All Entries in the "Health" Category
Been burning the candle at both ends again?
FGs, if you must combine the world of night owl and early bird, then it is worth keeping tabs on your catch-up sleep!! A study on sleep at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, showed that an occasional lie-in can help those who routinely don’t get enough sleep. You know who you be! This study of 142 adults with severe sleep deprivation, showed that they had slower reaction times and had more trouble focusing…”does that say 10 squats, or 100?” – worth being able to focus FGs!!
However, an extra hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of sleep being restricted to four hours a night, resulted in huge improvements in the symptoms of sleep deprivation. Worth the lie in FGs. Truly. However, before you go painting the town red, note that for severe sleep deprivation, even an extra 10 hours recovery sleep may not be enough. You have been warned!!
Go play amongst the trees…
Feeling angsty, angry, stressed, or like you wanna rip somebody’s head off!! Well pop a little plant next to you honey cos nature will help you chii-iillllll! Dr Eeva Karjalainen, of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, Metla, says “Many people feel relaxed and good when they are out in nature. But not many of us know that there is also scientific evidence about the healing effects of nature.” Well actually us health nerds at Fit Girl know that in the early 19th century, if you went to a doctor with symptoms of stress, they would tell you to go and spend some time by the seaside to take in the sights and sounds of nature. (I wonder if my boss would be down with me asking for a few days by the sea?…I could do it under the premise of my being more productive upon my return…).
Anyways, “Forests — and other natural, green settings — can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness.” Ok I think I need a mini Japanese garden on my desk, I could totally prune a bonsai with my nail scissors, it can’t be that complicated!
Many studies show that after stressful situations, people recover better and faster in natural environments than in urban settings. Must buy a house in the country darling, for when the city gets a little too much!
“Look sweetie, this letter says you’re fat!!”
In an initiative to combat the increasing incidence of childhood obesity, parents are being sent letters informing them of whether their child is of a healthy weight, or not. This caused some concern last week as some parents were angry that their child was labelled ‘overweight’. One such child was Bailey Russell who is just recovering from cancer and has successfully gained weight after being painfully thin. Yes, this was an administrative error and in this instance the letter should not have been sent out. Other parents thought it appropriate to share the information about their child being overweight, with their child. Really clever parents, real smart!
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), established in 2005, is part of the Government’s work programme on childhood obesity and allows for analysis of trends in growth patterns taken from children in Reception and Year 6. The measurement is taken from the child’s BMI (body mass index) which is a measure of healthy weight based on height, age and sex. The accuracy of BMI is not 100 percent as muscle mass and many other variables are not taken into account. Basketball player, Michael Jordan was indeed obese in his prime according to the BMI, but it’s pretty obvious that all of his lean muscle tipped the scales. But sadly, the general population are not built like Michael Jordan, and for the general population, the BMI may be used as a general indicator of healthy weight. It’s not gospel, but it’s fairly useful.
The reality is that we have an obesity problem with 1 in 3 children obese by the age of 11. So where do we go with this problem? We believe parents should be informed if their children are overweight or indeed underweight, and they should equally be able to reason if their children are borderline obese, or are tall for the age, or any other factors that may bias the results. The real problem lies in the fact that a lot of parents don’t actually realise that their child is overweight. A 2008 study from the Department of Health cites that only 12 percent of parents with overweight or obese children realise that their child has a weight problem. And so it is necessary for parents to be informed that their children are not of a healthy weight, and also of the consequences of that.
There was also concern as to whether sending out such letters would cause eating disorders if a child is told they are overweight. The letters are sent via post to the parents, not the children, and so it would appear sensible for the parent to slowly adjust any necessary changes to food and activity levels rather than telling the child they are being put on a diet because they are overweight! The letters also come with leaflets about how to make these healthy changes. The good news is that the rise in childhood obesity is levelling off, so programmes such as this are hopefully doing their job.
Schools doing their bit for eating disorders
It’s not a pretty subject, and any form of eating disorder I hear about really pains me, whether it be anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or the many other forms in which it appears affecting girls and boys.
I was chuffed to hear that whilst it’s still prevalent amongst young girls in particular, schools are doing their bit to be responsible at signs of it and are taking action. Some secondary schools across the country, inform parents if their child is deemed to be underweight. Creating awareness allows parents and teachers to get help for pupils so that hopefully some intervention will help to prevent or certainly lessen any form of eating disorder in the long-term. Of course it’s not as black and white as that since bulimia is not necessarily marked by being underweight. But again, awareness is being created, and from there hopefully small changes can take place.
Of course there is a lot of controversy at the moment as to whether parents should be getting letters sent home from schools as to whether their child is outside of their ideal weight category, but we’ll discuss that in more detail next week. But for now, we’re definitely liking that awareness is being raised in regard to eating disorders.
Take a break honey!
A new survey by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) suggests that one in four people are risking their health by working through the day without a break. Heavy workloads mean that a third also say that they take no lunch. Houston, we have a problem! No lunch means, no metabolism booster, no recovery of fuel, an exceptionally hungry little you, and frankly, no fun!!
The organisation warns that other bad habits, such as working in the same position for too long and going to work when ill or stressed can damage health. Obviously they don’t realise that us FGs are all about squeezing a little activity into our day! Long-term back pain, obesity, depression, heart disease, and stroke could be the result, it warns. “Work is good for us and can contribute to physical and mental wellbeing – but not when overworking means people don’t have the time or energy to look after their own health or when staff are at work but are not fit for work,” says Phil Gray, chief executive of the CSP.
So next time you’re stressing about work deadlines, don’t forget, your health comes first. Take a break, you’ll think, feel and work better!
Don’t let healthy activity ruin your health!
Hey FGs we don’t want to stop you from topping up on that tone! But do remember darlings that when the sun raises its pretty head, you do not want to do damage to yours!!
Make sure you run safely in the sun with the following:
1. Wear an spf at least 30 minutes before you go out! You wanna glow, not burn!
2. Make sure you are fully hydrated (your urine needs to be a light yellow colour by lunchtime)
3. If you’re running for beyond 90 minutes, then carry an isotonic drink with you. We love the naturally isotonic, Coco Vita Coconut Water, no crap, just pure goodness. Sweaty Betty do great little running bottles!
4. If you feel slightly faint or dizzy then for God’s sake stop! Knowing your limits is one of the most important aspects of training!
You want to look hot without over-heating, you dig!! Practice safe sun-running!
That’s it! We’re moving to Sardinia!!
Girls pack your suitcases and hand in your notices!! We’re moving to Sardinia, cos life is good there and you live longer. Well that is according to the June edition of International Living magazine. The 2010 report suggests that greater health and well-being requires moving to one of these five places:
New Zealand (definitely happy to move nearer to the All Blacks, they can haka me anytime!)
Volcan in Panama
Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica
Sardinia
Vilcabamba in Ecuador, often referred to as the ‘Valley of Longevity’
The combination of low-stress, pollution-free, fantastic produce and healthy quality of living gave these places the top five spots in no particular order. Costa Rica, Sardinia and Ecuador are areas in the world with the longest living populations, exceeding 100 years old. Although I don’t know how I feel about surpassing 100, I’m not sure I’m that.
Anyways having been to Sardinia, I am definitely digging that as the top spot! Sure I’ll play a little beach volleyball after work before I tuck into a delicious locally sourced dinner!! Who wouldn’t!!
The shame in it…don’t be that guy…
OK, we kind of feel mean writing about this, but it was what we were all thinking when we watched this programme last night, and naturally it came up during tea (green of course) at FG HQ. The charity football match that aired on TV last night. So a quick run down in case you didn’t see it. Basically it was a fantastic charity game England vs The Rest of the World, a fundraiser for UNICEF. Players included a host of celebrities and former football players. Now most of the guys were I guess between their late twenties and later forties/early fifties. Now we couldn’t help but notice a rather large number of the players were looking, well a little more rotund than one might hope!! Now, you know us, we’re all about educating, educating, educating and we encourage health, health, health!!! So I wasn’t really thinking too much of it apart from perhaps they had consumed a couple more beers than one might hope, and perhaps a pie too many. That was until, out of the woodworks, I spotted 48 year old Woody Harrelson of ‘Cheers’ and ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ fame looking trim!!! I mean his body was looking goo-ood!!! He put a lot of the pie-munchers, at least 10 years his junior to shame! I was thinking, this man is buff! This man takes care of himself, and frankly, I want a piece of that! So this is just a small note to Woody and a big message to the pie munchers!! You dudes got outbodied by Woody! Dude is 48 and lookin’ fly!!!!
So let’s bring it back home girls! There is no joy in letting oneself go! Be fabulous, be the best that you can be! I wondered whether if this very same match was viewed 50 years ago that we would have observed the same thing? When did our men decide that muffin top was the new buff? No, just no!! Anyways girls, enough about them…back to us!! There is no reason why one shouldn’t look great for forever!! We’re not saying you should look younger than your age, chasing youth is unattractive and comes across desperate. Instead, look damn good, or at least get yourself started! Oh and guess what??? Exercise, eat right, and don’t abuse your body, be it botox or booze…you got yourself well on the way to fabulousness!!!!
Cheers to that!
A new YouGov SixthSense report into the alcohol sector reveals that attitudes towards drinking have changed in accordance with a new societal emphasis on health and fitness….they must all be reading Fit Girl no? 60% of UK adults think that alcohol packaging should contain health warnings to warn people about the detrimental effects of alcohol use, much like the protocols in place on cigarette packets.
Although 95% of respondents believe that a drink from ‘time to time’ does not hurt, almost half (44%) of those asked agreed that alcohol is bad for your health. Now let’s not go crazy…we all be in the from ‘time to time’ crew right? I mean SATC 2 is just around the corner, you’ve got to sip a Cosmo with your girls…what would Carrie say?!!! But obviously, whilst sipping Cosmos, we will not forget that as we stand there looking fly, it is because we exercise and eat right! Sheesh, how long is it gonna take the rest of these binge drinkers to step over to the FG side!!!
Moo ha ha ha…(slightly more evil than the tone the article suggests)
Dr Lee Berk of Loma Linda University, California who has been studying the effects of laughter for more than two decades, said that the high you get from a giggling fit was similar to the endorphin rush from exercise. He describes “mirthful laughter” as the equivalent of “internal jogging” as it can lower stress, blood pressure, and boost the immune system much in the same way as moderate exercise. Could “laughercise” be a way to reduce heart disease and diabetes?
For the study, a number of volunteers asked to watch 20 minutes of comedies and stand up routines saw a dramatic drop in stress hormones, blood pressure and cholesterol. Dr Berk concluded “that the body’s response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise”.
In the mid-1990s, Dr Berk found that laughter increases the number of natural killer cells in cancer patients. And in 1997, Dr Berk performed experiments with diabetic heart patients. One group watched a television comedy each day for one year, another did not. At the end of the year, the comedy-viewing group required less blood-pressure medication. Eight per cent of the comedy viewers had another heart attack, compared with 42 per cent of those who did not regularly view it.
Eight per cent of the comedy viewers had another heart attack, compared with 42 per cent of those who did not regularly view it.
Dr Berk believes that the mere anticipation of a good laugh can benefit health, and it’s also an important way to de-stress after a day’s work. Perfect my impending girlie weekend away with much chatter and belly laughter is gonna be good for my health too!! Must book more…
Now we ’bout to pop that Cherry!
Tremble. The marathon is nigh, and one finds oneself clutching at straws for last minute tit bits that will turn me into Paula Radcliffe on the big day!! So rumour has it on the fruit vine that it’s all about cherries when it comes to recovering from endurance events. Dr Glyn Howatson, exercise physiologist and Laboratory Director in the School of Psychology and Sports Sciences at Northumbria University, examined the properties of Montmorency cherries in a study that found that athletes who drank the juice recovered faster after Marathon running than a placebo controlled group…hmmm I wonder does that include cherry pie?? 20 marathon runners drank either a tart cherry blend juice or a placebo drink twice a day for five days before taking part in the London Marathon and for two days afterwards.The findings indicated that the group who drank the cherry juice recovered their strength more rapidly than the control group over the 48-hour period following the marathon. Hmmm I was rather thinking that my recovery would include a large glass of pink bubbly and a hot bath for my troubles! But I’m down with popping some cherry juice if it means my legs be working in record time…a girl needs to groove…and I’m all for the chair-bop routine, but I much prefer full use of my legs for a little electric slide when the mood takes me! So the FG HQ fridge is currently stocked with Cherry Active Juice
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer was established in 1994 by Ralph Lauren after his friend and Fashion Editor of the Washington Post, Nina Hyde died of breast cancer, and was the fashion industry’s response to the devastating impact of the disease. Since the launch of FTBC in the UK in 1996, it has raised over £10.5 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s groundbreaking research, campaigning and education work.
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2010 marks the first time that Kylie Minogue (who we heart) has fronted a breast cancer charity campaign, since her own diagnosis five years ago. She said, “It means so much to me to be part of this years’ campaign for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. I wholeheartedly support their efforts to raise funds for the vital work undertaken by Breakthrough Breast Cancer”
Since its inception as a T-shirt campaign, FTBC has successfully evolved into a collection of Fashion Targets product lines from leading retailers and designers.
This year FTBC is working with retailers including M&S, River Island, Warehouse, Topshop, Coast, Laura Ashley, my-wardrobe.com, Whistles, Superdry and Melissa Odabash, who have each chosen items to be sold especially for the cause. All the items are available to buy from 29th March 2010, both in-store and online with no less than 30% of the price of each item going directly to Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Here’s a peek at the cute stuff from M&S!!
Claudia, Sienna and Kylie are calling on women everywhere to ‘Wear your support’ for Fashion Targets Breast Cancer and the 46,000 women diagnosed with the disease each year by buying items from this year’s range. Visit fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org.uk for more information.
How about a little energy boost love from Innersound!
How many of you feel that the pace of life is a little speedier than one might hope for? I generally think that every day. I put it down to London living, but in an attempt to try and add a little chill to otherwise chaos, I paid a visit to Innersound in London.
Despite forgetting the map I had printed off which made me 5 minutes late rather than the intended 15 minutes early, and arriving a little sweaty and out of breath, as soon as I got into the centre the atmosphere was chiiiiiiiilledd!!
Qi healing is an ancient therapy from South Korea that only takes 15 minutes. Brilliant I thought! Zen in 15 minutes, how efficient!! Anyway, I sat down with my Qi Master and had a chat about what I felt my energy levels were like, was I a stressed person etc. And of course, I was like, lady, I eat well, I train, this girl knows how to look after herself!! Sadly though, this is not enough, according to Qi healing. See, the thing is, that you can eat well and exercise, and do all of the right things, but modern living can still leave us stressed out, and with a battery that needs a serious charge. It makes sense no? Doesn’t matter how much spinach you eat, whilst lunging, if your stress levels are high, your body has to fight harder!
So Qi healing is a technique that uses acupressure and sound to open up energy circulation by removing toxins and clearing energy pathways for an immune system boost. A lot of emphasis is put on clearing the abdomen which is where all of the energy pathways meet. Think major roadworks in your tummy. Your abdomen pumps energy around the rest of your system, resulting in you feeling more energised with greater clarity. But if it’s blocked, you ain’t gonna be feeling like the joys of spring honey!
My Qi master told me that there are two causes of poor health according to this ancient therapy – energy blockages (tension), or a shortage of energy. Both of these are either due to: emotions, stress and lifestyle; or you can be born with it (bum deal no?) Anyway, whether you have developed it, or didn’t get a choice in the matter (thanks folks!) you can change it!
The treatment itself involves lying on a couch fully clothed, with your therapist applying pressure to points on your body and making a kind of whooshing sound. And there ain’t no doubt about where you’ve got blocked energy, cause it hurts!! Not like excruciating pain, but a little tender. When you’re not getting your blocked energy whooshed it feels rather nice. My kidneys were kinda sore, as was my throat…I’m convinced that the latter was cos I talk too much, perhaps one needs more blockage there! Anyway, after the treatment, my Qi Master confirmed that my health was pretty good although my kidneys were storing some blocked energy. All in all my body functions pretty well, but does need work! Do I need more whooshing I asked. It appeared that I might need a tad more whooshing, but that actually if I wanted to get some serious results, I should attend a weekly class ideally 2-3 sessions per week. I kind of liked that self-treatment part. I like stuff where you have to take the responsibility to fix yourself, rather than letting someone else do all the fixing. Now don’t get me wrong, I would definitely need some more whooshing sessions, but a little self-whoosh love is what will crank up my energy levels and have me firing on all cylinders!!!
So impressed was I with this zen sanctuary in London, that my mum is now indeed a fully ledged whoosher and feeling amazing. I’m signing up in Autumn for a little zen love!! It will involve a Qi Master whooshing session (actually not called whooshing by the way, that’s not an official term!) every week for the first month or so as well as attending classes each week for a little chanting and blocked energy removal. Of course the only danger is, that if one gets that blocked energy from ones throat removed, one may talk even more than one already does…oh dear!! Apologies in advance!!
My knees hurt when I exercise…
One very simple solution to ensure that your knees stay pain-free during and after exercise is to keep your quads (the front of your thighs stretched out). See, your quad muscle attaches from your hip and goes all the way down your thigh finishing just over the knee. If this muscle is tight, it pulls your kneecap upwards causing pain and discomfort.
How to stretch your quads:
Stand on an even surface, and grasp your right ankle with your right hand, pulling your heel in towards your bottom. Squeeze your bottom tight, push your hip forward and ensure that your knee is pointing down towards the ground. You should feel a stretch down the front of your thigh. Hold this stretch for 30+ seconds, and repeat before and after exercise.
Of course if this stretch does not alleviate your knee pain after a few days, it may be time to get an expert opinion from a sports therapist.
Five Cardinal Rules for Weight Loss
1. Have a plan – Ain’t nobody, gettin’ nowhere without a plan! You can’t just get up one day, decide you’re gonna drop and pound or two and think your body will be down. It won’t!! Think about what it is exactly that you want to achieve, then go plan achieving it honey…run along…you can do it!!
2. Don’t starve yourself – It’s not healthy, and it’s not pretty. Like a car, your body needs fuel to be able to function and groove through life. A car isn’t gonna get very far without fuel, and neither is your weight loss, trust us on this one!
3. Write it all down!! Your food. Your exercise. Your mood. Your birthday wish list…oops sorry that slipped in!! Writing things down makes them real and helps you reach your goal!
4. If you slip off the bandwagon, learn from it! Don’t throw the towel in just cos you’ve let a tiny mishap slip into your day. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going!
5. Enjoy it! – Losing weight doesn’t have to be a chore, if you spend enough time sussing out the yummy treats you can have, you might just damn well enjoy it. We love how good food makes us feel, and if we want to indulge…we go for the good stuff…bring that 85% cocoa dark chocolate right here honey, I need to break me off a square or two!!
Don’t be a Teletubby!!
Now we know you’re an active bunch, but I’m not gonna lie…over the holidays, I did a bit of TV watching. You know, you watch a couple of films, your nice and snug on the couch, it’s cold outside, and thank goodness you don’t have to move an inch if you don’t want to. I like it, good film after good film, it’s a treat no?
Well it is if that kind of TV marathon is only done around the holidays (and by that I mean Christmas day and one or two days after e.g. an nth percent of the year) and not on a regular basis. A study done by David Dunstan of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Victoria, Australia, found that each hour spent sitting in front of the TV per day raised a person’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 18 percent!!
“What this study provides is the first compelling evidence linking television viewing to an increased risk of early death,” said Dunstan. Eek, does that mean I have to curb Saturday afternoon SATC re-runs??? Researchers found the increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in those watching four or more hours of television per day when compared with those watching less than two hours per day after taking common risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, leisure-time exercise and waist circumference into account.
Dunstan says that such a sedentary activity involves no muscle movement, and we need muscle contractions for the body’s regulatory processes to function well. So essentially, periods of prolonged TV viewing means that, we ain’t using it, so we’re probably losing it!!
It’s all about throwing a few squats in during the ad breaks girls…you know you wanna!!
I just want your extra time and your didle-idle-idle-idle-leh K.I.S.S
Life is complicated enough as it is, which is why we want you to K.I.S.S. it!! That would be to Keep It Simple Silly! After all, it is the simple things in life that are often the best. So here are some simple life rules to kick-start your 2010, you can complicate the rest if you like…
K.I.S.S. no 1. Drink 1.5-2 litres of water a day
K.I.S.S. no 2. Stress little – from Baz Luhrmans ‘Everybody’s free (to use sunscreen) song, we’re told “The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.”
K.I.S.S. no. 3. Exercise – in short it makes you look and feel damn good!
K.I.S.S. no 4. Smile – it doesn’t cost anything!
K.I.S.S. no 5. Eat using the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time, eat with virtue; 20% of the time indulge yourself!!
The World’s First Junk Food Tax!!
Taiwan is planning the world’s first tax on junk food in a bid to cut obesity rates and encourage healthy eating.
The Bureau of Health Promotion are in the process of drafting a bill, expected to be submitted next year for approval, to levy a special tax on food deemed unhealthy e.g. sugary drinks, cakes, fast food and alcohol. The revenue from the bill would finance groups promoting health awareness or subsidise Taiwan’s national health insurance programme.
Obesity rates are a growing concern for many countries and it is such a breath of fresh air to hear that finally at least one country is taking a stand and fighting back against the sugar-filled world of convenience!! Let’s hope a few other countries are influenced!!
Ciao!! Where did you get your bellas??
We’re giving a big high five to the Italian government who are to introduce legislation that will make it illegal for girls under 18 to have breast enhancement or other plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons. Hell, girls under 18 are beautiful just as they are and don’t need to be playing with no knives on the surgeons table! This might be a slight over-share, but I was a late developer “get your bee stings out” wasn’t an uncommon taunt let me tell ya! Mine started to introduce themselves to the world (not literally) when I was about 16, so it seems madness that any young woman under 18 should want to start messing around with surgery!
Some girls are even given their new boobs as gifts from their parents! What happened to a few clothes and some make-up?? The reason why the Italian government are clmping down is because there are far too many cowboy surgeons carrying out the procedure which ends up in botched operations and is extremely dangerous. Currently there is no legislation in Britain, but the idea of it gets a big thumbs up from FG Headquarters!! Nothing like a little push up bra to give you a little oomph should you be so inclined!
Smart Girls Practice Safe Sex
Wow, we were fairly outraged by research carried out in the States by the The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy of 1,800 unmarried men and women aged between 18 and 29. The survey found that most sexually active unmarried young adults believe pregnancy should be planned, but about half do not use contraception regularly. H.E.L.L.O!!!!!!! It ain’t just about preventing pregnancy!!!!!!! What about sexually transmitted diseases!!!!!!
29% of women and 42% of men said it is at least slightly likely they will have unprotected sex in the next three months, with 17% of women and 19% of men saying it’s quite likely or extremely likely!!!! Hells Bells!!!! What happened to sex education up in here????
31% of the women surveyed say they have had an unplanned pregnancy when they were not intending to, with 69% of women saying many of their friends have had an unplanned pregnancy…no shizza!!!!!
Some of the common misconceptions about birth control were:
44% incorrectly believe that you should take a break from the pill every few years.
37% of those that used condoms incorrectly believe it is okay to use petroleum jelly as a lubricant for latex condoms!
Also, many unmarried young women fear the side effects of contraception, one being that it will induce severe mood swings…see how your mood is after sleepless nights looking after your baby!!!!!
It’s all really very worrying!!! Laura Lindberg, senior research associate at the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute says “Abstinence-only curriculums have gone explicitly out of their way to teach misconceptions about contraception . . . This generation of 20-somethings have missed many opportunities to get medically accurate and correct information.”
Anyway Fit Girls we know you are super smart and practice safe sex, We’re just so shocked at how many misguided young people there are out there!
