Archive for August, 2007
August 24, 2007
· Filed under Florida, Health, Heart Disease, Obesity, Sports
Perennial Pro-Bowl attendee and future NFL hall of famer, Derrick Brooks, spent yesterday afternoon not playing football, but presiding over the inaugural meeting of Floirda Governor Charlie Crist’s Council on Physical Fitness. The council, formed by Gov. Christ in March, is aimed at reducing obesity in children and the elderly within 10 years.
According to the Center for Disease Control, over 60% of America’s youth are obese and have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and approximately 25% have two or more risk factors.
As council chairman, Brooks headlines a noted group of athletes that includes Rocco Baldelli, outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays; Jennifer Capriati, former Olympian and women’s professional tennis standout; Nancy Hogshead-Makar, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer; Ken Griffey Jr., outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds; Shaquille O’Neal, center for the Miami Heat and four-time world champion; and Corey Simon, former NFL defensive tackle.
For more information on the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, visit: HealthyFloridians.com.
August 23, 2007
· Filed under Health, Women's Health, hpv, std, vaccine
The vaccine, Gardasil®, protects against four types of HPV (human papillomavirus) which cause 70% of cervical cancers. The vaccine is licensed for use in girls/women ages 9-26 by the FDA. The vaccine is given in a series of three shots over a six month period. The vaccine works best when given to girls before they become sexually active as they will not have had any exposure to the HPV virus. This is why this vaccine is given to girls at such a young age. The retail price for the vaccine is $120 or $360 for all three of the shots. Approximately 50% of sexually active people will get HPV at some time in their lives.
Resources:
CDC
http://www.cdc.gov
August 23, 2007
· Filed under Diet, Health, Health Planning, Men's Health, Waist Measurement, Women's Health
What are the “perfect” measurements? What is the human average waist size? Is my belly healthy? We have all heard that a woman is sexy when she is 36-24-36. This may not always be the case. Your body’s measurements should be viewed as ratios. Every person has a unique starter build (bone structure). From that we can build into our own version of what we perceive as healthy bodies.
For most of us it will be how large our waist is. There is no accurate answer for the “average” waist size. A person who is 6′2″ could have the same waist measurement as a person who is 5′4″, but be far thinner. What you need to measure is your waist hip ratio.
Waist Hip Ratio is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement. (Hips are the widest part of your butt).
Ideally, women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.8 or less.
Ideally, men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95 or less.
From a non measurement stand point, if your waist is smaller then your hips, you have a healthy waist line.
Let’s look at our 36-24-36 woman. Her waist to hip ratio is:
24/36=.6666.
She is well below the .8
Some factors to consider, if you have very large hips, the test is still useful for determining your heart health. Having an apple shape (carrying extra weight around the stomach) is riskier for your health than having a pear shape (carrying extra weight around your hips or thighs). This is because body shape and health risk are linked. If you have more weight around your waist you have a greater risk of lifestyle related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips.
Monitoring your body shape is a very important factor in a healthy lifestyle.
August 23, 2007
· Filed under Diet, Exercising, Health, Health Planning, Sports
The only assured way of losing weight, in a healthy manor, is to control your calorie consumption. I have compiled a chart to show you some great activities for losing weight and how many calories per minute you burn while performing these activities.
About 3,500 calories adds up to about 1 pound of fat. This applies whether they are food calories coming in, or calories (burned by exercise) going out. If you eat 3,500 calories more than your body needs, you will put on about 1 pound. If you use up 3,500 calories more than you eat, you will lose about 1 pound in weight.
How to use this chart:
1. Pick your activity of choice (for the example I will use volleyball)
2. Find the Calories per minute under your weight, (I will use 200lbs so 11.6CPM)
3. Now take 1 pound of calories (3500) and divide by your CPM (3500/11.6=302)
4. You will have to exercise for 302 minutes to burn one pound (or 5 hours)
Many factors affect this. How hard you play will increase your CPM. 3500 is just the average number of calories to burn one pound, your body may need more or less.
Exercise will also increase your muscle mass and you may have a net loss/gain of 0 lbs, but be thinner as muscle is 4 times denser then fat.
When you plan your routine, a chart like this will help you decided what activities you must do to meet your goal. Some of the more strenuous activities require less time to burn the same number of calories.
Calories per minute of exercise (CPM)
Weight (lbs) 100-125 125-150 150-175 175-200
| Basketball full court |
9.8 |
11.2 |
13.2 |
14.5 |
| Bicycling -Stationary 10 mph |
5.5
|
6.3 |
7.8 |
8.3 |
| Bicycling -Stationary 20 mph |
11.7 |
13.3 |
15.6 |
17.8 |
| Bicycling – 10 mph |
5.5 |
6.3 |
7.8 |
14.5 |
| Dancing – Rock & Roll |
3.3 |
3.8 |
4.4 |
4.9 |
| Jogging – 5 mph |
8.6 |
9.2 |
11.5 |
12.7 |
| Running – 8 mph |
10.4 |
11.9 |
14.2 |
17.3 |
| Sex – active |
3.9 |
4.3 |
5.6 |
5.9 |
| Skating – fast |
8.1 |
9.3 |
10.9 |
12 |
| Skiing – down hill |
7.8 |
10.4 |
12.3 |
13.3 |
| Skiing – cross country |
13.1 |
15 |
17.8 |
19.4 |
| Snow shoveling – light |
7.9 |
9.1 |
10.8 |
12.5 |
| Snow shoveling – heavy |
13.8 |
15.7 |
18.5 |
20.5 |
| Swimming – 20 yds. a min. |
3.9 |
4.5 |
5.3 |
6.8 |
| Swimming – 60 yds. a min. |
11 |
12.5 |
14.8 |
17.9 |
| Volleyball |
7.8 |
8.9 |
10.5 |
11.6 |
| Walking 4 mph |
4.5 |
5.2 |
6.1 |
6.8 |
August 22, 2007
· Filed under News, happiness, mental health, youth
According to CNN, it’s not the keys to the car that makes young people happy, it’s spending time with their family. An extensive survey conducted by The Associated press asked 1,280 people from 13-24 what made them happy and this answer ranked number one. The number two and three answers? Spending time with friends, and spending time with a significant other.
Read more about the survey.
August 18, 2007
· Filed under Dentistry, Health, Hygiene, Life, Teeth Whitening
Is teeth whitening safe?
According to most research studies, teeth whitening has proven to be both safe and effective. Gels that contain 10% of carbamide peroxide (or 3.6% of hydrogen peroxide) are considered safe as they have not been shown to cause damage to tooth enamel. While dentists may sometimes provide gels with higher conentrations, the formulas that they recommend also contain fluoride which helps offset this potential side effect.
Over-the counter whitening
If you can’t afford cosmetic dentistry, over-the counter whitening may be an option for you. This option is to be used in conjunction with visits to the dentist, however, because it is not a replacement for getting your teeth professionally cleaned.
We recommend the following product for over-the-counter whitening:
Crest Whitestrips
According to most customer reviews of this product, Crest Whitestrips did follow through with the promise to ‘whiten teeth within two weeks’; some people did not enjoy the process but they do enjoy its rewards.
Why do teeth darken?
According to the American Dental Association, there are a few reasons why teeth darken. These reasons include medications, smoking, and certain foods such as coffee and tea. In addition, as you age, the outer enamel gets worn away revealing the darker tooth beneath. According to the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, 96% of patients experienced some lightening effect as a result of teeth whitening if their teeth had been stained by coffee, tea, or tobacco.
Are there any side effects of teeth whitening?
In some cases patients have reported short-term side effects that included sensitivity due to the nature of the teeth whitening gel or procedure.
Resources
American Dental Association
http://www.ada.org
American Dental Hygienists’ Association
http://www.adha.org
How Stuff Works: Tooth Whitening
http://health.howstuffworks.com/tooth-whitening4.htm
August 18, 2007
· Filed under Health, Health Goals, Health Planning, Lifestyle, Men's Health
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, men can make a few small changes that could have a tremendous impact on their health.
- Eat Healthy. Balancing your diet with fruits and vegetables could help you lower the risk of conditions such as heart disease.
- Maintain a weight that is healthy. Waist measurement can help you determine whether or not you are at risk for high blood pressure and stroke.
- Exercise. Over 50% of both men and women do not spend enough time being active. Changing your daily routine to include at least 30 minutes a day of exercise could be beneficial.
- Get routine exams. Men are at risk for cancers of the skin, prostate, and colon. Making an appointment with your doctor could help you identify the warning signs of these cancers early on and prevent them.
- Get vaccinations.
- Lower your stress. Are you too focused on things that stress you out? Try to change the way you approach these things in your life or eliminate them.
For fun you can test your knowledge about men’s health.
Resources
CDC: Men’s Health
http://www.cdc.gov
National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov
Science Daily: Men’s Health News
http://www.sciencedaily.com
August 18, 2007
· Filed under 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Beijing, Fun, News, Olympics, Sports
Last week, a grand celebration marked the beginning of the one-year countdown to the 2008 summer olympics in Beijing. People gathered in Tiananmen Square to watch fire works and listen to the Olympic Anthem played as over 200 flags from the National Olympic Committees were joined on stage.
“Every emblem of the Olympics tells a story.”
“Dancing Beijing” is the emblem of the 2008 Summer Olympics and it represents “the Olympic epic inscribed by the spirit of the Chinese nation, calligraphed by the deeper import of the ancient civilization, and molded by the character of Cathay’s descendents.” (More information on the emblem.
According to the official web site, at least 12 new venues have been created to accomodate the olympics, including the national stadium, the national aquatics center, the national indoor stadium, beijing shooting range hall, shunyi olympic rowing-canoeing park, china agricultural university gymnasium, beijing university of technology gymnasium, university of science and technology beijing gymnasium, and the olympic green tennis center.
A detailed schedule has also been placed online that includes each sport and when competitions will take place. (Download it in XLS format).
Olympics Fun
Desktop Backgrounds
Screensavers
Games
The Olympics have a long-standing history as they began in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. Later in 1894 the International Olympic Committee was formed to organize The Olympics and is still highly respected today.
Resources
Official Website of the Olympic Movement
http://www.olympic.org
International Olympic Committee
http://www.olympic.org
The Ancient Olympics
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/
August 18, 2007
· Filed under Health, Miscarraige, News, Women's Health, pregnancy
15 to 50% of pregnancies end in miscarraige according to CNN Health, but there’s a lot of hope for those who are able to identify the risks early on.
- When planning a pregnancy, schedule an appointment with a doctor to discuss any potential risk factors. Such factors could include high blood pressure, diabetes, fibroids, polycstic ovary syndrome, thyroid abnormalities, among others, but the good news is that most of these risks are treatable.
- Discuss your medical record with your doctor including medications or supplements you are taking.
- Lower your stress levels. According to research studies, lowered stress levels can reduce the chance of miscarraige up to 50%.
- If you have experienced a miscarraige, conduct a chromosome analysis of fetal tissue. Such an analysis will help you identify potential problems.
Read more at CNN Health.
