Obesity is now classified and defined as a national crisis and epidemic that is costing Americans trillions of dollars annually.
AND
, it is significantly affecting our economic recovery by overburdening our health care system along significantly decreasing worker productivity. A new term, Metabolic Syndrome, has been created by health care practioners to define and group these tragic, lifestyle choice diseases of obesity. The following is a taken from the Mayo Clinic.
If you or someone you love suffers from Metabolic Syndrome then, we encourage you to begin immediately making healthy choices, even if they are little ones, such as walking around the block every day or switching from cream and sugar in your coffee to low-fat milk and sugar substitute such as Splenda. A few little simple and easy changes add up, and may very well save your life or the life of your loved one. Making healthy changes will also improve the quality of your life—moving better, feeling better, and cutting down on expensive medical costs.
Definition
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. If you have metabolic syndrome or any of the components of metabolic syndrome, you have the opportunity to make aggressive lifestyle changes. Making these changes can delay or derail the development of serious diseases that may result from metabolic syndrome.
Symptoms
Having metabolic syndrome means you have a few disorders related to your metabolism at the same time, including:
Obesity, particularly around your waist (having an "apple shape")
Elevated blood pressure
An elevated level of the blood fat called triglycerides and a low level of high-density lipoprotein (
HDL
) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol
Resistance to insulin, a hormone that helps to regulate the amount of sugar in your body
Having one component of metabolic syndrome means you're more likely to have others. And the more components you have, the greater are the risks to your health.
Research into the complex underlying process linking the group of conditions involved in metabolic syndrome is ongoing. As the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is tied to your body's metabolism, possibly to a condition called insulin resistance. (Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that helps control the amount of sugar in your bloodstream).
Normally, your digestive system breaks down some of the foods you eat into sugar (glucose). Your blood carries the glucose to your body's tissues, where the cells use it as fuel. Glucose enters your cells with the help of insulin. In people with insulin resistance, cells don't respond normally to insulin, and glucose can't enter the cells as easily. Your body reacts by churning out more and more insulin to help glucose get into your cells. The result is higher than normal levels of both insulin and glucose in your blood.
Although perhaps not high enough to qualify as diabetes, an elevated glucose level still interferes with your body processes. Increased insulin raises your triglyceride level and other blood fat levels. It also interferes with how your kidneys work, leading to higher blood pressure. These combined effects of insulin resistance put you at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other conditions.
Combination of factors
Researchers are still learning what causes insulin resistance. It probably involves a variety of genetic and environmental factors. They believe some people are genetically prone to insulin resistance, inheriting the tendency from their parents. Being overweight and inactive are major contributors.
Disagreement among experts
Not all experts agree on the definition of metabolic syndrome or whether it even exists as a distinct medical condition. Doctors have talked about this constellation of risk factors for years and have called it many names, including syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome. Whatever it's called, and however it's precisely defined, this collection of risk factors is becoming more prevalent.
The following factors increase your chances of having metabolic syndrome:
Age. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting less than 10 percent of people in their 20s, and 40 percent of people in their 60s. However, some research shows that about one in eight schoolchildren has three or more components of metabolic syndrome. Other research has identified an association between childhood metabolic syndrome and adult cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Race. Hispanics and Asians are at greater risk of metabolic syndrome than other races are.
Obesity. A body mass index (
BMI
) — a measure of your percentage of body fat based on height and weight — greater than 25 increases your risk of metabolic syndrome. So does abdominal obesity — having an apple shape rather than a pear shape.
History of diabetes. You're more likely to have metabolic syndrome if you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or a history of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes).
Other diseases. A diagnosis of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or polycystic ovary syndrome — a similar type of metabolic problem that affects a woman's hormones and reproductive system — also increases your risk of metabolic syndrome.
When to seek medical advice
If you know you have at least one aspect of metabolic syndrome — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or an apple-shaped body — you may have the others and not know it. Get properly evaluated by your family physician. Ask whether you need testing for other components of the syndrome, and what you can do to prevent these serious diseases.
Walking 101: 4 Simple Steps to Save Your Stride By Linda LaRue
Oftentimes, people cannot walk, jog, or run anymore due to pain and/or injuries, but with correct re-education of proper mechanics you can get out of pain and successfully run again. Proper mechanics is the piece to the puzzle that all the “How To” boilerplate fitness magazine running articles and fitness books have been missing. This is key to optimal performance, injury free running. And, you’ll also be more efficient which will have you burning the most fat and be able to experience the pure joy of walking outside.
You need to begin with proper walking/running biomechanics before you even attempt to design a routine! Essentially, we start walking then, running when we’re between 1 to 2 years old by leaning forward then, attempting to keep ourselves from falling forward primarily by pushing or using our quadriceps and calf muscles when we walk and/or run. (We don’t really change much from that as adults).
This creates the wrong walking and running mechanics as we are not using our big powerful hamstrings and gluteal muscles, or lifting our legs with our hip flexor muscles. Most people do not sufficiently engage the hamstring and gluteals when they walk or run, because they do not get into the proper position to enhance the efficacy of those muscles.
This leads to two big problems: (1) People don’t learn the correct walking and running mechanics and, (2) They assume they did learn the right biomechanics. *Think about this: People take golfing, tennis, and private training lesions, but they never think about taking running lessons--because they assume they know how! This leads to people walking, jogging, and running incorrectly then, as a result, getting hurt.
Key Points to review: (1) Proper Arm Mechanics. (2) Break in stride cadence or a pause, which occurs and interrupts every stride. (3) Drills to generate horizontal velocity strengthening the muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip joint to create proper mechanics. Proper mechanics must focus on flexion and extension. The progression is: (1) Learn the sequence of when muscles should fire, develop range of motion, (2) Strengthen those muscles that relate to how to the joint functions, and (3) Increase frequency without compromising the sequence. (Otherwise speed is retarded and the potential for injury is increased significantly. Because speed is stride length x stride frequency, always work on one or the other of those functions to achieve peak gait form).
Here are four simple steps to keep you stepping in good form optimally and injury free.
Head, shoulders and chest: Keep your head up and centered between your shoulders. Focus your eyes straight ahead. Keep your shoulders back and down. Your chest should be naturally lifted, as if there were a string attached to the center that gently pulls it upwards. Always try to maintain this neutral spine optimal posture.
Arms and hands: Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees. Swing them back and forth—not side-to-side—and keep them close to your body. Keep your hands loosely cupped as if you are holding a butterfly that you don’t want to escape but you don’t want to crush either.
Core: Pull your belly button gently in toward your spine and tuck your pelvis forward and maintain a continuous, soft Kegel ever so slightly, so you feel tall, stable and upright, (or remember to always keep my Crunchless Abs Set Up).
Hips, thighs and feet: Power your movements from your hips rather than your thighs, but keep your hips loose and natural. Take short, fast strides that still feel natural rather than awkward. Land firmly on your heels and roll smoothly to push off with your toes. Think of planting your heel and then "pushing the ground away from you" as you roll through your foot.
Video: Deepak Chopra on Quantum Physics and Consciousness Posted Fri, 03/06/2009 - 13:20 Tags: Science & Spirituality, Consciousness, quantum physics By Deepak Chopra
Please give this a listen at least 3 times. At first may seem too lofty and esoteric. But, after a couple times it becomes very clear and simple regarding the power of your thoughts and intentions—so strive to think good thoughts for you, the people you cherish, and your endeavors in life—especially in these challenging economic times of uncertainty.
Learn To Recognize Your Hunger. Do You Overeat? By Erica Lesperance, R.D.
Hunger is an awful feeling that may easily lead to overeating and poor food choices that will derail your all your good weight loss intentions. Hunger may be due to a number of factors such as skipping meals, stress, and psychologically unhealthy perceptions—using food as a bad emotional substitute.
We didn’t begin eating unhealthfully. Did you know infants have an innate ability to eat exactly what they need? They eat only when they are hungry, and refuse food when they are satisfied. They recognize their bodies’ hunger cues, which are natural indicators of hunger and fullness.
Somewhere along the line they stop listening to their hunger cues, probably starting very early in life. Bottle fed babies are often coaxed into finishing their bottles after losing interest. Children are expected to clean their plates and are often bribed to do so with dessert. While parents mean well, they are teaching their children to ignore signals of fullness. It takes a very conscious effort to recognize hunger cues after years of being taught to ignore them.
Different types of hunger
To regain the ability to eat only when you are hungry, you must understand that not all hunger is physical. Today, while almost no one eats only when they are physically hungry, many people eat when they are psychologically hungry. You may be enticed by a succulent hamburger in an advertisement on television and start to think you’re hungry. You may eat on schedule whether you feel hungry or not. You may be bored, tired, sad, happy or nervous. These are all types of psychological hunger.
Psychological vs. physical hunger cues
The first step in learning to read your hunger cues is recognizing the difference between your psychological and physical hunger. To most people, the two are indistinguishable. Based on when and what you ate last, you may be able to guess if you should be physically hungry. If you have recently eaten and still feel hungry, first stop and ask yourself if you are experiencing any of the following emotions, which often trigger psychological hunger:
Given all that can interfere with our hunger cues, how do we start working our way back to what we inherently knew as infants? The following is a helpful tool for rating your hunger. This hunger scale, called “The Hunger-Satiety Rating Scale” is from Why Weight? A Guide to Ending Compulsive Eatingby Geneen Roth.
Satiety
10 = Stuffed to the point of feeling sick
9 = Very uncomfortably full, need to loosen your belt
8 = Uncomfortably full, feel stuffed
7 = Very full, feel as if you have overeaten
6 = Comfortably full, satisfied
Neutral
5 = Comfortable, neither hungry nor full
4 = Beginning signals of hunger
3 = Hungry, ready to eat
2 = Very hungry, unable to concentrate
Hungry
1 = Starving, dizzy, irritable
Recognize your overeating patterns
Referring to the hunger scale will help you listen to your body. The goal is to start eating when you have the beginning signals of hunger (Level 4) and stop when you are comfortably full (Level 6), but do not feel as if you have overeaten. Keeping a diary of your feelings of hunger in relation to when you eat may help you recognize patterns that cause overeating. You may find that you often put off eating until you are so hungry you are unable to concentrate (Level 2), or have serious hunger pains (Level 1) at which point you eat so ravenously that, before realizing you are satisfied, you have overeaten. Or perhaps at a party you continue to eat when you are already uncomfortably full (Level 8). Simply noticing these trends will help you make better choices next time.
Develop healthy eating habits by recognizing hunger cues
Listening to and heeding your body’s signals of hunger and fullness can help you to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, which lowers the risk of many chronic diseases. In addition, eating is more pleasurable when you are truly hungry. Therefore, when your body indicates it is time to eat, choose foods you love and take the time to enjoy them.
The Bottom line
Try to plan your meals and snacks ahead so that you are eating regularly throughout your day, keeping your blood sugar even, and your belly comfortable, which should help keep your perceived hunger at or about a 5-6. This will help keep you from going on an eating binge, help you stick to your diet, and achieve your weight loss goals. (Most of the recipes I’ve created in MH Lifestyles E-Magazine and within The SOUPer Slim Diet ebook http://www.lindalarue.com/store_souper.html make a good quantity that freeze well in individual servings, which is a budget friendly, fast-fix, on-the-go solution.)
I've been struggling with a negative body image/unhealthy relationship with food for about 5 years. Recently it has spiraled out of control and I feel like I've hit my lowest point. I tried going to therapy but didn't find what I was looking for, so about 9 months ago I turned to yoga, meditation, and your book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga for guidance. Reading your book and others really opened me up to my spiritual being and being conscious in the present moment. I realize that my body and food does not define who I am really am. However, even though I understand and embrace the concepts in your book, I'm still struggling with out of control binge eating. Each morning I review the spiritual law of the day, perform the sun salutations, and try and meditate for at least 5 minutes (meditation is a struggle for me) but when the afternoon rolls around all I can think about is food. I start eating and don't stop until I'm extremely full. It's as if I become unconscious and don't know what has hit me until I feel so sick and disgusted with myself. Is there hope for freedom from this suffering?
Answer
Yes there is hope to control your binge eating, but it will take some time and persistence to retrain how your body and mind relates to food. Your afternoon cravings are likely based on “emotional hunger” more than real physical hunger. A key element in your gaining control over your eating habits will be learning to listen to the actual physical signals from your body and being able to distinguish those signals from your emotional discomfort. For instance when you are really hungry, your body will send you physical signals that you can feel in your abdomen. When you have eaten enough and are no longer hungry and not yet full, your body will also send you a signal that you can notice if you are paying attention. Your body will provide the intelligence to guide you on when and how much to eat if you learn to listen to it. These two signals are what you need to learn to recognize in order to shift from emotional, false-hunger eating to body-intelligence eating. This is why Ayurveda places such importance to having full attention on eating during your meal. If you are watching TV, checking your email or driving while you eat, then you are not listening to your body and your mind is not fully cooperating with the digestion process. For many of us, eating has accrued many emotional associations that can confuse and distort our body intelligence signals. We may think we are hungry when we are anxious or depressed and eat as a way to try to cope with those uncomfortable feelings. With binge eating you will need to identify what emotional discomfort is triggering your response and then find healthy, non-eating ways of dealing with it. It is important to learn to distinguish these two responses—hunger and emotional distress—and learn to address them separately. Dr. John Duillard has just posted a brilliant blog outlining an Ayurvedic weight balancing diet. I realize that binge eating is not necessarily a weight issue, but the principles of Ayurvedic eating he outlined apply directly to the points I was making above. My books Perfect Health, and Perfect Weight might be of help for you in learning to listen to your body. The book Freedom From Addiction, which I wrote with Dr. Simon, can be of assistance in dealing with the emotional cravings.
June DVD Recommendation: Prenatal Yoga By Linda LaRue
Yoga is an ideal way to stay fit and healthy during pregnancy. Prenatal Yoga featuring Desi Bartlett, MS
CPT
YT, is a flowing, gentle Yoga practice designed to be used throughout your entire pregnancy to help you connect with your changing body, your baby, and help maintain your inner calm. Prenatal Yoga begins with meditation and breathing techniques to reduce stress, fatigue, and quiet the mind. Then, it progresses with safe and effective moves to strengthen your body—especially your core or your baby pushing muscles, and increase your stamina. Important elements that will greatly assist during labor, delivery, and beyond. You will also enjoy postures for flexibility and relaxation that will leave you feeling peaceful and restored. As you move through each trimester, Prenatal Yoga will promote strength, peace of mind, and an awareness of the beauty and joy about to come into your life.
Desi Bartlett MS CPTYT has been in the health and wellness industry for over seventeen years. She teaches regular classes at Exhale in Venice, and Mommy & Me Yoga at the Pump Station in Santa Monica . Desi has appeared in four bilingual DVD's and her latest DVD, Prenatal Yoga, is now available on her website: http:www.desibartlett.com and http://www.amazon.com.
