of medical expenditures.

If the obesity rate stays at 2010 levels instead of rising to 42% as predicted,then the country could save more than $549.5 billion in weight-related medical expenditures from now till 2030,says study co-author Trogdon.

The obesity rate analysis was presented at the CDC’s Weight of the Nation meeting. The study is being published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The increase in the obesity rate would mean 32 million more obese people within two decades,Finkelstein says.

Obesity has been one of the biggest contributors in driving up health care spending over the past 20 years, says Kenneth Thorpe,a professor of health policy at Emory University in Atlanta.

The obesity rate was relatively stable in the USA from 1960 to 1980,when about 15% of people fell into that category. It increased dramatically in the ’80s and ’90s and was up to 32% in 2000,according to CDC data. Obesity inched up slightly over the past decade,causing speculation that the obesity rate might be leveling off.

Finkelstein,Trogdon and colleagues predicted future obesity rates with a statistical analysis using different CDC data,including body mass index,of several hundred thousand people. Body mass is a number that takes into account height and weight. Their estimates suggest obesity probably will continue to increase, although not as fast as it has in the past.

Finkelstein says the estimates assume that the environment that promotes obesity in the USA has neared a peak. The country “is already saturated” with fast-food restaurants,cheap junk food and technologies that render people sedentary at home and work,he says.

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