Weight Loss Success Strategy #1: Embrace Your Scale as Your Ally

Right within the comfort of your own home, you possess a remarkable weight loss coach: your trusty scale. It may have been hidden away or neglected, but when used correctly, it becomes an invaluable tool. While some argue that scales fail to differentiate between fat and muscle, I believe that, when utilized wisely, scales offer tremendous insight.

The key is to establish a weekly weighing routine. Unlike frequent weigh-ins that may cause discouragement due to daily fluctuations, weighing yourself once a week, at the same time and under consistent conditions, provides a more accurate reflection of your progress.

Why is this important? Researchers from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab found that individuals who weighed themselves once a week experienced greater weight loss success.

Keep a weight journal to track your progress from week to week. This will enable you to identify patterns and trends, helping you understand the impact of your efforts more effectively. Weight loss is a journey that requires patience and consistency. Instead of fixating on daily changes, focus on the bigger picture and the positive trajectory of your progress. Remember, your scale is a reliable ally that keeps you accountable and helps you stay on track.

Weight Loss Success Strategy #2: Banish the Critics and Embrace Your Journey

As you embark on your weight loss journey, it’s important to acknowledge and address a significant obstacle that often arises: the presence of critical individuals in your life. These individuals may include friends, family members, coworkers, or acquaintances who, consciously or subconsciously, discourage your success.

The motivations behind their negative remarks can vary. Some may fear that your transformation will change the dynamics of your relationship, while others may be grappling with their own insecurities and fear being left behind. It’s essential to understand that their criticisms often stem from their own internal struggles rather than genuine concern for your well-being.

Research conducted by the University of North Carolina highlights the impact of external influences on weight loss success. Individuals who are chronically exposed to negative remarks from their immediate circle often find it challenging to sustain their weight loss efforts and may even experience weight gain instead.

It’s crucial to cultivate a supportive environment that uplifts and motivates you rather than tearing you down. To overcome this challenge, maintain open communication with your loved ones.

Address their fears and concerns, helping them understand the positive impact your weight loss journey can have on your overall well-being. If they seem less supportive, consider inviting them to join you on your journey or engaging in friendly competition to foster motivation and support.

Surround yourself with individuals who uplift and encourage you. Seek out like-minded communities, online forums, or support groups where you can connect with individuals who share similar goals and experiences. By fostering a positive and motivating environment, you’ll create a solid foundation for sustained weight loss success.

In Conclusion

Unlocking the secrets to weight loss success requires a multifaceted approach. By embracing the scale as your ally and establishing a consistent weighing routine, you gain valuable insights into your progress and can celebrate milestones along the way. Additionally, banishing the critics and building a supportive network will provide the necessary motivation and encouragement to help you stay on track.

Remember, your weight loss journey is unique to you. Embrace the challenges and setbacks as learning opportunities, and stay committed to your goals. Celebrate each small victory and maintain a positive outlook.

Recognize that sustainable weight loss takes time and effort, and it’s not solely defined by a number on the scale. Focus on how you feel, both physically and mentally, as you make progress towards a healthier and happier version of yourself.

With the right mindset, a supportive environment, and the implementation of these two essential strategies, you are well-equipped to overcome any obstacles that may come your way. Believe in yourself, stay motivated, and let the power of these elements guide you towards the lasting weight loss success you deserve.

Wishing you strength, resilience, and abundant success on your journey to weight loss success.

Stay motivated,

Healthy Answers Staff

References:

Weight Loss is Not Always Beneficial for Romantic Relationships [Source: ScienceDaily]
Family Criticizing Your Weight Loss? [Source: ScienceDaily]
Weigh In Once a Week or You’ll Gain Weight [Source: ScienceDaily]

What are the Links Between Exercise And Life Expectancy?

Back in December 2012, cardiovascular researchers published the findings of a study they did in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention. The study focused the link between exercise and life expectancy by using a simple sit/stand test that they reported can pretty accurately predict your longevity.

As a result of this study, many doctors around the country are using this score to tell them, basically, what shape their patients are in and what they need to work on to improve their results. Here’s how it works:

You simply sit on the floor and try to stand up with as little assistance as possible – not using your knees or your hands, or a nearby chair for support. The better able you are to stand on your own, the better your muscle and skeletal strength is. Scoring is as follows:

• 0-3 – low
• 3.5-5.5 – low-moderate
• 6-7.5 moderate
• 8-10 moderate-high

In their study, the researchers followed up on 2002 adults aged 55-81. They found that of the 159 people who died during the study period, all but 2 of them had low (0-3) scores. They made the prognosis that if you have a 0-3 score, you’re life expectancy is less than 6 years.

BUT, the researchers also noted, you can change this score pretty quickly if you make the effort to improve your muscular-skeletal fitness. Even a 1 point improvement in your score can reduce your mortality rate by 21%! That’s a pretty big improvement. 

So, you can go from the 0-3 score to the 3.5-5.5 score fairly quickly by getting more exercise. After a few months of regular exercise, your score could be much higher. Exercise that builds bone, muscular strength AND flexibility is the key to improving your score. This could include:

1. Endurance exercise. Increases strength, endurance, lung and heart capacity. This can include swimming, bicycling, walking briskly, rowing. Also, using the stairs at work, not using a golf cart, stretching more doing housework can help.
2. Impact exercise. Foot/pavement impact type exercise helps build bone density as well as muscular strength faster. Jumping rope, playing basketball, doing fast interval sprinting on a school gym track, rebounding for 10-15 minute intervals.
3. Weight resistance using free weights are good, using your own body is even better as it also builds flexibility and strength. Weight machines are okay to start if your balance is not so great, but try to progress to free weights and/or whole body exercise (TRX, Kettlebells, flexible bands, fluidity bar,) soon.
4. Interval aerobic exercise. It’s recently been reported by researchers that too much continuous aerobic exercise, like 45-60 minutes every day, can actually work against your heart strength. You want to constantly strengthen your heart by challenging it with short bursts of intense aerobic exercise – say 1-2 minutes at a time – for not more than about 10-15 minutes in a set, 3 times a week. This also helps burn fat and decrease hemoglobin A1c levels that when high can fuel inflammation, a disease precursor condition.

The link between exercise and life expectancy: What do the Doctors Say?

Typically, doctors and physical fitness experts have told patients that they likely need to do both aerobic and resistance exercise at least 2-3 times a week to yield any significant improvement in muscle strength and endurance. Yet, recent research out of the University of Alabama recently reported that older people – particularly women – may only need to exercise 1 day a week to achieve significant results.

Their study about the link between exercise and life expectancy measured the muscle strength and endurance benefits gained in groups doing aerobic/resistance training 1-3 times a week. All of the groups benefited in strength and endurance; yet, there were no significant difference in gains between the groups who spent less time versus those who spent more time.

So, a 1 day a week prescription of combining both aerobic and resistance training may work better time-wise for some people. If your sit/stand score shows that you are making significant progress than this formula could work for you. However, I should add that if you need to lose weight as well, exercising only 1 day a week might not help you much in that area. Get your weight to a normal level and then perhaps you could go to 1 day per week exercise maintenance.

Doctors have long known that your muscle-bone strength, physical endurance, heart-lung capacity, and flexibility can determine how healthy and independent you’ll stay as you get older.

Doctors have long known that your muscle-bone strength, physical endurance, heart-lung capacity, and flexibility can determine how healthy and independent you’ll stay as you get older. So, don’t be surprised the next time you go for your yearly physical if your doctor asks you to sit on the floor and scores you as you try to stand up. But knowing your sit/stand score can tell you where your longevity fitness level is and what you need to work on.

The Magic 5 Types of Exercise That Help You Live Longer

Healthy cholesterol levels, as well as chemical inflammation markers in your blood tests, are good indicators of your overall heart health. They can give your doctor a pretty good picture of what your general life expectancy might be. Yet, another less talked about factor is the actual physical strength and stamina of your cardiac muscle itself.

Is it strong and able to withstand sudden jolts from physical and emotional stressors? Do you get a little (or a lot) short of breath with your heart racing when you exert yourself, get angry or upset? If so, you’ll want to do you and your heart a big favor by adding 20-30 minutes, a few times a week, of “lifespan extending” exercise to your routine.

1.  Stair climbing. If you’re still working and you work in a building with several floors, make use of the stairwell a few times a day. It helps build cardiorespiratory stamina. Your heart muscle weakens without adequate oxygen and harder aerobic exercise, such as stair climbing, can build your heart/lung capacity faster. A study out of Switzerland a few years back showed that people who stopped using escalators and elevators during their day cut their risk of dying prematurely by 15%. Another Harvard University study showed that climbing 35 flights or more flights of stairs a week increased lifespan significantly. But even if you’re not working, and you have a flight of stairs in your home, take a 5-10 minute “stair run” break by walking/jogging up and down the stairs a few times. You can also use a stair stepper at the gym. Set it for 10-15 flights of stairs at moderate intensity and notice the effect on your lungs/heartbeat.
2. Running/Sprinting. Doing fast “sprint” runs a few times a week helps your heart muscle strengthen against sudden jolts of exertion and/or stress. I personally think these are easier to do on a stationary treadmill, but if you want to do them outside, or in a gym with a stopwatch, that’s fine too. To start, set your timer for 60 seconds and run/spring as fast as you can. Then stop. Rest for 120 seconds, and then repeat. Do for a set of 6 to start for 2 weeks, and then start increasing in intensity. On a treadmill, set the resistance a little higher each time. This will build cardiac stamina.
3. Cycling/spinning. Riding your bicycle outdoors in beautiful weather is a great way to relax. But, unless you’ve got the gears/resistance set higher, and you’re continuously pedaling at a faster speed, or hill climbing, you’ll burn some calories but you won’t do much to strengthen your heart. If you choose to use a “spin cycle” like those at the gym, warm up for 10 minutes doing moderately fast cycling, and then do 1-2 minute interval very fast/higher resistance spins, repeating a set of 5 to start.
4. Swimming. Likewise, lolling around leisurely in a pool won’t do a lot for your cardiac stamina/lifespan either. You have to actually swim. Start with laps, 10 back and forth, depending on the length of the pool, and then increase to 20. If the pool you use has a “resistance river” in it, try walking against the flow a few times, and then running several laps with the flow. If there is no resistance river, go to the shallow, 3 foot end, and jog back and forth across it 10-20 times. The water takes the impact of your knees and allows you to still get the benefit of running. Get some pool shoes if the bottom is rough.
5. Faster walking. Just taking a walk around your city, subdivision, on the bike trail, helps build strength and endurance in your heart function. But you have to step up the pace some to a moderately fast walk, about the pace of jogging, but still walking. This takes the impact off your knees but keeps your lungs taking in oxygen rapidly, burning fat, and works your heart muscle. Now, you have to put at least a little bit of time into doing these types of exercise each week – but you don’t have to become an athlete. Exercise researchers publishing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine say that 150 minutes a week – that’s 30 minutes 5 times a week – will extend your life by at least 5 years.

Yet, on the days you can only find 10-20 minutes, I’ll take that too – moving quickly for less time is much better than sitting for a longer time. Researchers now say that sitting for more than a few hours at a time, per day, can decrease your lifespan as well as decrease your metabolism and increase your weight.

If you sit at a desk several hours a day, get up every 50 minutes for a 10 minute “movement” break. Take a run/walk up that flight of stairs in your building, take a brisk walk around the grounds (if possible), do jumping jacks, run in place, jump rope, turn on some music and dance, put a rebounder in your office, etc. Suggest to your boss, or supervisor that 10 minute exercise breaks throughout the day really boosts productivity as well as employee health.

Stay Well,
Ron Blankstein, M.D.

Super Seeds: 4 of Nature’s Best Anti-Aging Seeds and Health Boosting Foods

It’s hard to find one man-made super food, let alone 4, that offers protection for your heart, brain, bones, joints, and keeps your skin looking ageless to boot.  Yet, that’s exactly what these 4 super seeds do.  If you haven’t added at least 1 of them to your diet, you’re missing out on some of Nature’s best nutrients for very little money.  Here’s what you should know about these 4 power seeds:

1.   Pumpkin seeds

The first on our list of anti-aging seeds are pumpkin seeds.  Pumpkin seeds have long been regarded as a potent medicine since the days of the ancient Greeks.  And, they’re still used as medicine today by Native Americans. They’re chock full of nutrients that offer significant health benefits to your heart, brain, and bones.

Heart: Pumpkin seeds are high in monounsaturated fatty acids which help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and raise HDL “good” cholesterol.  Because they’re alkaline in pH, they also cool down vascular inflammation which leads to heart disease.

Brain: High in the amino acid L-tryptophan, pumpkin seeds help fight depression as well as help you sleep.  Studies show that lack of sleep leads to daytime depression and aging changes of the brain.  Also high in the B vitamins which support nerves and all their functions.

Bones/Joints:  Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, a crucial mineral that older people are commonly deficient in.  Zinc helps prevent osteoporosis that affects older people, especially post menopausal women.  Their anti-inflammatory properties also help turn off the pain of joint conditions like arthritis.

Prostate:  Pumpkin seeds have long been used to help treat frequent urination from an enlarged prostate that can affect older men.

2.  Flax seeds

Anti-aging seeds number 2, Flax seeds are one of the best multi-tasking nutrients around.

Heart:  First, they’re high in Omega-3 fatty acids which protects your heart, brain, and your entire body from disease promoting inflammation.  They also prevent blood platelets from clumping together and forming dangerous clots.

Hormonal Aging:  Secondly, flax seeds are a natural phytoestrogen which greatly benefit older women in relieving the symptoms of menopause and post menopause.  Phytoestrogens are plant estrogens that the body can convert to use as it needs. They also have major antioxidant properties that fight free radical damage in skin.  You see this damage on your skin as brown spots, lines, wrinkles and sagging.

Diabetes:  Third, flax seeds  help lower blood sugar levels and fight obesity.  Because of their high lignan oil content, they help dampen hunger.  Flax seeds can be added to the diet easily by adding 1 tablespoon to cereals, stir-frying with vegetables, or blending with smoothies.

3.  Sunflower seeds

These easy anti-aging seeds are really powerhouse nutrients disguised as a cheap snack.

Digestion:  They’re full of betaine, an important digestive nutrient, which everyone over 40 could use a little more of.  Betaine helps you break down the nutrients in your food so that your body can absorb them better. They also contain fiber which helps sweep toxins from the colon.

Heart/Brain:  They’re also full of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that keeps your heart and brain healthy.  Recent studies published in several medical journals have shown that higher intakes of Vitamin E may not only help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, but also help slow the progressive decline of already established Alzheimer disease.

4.  Chia seeds

Last but not least on our list of anti-aging seeds that can benefit your health are Chia Seeds!  Many people don’t realize these are much more than seeds to grow those crazy “chia pet” plants with.  Chia seeds are one of Nature’s best kept nutritional secrets. They are loaded with antioxidants – some nutritionists say even more than blueberries; they’re high in fiber which makes the little carbs they contain almost nil; they’re also high in important minerals like manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium which helps build strong bones.  They’re also a good source of potassium which helps regulate your heartbeat and keep your nerves functioning properly.

Studies on patients with type 2 diabetes have also shown that eating chia seeds for breakfast lowered inflammatory blood markers (C-RP) by 40%.  In addition, they lowered blood pressure by several points in the upper and lower readings.  Chia seeds can also be an easy added source of protein for older people concerned with maintaining muscle strength.  Because they don’t need to be ground before eating, they’re very easily added to your diet.  Sprinkle a 1 ounce serving on salads, in stir-fry vegetables, or roasted with meats.

It’s hard to believe that such simple and basic foods like these anti-aging seeds could have such profound effects on your health and longevity.  If you’re looking for some simple ways to protect your health and fight aging, adding more of these delicious seeds to your diet can help.

Stay Well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

1. Pumpkin Seeds, http://tipsabouthealthyliving.com/8629/pumpkin-seed-nutrition-health-benefits-of-pumpkin-seeds/
2. Flax Seeds, http://www.budwigdvds.com/articles/flax-seed-anti-aging-divine-food.htm
3. Vitamin E in Aging, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22422715
4. Nine Super Fruits and Seeds, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150312173532.htm

Images:

• Pumpking seeds: https://www.instagram.com/trinetraphotography_official/
• Flax seeds: https://www.instagram.com/DelphineHourlay/
• Sunflower seeds: https://www.instagram.com/annetteaigner/
• Chia seeds: https://www.instagram.com/castorly_stock/

Like many of my patients, maybe you have lost weight recently in an effort to boost your health and lower your risk for serious diseases like diabetes and heart disease.  And like my patients, you may not have been prepared for the loose skin that can occur along with weight loss – especially if you’re over age 40! Take heart, though, as there are several things you can do to tighten up your skin again that I’d like to tell you about.

Lose The Weight AND The Loose Skin

In your 20’s you could lose 20-30 lbs in a month and your skin could bounce back fairly easily.  As we get older, past the age of 40, and especially past age 50, skin loses some of its elasticity and ability to bounce back as quickly as it once did and unfortunately oftentimes this leads to that unsightly excess skin after weight loss.

Note: We shouldn’t try to lose a significant amount of weight quickly – 1-2 lbs a week is best to help our skin re-adjust itself.

If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight, such as 50 lbs or more, it will take a little longer for your skin to re-form to a smaller frame with less fat. If your BMI (body mass index) was over 40 to begin with, you may need a surgical procedure to remove excess skin in certain areas, especially if it is prone to rashes and infections.

However, your skin is an amazingly resilient organ and, with the proper treatment, it can re-form to a smaller frame. Here are some things that help reduce that excess skin after weight loss:

Diet

While you were dieting, hopefully you were eating more protein.  If not, some of your weight loss could have been muscle tissue and this needs to be rebuilt so that the skin has pumped up muscle to cover now instead of fat.  Make sure you are eating adequate amounts of protein.   Figure 0.5 grams per pound of body weight.  Ex. Weight: 150 lbs/75 grams protein every day to re-gain muscle mass.

Water

Water is crucial to skin elasticity and plumping up sagging skin. In fact, a simple test of dehydration is skin “tenting” on the back of your hand or forearm.  If you can pick up skin in these areas, you’re dehydrated and need water.  Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day, although many researchers advocate more, such as 90 to100.  However, drinking more than this, unless you are sweating very heavily can have negative health effects.

Vitamins

The best vitamins to rebuild skin and its collagen that helps it stay firm and elastic is Vitamin C. I recommend dieters take at least 1,000 mg of Vitamin C a day in divided doses of 500 mg. This helps build collagen that creates the “scaffolding” structure of your skin and holds it together.  Other supplements that can help are liquid collagen which can be bought in most health food stores.  This will help skin elasticity.

Weight Training

As I mentioned earlier, skin lies over fat and then muscle beneath it.  When you lose most of the fat, skin only has muscle and bone to drape across. Hopefully, you were weight training during your weight loss to build muscles while losing fat.  If not, you have some work in the gym to do! Start weight training, 3-4 times a week.

Ladies, don’t worry, you don’t have the testosterone levels to get huge bulky muscles. You will get tighter, toned, and slightly bigger muscles that your skin can drape across more attractively. Your weight numbers may bump up on your scale, but added muscle is good weight. It’s fat weight that’s unhealthy.

Glutamine

This recommendation comes via bodybuilders who regularly supplement with this amino acid to build strong muscles AND tighten skin during and after significant weight loss.  Glutamine powder, or capsules, can be bought at most health food stores. Take 5 grams on an empty stomach before weight training and 5 grams afterwards. Take an additional 5-10 grams before bedtime to augment muscle and skin repair that occurs during sleep repair.

Skin Brushing/Exfoliating

Skin cells die and slough off on a daily basis. Sometimes they do not shed as quickly as they should and form a dry, dull layer over new skin.  It’s important for new skin cell growth and health to remove this layer of old, dead skin cells.  This can be done either vigorously doing a dry skin brushing on a daily basis or using a medium-coarse exfoliating skin cleanser in the shower 2-3 times a week.

Skin Wraps

A service of many spas, these are basically gauze bandages soaked in herbal mixtures that draw and tighten skin.  You can be wrapped head to toe, or just problem areas like arms, thighs, and waist/stomach. Then you either do light aerobic exercise to raise your body heat or are placed on a far infrared heating blanket.  Many of my patients swear by wraps for tightening skin, reducing unsightly cellulite that can make loose skin look much worse, and inch loss.

Laser Tightening

Laser procedures heat collagen and elastin fibers beneath the skin and result in shrinkage and tightening of these structures, tightening the loose skin.  Consult a good plastic surgeon for this procedure.  Can be a little costly, but the results may be worth it to you.

Burn More Fat

You may be surprised to hear that part of sagging skin is that it actually still has fat pockets in it causing it to hang. This is especially true of upper/under arm skin, and inner/upper thighs, knees, waistline.  Be sure to do some cardio/aerobic work, lower your carb intake a little to help burn those extra fat pockets out of the skin.  Add these supplements:  Omega 3’s, green tea extract, L-carnitine to assist in fat burning and drink plenty of water.

Far Infrared Sauna

Available at certain spas for a weekly fee, or you can buy your own unit for home use. There are also far infrared arm, thigh, and body wraps for spot fat burning.  Unlike steam saunas, far infrared saunas burn subcutaneous fat and reduce cellulite, as well as remove toxins from the body and burn calories.  Recommended twice a week. Drink lots of water during use.

Let me also say, congratulations on your weight loss! It’s a big accomplishment and you should be proud of your effort. Now, its time to put a little extra effort into getting rid of that excess skin after weight loss.  It may be slow going but soon you will see results in tightening up your loose skin, and you’ll be even more proud of yourself and how amazing you look!

Healthy Answers

Why Build Muscle Mass?

One of the most important things we can do for ourselves as we get older is maintain good muscle mass. It not only keeps us looking trim and fit but it helps us do even the simplest daily activities even better.

Many of my patients do strength training with weights several times a week and this is a good way to maintain muscle tone and strength. Another way to add muscle mass that I advise my patients to do is to add glutamine to their diet everyday to help you repair and continue to build healthy, stay-young muscles.

Glutamine – Your Body’s Most Abundant Energy Source

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The one most commonly found in your blood is glutamine. It’s important to maintain good levels of glutamine to keep you healthy.  In fact, recent research shows that glutamine greatly enhances your immune system, helps heal ulcers and significantly helps heal symptoms associated with colitis.

Hospital physicians frequently order glutamine for their patients after surgery to help their wounds heal quicker, to treat burn victims, and to help their immune system fight infectious disease. Recently, glutamine has been put to use in treating diarrhea that is often experienced by patients undergoing radiation treatments to their pelvis.

Prolonged exercise can reduce your glutamine levels by as much as 50%.[i] If you are trying to boost your fitness levels or lose weight and are exercising more, you’re going to need more glutamine to help you burn fat instead of muscles during exercise.

That’s why glutamine is a favorite for body builders when building muscle mass. It helps restore glycogen to your muscles, which is a power source used during exercise. It’s also a “nitrogen donor,” which means that it helps repair muscle. It also helps you to “bulk up” and build bigger and better muscles.  But ladies, don’t worry, you won’t end up with “man muscles” using glutamine, as you don’t have enough of the male hormone testosterone. What you will build, however, is firm, cut muscles that will not only make you stronger but also help you look sleek and sexy.

What’s more, glutamine helps your body release growth hormone, a powerful substance that helps you burn fat and build muscle. It’s a friend of weight loss and one of the keys to looking and feeling young.

Glutamine Protects Your Heart, Immune System and Intestines

Many of my patients use NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin or Advil, for occasional aches and pains of injuries or just over-working.  I recommend they also supplement with some glutamine as these drugs can also cause ulcers or intestinal bleeding.

Supplementing with glutamine can help repair – even reverse – damage caused by NSAIDs. How? Glutamine is the primary source of energy for the cells of your intestinal lining. As I mentioned above, it’s also been used to treat colitis, Crohn’s disease and diarrhea.  And that’s not all. Here’s just a partial list of glutamine’s many benefits:

• Strengthens the Immune System: Glutamine powers the cells of the immune system, including T-cells. Even under stress, glutamine fires up your defenses and stimulates powerful antioxidants.
• Powers the Heart: Glutamine increases endurance by creating energy for the heart. It even helps to regulate blood pressure.
• Fights Hypoglycemia: If your blood sugar drops, glutamine can easily break down in the liver to provide you with more glucose. This means your body won’t have to borrow glucose from muscle tissue. (You’ll lose fat instead of muscle.)

How To Supplement with Glutamine

First, let me tell you that glutamine is very easy to find in almost every health food store. You will find it priced reasonably, varying some between different brands.  It comes in pill form or powder. I like the powdered form best as it’s easy to just add a few tablespoons to water or juice, or even a protein shake, every day.  Glutamine has a slightly sweet taste on its own so you will not need to add anything to it. .

Keep in mind, that foods you eat, like chicken, fish, and dairy contain glutamine. In addition protein shakes you may consume can also contain glutamine (read labels) and you don’t want to overdo supplementing with glutamine.  If you start experiencing stomach cramps, cut back on the amount of glutamine you are consuming.

Here’s what I recommend to my patients for the proper use of glutamine. Be sure to first read the directions on your particular label for correct measurements. Generally, 1 heaping teaspoon is equal to about 5 grams of glutamine.

Below are my conservative measurements that are intended for the general population. Depending on your muscle condition, you may need more glutamine.

• Building Muscle Mass: Take 5 grams (about 1 tsp) of glutamine after your workout.
• Symptom Relief/Healing Ulcers/Colitis: You can use as much as 20 grams a day.
• Immune system booster:  5 grams a day should be adequate.

As I tell my patients, building muscle mass and keeping your muscles healthy and strong is key to staying youthful and active. Getting a little assistance from glutamine can go a long way to help you achieve that goal and keep you out on the dance floor well past your 90’s!

Stay Well,

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

Natural Health News

[1] Greenwell I. The Essential “Non-Essential” Amino Acid. LE Magazine. Sep 1999.

Glutamine Functions, http://www.news-medical.net/health/Glutamine-Functions.aspx

photo credit: build-muscles.maxupdates.tv

Featured photo by Pikx By Panther

Diet Soda: The Hidden Belly Fat and Gut Health Risk

Even though I advocate a health-supporting diet most of the time, I’m all for little pleasure treats here and there. The problem is that many people believe that diet soda is no guilt, no repercussion treat so they indulge in it frequently in large quantities. I have patients who drink 1 liter of diet soda a day! Yet, they also wonder why that stubborn belly fat is just not moving, no matter how much cardio they do, or how much they cut calories.  Especially if you’re over age 50.

On the surface, it doesn’t seem to make sense. Diet soda has no calories, fat, carbs, sugar in it. So, how could it make your belly so fat? Are people just eating more food because they’re being “good” drinking diet soda? No, that’s not it either.

Recently researchers out of the University of Texas Health Science Center believes they have found the reason why in one significant word: Inflammation.

Seems that inflammation, is cropping up where disease and unhealthy conditions are present. And in the case of diet soda and inflammation, there’s a hidden and rather surprising connection. The Texas researchers found that when you consume artificial sweeteners (like sucralose, aspartame, saccharin), and sugar alcohols, you cause inflammation in the lining of your gut. That inflammation seriously alters how your gut flora work.

Gut flora is a fancy term that really means all the microbacteria that live in your intestine that helps you process food and fight disease. In normal conditions, these gut flora produce short chain fatty acids that fuel your metabolism and produces energy for you. But, a constant diet of artificial sweeteners causes your gut flora to over-produce short chain fatty acids. Except your body can’t use all of them for energy so it starts storing them right on your belly.

In addition, satiety signals from your gut, which tell your brain you’ve had enough to eat, are short-circuited. Your brain, and you, thinks you haven’t eaten enough and keeps sending out hunger signals and sugar cravings.

Disrupted gut flora processes also slow your metabolism of carbohydrates from your food. You don’t use them for energy and your insulin levels must rise to clear the sugar from your blood. This creates a vicious cycle of constant hunger, craving for carbohydrates, and storing the unused energy from them right around your waistline. This cycle is associated with the pre-diabetes condition called metabolic syndrome.

In their study results, the Texas researchers found that, older people who drank diet soda, had nearly triple the waistline measurement of those who did not. Furthermore, the researchers concluded that diet soda drinking contributed to cardiovascular and metabolic disease risks. They recommended that older people greatly limit, or curtail, their diet soda drinking.

Not only does gut-lining inflammation derail your belly fat loss efforts, it actually damages gut tissue and can result in “leaky gut syndrome”. This is where your gut bacteria leaks into your blood stream causing inflammation of your vascular system. Your blood stream carries this inflammation to every part of your body. It can set the stage for the development of, not only type 2 diabetes, but heart disease and possibly cancer.

However, there is a way you can stop this detrimental process. You can recolonize your gut flora, turn off the inflammation process, and get on the road to not only losing that belly fat, but preventing serious disease. Here’s how:

1. Replace artificial sweeteners with stevia. If you must drink soda, there are a few brands of soda available from health food stores that are stevia-sweetened. You can also make your own flavored water drink with a few squirts of fresh lemon, lime, orange, or berry juice sweetened with stevia. There’s also flavored stevia cola, raspberry, chocolate, etc, to mix into either plain water or carbonated water to make your own healthier soft drink.

2. Recolonize your gut. Take an acidophilus supplement, or eat Kefir, yogurt with active cultures, or other fermented foods to promote good bacteria.

3. Eat more alkali foods. Artificial sweeteners, refined sugar, and fructose create a high acid environment which promotes inflammation. Add more alkali foods to your diet to help cool down inflammation and heal your gut.

The truth is, diet soda is not the only thing you may be consuming that has artificial sweetener or sugar alcohols in it. If you’re like most people trying to lose belly fat, you may also be eating what are marketed as “sugar-free” or “diet” protein bars, candies, drinks, condiments, baked goods, etc that contain them. Switching to regular soda doesn’t cure the problem either.  Both high fructose corn syrup, touted as a “natural” sweetener, and refined sugar, also cause bad gut flora to overgrow and create inflammation.

Get into the habit of reading labels and stop consuming products that contain these sweeteners. It’s the first step on the road to recovering your gut flora health and getting rid of that stubborn belly fat.

Stay Well,
Ron Blankstein, M.D.

Squats: The One Exercise That Does So Much For You

As you get older, it’s important to keep your heart and cardiovascular system strong, but just as important is keeping the largest group of muscles in your body strong, flexible, and sturdy. This group of muscles are your lower body muscles which include your gluteus muscles (3 important muscles of your butt), and all the muscles of your hips and legs. These are the muscles that give you strength and stamina in your everyday activities – including standing and walking. These are the muscle groups that squats engage and strengthen the most.

Many seasoned athletes consider squat exercises the “King” of exercises. It involves using your entire body weight to perform, therefore requires more effort of your body and gives you both an aerobic workout as well as strengthening. Yet, it’s not a difficult exercise to do. In fact, it’s rather basic and simple in its performance, but it does so much for your health and overall fitness. Here are a few of its benefits:

1. Improves your heart function and strength. Because it’s an exercise that requires you to move your entire body, the up and down motion of performing a squat requires you to breathe more deeply, taking in more oxygen, which burns energy.
2. Improves your balance, flexibility, stamina. If you get tired, aching legs, from standing or walking during your daily activities, squats will strengthen all the muscles from your hips down to your feet. The gluteus muscles (the 3 major butt muscles) are the largest muscles in your body. Weak gluteus muscles can account for lower back aches, hip weakness, poor posture, inability to stand for very long, not to mention a flabby, flattened rear-end. People who add squats to their exercise routines find that they have much more energy to get through their day, at their job, or just doing chores around the house without the aching legs and back muscles. In addition, squats lift the gluteus muscles up, which gives you a more youthful, stronger look.
3. Increases resistance against stress. Researchers have determined that stress is a “killer”. It produces hormones in your body that can speed up aging and cause diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer to come on board. Exercise in general decreases your stress hormones, but squats increase your resistance against stress even more.

What is the best way to get the health benefits of squats for women

In performing the squat exercise you should pay attention to using good form, rather than speed, as you do each squat to make sure each lower body muscle groups are engaged properly. So make your movements slow and deliberate. If you have knee problems, ask your doctor first if you can safely do a squat without causing a problem for your knees. A little bit of strain is normal in the knee area when you first start doing squats as those muscles and ligaments are weak and squats will strengthen them as well. But, severe pain, discomfort is not normal. Remember also to breathe deeply and slowly during your exercises to increase aerobic effort. Here’s the best way:

1. Warm up stretch. Standing with your feet 1 foot apart reach your hands up over your head and reach your fingertips down to the floor as far as you can without discomfort. Do 3-4 of these. Then, standing with your feet about 1 ft apart, face forward, twist your torso/upper body to the left and then back to the right. These stretches help loosen/relax all your muscles.
2. Next, stand with your feet about 1 foot apart (never squat with your feet together), your knees and toes should be pointing in same direction. You can put your hands on your hips, hold your arms out to the sides, or clasp your hands together in front of you.
3. Keeping a straight posture, slowly, deliberately, lower your body as if you’re going to sit down into a chair. Be careful not to “bow” down. You should feel the pull in your glutes (butt muscles), as well as your hips, inner/outer thighs, calf muscles, and ankle muscles.
4. Slowly raise yourself back up to standing position again. Repeat a set of 10 exercises to start x 4 days. After the first week, add a second set. For added resistance and strengthening, hold a 5-10 lb weight in your hands out in front of you as you squat. Although your muscles may be a little sore after starting squats these are weak muscles getting tuned up. You should start to feel an increase in strength and stamina in about week 2. After 3 weeks, you should see some lift and toning of your gluteus muscles and your leg muscles should feel stronger. Regular sets of squats a few times a week can really help your overall health, strength, flexibility and balance. As you get older, the more resistance you have against falls and dangerous fractures the better.

As a Certified Empowerment Coach, I often “prescribe” putting more fun and laughter in my clients’ lives.  It’s a great way to de-stress, release tension, and find more peace and happiness – especially at the top of a New Year.  Let me tell you why…

Make Time to Laugh in 2014

Did you know that at the start of a New Year people are more prone to depression than throughout the rest of the year? It’s true.  Studies have shown that instead of looking forward to a new year starting, many people are down in the dumps during January.  Why?

Some of it is “holiday hangover” – coming off the roller coaster of emotions and expectations, magnified family issues, which the holidays can bring.  Holiday bills start coming in which can aggravate already existing financial problems.  But, a larger part of it has to do with just feeling a year older and not having accomplished what you wanted last year.

There are a number of ways to deal with the “January let-down”, but adding more laughter to your day can make you feel better fast.  So, how much time do you laugh a day, a week? Once…twice…none?  Laughing even a few minutes a day is like an aerobic workout for your spirit.  It boosts your motivation and drive to accomplish things.  Here are some other things laughter does.

1.  Boosts your workout efforts.  Laughing – especially really, hearty, belly-roll laughter – can help you burn more calories.  It ups your heart rate and metabolism so that even a modest 15 minutes of laughing burns 50 calories, that’s 350 calories a week, or the equivalent to that piece of cheesecake.  It even helps tighten abdominal muscles, like doing crunches without the misery.   So laughter can assist your New Year resolution to lose weight and tone up that midsection!

2.  Lowers blood pressure.  If one of your resolutions was to decrease your stress levels in 2014, you’ll be tickled to know that just a little bit of laughter everyday goes a long way. It helps relax blood vessels that drive up pressure – and works even better for men.  In men, laughing releases oxytocin which also helps smooth out vascular tension and lower pressure.

3.  Boosts your immune system.  If a resolution was to get healthier in 2014, spending a little more time having fun and laughing can help.  As laughing reduces stress hormones, it boosts the production of white blood cells which helps fight infection and disease.

4. Helps you sleep better.  By helping you relax and release muscular tension, mental strain and anxiety, laughter helps you sleep better.  Sleeping deeper longer is necessary to maintain health and boosting your mood.

5. Promotes relationships.  Friends, couples, families who laugh together, stay together. Laughing with someone enables you to bond with them and feel closer.  It does this perhaps by decreasing tension and boosting endorphins and oxytocin – the “love” chemical – but studies have shown that people who laugh together stay closer.

So, What Makes You Laugh?

Okay, now that you know adding more laughter to your life will help you actually achieve those personal growth resolutions for 2014, here’s some ways to laugh more.

1.  Comedy nightclubs. Grab your spouse or a friend and head out to the nearest comedy nightclub and let a standup comedian make you laugh while you enjoy a drink or meal.

2.  Play Games. Game arcades like Dave and Busters, etc, offer a variety of fun adult-based games to play while you get something to eat or drink. There’s also Laser Tag, Paintball, Whirly Ball, or even just playing charades with your grandkids.

3.  Rent Comedy Films. Try some Will Farrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd movies to get more than a few laughs for the buck. Some hilarious ones are The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, Funeral Crashers, Dinner with Schmucks.  But don’t forget the oldies but goodies either – The 3 Stooges, Marx Brothers, Steve Martin comedies, Pink Panther series, etc.

4.  Learn Some New Jokes.  Nothing cracks you, and others, up faster than a good joke.   Having a few new jokes to tell the people around you can help put a little laughter into everyone’s life.  Your local bookstore carries collections of jokes and you can even go online to places like CleanJoke.com, or Jokes4Us.com that have a variety of jokes you can learn.

The important thing to remember is that Life will always have some issue in it that threatens to sap your joy and turn your smile into a frown.  But, the best way you can fight back is to try to find 1 thing to laugh about every day.  You’ll make yourself feel better immediately and it will actually help motivate you to keep moving forward in a positive way.

Stay Well,
Dale Brown, B.A., M.S., C.E.C.
Certified Empowerment Coach

Sugary Drinks Up Heart Disease Risk Significantly

Although your brain may think it’s reasonable to knock back 1 or 2 cold, soft drinks every day, your heart doesn’t think so. Your heart knows that even 1 high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) sweetened drink can raise your risk for heart disease. Now, health researchers know it too and want you to save your heart by banning sugar or HFCS sweetened drinks.

Recently, a University of California Davis study revealed why sugary drinks are so harmful to your heart health.  First, the study selected only young, heart-healthy men and women as participants.  Second, this group was divided into 4 subgroups. One received drinks with 0% of HFCS (they were given “diet” drinks), the second 10%, the third 17.5% and the fourth 25%.

Even after only 2 weeks of drinking the HFCS sweetened drinks, the second, third and fourth groups showed elevations in blood markers for cardiac disease. These include triglycerides, low density lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol), and uric acid. And, it didn’t matter if the subjects gained weight with the study. Even the slimmest participants showed elevated cardiac markers.

The fourth group, those whose drinks were sweetened with 25% HFCS, had the highest levels of these markers. This told the researchers that the more HFCS in a drink, the more the cardiac markers increased.

But, even the second group, those who received 10% HFCS sweetened drinks, also had elevated markers. The study also revealed that the men who received the HFCS sweetened drinks had even higher elevations in cardiac markers than the women participants.

The researchers concluded that HFCS sweetened foods, whether they were soft drinks, bottled juices, sports drinks, coffee-bar drinks, cakes, cookies, etc, posed a significant risk to developing heart disease.  They recommended that people limit their intake of added sugars in drinks and other foods to lower their heart disease risk.

In an earlier, related study reported by the American Heart Association, it was found that soft drinks contributed to about 180,000 deaths yearly from heart disease. These drinks contribute to a “domino effect” of disease that starts with weight gain. Then the next “domino” to fall is the development of diabetes, then heart disease. Even the development, and progression, of cancer has been shown to be directly related to high sugar intake.

So, is there any “safe” way to consume these sugary soft drinks? Previously, in 2010, the American Dietary Guidelines recommended that you consume no more than 25% of your daily diet come from added sugar.

Then in 2011, the American Heart Association recommended that this level was far too high.  They recommended that you get no more than 450 calories per week from sugar-added drinks. This translates to four, 100-110 calorie drinks, a week.

Yet, even this AHA level may be too much according to the results of the new University of California Davis study. If only 2 weeks of drinking 10% sugar-added drinks can cause elevated cardiac markers, drinking 4 per week, or about 5%, can do the same.

If you were my patient, I would recommend you to ban any HFCS, or sucrose, containing drinks and foods from your diet on a regular, daily basis. These substances have no nutritive value and can do a lot of nutritive damage. They’ve been associated not only with dental decay, too high acid levels in your blood that leads to widespread inflammation; the development of diabetes, joint disease, and even Alzheimer disease.

But, celebrating a birthday with a “real sugar” piece of cake treat once in a while is okay. This won’t cause your cardiac markers to be permanently elevated.  But, keep in mind you can make your own stevia sweetened birthday cake and you can even buy stevia sweetened soft drinks. If you want to drink juice, make your own out of fresh squeezed, natural fruits. You can also buy no-sugar or HFCS added juices at health food stores or chains that carry special diet foods. Making use of more naturally sweetened foods and drinks can put your mind at rest about raising cardiac disease markers.

Stay Well,
Ron Blankstein, M.D.

You may wonder, isn’t ‘mouth health’ the concern of a dentist? Yes it is, but did you know that the condition of your gums might also be a bellwether for such things as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes, or pneumonia? It’s true. Let me explain how.

A Silent Inflammatory Disease

Gum, or periodontal disease, is often a silent condition that may go unnoticed for a long time. It is a chronic inflammatory condition of your gums caused by plaque buildup on your teeth. Plaque buildup occurs from inadequate dental care, i.e., infrequent teeth brushing/poor technique and lack of flossing. There are also other factors that contribute to gum disease which include:

• Smoking – smokers build up more plaque than non-smokers. They are likely to have deep pockets between teeth from loss of bone and tissue from tobacco use.

• Puberty, Pregnancy, Menopause – dramatic shifts in hormones can wreak havoc on mouth tissues. Regular dental cleaning during these times can help.

• Stress – produces increased cortisol levels which can increase bone and tissue loss.

• Medications – anti-depressants, oral contraceptives, and heart drugs can damage gums.

• Poor Nutrition – lack of calcium, Vitamin C can add to inflammation of tissues.

• Other Diseases – people with rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and heart conditions are likely to have gum disease.

Gum disease can increase your risk of heart attack and/or stroke by bacteria getting into the bloodstream and attaching to plaque within the coronary systems, causing a clot. Bacteria present in your gums can also get into your respiratory tract and cause pneumonia. In addition, gum disease can increase your risk of developing inflammation/disease in other parts of your body. Inflammation is now known to be a precursor to many diseases, including cancer.

Signs of Gum Disease

As I mentioned above, people can have gum disease and not be aware of it until it has become advanced. Here are some of the telltale signs of gum disease that you should be aware of:

• Bleeding – flossing, brushing or eating certain harder foods causes blood.

• Recession – gums pull away from the teeth.

• Persistent bad breath – indicates bacteria and plaque.

• Mouth sores – and/or pus between your gums and teeth.

What Can You Do About Gum Disease?

When I suspect gum disease, the first thing I recommend is to see a dentist. A dentist will likely recommend that you have a deep cleaning of your teeth that may include scaling and root planing, which is deep removal of plaque from root surfaces and cleaning out of gum pockets. Antibiotics may be necessary, as well, if you have infection present.

In addition to crucial dental care and your dentist’s recommendations, there are several natural things that can help prevent and/or get rid of gum disease:

• Get a battery operated spin brush – studies show that almost all of plaque is removed with each brushing with a spin brush. These are available at your drug or grocery store in the teeth care aisle and most are under $10. Many are now rechargeable as well.

• Up your intake of Vitamin C, Calcium – research shows that higher levels of these nutrients can prevent gum disease by strengthening bone (calcium) and preventing inflammation in tissues (Vitamin C). Especially if you are over age 40, 1500 mg of calcium per day, and 1-2,000 mg of Vitamin C (taken in divided doses of 500 mg each for better absorption).

• Drink Green Tea – a recent study published in the Journal of Periodontology revealed that green tea drinkers had superior gum health. Contains a powerful antioxidant, catechin, which prevents inflammation throughout the entire body. Must be brewed green tea, not green tea soft drinks.

• Chew Gum With Xylitol – recently Xylitol, a sweetener made from corn, has proven to be effective against mouth bacteria and can help prevent gum disease.

• Drink Cranberry juice – prevents bacteria from sticking to teeth, reducing plaque buildup.

• Adequate Vitamin D – has anti-inflammatory properties as well as helps calcium work better to build bone tissue. Take 1,000 mg Vitamin D3 a day, and/or 10-15 minutes sun exposure 3 times a week (summer).

Periodontal disease can be a painful condition and increase your risk for serious health problems. In addition, bad breath that usually accompanies gum disease can also be very embarrassing and lead to uncomfortable social situations. However, by improving your dental hygiene, nutrition, quitting smoking, and adding some natural preventative measures, you can beat gum disease and reclaim your winning smile!