Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.
What happens when one health agency tells you that even a little bit of exercise is enough to keep you healthy? Well, another agency immediately comes forward and states quite clearly that you need to step it up or else!
At least that’s what I could glean from two news articles that were featured just this week on the BBC News site.
First “Even light exercise’ aids health” seemed to reassure us that even mild physical activity was enough to ward off most evils and keep us healthy and fit:
Experts say walking for half an hour, five days a week, is the minimum required to achieve health benefits. But a Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health report from Northern Ireland found walking on just three days a week gave similar benefits.
A study at Queen’s University in Belfast found that after a 12 week exercise program, of the 106 subjects even those who only walked moderately had a significant drop in blood pressure, waist and hip measurements.
That was Monday.
By Friday we had “Exercise ‘must be tough to work’” which aims to push the “No Pain No Gain” agenda. Basically members from the American College of Sports Medicine are worried that the advice to do 30 minutes of gentle exercise each day might be misunderstood:
They now stress that adults need to top up their routine activities, such as casual walking and housework, with structured exercise. This should include vigorous (jogging) and moderate aerobic exercise (a brisk walk), as well as twice-weekly activities, such as weight training, which maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance.
Great! Now just try telling that to the hundreds who are strolling placidly through the park after reading Monday’s newspaper. After you catch your breath running away from the enraged walkers, read the week’s top health and fitness stories:
- Zero trans fat doesn’t always mean none: “When it says zero grams, that means something different from no trans fat,”
- Obesity ‘affects prostate risk’: Obese people may be less likely to develop prostate cancer but more likely to die of the disease, a study says.
- Coloring Compound in Fruits, Veggies May Cut Colon Cancer Risk: Compounds called anthocyanins, which give color to most red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables, may help protect against colon cancer, an Ohio State University study says.
- Looming obesity epidemic impact could exceed that of smoking: Clinics and hospitals across Canada need a major investment to prepare for the impact of an obesity epidemic that could outweigh the effects of smoking on the health-care system
- Calorie needs can change like your weight: Calorie needs depend on weight, age, gender and activity level, as well as individual metabolic rate.
- Too much exercise may speed heart failure: Though exercise can be a key part of managing high blood pressure and heart disease, new animal research suggests there can be too much of a good thing.
- Exercise ‘must be tough to work’: To be healthy, you really do need to break into a sweat when you exercise, say experts.
- Fat ‘crucial’ in children’s diet: While parents may be increasingly worrying about childhood obesity, they must ensure their offspring eat enough fat, research from the US urges.
- Pennsylvania Task Force to Study Trans Fat: A statewide panel has been formed to examine the health risks of trans fat consumption and develop ways to educate the public about them, Pennsylvania’s top health official said Tuesday.
- ‘Western’ Diet Tied to Colon Cancer: Former patients in the study who ate the most red and processed meats, refined grains, fats, and sugars were about three times as likely to die or have their cancers recur as patients who ate these foods the least.
- Few obese patients receive weight-control plans: Few obese adults receive a formal weight-management plan from their doctors, despite the proven health benefits of even modest weight loss, a new study suggests.
- Vitamins no help for women’s hearts: Middle-aged women at risk for heart disease received little benefit from taking vitamins C, E or beta carotene, researchers said on Monday.
- Hypertension in pregnancy predicts weight gain: Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to gain weight over the following two decades than women who have uncomplicated pregnancies, a new study shows.
- Docs: Pregnancy weight limits too high?: Before Jennifer Lepine became pregnant, she heard other soon-to-be moms say she should “eat for two.”
- Craving for junk food ‘inherited’: Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy may be condemning their children to crave the same diet, according to animal tests.
- Italian town to pay residents to shed flab: Overweight residents of an Italian town will be paid to lose weight, the mayor said on Monday.
- More smoothies cutting the calories: Concerned about losing the calorie-conscious, smoothie makers are whipping up no-sugar and faux-sugar blends.
- Diet foods might cause kids to overeat: The diet sodas and snacks so popular with weight-conscious adults may backfire in children
- ‘Even light exercise’ aids health: Even low levels of weekly exercise could help reduce blood pressure and improve fitness, scientists say.
- Pot belly linked to heart disease: Even a small pot belly can increase the risk of heart disease, scientists warn.
- Kids can learn to eat healthy fats, study says: Teaching children from a young age to eat a low-fat diet can be effective - even as they reach their teens and begin eating more meals away from home
- Weight-Loss Bullshit: I’m here to tell you that while exercise, food, lifestyle and education are indeed important variables in the process, without doubt, the biggest determinant of weight loss (or gain) is what’s going on in that nine pound (four kilo) thing sitting on the t
- Estrogen loss contributes to obesity, high blood pressure: The loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause contributes to the development of obesity and high blood pressure
- Fortify your diet with nature’s heart healers: Sterols and stanols are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils. Adding 2g of either to your daily diet can help lower your total cholesterol by about 10%
- Obese ‘under-report’ sugar intake: Obese people underestimate the amount of sugar they eat, making studies into the condition based on self-reporting very unreliable, UK researchers say.
- Top 9 Fitness Myths - Busted!: Some myths are just harmless half-truths, but many others can actually be harmful.
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Have a great weekend!
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