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.

Why Running Isn't Helping You Lose Weight

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:30:56 PDT

You started running months ago, yet every time you hop on the scale, you're let down by the results. What gives? While running does burn mega calories, here are some reasons you may not be seeing the weight-loss results you're after.

Postrun Pig-Outs
Burning tons of calories can cause a famished feeling afterward, but it's important to fuel wisely. Choose junk food as your recovery food and not only are you overdoing it on the calorie front, you'll be hungry again in the next hour. Although a postrun snack is essential, make sure it's packed with protein and filling carbs, and do not exceed 150 calories. If you exercised before a meal, enjoy a sensibly portioned plate, and don't go overboard as a way to reward your efforts. If you still find you're utterly famished after a workout, it probably means you need to fuel up before you exercise, so enjoy one of these pre-workout snacks before heading out for a run.

You Don't Run Enough
If you're running and not seeing results, take a look at your calendar. Doing one 45-minute run once a week, or a couple 20-minute runs won't burn enough calories to lose weight. In order to lose a pound a week, you'll need to ditch 500 calories each day, through a combination of diet and exercise. If losing weight is your goal, run three to four times per week and incorporate other forms of calorie-burning cardio on the other days.

Keep reading to find out why running isn't helping you lose weight.

How Some Countries Limit Airbrushed Advertisements

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:30:13 PDT

Airbrushing and advertising have become synonymous. While Photoshop renders perfect, slender, and flawless-faced images that may sell products or magazine covers, some worry that heavily altered depictions can negatively impact women. The good news is celebrities, companies, and several countries are taking a stand against excessive and unrealistic airbrushing. This week, Israel passed legislation that will place limits on airbrushing in fashion advertisements. Israel's new rules will require all advertisers to label photographs that have received retouching. In addition, the regulations will try to promote healthier body image by requiring all models to have a minimum body mass index of 18.5, which is the minimum weight that the World Health Organization considers standard or healthy.

Australia has attempted similar measures. In 2010, Australia's youth minister Kate Ellis came up with guidelines to ban ultra thin models and heavy retouching. The initiative would require Austrian advertisers to "disclose when images have been retouched and refrain from enhancing photographs in a way that changes a person's body shape, for example, lengthening their legs or trimming their waist, or removing freckles, lines and other distinguishing marks."

Working to comb through all advertisements, the UK has an independent group called the Advertising Standards Authority, which regulates advertising across all media platforms to ensure that ads are "decent and truthful." While airbrushing is a common occurrence, the agency does ban ads that are highly exaggerated. Recently, Rachel Weisz's L'Oreal's Revitalift Repair 10 ad was banned for its excessive and misleading airbrushing. In the ad, the actress's face was devoid of wrinkles and promoted extremely false advertising.

Back in the US, we don't have specific laws regulating airbrushing, but you can pick up this month's The Economist's Intelligent Life with the cover featuring an untouched Cate Blanchett. The Intelligent Life editor Tim de Lisle explains their decision, "When other magazines photograph actresses, they routinely end up running heavily Photoshopped images, with every last wrinkle expunged . . . Cate Blanchett, by contrast, appears on our cover . . . with the odd line on her face and faint bags under her eyes. She looks like what she is - a woman of 42." Ironically, an un-airbrushed image becomes a sensational news story, but as a public, do we prefer perfect, pretty images or do we really wish to see true portrayals of our celebrities? What do you make of these types of regulations?

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.

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.

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!