Archive for health and fitness
As a Camarillo Chiropractor I know how important it is for all of us to maintain good balance, especially as we age. Good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, get up from a sitting position without swaying, and to climb stairs without missing a step. In other words, good balance is extremely important to our health and well-being. And, even though many adults aged 65 and older report episodes of dizziness, “wooziness, and other balance-related challenges, getting older, in and of itself, doesn’t have to mean a fall is inevitable or that being younger includes an exemption. In fact, a new research study found that remaining physically fit and sticking to a regular exercise routine lowered the risk of taking a tumble both the old and young, especially if you’re a male.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, falls for both men and women of any age can be serious. The overall statistics on the number of falls sustained each year in the U.S., not only for people 65 years and older but for younger individuals as well, may surprise you. Nearly 19,000 people die each year from falls and almost 8 million seek treatment in emergency rooms. And, as mentioned, although falls are the leading cause of injuries among people age 65 and older, the study revealed that young people fall down just as frequently as seniors!
Let’s face it, even though reaching old age can be a very “risky” business in many ways if we don’t take care of ourselves along the way, as far as falling goes younger people are more likely to intentionally engage in risky activities than seniors, such as standing on ladders and ledges, running, and playing sports — activities that can often lead to a serious tumble.
But, no matter what a person’s age may be, the more physically fit we remain reduces our fall potential, especially if you are a male. The study included individuals between 20 and 87 years of age. Of the 10,615 participants in the study, done be researchers, lead by Kristin Mertz, M.D., at the epidemiology department at the University of Pittsburgh, 20 percent reported falling in the past year. Of those who fell, 15 percent fell while walking. Surprisingly, the study found that women were 2.8 times as likely to fall while walking as men, but that the fitness levels of the participants only seemed to make a difference in men falling while it did not appear to have the same effect for women. The study found men with low fitness levels were 2.2 times more likely to fall while walking than were highly fit men.
“We were surprised to find that fitness and physical activity seemed to have a stronger relationship with walking-related falls in men compared with women,” Mertz said. As a chiropractor, I am surprised with that finding as well.
And, as your Camarillo Chiropractor, I would like to add the following commentary: Whether you are young or older, male or female, maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, routine exercise, and regular chiropractic adjustments can benefit the entire body and help to maintain your fitness level and balance acuity as you age.
Look for research study results in the only July issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Source: Health Behavior News Service
457 Carmen Dr. Camarillo, CA, 93010 USA
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First of all, if you are someone who reads my Camarillo chiropractic blogs, you know that as your Camarillo Chiropractor I am a passionate advocate of living a healthy lifestyle that, as I’ve written so many times, includes a healthy diet, good hydration, plenty of exercise and, of course, regular chiropractic care! In addition, I’m sure that if you are someone who is already concerned about your health, you don’t get your diet and nutrition guidelines from watching television. We all know that most TV advertisements that are about food, especially “convenience” food, are meant to sell, sell, sell, whether or not the product is actually good for you. That said, it always nice to take a moment to reflect on just how “unhealthy” TV ads can be. So, I read with great interest an article today in the New York Times Fitness and Nutrition section on the subject. The article detailed a study that concluded that if Americans ate only foods advertised on TV, they would consume 25 times the recommended amount of sugar and 20 times the amount of fat they need, but less than half the dairy, fiber, and fruits and vegetables.Yikes! Those statistics even shocked me!
Taping 28 days of prime-time TV (as well as Saturday-morning programming) on the four major broadcast networks, researchers identified 800 foods promoted in 3,000 ads. Then, using a nutritional software program, they analyzed the content of the items, comparing the foods’ nutritional values with the government’s food guide pyramid and recommended daily intake values for various nutrients (based on a 2,000 calories per day diet).
Are you ready for this? Not only would a 2,000-calorie diet made up solely of foods from commercials provide too much cholesterol, saturated fat and salt, and not nearly enough nutrients like iron, calcium or vitamins A, D and E, just one advertised food item by itself would provide, on average, three times a person’s daily recommended servings of sugar and two and half times the daily recommended servings of fat.
The study will be published this month in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
A Good Diet May Taste Better Than You Think
Posted by: | CommentsAs a chiropractor I believe that a healthy lifestyle not only includes getting chiropractic treatment for acute injury, chronic conditions, and all-around health maintenance, but also includes a nutritious diet, lots of water, and plenty of routine exercise. Up until now, I would not have added ice cream, chocolate, cheese, beef, and pizza to the “pro” side of my healthy lifestyle list! But, according to a new study, all five have surprising health benefits. Too good to be true? Maybe, but let the following article provided online by Prevention help you decide.
1) Ice Cream
As long as you choose the right ice cream, you’ll get a very impressive dose of calcium for your bones and your blood pressure. Look for a variety with 15% of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium in every 1/2-cup serving-about the size of a tennis ball. Stick to this amount if you’re eating calorie- and fat-loaded premium ice cream (one with 250 calories or more per 1/2 cup). But if you’re eating regular or low-fat brands, 1 cup is a more realistic serving size. If you can’t keep a half-gallon on hand, go to an ice cream shop and buy just one scoop.
2) Chocolate
Chocolate, especially the dark or bittersweet kind, is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that protect your heart by preventing blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots that could cause a heart attack. But even milk chocolate is good: A typical 1.5-ounce bar packs as much antioxidant power as a 5-ounce glass of red wine. If you crave a daily dose of chocolate, stick to about 100 calories’ worth. That’s about four Hershey’s Kisses or two individually wrapped mini or fun-size bars such as Nestle plain chocolate or crunch. Or dilute your chocolate with other flavors: Mini peppermint patties are only 35 calories each, so have three!
3) Cheese
The exciting news about cheese–except the fat-free kind–is that it contains a special kind of fat called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, that scientists are investigating as a new weapon against breast cancer. And all that concentrated calcium–300 mg, as much as a glass of milk, in just 1 1/2 ounces of Cheddar–is a boon for bone health. Finally, there’s your smile: Eating hard cheese at the end of a meal can protect your pearly whites from tooth decay. But keep in mind that cheese contains cholesterol-raising saturated fat–1 1/2 ounces of Cheddar packs 9 grams. For most women, that’s more than half of the saturated fat that you should have in a day, so stick to 1 1/2 ounces, max.
4) Beef
Beef is one of the richest and best-absorbed sources of zinc, a key mineral in your immune system’s fight against many enemies, from viruses to cancer. Getting enough zinc is also critical for appetite, taste, and night vision, yet only half of adults over age 50 come close to the DV of 15 mg. Still, plate-size portions of fatty meats such as hamburger and prime rib are loaded with saturated fat, which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk. A restaurant-size 14-ounce sirloin steak has 27 g of saturated fat–nearly twice the saturated fat that women should have in a day, so stick to a 3-ounce portion, which is about the size of a computer mouse or a bath-size bar of soap.
5) Pizza
Pizza recently got rave scientific reviews for fending off prostate cancer. Pizza sauce delivers tons of lycopene, a carotenoid found at high levels in the blood and prostate of men with lower rates of prostate cancer. And the cheese provides calcium, which helps build bone, lower blood pressure, and inhibit colon cancer. Choose two slices of thin-crust veggie pizza, which weighs in at just 300 calories (add a side salad for a 400-calorie meal) and 2.5 g of saturated fat
