FitSugar

A Big Waist Means Big Health Troubles

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:30:32 PDT

When it comes to measuring your overall health, a simple measuring tape proves to be a more important tool than the scale. While neck circumference is gaining popularity as a new way to gauge a person's health and fitness level, a new study sponsored by the American Cancer Society again confirms waist size is the leading indicator for health risk beating out body mass index (BMI), the standard measurement for obesity. Excessive abdominal fat increases your risk for a wide variety of chronic and deadly health problems, including respiratory illness, heart disease, and cancer.

The new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that folks with large waists have a greater risk of death than others with normal waist measurements - nearly double - even when those with a large waist circumference have a normal BMI. The upper end of healthy waist measurements is 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. The study followed 100,000 subject for 10 years and found that even with a normal BMI, four extra inches around the waist increased the risk of dying from between 15 percent to 25 percent.

American's middles have been steadily growing, with the average waistline increasing around one inch every 10 years since the 1960s. Grab a measuring tape and check your health. Use our hip-to-waist ratio calculator to assess your risk level.

Spare Tire Could Be Fatal, Even With a Healthy BMI

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:00:00 PST

In the battle of the bulge, belly fat is often a focus because of its relationship with heart disease. Just when I thought the subject of spare tires had been prodded in every way possible, new research has come out that could force more people to take their midsection more seriously. It says that even if your BMI describes your weight as normal, having a spare tire could make you twice as likely to die during a 10-year period compared to those without belly fat.

Researchers at the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition composed one of the largest long-term studies in the world to get their results - 359,387 people ages 25 to 70 from nine European countries were involved. The research indicates that overall weight isn't the only indicator in measuring mortality; waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio have a big impact on mortality risk, too.

With heart disease in mind, women should aim to keep their waist circumference below 35 inches and men shouldn't push 40 inches. Wondering if you are an apple or a pear? Check out our Waist-to-Hip calculator to determine your body type and levels of risk.

Source

Another Reason to Stay on Track: Alzheimer's Connection to Waist Circumference

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:45:00 PDT

There are so many reasons to maintain your fitness level and waist size as you pass from decade to decade. Waist circumference has been used as an indicator of risk for heart disease, but it looks like it might also be an indicator of risk for Alzheimer's, too. A new study reviewing over 6,500 patient files took a "sagittal abdominal diameter" rather than a circumference measurement. The results still indicated that the larger the belly the higher the chance of developing Alzheimer's later in life. The study followed patients from their 40s to their 70s, and the midlife belly measurement affected the health and function of their brain later in life. The study did look at why there is a connection between omentum fat (aka belly fat) and Alzheimer's, but they hypothesize that belly fat secretes a substance that affects the brain.

Take home message, you need to stay fit and healthy for the long haul for total health. A healthy waist circumference for women is 35 inches or less, and 40 inches or less for men.

Source

Waist Measurement and Heart Disease

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:30:00 PST

Did you know that your waist measurement is a great diagnostic tool for measuring your risk for heart disease?

Well, according to the Mayo Clinic men with waist measurements of 40 inches and women with measurement of 35 inches, accompanied by a BMI - Body Mass Index of 25 or less, have a greater risk for heart disease.

Why, you might ask, is your waist size relevant to the health of your heart? It is due to your omentum -
the fat organ attached to your stomach and liver. The omentum's only job is to store fat and make it easily accessible to the body and brain. The problem is that the omentum is very good at its job and it makes belly fat all too easy to access (as opposed to fat on your thighs or booty). The fat enters your bloodstream where it creates an inflammatory process and irritates your arteries and puts you at risk for blocked arteries.

So it is much better to have a pear shaped body and be thick in your hips than to have a round shaped apple body.

Must-Know Tips For Neti Pot Newbies

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:03:57 PST

Whether it's a nasty cold or allergies causing your congestion, it may be time to give a neti pot a whirl. This teapot-looking device may seem a little odd at first glance, but it's recommended by ear, nose, and throat doctors to relieve nasal congestion and pain. To a newbie, using a neti pot may seem torturous, but with a few helpful hints, you'll be a neti-pot know-it-all in no time. Watch this video showing how to use a neti pot and keep these important tips in mind.

Go for plastic: Metal and ceramic pots might be pretty, but they tend to break or warp when dropped. A plastic neti pot (I like Rhino Horn neti pots) is lightweight, easy to travel with, a cinch to clean, and you don't have to worry about it shattering if it accidentally drops on your bathroom floor.
Type of salt: There's no need to splurge on special salt to use with a neti pot. Regular table salt works fine, but be sure it's not iodized, as that can cause irritation. Follow the directions that your neti pot came with and measure out the salt exactly rather than eyeballing the amount. Typically the ratio is one teaspoon of salt to 16 ounces of water.

Keep reading for more neti pot newbie tips.

The Dangerous Effects of Sitting at Your Desk

Leta Shy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:07:13 PST

The news keeps getting worse for those of us chained to our desks - that simple act of sitting for hours at a time is doing us way more harm than good. In fact, sitting for prolonged periods of time is so bad for us that not even 30 minutes on the treadmill can counteract its effects (although it's better than nothing). Learn why sitting is detrimental to your health and you might just be inspired to move more.

It increases your risk of cancer: A new study has found that prolonged inactivity increases our risk of certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer. The studies found that women who moved more had smaller waist measurements and lower cancer biomarkers, both of which are risks for developing cancer.

It causes weight gain: One of the most apparent risks of a sedentary lifestyle, of course, is packing on the pounds. In fact, many people blame the growing obesity epidemic on the fact that we sit for the majority of the day. Now that more people have desk jobs than in history, it makes sense that the less we move, the higher the rate of obesity.

More bad news for desk dwellers after the break.

3 Must-Follow Rules For Weight Loss

Shape — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:12:19 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell for help about weight loss.

Q: What are your top three must-follow rules for weight-loss success?

A: You might be surprised that my top three must-follow rules for long-lasting weight loss don’t have anything to do with spinach or Greek yogurt. Instead, they're all about behaviors. Why? Your love affair with black bean and yam chili or high-protein chocolate mousse with coconut milk will come and go as your taste buds seek new flavors, but consistently eating healthy foods and incorporating fitness into your life transcend specific food choices and modes of exercise, allowing you to stay lean and fit for life. Here are my top three tips for weight-loss success:

Make it Autopilot: Create a schedule for your diet and exercise. Plan ahead so when the week starts, all you need to do is execute. I’m guessing your life is busy - family, work, hobbies, etc. The food that you're eating needs to be there, ready to go, when it's time to eat. If it is, then sticking to your diet is easy. Thinking about what to eat, finding/preparing it, and then eating it takes too much time and mental effort during an already busy day. You’ll find yourself "starting your diet again tomorrow" and reaching for the nearest refined-sugar, nutrient-poor food you can find (those kinds of food always seem to be just within arm’s reach). Make a menu for the week, cook, and prepare meals in advance so that you can function on dietary autopilot all week.

See the rest of the tips after the break!

7 Reasons to Try Interval Training

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:11:00 PDT

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout - pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again - will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

Whittle your middle
While cardio exercise is necessary to lose fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for bikini season and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers. Curious how your middle measures up? Check your waist-to-hip ratio here.

Got a need for speed?
The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working towards a personal record for an upcoming race, don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

Vintage Advantage - Our 10 Favorite Vintage Shopping Sites

Brittney Stephens — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:35:21 PDT

When it comes to vintage shopping, it can be difficult to find something worthwhile in your city or state. Those vintage shops can be musty and filled with a lot of, well, crap. The Internet has widened the vintage pool, but even then it's hard to know where to look, and sites like eBay and Etsy are fantastic, but overwhelming. Still, when you score that high-quality, high-style vintage piece on the Internet, it's a thrilling feat. Enter our editors' list, 10 excellent, well-curated vintage shopping sites for easy perusal. Whether you're looking for the best in bohemian chic, '80s-cool cocktail dresses, '20s era silk robes, or the perfectly worn-in concert tee, these online boutiques probably have exactly what you want. See our editors' picks for our 10 favorite online vintage shopping destinations when you keep reading.

Save Money With Vintage Clothing Just like Chloe Sevigny

LearnVest — Fri, 06 May 2011 00:15:54 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Vintage fashion is inherently democratic.

Celebrity style icons like Chloe Sevigny, Nicole Kidman and Alexa Chung don’t get their inimitable style from mindlessly chasing every new trend - and neither should you plunk down serious change for the latest “it” bag when you could spend less money and sport an original piece.

Vintage is generally defined as anything that’s more than 25 years old, high-quality and illustrative of its era. In short, you’ll know it when you see it - and then you’ll fall in love with it.

Why We Think Vintage Is Worth It

If a piece of clothing is more than 25 years old, it’s probably endured because of superior fabric and craftsmanship. Vintage clothing also tends to be easier to customize because it has wider seam allowances for tucking in or taking up. Little compares to the thrill of finding a statement piece that you know no one else will be wearing at the cocktail party. It’s even eco-friendly because you’re reusing fabric and saving energy on production of a new garment. (For some of our favorite new green fashion, read this.)

But best of all - you knew we had to bring this back to your bottom line–vintage wares provide better value for your money. Well-made pieces range from $10 for lingerie and shoes to $350 for boutique coats. Case in point: Bridgett Artise, designer, shop owner, and author of Born-Again Vintage, cherishes the Alexander McQueen coat and Chanel jacket she nabbed for $7 and $15, respectively at a Salvation Army in New York City. (Her tip: Always be on the lookout for undiscovered stores and sources of vintage, before their secret is outed.)

Here’s how to shop vintage like a pro:

1. Measure Up

Sizes have steadily drifted upward since the middle of the century (called “vanity sizing”), which often makes the numbers you see useless with older clothing. Make sure to always try things on, and get yourself measured (or do it yourself) so you can identify what will fit you when shopping online.

For more tips, read after the jump.