Q&A: Crunch the fat away?

I do 200 crunches a day but still have a lot of fat around my midsection. Shouldn't they get rid of that? —S.S., by e-mail 

Alas, no. Crunches and other abdominal exercises can improve the appearance of your midsection by firming muscles and pulling fat in a bit. But the only way to lose fat there—or anywhere else—is to burn more calories than you consume, which generally requires doing aerobic exercise such as biking or walking. (Crunches burn a few calories but not enough to get rid of fat.) Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week, plus twice-weekly strength training for your abdomen. And there’s really no need to do hundreds of crunches. One or two sets of eight to 12 reps work just as well and pose less risk of an injury.

A healthy weight helps women age better, says study

Can you still fit into your high school clothes? I know I’d struggle after two kids and a decade and a half of marriage. But according to a study released last month in the British Medical Journal, our chances of living long and healthy would improve if we could squeeze into those old clothes.

In the study, researchers looked at the body mass indexes of 17,065 women, and found that the more weight the women gained from age 18 until mid-life, the less likely their chances of being healthy in later life. And it didn’t have to be a significant amount of weight—for every kilogram of weight gain (2.2 pounds), the odds of being alive and healthy into their 70s decreased by 5%.

The study also found that, when compared with lean women (BMIs of 18.5-22.9), the women with a BMI of 30 or above had lowered their odds of living healthily into their 70’s by 79%.

That’s a scary thought. And if I want to lose enough weight to even get close to my high school jeans, I have to overcome two very large obstacles—me and my husband.

I try to eat healthy, trying several stay-thin strategies. I’m a big fan of salads, and have never met a vegetable I didn’t like in at least some form (though I’m still struggling on those beets). My personal weakness is all those luscious, scrumptious carbs. I have been known to burn my fingers ripping apart a hot, crusty loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. 

What your walking speed can tell your doctor

Doctors are trained fortune-tellers of sorts. But instead of divining the future through tea leaves or Tarot cards, they look to our bodies for clues. If our blood pressure is high, they may warn of heart and circulation problems that could be down the road. Ditto for high cholesterol. But doctors can also draw upon subtler signs — even, for example, our walking speed.

As odd as it may sound, studies show that healthy older adults who walk slowly are at higher risk of falls, disabilities, frequent hospital visits, and other health problems. And, according to a new study, slow walkers also have triple the chance of dying from heart disease, although the reasons aren't yet clear.

The study included 3,208 seniors ages 65 to 85 in France. Each person's walking speed was clocked over 6 meters (almost 20 feet). The researchers then checked on the participants every couple of years. All were in reasonably good health at the start of the study, and didn't have any conditions that could have substantially affected how fast they walked, such as Parkinson disease, dementia, or a disabling stroke.

After five years, 209 people had died, including 99 from cancer, 59 from heart disease, and 51 from other causes (such as infections and respiratory failure). The researchers found that the slowest walkers were three times more likely to have died of heart disease than those who walked at a faster clip. However, they didn't find a link between slow walking and other causes of death, including cancer.

Sugar Wars: Industry front group defends high fructose corn syrup

Big Corn is fighting it out with the Big Apple in ad wars. Last year, the Corn Refiners Association launched a series of ads defending the processed sweetener against its attackers. This year, The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene launched ads asking subway riders if they were "pouring on the pounds." The posters depict a bottle of soda, sports drink, or sweetened ice tea morphing into blobs of fat as it’s poured into a glass. Now, the deceptively named Center for Consumer Freedom is getting in on the food fight.

The group—which according to SourceWatch was founded with tobacco industry funding and has been financed in the past by sweetened-beverage companies, including Coca-Cola, among other major food industry players—launched it’s own poster in New York asking "Big Apple or Big Brother?" Now the group has launched a million dollar ad campaign defending high fructose corn syrup.

The SweetScam campaign includes this ad, which depicts a sugar cube, a honey bear, and an ear of corn in a police line-up for causing weight gain. The "victim" isn’t sure which culprit is to blame, but thinks it might be the corn because he’s "seen that high fructose corn syrup guy on the news." The police officer informs him they all have the same calories, and are "processed by the body the same way too." He releases the sticky suspects after determining that the victim is "making this stuff up without any proof."

The point is summed up as "a sugar is a sugar." To a certain extent that’s true—and most Americans would do well to consume less of all of them. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American should consume no more than about 40 grams (approximately 10 teaspoons) of added sugars a day–added sugars don’t include those that occur naturally in fruit and other foods. But the average American consumes more than twice that amount about 22 teaspoons per day, and adolescent boys between 14 and 18 consume more than three times more, about 34 teaspoons per day.

Treatment or rest for 'runner's knee'?

It’s the classic runners’ dilemma. Do you see a sports physician when your knee starts to twinge, or simply rest up until it’s better?

Knee pain without underlying damage tends to get better eventually. But for many athletes, waiting is not an option. Sports injury clinics are full of runners having their knees strapped up, testing expensive orthopedic insoles, and learning quadriceps-strengthening exercises.

The question is, does any of this do any good? A new study suggests a tailored exercise program may help relieve knee pain, but doesn’t necessarily speed a full recovery.

The study recruited young people age 14 through 40, with pain around the kneecap that didn’t have an obvious physiological cause. This type of knee pain is very common in runners, cyclists, and other athletes.

Half the recruits followed a six-week program designed for them by a physical therapist, including exercises to strengthen muscles and improve balance and flexibility. The others were instructed to rest up.

After three months, the people who’d followed the exercise program reported less pain, and more ability to use their injured knee. But they were no more likely to say they’d recovered from their injury. That could be because the pain had reduced, but it hadn’t gone altogether.

Q&A: Upright vs. reclining exercise bikes

My gym offers some bikes on which you recline while pedaling. Are those better than the standard kind? —T.B., Chicago

For some people.While the intensity of the workout probably does not vary between the two types of exercise bikes, reclining or semirecumbent bikes may be safer for your muscles and joints. That’s because your lower back and upper body are supported on an angled cushion while you pedal, and this and the semirecumbent’s wider seat provide extra comfort. Consider that type if you have neck, shoulder, back, or hip problems, are overweight, or simply find that the bike’s design makes pedaling easier.

3 small steps to better health this weekend

The days are shorter, vacations are (mostly) over and school’s back in session. So why do I love this time of year so much? I think it’s the sense of comfort I get from being back in a routine. So in an effort to get back to normal and be a bit healthier to boot, here are three things I’m going to do this weekend, starting today:
 
Eat less salt
According to the Food and Drug Administration, nearly all of us eat more salt than we need. The National Academies' Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults get no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day--the amount, roughly, in one teaspoon of table salt. But if you have blood pressure concerns, try to limit your intake to 1,500 mg. This may seem tough, but test your sodium smarts by comparing food labels when you shop and you might find surprisingly high amounts in your usual items, like salad dressing or canned soups. Try some creative ways to ditch the salt, like rinsing foods such as feta cheese or capers to cut the sodium by as much as 30 percent.
 
Get more activity
If you don’t get regular exercise already—I do only sporadically—aim to get 30 minutes in each day of this weekend. Moderate exercise reduces coronary-disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, and it increases your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. So no more excuses…and you know you’ll feel good afterward too. Clip on a pedometer and take a walk.
 
Pack an emergency kit
We should all have an emergency kit, though few of us do (including me). In our recent poll, when asked about the 16 items recommended for home emergency kits, just 22 percent of respondents had at least 13 of the items. But given that a second wave of swine flu could hit this fall, it’s a good idea to gather some basics. Start by having enough non-perishable food and water for a few days, and an up-to-date first-aid kit stocked with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, like Purell. You may not need it, but as the scouts say, be prepared.
 
Happy weekend!

--Trisha Brandon, online editor

Ways your local government can help prevent childhood obesity

 With a 16.3 obesity rate among U.S. children and adolescents between the ages of two and 19, a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council comes just as kids are heading back to school, highlighting strategies local government officials can use to help reduce childhood obesity. 

The IOM report highlights several examples of ways that officials have promoted healthy eating and physical activity that range from a comprehensive obesity prevention initiative—involving walking trails, a new fitness center, and breastfeeding promotion—to a city law requiring calorie information on restaurant menus in cities and towns across the country. The report also offers ways to lower obesity rates including:

• Zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants near schools
• Taxing high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks
• Increasing access to healthy foods in underserved neighborhoods through supermarkets, grocery stores, and convenience stores
• Eliminating outdoor ads for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks near schools 
• Requiring calorie and other nutritional information on restaurant menus
• Rerouting buses or developing other transportation strategies that ensure people can get to grocery stores
• Collaborating with schools to develop and implement a "Safe Routes to School program" to increase the number of children safely walking and bicycling to schools.
• Building and maintaining parks and playgrounds that are safe and in close proximity to residential areas.
• Regulating play space, physical equipment, and duration of play in preschool, after-school, and child-care programs.

Keep pedaling for healthy knees

I live half-way up a hill. It’s a lovely spot, but it does mean whenever I take my bicycle out for a spin, I’m going to find myself pedaling hard uphill, either on my way out or on my way back.

Instead of grumbling about the strain on my legs, next time I’ll be smugly reminding myself that I could be staving off knee osteoarthritis in years to come.

A new study suggests that women with stronger quadriceps (the muscle at the front of the thigh) are less likely to get painful knee arthritis.

Previous studies have suggested a connection between muscle strength and arthritis, but it’s been hard to prove. As people with arthritis tend to get less exercise, their muscles tend to get weaker. Weak muscles could be a consequence of arthritis, not a cause.

But this latest study started by measuring the strength of people’s leg muscles when they didn’t have arthritis, and followed them up to see whether they got it or not. Although the study isn’t conclusive for men, for women it does suggest that the strength in your quadriceps is protective.

Q&A: Are short-term weight fluctuations normal?

My weight often goes up by a few pounds over the course of a day. Is that normal? —C.C., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 

Yes. A person’s weight can fluctuate by several pounds a day depending on what they’ve eaten or had to drink, how active they are, how many times they’ve gone to the bathroom, and how much salt they’ve ingested. Anytime you consume more calories than you burn in a given 24-hour period, you’ll gain; anytime the opposite happens, you’ll lose. Even small amounts of food and drink can cause short-term weight increases, while the fluid lost during a sweaty session of exercise can temporarily reduce your weight. More important than monitoring those daily fluctuations is maintaining a healthy weight over time, ideally by eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise.

Finding out why cutting fat doesn't always lead to weight loss, take a look at 10 perks of exercise you might not be aware of, and see the evidence for exercise and a low-calorie diet (subscribers only) for fighting obesity.

Delaying dementia with fun and games

Seniors who engage in brain-stimulating activities, such as doing crossword puzzles and playing music, can reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia or delay its onset, according to recent research published in the Neurology journal.

The study tested the cognitive abilities of 488 initially healthy people, average age 79, between 1980 and 1983, and then every 12 to 18 months for an average of five years. All participants were asked how many cognitive activities (reading, writing, crossword puzzles, board or card games, group discussions, or playing music) they participated in and for how many days a week.

Over time, 101 of the participants developed dementia, and the researchers looked at whether brain-stimulating activities influenced the disease’s onset. Researchers found that for every "activity day" (participation in one activity for one day a week) the seniors engaged in, they delayed for about two months the onset of rapid memory loss associated with dementia. Study participants who engaged in the highest level of activity, defined as 11 "activity days" per week delayed accelerated onset of dementia by 15.5 months versus those with the lowest level of activity, defined as four activity days per week.

Stamina recalls two ellipticals due to safety risks

Two elliptical trainers that our testers found to be safety risks were recalled today by Stamina, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. In June, we judged the Stamina 1725 and similar Stamina 1772 "Don't Buy: Safety Risk," a new designation previously termed "Not Acceptable." The recall also involves a third model, the Stamina 1723. Taken together, the recall includes 11,000 machines.

The problem our testers discovered was that the bolts attaching the pedal arm to the drive-wheel assembly loosened, and came off in one instance. That put the user at risk of losing balance and possibly falling.

Read this full post on the Safety blog, see our ellipticals report for more on the safety risk, and before you shop for an elliptical trainer, take a look at our Ratings (subscribers only) of 20 machines.

Health Weekender: It’s Father’s Day—don’t spend it in the ER

A couple of years ago on Father’s Day, I spent the day with a group of friends at the local BMX (bicycle motocross) track. The dads were all geared up to take a lap around the track. It was, after all, their day. Outfitted with bikes and helmets, eight dads stepped up to the challenge and as the gate dropped, so did two bodies. In fact, only 2 of the original 8 finished the course, and two of them were whisked away to the emergency room. At the ER, a doctor mentioned that Father’s Day is one of their busiest days.

According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), sports injuries aren’t the only incidents sending dads to the hospital. Falls related to alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, greatly increase dad’s chances of a not-so-fun ride in an ambulance. On top of that, most men have let themselves go with age. That’s right–most! The ACEP reports that "In the 35-54 age brackets, 73 percent of men are overweight." Shocking? Take a gander in the mirror big boy.

So, as we celebrate dad this Sunday, let’s try to make sure he’s around and healthy to celebrate again next year. According to David Gremillion, MD, FACP of the Men’s Health Network, men in general seem to be behind the curve when it comes to keeping themselves healthy and active. Here are a few observations Dr. Gremillion’s found when comparing men to women:

• Men are less knowledgeable about health
• Between the ages of 35-54, men are less physically active
• Men are less likely to use sunscreen and two times more likely to die of skin cancer

Milk—as good as sports drinks for athletes?

"Be tough." "Bring it." "No excuses." With macho slogans like these printed on the bottles, there's no doubt that the makers of the sports drink Gatorade want to link their products with strong athletic performance. And we're obviously happy to believe them. Their product is the leading brand in a market reportedly worth $4 billion in recent years.

There is some good science behind sports drinks. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, if you're exercising for longer than 45 minutes, or doing particularly intensive exercise, drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes can enhance your performance. Adding carbohydrates to a drink helps your body absorb it faster than pure water. Around 3 to 6 percent carbohydrate seems best.

In the past few years, there's been interest in the idea of using skim milk as an alternative to sports drinks. Naturally occurring sugar in milk, called lactose, gives it a similar concentration of carbohydrates to some leading sports drinks. Milk also contains electrolytes in the form of sodium and potassium.

Researchers from James Madison University have now done a study in college soccer players, and found that low-fat chocolate milk was no different to a high-carbohydrate sports drink when it came to athletic performance and recovery. Athletes drinking milk also had lower amounts of a chemical marker in their blood that indicated muscle breakdown, possibly because the protein in milk helped rebuild their muscles.

Hit the gym on the cheap

We all know that exercise can help control your weight, fight stress, help you get a good night’s sleep, and boost your immunity—but the recession has many of us putting our health and fitness on the back burner. A quarter of Americans polled recently by the American Heart Association said they’d cut their gym memberships within the previous six months due to economic strain.

If you’re juggling your finances and your fitness goals, here are some ways you can still hit the gym on the cheap:

Tone down the extras. We’d all like a health club with aromatherapy oils in the bathrooms and a spa massage pool, but membership fees for boutique gyms can cause sticker shock. Instead, choose a gym that offers the amenities, equipment, and classes you need, and a membership fee that fits your budget, but skip the boutique touches like fancy towels.

Jump on summer deals. Many gyms are reducing monthly rates and waiving enrollment fees just in time for summer. The YMCA health club in my neighborhood is offering a summer membership at a flat-rate of $200—and for an extra $75, you can enroll your children.