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Mindfulness & Weight Loss
by Kelly McGonial, PhD
Research supports the idea that being mindful of what we eat and how we move makes a difference in how much we weigh. Imagine this: you’re staring at your favorite forbidden food—the one thing that threatens to topple your diet. You pick it up, studying its color, shape and texture. You lift it to your nose and welcome its tempting aroma. Finally, you take a bite and savor its taste. In any other moment, you might be feeling guilty for giving in. It could even be the start of a binge. But not tonight. That’s because the food isn’t forbidden—it’s an assignment. This is a weight loss group, and you and all the other participants have brought in your trigger foods. Chocolate, potato chips, doughnuts, you name it. You’re learning how to experience these foods in the moment, without judgment and without guilt. You’re learning to notice whether foods that promise sweet satisfaction actually deliver anything more than a greasy aftertaste. And you’re learning how to handle cravings for these foods without freaking out or falling apart.
Welcome to mindful eating, a growing trend designed to address both the rising rates of obesity and the well-documented fact that most diets don’t work (Katan 2009). A growing body of research reveals how this approach can support weight loss and improve health.
The Cost of Obesity
by Carole Carson
One out of two Americans will require treatment for diabetes or prediabetes-at an annual cost of $3.35 trillion-less than 10 years from now, according to a report issued by UnitedHealth Group. Will the rising cost of medical care, whether paid individually or collectively through government, trigger a change in behavior? Will individuals trim their bodies to fatten their wallets? While the diabetes report with its startling statistics is making headline news in the United States, a less dramatic but no less useful report is providing insight into worrisome health perceptions and unhealthy behaviors of our northern neighbors.
The percentage of Canadians who are overweight or obese has risen to 60 percent, slightly less than the United States' rate of 68 percent. And like the children in the United States, Canadian youth are getting fatter: one in four is overweight or obese compared to one in three in the United States. But unlike residents of the United States, Canadians have enjoyed publicly funded healthcare provided either free or at minimal cost. As healthcare costs have risen in Canada, however, the financial burden has started to shift from the government and employers to individuals.
What is Fitness Psychology?
by Nate Miyaki
Hit the weights a few times a week, walk more, don't eat crappy food, control your portions, drink more water, etc., etc. We all have a basic idea of what we should be doing right? So why don't we actually do it? Bookshelves, websites, and infomercials are full of the hottest new diet and training programs that are finally going to get you results. Trust me, it is not the diet or training programs that are the problem — it's you. There is a huge disconnect between what we know we should be doing and what we actually do. How long have you actually stuck with a program before searching for the next best thing, an easier way, etc.? And how consistent were you with that program? I'm going to let you in on a little secret that the fitness gurus don't want you to know. Most programs — if they are at least somewhat based on basic physiological principles and get people to be more structured — can get you decent results. While some are more efficient than others, and us fitness geeks can argue over the superiority of one program to the next, the truth remains that they all can at least partially help you reach your goals.
If that's the case, than why are so few people getting results and so many more people are still overweight? The reason is most people aren't following the programs consistently enough. Lets be honest, there is more than enough information out there in today's fitness industry. People would better be served focusing on the motivating factors that are going to help them stick to a plan (whatever that plan may be) rather than trying to find the latest, greatest fad diet or training protocol.
Low-Fat Diets and Heart Disease
by Justin Smith
Low-Fat Diets Paradoxically Increase Triglycerides. Fats in the bloodstream are known as triglycerides. A higher level of triglycerides in the bloodstream can increase the risk for heart disease. High levels of triglycerides are also a very common feature of diabetes and diabetics are up to five times more likely to have heart disease than non-diabetic people. For many years, an idea has perpetuated that eating fat will cause the level of triglycerides in the blood to increase. However, when we look at the scientific evidence it is clear that this is not the case. In fact, at least eleven dietary trials have found that a low-fat diet causes the level of triglycerides to increase (1-11), and no studies have found that increased dietary fat increases triglycerides.
Initially, this may seem to be a paradox, however, what these and other studies reveal is that dietary fat is not the villain it was once thought to be. A low-fat diet will inherently involve the consumption of a large amount of carbohydrate. Guidelines from the British Nutrition Foundation actively encourage people to substitute foods that contain fat for foods that are carbohydrate-based. What is often over-looked is the effect that a low-fat / high-carbohydrate diet has on blood glucose levels.
Sports Massage
by Tim Paine
How do the physical, physiological and psychological benefits of sports massage translate into measurable benefits to the athlete in terms of performance levels for both training and competition? Massage is an important means of helping muscles recover from fatigue. By increasing blood and lymph circulation, waste products resulting from exercise are removed more efficiently and the supply of nutrients to the muscles is enhanced. This may help recovery and speed up the training adaptations, thereby helping to prevent overuse.
Helps Prevent Injury
One of the most important benefits of sports massage is the prevention of injury by helping to maintain healthy muscles. If an athlete, for whatever reason, has a tight muscle, this may compress the blood vessels embedded within it and restrict the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the muscle so that they are not able to function at optimum levels. This may increase the chances of suffering injury – either as a result of overuse, as described above, or a more serious traumatic injury such as a muscle tear. For example, in contact sports where agility is an important means of defense, a player with slower reaction time might suffer an injury from an unexpected tackle or impaired coordination.
Promotes Healing
Since an injured person is usually less mobile, his metabolism and the associated healing processes naturally tend to slow down following acute trauma. Sports massage stimulates these processes by warming the tissues, dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood flow, so that the capillary walls become more permeable. This allows better transportation of elements to the affected tissues and removal of waste products from the area, thereby speeding up the repair process. The correct techniques used after the acute phase may also encourage better alignment of new scar tissue in the direction of existing muscle fibers.
