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Postpartum Weight Loss- Find Exercise You Love

July 31, 2008 on 12:13 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

So many women exercise because they feel they “have too”, but they really don’t enjoy it.  I always ask my clients what exercise they enjoy doing.  I had one client that said the last time she enjoyed any type of exercise was when she was doing ballet as a young child.  I said, “Great!  Join an adult ballet class.”  So she did and she absolutely loved it!  Soon she was taking up my yoga class which she loved even more.  When you do what you love its no longer a chore…plus you’ll love how you feel and the toning results!

Success seen with tailored diabetes education

July 28, 2008 on 9:24 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off Washington -- Diabetes education that is tailored to a specific population goes a long way toward improving blood sugar control among those with type 2 diabetes, according to a review published July 15 by TheCochrane Library.

Such targeted education has long been encouraged by the American Medical Association and many other medical groups. Still, knowing that the bottom-line result -- better control over A1c levels is being achieved -- is welcome news.

The research team from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom was assembled by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international, nonprofit organization that reviews health interventions, to examine 11 randomized controlled trials involving 1,603 people.

Researchers found that the use of community-based health advocates, the delivery of information within same-gender groups, or the adaptation of dietary and lifestyle advice to fit a particular community's needs were effective tools in the effort to gain control of the disease.

Diabetes is a problem throughout the world and, with rising obesity rates, is expected to become even more pervasive. Nearly 8% of the U.S. population already has type 2 diabetes, and the rate is increasing especially sharply for members of minority populations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others.

Type 2 diabetes is a particular problem for members of minority ethnic groups who move from poorer nations to high-income countries where they confront many physical, communication and cultural barriers that make it difficult to access health care effectively, said the researchers.

Hispanics, blacks, and Asian and Pacific Islanders all experience higher rates of diabetes than do whites. Among those younger than 20, American Indians have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes among all groups, according to the CDC.

Making programs appropriate

"With such a large proportion of the U.S. population composed of minority groups, which are only going to increase over time, and with diabetes being more prevalent among those groups, it makes sense to step back and see if culturally appropriate programs work," said Leonard Jack Jr., PhD, professor in the behavioral and community health sciences program at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. "I was happy to see that they do work."

Jack coordinated the development of the American Assn. of Diabetes Educators' 2007 position statement on Cultural Sensitivity and Diabetes Education. Among the recommendations: "Practice active listening, which may permit identification of what is meaningful to people."

Nearly 8% of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

In findings from their review, the Cochrane researchers noted improvements in blood-sugar control within three months of the start of education programs that were deemed culturally appropriate. The benefit still was seen when the six-month trial period ended. But one year later, the benefits had not been retained, indicating the need for a refresher course.

"That is predictable," said John B. Buse, MD, PhD, president for medicine and science at the American Diabetes Assn. "It's remarkable how often people fall off the wagon, despite how well they understand. People need coaching to sustain something like diabetes management, to sustain physical activity and watch their diet."

The findings aren't shockingly new but bear repeating, said Dr. Buse, who also is professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. "If you talk to people about foods that are not a part of what they normally eat, they are not likely to follow suggestions," he said. "If you suggest joining a health club and they can't afford a health club, that's not going to be very effective."

The Cochrane researchers also cautioned that all minority communities are not the same, and that programs should be developed in partnership with a community.

They defined culturally appropriate health education as any type of diabetes education that has been specifically tailored to the cultural needs of a target minority group.

Although education in general is key to the successful management of diabetes, it's not enough, said Michele Heisler, MD, MPH, associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "You need to be motivated to do something, you have to have the confidence that you can do something, and the social support as well," she said.

"Culturally appropriate education is much more likely to tap into and resonate with people's lifestyles and values," she added.

Pregnancy- Eat for Two= Gain “Two” Much Weight

July 23, 2008 on 8:55 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

There’s quite the misconception about pregnancy and food consumption.  Many women believe that once they’re pregnant they can eat anything they want.  The fact is when you’re pregnant it is more important than ever to eat healthy, and nourish yourself and your baby with healthy foods.  Eating for two will do NO good for either of you.  You’ll put on unnecessary weight that will be hard to lose after baby, plus it will make you feel sluggish while you’re pregnant.  It’s very easy to get the extra calories you need to support the growth of your baby.  Just listen to your body and eat the way you ate prior to pregnancy (well that’s assuming you ate pretty healthy before baby!).  If you’re craving sweets head for fruit or a smoothy first.  The key is to eat when you’re hungry and choose foods that will nourish both you and your baby!

Postpartum Weight Loss- The “Sweet” Connection

July 21, 2008 on 10:59 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Have you noticed that when your stressed or anxious you crave sweets?  There’s nothing wrong with eating sweets in moderation, but it becomes a problem is you’re eating sweets and you’re unaware of when you’re doing it.  Start keeping a journal and notice when and how often you crave sweets.  Is it when you’re low on energy?  frustrated? bored? Once you understand your pattern you can then chose a behavior that won’t pack on the pounds.  Call a girlfriend, go for a walk, read a book or magazine then ask yourself if you still want sweets.  Often we crave sweets to relieve stress or anxiety, so when you replace the behavior w/ a different one your craving will go away…and the result is a reduction in calorie intake and ultimately weight loss!

Lifestyle issues contribute to weight gain in teen girls

July 21, 2008 on 9:17 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off Teen girls who want to lose weight may need to consider how much they sleep, drink and surf the Internet, according to a study published online July 10 in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Researchers analyzed data from 4,427 girls ages 14 to 21 who were participating in the Growing Up Today Study, a cohort of children of subjects from the Nurses' Health Study II. An average weight gain of four pounds per year was associated with getting less than five hours of sleep a night, drinking more than two servings of alcohol per week and surfing the Internet for recreation for an hour or more at a time. Coffee did not appear to play a role. However, the authors noted that the caloric content of many coffee drinks has increased since this population was surveyed in 2000 and 2001. The other worry is the cumulative effect of these additional pounds as these lifestyle issues become hard-to-break habits.

"These particular factors are potentially very important with regard to excess weight gain because as girls get older, they spend more time on the Internet while getting less sleep, drinking more coffee and, possibly, also beginning to consume alcohol," said Catherine Berkey, ScD, lead author and a lecturer in medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Experts praised the paper for attempting to quantify the many lifestyle factors that may contribute to weight gain among adolescent girls.

"This study makes perfect sense," said Ellen Rome, MD, MPH, head of adolescent medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.

Most suspect these behaviors are connected to weight because they play a role in sedentary behavior and excess calorie consumption. For example, teens who spend a lot of time in front of computers would have, before the Internet, been sitting in front of a TV. Therefore, adolescent medicine specialists are calling for physicians to ask about total screen time rather than just television hours.

Alcohol consumption, lack of sleep and long Internet sessions are associated with weight gain in teen girls.

"The Internet is the new watching television for this particular generation of adolescents and young adults," said James Farrow, MD, professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of the student health service at Tulane University in New Orleans. "It's a sedentary way of socializing instead of playing a sport or something like that, and I would not be surprised if they were eating at the same time they were on the Internet."

Alcohol provides significant liquid calories and can lead to sleep disturbances. This lack of sleep quality, in turn, can lead to metabolic issues that can add pounds. The resulting daytime sleepiness may mean that teens will not have the energy to participate in physical activity.

"It becomes a vicious cycle. Alcohol can significantly disrupt [one's] sleep cycle, and if they're more sleepy during the day, they're not going to be as active," said Tonya Chaffee, MD, MPH, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Those who work with adolescents also would like to see more analysis of how these factors may affect the weight of teen boys, and of the impact of all caffeinated drinks, not just coffee.