Health for life

Showing posts with label move. Show all posts

Get Up and Move The Perils of Sitting

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

When I first heard that sitting too much was associated with chronic disease, I was extremely skeptical. Of course it is, I thought... people who sit more exercise less, they lose cardiovascular fitness, and they burn fewer calories throughout the day, setting themselves up to gain weight. Its not that sitting too much directly promotes disease, I thought; it must be all that goes along with it. Its the lack of exercise and the weight gain thats the real problem.

Welp, I was wrong (1). Turns out, we now know of specific molecular processes that take place when we sit, and theyre distinct from intentional exercise. In fact, even if you get the "recommended" amount exercise, 30 minutes a day, you can completely undo those metabolic benefits by spending the rest of your day sedentary in a chair. Sitting continuously sets off a series of unwanted cellular mechanisms that immediately reduce your HDL and increase your triglycerides, two common risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Over the long term, we put ourselves at high risk for chronic disease, and that includes heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

The experimental studies have all been done on rats at this point, but the results are pretty startling. In one study in which rats were restricted access to running wheels or treadmills, physical inactivity rapidly produced a 22% reduction in HDL (thats a bad thing). This was seen on the very first day of inactivity and persisted as long as the inactivity continued.

In another experiment, radioactive triglyceride (fat) tracers were used to track their movement about the rats body. When seated, important postural muscles cease to take up triglycerides from the bloodstream by 75%, increasing our blood level (again... bad). There was a silver lining though: when the rats were periodically allowed to walk on a treadmill, this unwanted process was mitigated. It was the long-term, persistent sitting that caused the problem.

You could predict, based on the idea that inactivity impairs our muscles ability to take up fat for energy, that intentional exercise would have the opposite effect and increase our triglyceride uptake into muscle. Not the case. In heavily trained rats, there was no difference in enzyme activity that would promote this process. The benefits of exercise are due to an entirely different biochemical process. It seems as though our bodies "expect" us to at least get up and walk around once in a while, and when we dont do it, we begin to lose our healthy homeostasis.

The solution is simple on paper but not so simple in practice: move more. Most of us probably don’t realize how much we sit… every time we’re at the computer, when we’re in the car, when we’re on the subway, when we’re at the movies, when we’re watching TV, when we’re reading a book, when we’re eating… it’s a part of everyone’s life. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing and spending time in a seated position; just don’t overdo it. Of course there will be situations when we’ll be forced to sit all day. Luckily for us, simply getting up periodically to stretch and walk around can mitigate the nasty side effects we get from staying seated.

What’s the take home message in all of this? Just because you’re going to the gym a few times a week doesnt necessarily mean you’re doing your body good. Youve still got 15 or so other waking hours left in your day that can’t be ignored. Be conscious of how much you sit, and do what you can to stay on your feet. Staying active throughout the day is just as important for your long-term health as intentional exercise at the gym!

Ask the Internet Eating During a Move

Monday, April 21, 2014

Today’s question comes from Holly, who is soon moving to the greatest city in the world. (Besides NYC, of course.) (If I dont say that, they throw me out of the state.):

Q: So, I will be getting in the car in a few weeks to move from Boston to Seattle. Im thrilled at all of the people and places I will get to visit along the way for a 1-2 week roadtrip. My cat will be considerably less thrilled, but shell live.

The dilemma that Im facing is that Im poor as a church mouse already, and the added expenses of moving make eating good healthy food along the way pretty tough. Add to that, who knows how many weeks Ill be in Seattle before my belongings arrive, so I cant even cook up something tasty when I arrive!

Im desperate to not be eating fast food/takeout/pizza for a month or longer! Please help!

A: Thanks for writing, Holly! Alas, since most of my moves have only been between neighborhoods, I don’t have much experience with extended on-the-road/where-are-all-my-things eating.

Howevs, raw fruits, veggies, and dips seem like good places to start. I might invest in a huge bag of granola or whole-wheat bagels for breakfasts – or really, any fairly good-for-you food that doesn’t involve cooking (for which you don’t have any/many implements.)

I mightn’t dismiss takeout entirely, either. Sometimes, a big ol’ order of Chinese food can give you leftovers for several days. (Steamed for the health benefits, of course.)

Readers, how about you? How did you survive after a big move? What saved you cash and kept you nutritionally balanced? What are your favorite no-kitchen-equipment-needed foods? The comment section, she is open.

Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.

Beauty Tips for Women 40 years Move Up

Friday, January 31, 2014

Want to stay looking beautiful in their 40s? Many women begin to feel the loss of her beauty at the age of 40 years. However, it can be prevented by applying beauty makeup in the right way. 40-year-old woman need makeup beauty but with a different application.

Here are makeup beauty tips for women 40 years of age.

Always keep the skin from becoming dry due to age the skin starts aging. So drink plenty of water is essential.
make sure the skin remains moist it will give effect to look younger
Use a moisturizer to your skin type memnyesuaikan.
If you have dry skin, do not use too much make up
Do not use too much powder, because the skin will look dry
If you have blemishes on your skin, use a foundation that is rather thick.
Use makeup brush as it will help in using makeup
Fox your appearance to your liking with the changes you want to do for a long time.
If you want to change the color of hair, makeup adjust to the changes.
Shape your eyebrows more attractive.
Use eye pencil and eye liner to your eye shape.
If you use a thick foundation, mix it with a little moisturizer.
Do not use powder blush, cream better.
Lentikan little eyelashes.
Consult with your beautician.

Beauty makeup done everything that should be tailored to the model and structure of your body hair. And is important to note first consult with a beauty expert before trying your beauty products to avoid unwanted effects.