Month: May 2016

Categories
Lifestyle

How To Steer Clear Of Ticks Naturally

With the warmer months upon us, the tick population is out in full force. Although ticks are around throughout the year, they tend to be more active in the warmer weather. Ticks can be active on winter days when the ground temperatures are about 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ticks are commonly thought of as insects but are actually arachnids, like scorpions, spiders, and mites.
Many believe that ticks fly or jump onto their victims from a tree branch. The reality is that ticks cannot fly or jump, they crawl. They wait patiently for someone to brush by tall grass or a shrub and then transfer onto their host. When you find a tick higher up on your body it generally means they climbed all the way up.
There are many types of ticks out there, but the deer tick is of concern since Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by the deer tick.
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There are several ways to protect yourself from tick bites without the use of harmful insecticides.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
“Blacklegged ticks (the ticks that cause Lyme disease) live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through leaf litter or near shrubs.”
A simple way to avoid ticks is to walk in the center of trails and avoid walking through tall bushes or other grassy areas.
Sticking to sunny spots will dramatically reduce the risk of tick bites. Tick nymphs can’t survive in the sunshine since they need environments with at least 80 percent humidity to survive. They tend to hang out in leaf piles and other shady, humid environments.
If the weather isn’t too warm, take the time to cover up. Wear clothing that covers up most of your skin to prevent ticks from latching on.
Check your clothing for ticks after spending time outside. Ticks can easily end up on your clothing, especially shoes and socks. Once they make their way onto the lower portion of your body they then start making their way up your body to a warmer spot.
Taking a shower after being outside is a great way to prevent tick bites. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce the risk of getting Lyme disease. This is also a perfect time to do a full-body tick check.
Performing a full tick check after being near tick-infested areas is critical when trying to prevent tick bites. Check the entire body fully, including hair, ears, belly button, underarms, and behind the knees. Ticks like finding these warm spots for their next meal.
Also, take the time to check your shoes and other equipment for ticks along for the ride. If they’re brought inside, ticks can later attach to people or pets.
Throw your clothing in the dryer with high heat to kill any ticks that manage to make their way indoors.
If you do find a tick, don’t panic! Here’s info on tick removal.

Categories
Wellbeing

How 3 Months Of Spa Treatments Helped Me Take Wellness Seriously

I used to believe spa treatments were just a luxury—an indulgent treat to relax. I went occasionally when someone gave me a gift certificate, but didn’t really pay too much attention to any residual effects after a spa day.
A coworker recently told me about the transformative effect regular spa treatments have had on her well-being. She convinced me to give it a try for myself and to consider it an investment in self-care.
Fast forward three months and I feel like a different person. The ever-present knots in my neck are nowhere to be found. I have more energy and mental focus. I don’t feel as anxious or stressed, and my skin is clearer and has a glow.

Investing in Monthly Facials

I’m like so many other women: I’ve used all the miracle anti-aging products, but my skin still didn’t look as youthful as I wanted, and congested skin always led to breakouts. Although I’ve had professional facials here and there, I’ve never gotten them done on a consistent basis.
So I decided that my first spa treatment would be a facial. Facials are always catered to your skin type, targeting all of your problem areas. The esthetician then recommends products that will help maintain the results at home between appointments.
Sure, facials—and the recommended skin care products—can add up, but it is worth the investment. Through this process, I have learned that you can’t get as deep a level of cleansing at home as an esthetician can give you at the spa—not to mention that they’re trained to know and understand what will work best for your skin.
With three months of facials under my belt, my skin has never looked better and I find that I use less makeup because there are no blemishes or dark circles to conceal.

Detox From Head to Toe

I didn’t just stop at monthly facials; I chose to try a variety of spa treatments, each with its own intended purpose. For example, the first month I opted for a seaweed wrap to detoxify and help combat the signs of aging. In month two, I had a lymphatic drainage massage to boost circulation and remove toxins from my body. Month three was a Dead Sea salt body treatment to both purify and exfoliate.
The difference after three months was incredible. Using different treatments to accomplish the same goal improved the look of my skin and left me feeling thoroughly invigorated.

Releasing Tension and Decreasing Stress

Now to my favorite spa treatment of all—massage. My facial included a face and neck massage. What I didn’t realize was the mask also reduces harmful toxins that increase tension and headaches. I ended up with twice the relaxation from a single treatment.
Other types of massage that I fell in love with were Ayurveda and shiatsu, in addition to the lymphatic drainage massage. I could literally feel the stress and tension in my body dissolve. I learned how to breathe for relaxation, turn off my mind, and meditate all while the massage itself worked its magic on my tension-filled muscles.
I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever felt better equipped to handle stress in my life. By having regular massages I’m letting go of tension instead of letting it overtake me. It’s a life-changing experience that I couldn’t believe I’d missed out on for so long.

Improving Overall Health

I finally learned that spa treatments aren’t just a one-off. If you go regularly, the results will last and help erase the damage you’ve already done to your body and mind.
I already ate as healthy as I could with a busy schedule and hit the gym a few times per week. Yet I still felt like I lacked energy and felt stressed all of the time. My skin looked tired, and I just didn’t think something like a spa treatment could change everything.
My views on wellness have changed. Downing a kale smoothie in the morning or catching up on reports while running on a treadmill weren’t doing me any favors. I needed to start focusing more on me and my needs. I needed to be pampered by experts who knew how to improve my mental focus while dually improving my skin and overall physical health.
It’s only been a little over three months now, but it’s changed me. Wellness isn’t just about diet and exercise. It’s about taking care of yourself and getting rid of the toxins in your body and mind.
I won’t dare put off spa treatments again. I’m healthier than I’ve been in decades and I finally have the energy to do all the things I want to do.

Categories
Sweat

Make Your Booty Even Better (In Just 5 Moves)!

Who wants a butt lift? Apparently a lot of us! A recent poll of plastic surgery trends from doctors nationwide has shown that the demand for butt implants has more than doubled in the past year. Thanks to Kim Kardashian and other celebs who are rocking their rounded booties, everyday folks are wanting the same. But you don’t need to pull out your plastic to insert plastic into your derrière. There are exercises that will help you get that look naturally. Do these simple moves three times a week to get yourself red carpet (or sandy beach) ready!
Perform each exercise for 12 to 15 repetitions, for 3 to 4 sets. Do these exercises three times a week for maximum results.

Deep Squat

(These squats build your butt, making it nice and rounded. Hold weights during this exercise if you can—the heavier, the better)
Start with both toes facing forward and feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees, sit back into your butt, and let your butt drop to slightly below your knees. Squeeze your butt and stand. Be sure that your knees don’t buckle outward.

Curtsy Lunge

(This is great for your butt proper, particularly the outside, and shapes your butt perfectly. Hold lighter weights during this exercise.)
Place your left foot forward and step your right foot behind and slightly to the left of your front foot. Keeping your hips square, bend your left knee and bring your right knee toward the ground. Keep your left knee over your left ankle. Repeat for a full set then switch to the other side.

Sumo Squat Into a Drag

(These work your butt proper, particularly the inside. Hold medium to heavy weights during this exercise.)
Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, toes facing outward. Bend your knees and sit back into your butt. Lower down until your knees are at a right angle. As you stand, drag your right leg in and squeeze your butt. Step your right leg back out and repeat the squat with a drag with the left leg.

Lunge Into Hyperextension

(Ankle weights that are 2–8 pounds work well for this exercise.)
Place your left leg in front and extend your right leg behind you. Keeping your left knee over your left ankle, bend your right (back) knee toward the ground. As you rise up, lock your right leg and lift it off of the ground. Squeeze your butt the whole time. Lower your right leg and repeat for a full set. Then switch to the other side.

One-Legged Hip Bridges

(The bridges work the area that connects your butt and hamstring for a perky shape. You can place your feet on the floor or a BOSU balance trainer or chair to make it harder.)
Lie on your back and place your left foot down with your knee bent. Cross your right leg over your left, resting your right ankle on your left knee. With arms at your sides, squeeze your butt and lift your hips up to the height of your knee. Make sure to keep all of your weight in your left heel. Lower and repeat for a full set. Repeat on the other side.

Categories
Wellbeing

3 Research-Based Facts To Explain Why You Haven’t Been Lucky In Love

If you’re sensible, you probably select your romantic partners based on looks, character, and compatibility. But you might be surprised to learn that you also unconsciously choose a partner for a few other reasons that are important to be aware of.

Mate selection is as old as our species, and quite honestly not much has changed. Our ancestors picked viable partners for survival and procreation purposes, and although we would all like to think that we have evolved beyond those primitive instincts, we are still picking our short- or long-term partners for some of the same reasons.

Before technology came to dominate all our social interactions, there was something called flirting. Remember that concept? You would see someone across the room, have a moment of connection, and send a whole slew of signals that could easily be interpreted as interest. But what is it that pulls you toward that one potential mate instead of all the others in the room (or on your current dating website)?

Many people would say that the most important part of selecting a partner is chemistry. People have to feel attracted to the person before they’ll even consider them as a viable option.

It turns out that what we call chemistry is a bit more interesting than simple sexual attraction, though.

I recently attended a relationship conference with a keynote presentation by Helen Fisher, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist who has spent an enormous amount of time studying pair bonding and the human relationship as it relates to love and desire.

She describes romantic love as the most powerful brain system, and her research has shown that it’s not any different from our pre-wired fear system. Not surprisingly, romantic love is universal, it’s not gender specific (although men fall in love faster), and it’s actually considered to be a physical drive just like the one that tells you to eat.

Fisher presented her research-based findings on why we pair bond. It turns out that 97 percent of mammals don’t pair up at all, so this idea of choosing a life partner is almost unique to the human species. Originally our ancestors partnered up because survival and raising children would be nearly impossible alone, but we now know that this primitive form of partnership has evolved into much more—with greater demands on each partner’s role and the level of needs that have to be met.

Although our conscious reasons for choosing that special someone have evolved along with the modern-day purposes for a life partner, there is still this unconscious evolutionary selection process happening beneath the surface, and it’s based on three motivations.

Number One: Genetic Incompatibility 

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) refers to a particular set of genes you inherit in your immune system, which are your body’s chemical defense system against intruding aliens. Each of us inherits our own version of this complex set of genes. 

According to Fisher we are regularly attracted to individuals who have a different genetic profile to ensure that we bear more varied young and that we can co-parent with a wider array of parenting skills. We do this through the sense of smell, so we can literally “sniff out” the partner who has the greatest chance of being the most different genetically. In other words, this is a way to prevent inbreeding, and it also ensures that your children will be healthy and have strong immune systems.

Number Two: Procreation 

One of the main reasons you choose a partner is because you are designed to have children whether you want them or not. Although you can shut down your conscious desire to produce offspring, your instinctual system is still at play, pulling you toward a partner who will give your children the best genetic advantage and chance of survival. 

When you find yourself attracted to someone, part of your evolutionary system is focusing on build, body type, facial shape, and ability to either provide (hunt/gather) or nurture (caregiving). This is something to keep in mind when you find yourself attracted to a particular type that may not actually be the best fit for you.

Number Three: Brain Chemistry 

Some of the most interesting work Fisher has done involves understanding the brain chemistry behind romantic love. Certain parts of the brain and particular neurochemicals get triggered when we feel attracted to someone and ultimately fall in love. 

The neurochemical dopamine—part of the “reward” system in your brain—triggers the sex drive and the desire that pulls you toward a lover. Ultimately the reward transitions into bonding and attachment, and this is when a real relationship is formed. This system of brain chemistry evolved for the survival of our species, and it still kicks in today regardless of your longer term intentions or how you ultimately feel about the person.

These factoids on your love life may not be too romantic, but it’s always helpful to understand what’s going on beneath the surface so you can be more in control of your behavior, emotions, and decisions when it comes to finding a suitable partner.

Too many of us end up in the wrong relationship with someone who appeared to be right only to realize that what we saw in them didn’t turn out to be what we got.

Categories
Sweat

Why Taking An Extended Break From Exercise May Be A Healthy Choice

You’ve worked hard to get yourself in shape and spent hours at the gym or running out on the road. You’ve seen your strength and speed increase and your waistline shrink. So why on earth would you ever want to take an extended break from your exercise routine? Because, my friends, it just might be the healthiest thing you can do at the moment. Here’s why.

Rest and Recuperation for the Body…

We all know that taking rest days as part of our regular exercise schedule is crucial to letting our bodies recover from the demands we place on them while working out. Sore and tight muscles can often lead to an injury, which is why a couple of days off each week are a vital part of staying healthy.

After a day off most of us get right back to the routine that helped us to get fit in the first place. Over time, however, that rigorous schedule can turn into a grind, slowly chipping away at our strength and stamina. That can lead to serious fatigue that simply can’t be overcome with a day off here and there.

But taking an extended break—not unlike what a pro athlete might have at the end of a long season—gives your body time to fully recover. It can allow exhausted muscles time to rest and give minor aches and pains a chance to heal too. Then when you do return to the gym, you’ll likely feel better than you have in a very long time.

…And the Mind Too! 

Your body isn’t the only thing that needs time to rest and recover. An extended break from your workouts will be good for your mind as well. Sticking to a consistent workout schedule can be taxing on the brain, as it takes a lot of discipline, self-motivation, and will power just to get yourself to the gym or out the door for a run on a regular basis.

But if you give yourself permission to take an extended break from that process you may find that your mood is better, you’re not so tired, and you’re free to concentrate on other things. When you eventually start up your routine again, you won’t feel so mentally taxed and you’ll have a fresh new attitude and renewed levels of excitement.

Recover from—or prevent—injuries. 

A lot of the injuries that we suffer while working out are due to the repetitive nature of exercise. Running five miles a day puts a lot of wear and tear on your feet and legs, for instance. Sometimes the only way to truly allow those types of injuries to heal—or to prevent them from happening at all—is to take a break for a while. Once again this will give your body time to repair itself. It will also take you out of the repetitive cycle that can often lead long-term injuries—if left untreated many of these could force you take an exercise break of an entirely different kind.

How long should the break be? 

Now that you have some idea of the benefits of taking an extended break from your workout schedule, you’re probably wondering just how long that break should be. That is entirely up to you, but I’d recommend that any extend break be for at least a month. That should be enough time to let your body rest and allow minor injuries to heal. It’s also not so long that you’ll struggle to resume your workout schedule again.

For those who are truly exhausted or have more serious injuries to recover from, a longer break of three months or more may be in order. The more time you take, the better you are likely to feel—but the harder it will be to start back up again when you’re ready to return to your training. At that point you will no longer be fighting fatigue but inertia.

When you do decide it’s time to begin working out once more, be sure to start slowly and allow yourself a sufficient period to get back to your previous level of fitness. That will take some time and dedication, but you’ll be back to where you were before you know it.

Don’t go totally inactive. 

It is also important to note that when you decide to take time off you shouldn’t allow yourself to become totally inactive. Instead of running, take regular walks. In lieu of going to the gym, stretch or take a yoga class. And be sure to keep eating a healthy diet and maintaining your weight. Remember: If you put on weight, you’ll just have to take it back off later, making things more difficult for yourself when you’re back in the gym.

The point of an extended break is to give your body a rest, but don’t backslide on the healthy lifestyle you’ve been living. Ultimately, the time you take off should allow you to return with renewed enthusiasm and more energy. Before you know it, you’ll be working out as hard as you were before, and your body will thank you for the rest you’ve given it.

Categories
Nosh

The Great Oat Debate: Does “Gluten-Free” Really Mean Gluten-Free?

When it comes to celiac disease, few foods have caused as much controversy as the humble oat.
Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they’re almost always contaminated from being farmed, stored, transported, or processed using fields and equipment that once touched gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, and rye).
For years, the only way for someone with celiac disease to safely eat oats was to buy ones that were grown, harvested, and produced under a “purity protocol” that guaranteed they never came in contact with gluten. When oat-based food companies decided they wanted a piece of the gluten-free pie, though, they were faced with a dilemma: There are not enough purity protocol oats to meet their demand.
Enter mechanical and optical sorting, where commodity oats are fed through a machine that separates them by length, density, and color in order to remove any foreign grain (mostly wheat or barley). With the gluten-containing grains removed, the commodity oats are said to be “cleaned” and—by U.S. government standards—gluten-free.
Are they really, though?

THE PROS

Big guns in the food industry like General Mills and Quaker would not risk the negative exposure if they didn’t genuinely believe the sorting process worked. Their websites assure consumers there are various testing checkpoints to ensure the finished product contains less than 20 ppm (“parts per million,” or about 0.02%) gluten—the government standard for gluten-free.
(It turns out that several other companies producing gluten-free oat products have been using the same technology for some time now, but only recently has it gotten media attention.)
This sorting process could make gluten-free products more available and more affordable than ever, with companies like General Mills promising to keep prices constant. For someone with celiac disease who doesn’t live in a more affluent or metropolitan area, these two factors have been major obstacles in treating their disease.
Ultimately, several big celiac organizations do support the mechanical sorting of commodity oats, as long as the testing is consistent, transparent, stringent, and reliable; which of course brings up the question…is it?

THE CONS

Mechanical and optical sorting may mostly work, but the testing protocols have rendered it rather risky. As long as humans drive the process, there will be room for error, and testing has to be on point to catch it. Mere months after their gluten-free launch, General Mills recalled a number of boxes of Cheerios for cross-contact with wheat during transport. General Mills responded swiftly, but top representatives of the gluten-free community asserted that this incident was not only avoidable but a sign that testing was more lax than the company let on.
It’s not only a concern of the frequency of testing, though; the method itself has also raised questions. Quaker says it tests every sample box individually, but General Mills uses a composite or mean score. Basically, they grind up a minimum of 12 boxes, test, and average the results; if 11 of them contain 3 ppm gluten and the last contains 70 ppm, they average out to less than 10 ppm, and the lot will pass inspection. Would you want to be the unlucky celiac sufferer who gets box number 12?
Then there are the unintended consequences of the technology. When titans like PepsiCo (Quaker) and General Mills step onto the scene, the livelihood of the smaller companies that are producing purity protocol oats is threatened. Why would companies spend money on these special oats when they can just buy and sort cheap, commodity oats themselves? Pure oat sales have been declining, leaving their manufacturers questioning the future of the business. Pretty soon, celiac sufferers may not have a choice: the companies growing and using pure oats could be put plum out of business.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

I wish I didn’t have to say this, but as of right now, FLOP. Look, I’m not so cynical as to think these larger companies got into the gluten-free game solely to take advantage of a “trend” and earn a quick buck, but if they don’t do this thing right, that’s exactly how it will appear. They have a huge responsibility in pioneering this technology to make sure they’ve tested and retested ad nauseam.
As of today, that testing simply isn’t there for me to recommend that anyone with a diagnosed intolerance to gluten take the chance on mechanically and optically sorted oats.
If you’d still like to incorporate oats into your diet, first check with your doctor, because even certified gluten-free oats can be problematic for a subset of people with celiac disease. Then, find a company that uses purity protocol oats to be certain that the utmost care and attention is being devoted to making sure your oats are safe to eat. These smaller companies need your support.
Gluten-free eating is not a fad; it’s a medical treatment. Every decision we make has consequences, and every decision we make matters.
Choose with care.

Categories
Wellbeing

How To Say Goodbye To The Last 10 Pounds

The last 10 pounds can be the most frustrating to get rid of. You are sailing along losing weight fairly regularly and you get super excited when you realize you only have 10 pounds until you are at your goal weight. Then, for no reason at all, you can’t seem to drop those last pounds. Here’s how you say goodbye to those last 10 pounds once and for all.

1. Understand What’s Happened

It’s not something you did in a past life that is punishing you and making it hard to drop those last 10 pounds. It’s something you did in the past months. You’ve recently lost weight and your body’s caloric needs have changed. For example, according to the calculator on the Baylor College of Medicine website, a 40-year-old, lightly active 250-pound woman needs an average of 2,600 calories to maintain her weight but a 175-pound woman needs only 2,250 calories to simply stay the same weight. As you lose weight your calorie needs go down, which makes it harder to create a calorie deficit.

2. Increase your vegetable intake.

To make sure you aren’t eating too many calories for your slimmer figure, ramp up your vegetable intake. Vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, carrots, celery, salad greens, and beets are very low in calories but fill you up and help you avoid constipation, which can affect your weight. Aim for 50 percent of your lunch and dinner plates being filled with vegetables.

3. Ramp up your exercise.

It’s just a fact that it’s harder to create a calorie deficit and still eat in a healthy manner when you are close to your goal weight. Ramp up your exercise intensity to increase your calorie burn. When I was losing my last 10 pounds, I increased the time I exercised from 40 minutes to 60 minutes. I also lifted heavier weights when strength training, used interval training as a way to burn more calories, and always exercised with intensity.

4. Don’t skimp on water.

One way to keep your calories under control is to stay hydrated. Don’t skimp on drinking water. Drink regularly throughout the day and especially after working out.

5. Cut out junk food completely.

Sometimes you’ve got to make the hard choices when trying to lose the last 10 pounds. While an occasional piece of cake or bowl of ice cream didn’t seem to slow your weight loss in the past, it just might slow it down now. So be prepared to skip junk food completely until you finally reach your goal.

6. Buy a goal weight outfit.

If you are like me, wearing smaller and more flattering clothes is one of the most fun rewards of weight loss. Go ahead and buy a goal weight outfit before you drop those last 10 pounds. Choose an outfit that is just slightly too small knowing that 10 pounds will make a huge difference in how it fits.

7. Be patient.

Those last 10 pounds are stubborn but not stuck to you forever. Expect your weight loss rate to slow down toward the end. It took me slightly over 2 months to lose my last 10 pounds, which was a huge change from the average of 2 pounds a week I enjoyed for much of my 150-pound weight loss journey.

Categories
Nosh

Calcium Supplements: A Bone Health Staple Or A Contributing Factor For Heart Disease?

With nearly half of all Americans (and 70 percent of older women) claiming to supplement with calcium, you would think that its benefits would be pretty well established.

We do know that calcium is important for health. It’s the most abundant mineral in the body, with a whopping 99 percent of it found in bones, where it aids in both structure and function. The remaining 1 percent contributes to vascular contraction, vasodilation, muscular function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling, and hormonal secretion.

So, yeah, calcium is kind of a big deal.

We also know that many Americans do not get enough through diet alone. Dairy might get the most attention, but it’s not the only food bringing its calcium game. In fact, sardines packed with bones contain more calcium than eight ounces of milk, and the calcium found in the kale family (kale, broccoli, cabbage, turnip greens, and bok choy), although found in smaller quantities, is comparable in “bioavailability.” (That’s a good thing.) Additional sources include almonds, Brazil nuts, dried figs, fortified tofu, and (my personal favorite!) blackstrap molasses.

Calcium’s important roles in the body—paired with our tendency to under consume it—should make supplementation a no brainer, but as with many health habits, it is not so cut and dried.

WHY NOT? (THE CONS)

The mixed results of the Women’s Health Initiative, which looked at 36,282 postmenopausal women, has raised some notable red flags. It found that daily supplementation of 1000 mg calcium with 400 IU vitamin D for seven years did not lead to any significant decrease in colorectal cancer, and that women who started supplementing during the study actually wound up with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. These women also had a 17 percent higher risk of kidney stones than women on a placebo.

The finding regarding calcium supplements and heart disease, in particular, has been receiving attention lately. Researchers can’t say for sure, but their concern is that high calcium intakes, especially from supplements, can lead to calcium deposits in—and subsequent hardening of—arteries, a known risk factor for incidents such as heart attacks. This area of research needs more attention before any changes to guidelines occur, but it’s certainly something to pay attention to moving forward.

Nonetheless, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently concluded that there is actually no benefit to supplementing calcium in doses smaller than 1,000 mg and that the data is insufficient to support higher doses as well. They ultimately no longer recommend the majority of Americans take calcium supplements at all.

BUT BEFORE YOU TOSS YOUR PILLS…(THE PROS)

Let’s not forget that we know that a dietary calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, and segments of our population are more at risk than others. Women who are postmenopausal, amenorrheic, or suffering from female athlete triad; vegetarians and vegans; smokers; and anyone with a family history are particularly susceptible. Even if we shouldn’t prescribe preventive calcium supplements to every American, that doesn’t mean that it’s not advisable for certain demographics.

In fact, despite the risks many experts conclude that calcium supplements are probably a good idea for women with osteoporosis or broken bones over the age of 50.

We need to see more consistent results across studies before we jump to any new conclusions. Repeat research doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should, leading to single, flawed studies making big headlines. One of the biggest challenges and criticisms of the research, for example, is that adherence is poor; it’s hard to study a supplement’s effect if the participants forget to take the prescribed dose. If everyone took the pills as instructed, perhaps the results would be more definitive.

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

FIT…but only if necessary. We need to focus first on calcium-rich foods. Dietary calcium has all of the potential benefits without any of the purported risks of supplemental calcium. Use the money you’ll save by not buying the supplements on buying more nutritious foods, and you won’t have to be bothered with popping a pill every time you eat.

If you do choose to supplement as a high-risk individual, find a high-quality one, preferably with a USP seal to ensure that it’s been independently tested for contamination and quality. Definitely do not take more than the 1,000 to 1,300 mg daily dose (depending on your life stage and sex). Split your daily intake into less than 500 mg per sitting, which is crucial for proper absorption, and ideally go for one that’s also packed with some vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin K.

Supplemental calcium may make us healthier in the short term, but don’t let it be a crutch or an excuse to not turn to those calcium-rich foods first. Medicine saves millions of lives, but remember, nature is pretty remarkable, too.

Categories
Sweat

Saddle Sore: The Six Most Common Cycling Injuries

Cycling is an intense sport that is great for burning calories, improving cardio fitness, and building muscle in the legs and core. But, as with all types of vigorous exercise, injuries can be a major concern for cyclists, whether they ride on the road or trail. Sometimes those injuries can even be serious enough to keep them off the bike altogether.

If you’re a cyclist who loves riding, these are the six most common injuries you should be aware of—and how you can prevent them from knocking you off your bike.

Saddle Sores 

Probably the most common cycling injury of all, saddle sores affect just about every rider at some point. They are typically caused by pressure and friction between the rider’s skin, cycling shorts, and bike seat, with sweat helping to exacerbate the situation. The level of discomfort brought on by these sores can range from slightly irritating to incredibly painful.

The more serious saddle sores look like small pimples or ingrown hairs and can even be painful to the touch. They usually form on a rider’s inner thighs or crotch area, and generally don’t persist for more than a day or two. Taking a break from riding usually allows them to heal, but if you experience them regularly it may be time to replace your cycling shorts, bike seat, or both.

Achilles Tendonitis 

Typically brought on by over-training, Achilles tendonitis usually manifests itself in the form of a sharp pain in the Achilles tendon. The symptoms can continue to persist after a ride, sometimes making it painful to even walk. Applying ice to the tender area will help reduce swelling and take away some discomfort, but to truly recover from this ailment it is best to take some time off the bike.

Other causes for Achilles tendonitis in cyclists include a bike that is poorly fitted to the rider’s frame or shoe cleats that aren’t aligned properly. Check with your local bike shop to ensure everything is in order.

Lower Back Pain

Cyclists like to go fast, and to do so they need to hold a tight, aerodynamic position on their bikes for an extended period of time. That position is great for generating power and lowering drag, but it can also lead to lower back pain—or in extreme cases even a herniated disk. Take a break from riding to allow the pain to diminish and give your body time to recover.

Once again, having the proper bike frame and fit are key to avoiding this issue. If the rider is slouched over on a bike that is too small, the pain will persist. Similarly, if the bike frame is too large and the cyclist has to reach for the handlebars, back pain can be an issue. Be sure you’re riding the right bike and using the proper form to avoid the pain in the future.

Neck Pain

Much like experiencing pain in the lower back, many cyclists also suffer from a similar pain in their neck. This is caused by a tightening of the muscles that run along the base of the skull and down into the shoulders, which become tired due to the strain of holding the rider’s head in extension for a prolonged period of time. Once again, this is done to maintain an aerodynamic position on the bike, but it can become more severe due to poor positioning on the bike. Try sitting in a more upright position and loosening your grip on the handlebars to better allow these muscles to relax. The result will be a more comfortable ride and less pain after you’ve gotten off the bike.

ITB Syndrome 

Repetitive motion is often the cause of injuries in many forms of exercise, and cycling is no exception. The continuous motion of bending and straightening the knee can lead to irritation of the iliotibial band, which runs down the leg from the hip to the knee. When irritated, the IT band can cause pain and tightness in the knee, resulting in a very uncomfortable ride.

ITB syndrome is typically caused by a bike that has not been properly adjusted for the rider. In this case, the height of the seat is usually the cause. It has to be set just right to ensure that the knee is not overextending or over-bending.

Numbness in the Feet 

Some cyclists complain about their feet getting numb while they ride, which is typically caused by shoes that are too tight or by riding up too many hills. Wearing shoes that are the right size for you will ensure proper circulation and will quickly fix the first of those issues.

Riding up hills puts a lot of pressure on your legs and feet to generate power and maintain a steady speed. But if you’re finding your feet are numb after a hilly ride, perhaps shifting to a gear that is easier to pedal will help.

Categories
Wellbeing

Don't Rush: Why You Should Take Your Time Losing Weight

Our world is a fast-paced entity. We can travel from one side of the globe to another in less than a day, access information on the internet more swiftly than you can open a book, and cook food in minutes instead of hours. While getting things done quickly is often a positive, when it comes to weight loss, faster is not necessarily better. If you are in a rush to get to your final weight, take the time to consider what you are doing and how the process will affect your life forever.
Most of my clients and people I talk to about weight loss want to lose weight yesterday. They are in such a hurry to get to a smaller size or lower number on the scale that they will do anything to get there.
Although I certainly understand the feeling behind this, I also know from experience that rushing through the weight loss process usually results in problems instead of progress.
Here are some of the potential problems that come when you rush the weight loss process:

  • No long-term change of habits
  • Unhealthy food choices that can harm your health
  • Choosing to take supplements or weight loss drugs that don’t work in the long term and may be dangerous
  • Exercising beyond your capabilities and becoming injured
  • Health concerns such as gallbladder attacks, eating disorders, suppressed immune system, and thyroid problems
  • Imbalance of nutrients if you don’t eat the right types of foods
  • Excess skin may not tighten up as well if you lose weight very quickly.

Although rapid weight loss isn’t always bad, I advocate losing weight in a sustainable way that gives you plenty of time to prepare yourself for maintenance in the healthiest way possible.
When you lose weight at a reasonable pace you give you mind a chance to catch up with the changes that are taking place in your body.
For example, if you lose 10 pounds in two weeks by drastically cutting calories and exercising like a fiend, you will likely drop a dress or pant size, but have you learned anything?
Probably not.
All you’ve learned is how to drop weight quickly—not how to prepare nutritious meals day after day or exercise in a way that you enjoy and can keep up. Nor will you learn what long-term weight maintenance might look for you.
In my experience, people who rush through the process of weight loss are more likely to gain it back. That’s exactly the opposite of what you want to happen.
If you find yourself trying to rush the process, I want you to slow down and do the following:

  • Take time for yourself and get in touch with the whys of your weight gain and why you feel ready to lose weight at this time in your life.
  • Practice planning a week or two of meals and stick to your meal plan the entire time. This gives you practice for planning later after you reach your goal.
  • Break down your weight loss goals into 5-pound increments. Be satisfied with every 5 pounds you lose and reflect on what you did to lose those pounds. Examine what worked and what didn’t and apply the lessons to future maintenance.
  • Monitor your physical and mental health. Be on the lookout for improvements in both as you gain control of your eating habits and see the scale drop at a reasonable pace. Seeing improvements will help you convince yourself that you are doing the right thing by taking your time losing weight.

Embrace new experiences that you wouldn’t or couldn’t have done at a higher weight. I loved being able to hike and swim with my kids, walk without being winded, and shop for regular-sized clothing with my friends.