Fitness Flop 4: Heated Sauna Belts, $40-$70

Heated sauna belts claim to reduce weight  - to “sweat” away unwanted fat. It if were only so easy. These sauna belts include a flexible belt (to fit all sizes) with a fastening system, a multi-level remote control,  instructional guide, free tape measure and diet plan.

This product is truly worthless. Even the worst of most fitness flop products involved muscle contraction. The sauna belt does not “burn fat” and does not lead to weight loss. Many consumers have complained about burning and blistering after only 50 minutes of use. Need I say more?

Fitness Flop 5: Toning Shoes, $80-$100

Training shoes are sneakers designed with an unstable sole, so leg muscles have to work harder to maintain balance during everyday activities. Various companies claims range from reducing back pain, reducing cellulite, improving posture to promoting weight loss.

Podiatrists, doctors, trainers and the American Council on Exercise all found that toning shoes failed to live up to promises made by their manufacturers. Toning shoes do not deliver the fitness and muscle toning benefits they claim. In some cases consumers said that their hips and lower back hurt after wearing them. Not only were the shoes awkward, but stability was compromised and there was the possibility of suffering an injury.

Fitness Flop 6: Shake Weights, $15-$30 a pair

Shake weights claim to use “revolutionary new technology called inertia.” Newton is turning in his grave.

The problem with this idea is that regardless whether the weight is shaking or not, it is still a static contraction which only has effects at that joint angle. You could hold the same angle without any shake weight and contract your muscles to get the same muscle work.

While shake weights may not be 100% worthless, the claims are nonsense. Their videos say you’ll look like their models by using the shake weight for just 6 minutes a day! This is the classic way to sell fitness products to the person who wants results without making an effort.

Bottom line:
Manufacturers will keep making fitness flops as long as people spend millions of dollars a year buying into their promises. When all is said and done, there’s no substitute for real exercise and a proper diet.

30 Second Fitness tip of the Week
Laugh. That’s right, laugh everyday!
Laughter is like a mini workout. Laughing reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Laughter has also been shown to increase the number of cells that produce antibodies and enhances the effectiveness of t-cells, an important component of the immune system. Plus laughing makes you feel good. To quote Nurse Talk, “Laughter is the Best Medicine”

I’m Joanie Greggains. Until next week…make fit happen!

Photo by XpeSports

Fitness was once considered a fad. While fitness is no longer considered a fad, there have been many fitness products that have been sold to consumers wishing to get into shape quickly.

It can be hard to tell the difference between fitness products that work and fitness products that flop.

Today, I’m going to talk about fitness products that did not live up to their promises.

Fitness Flop 1: Electronic Muscle Stimulators/The Electronic Ab Toner.  Cost $50-$250.00

This is a machine that sends electric currents to your abs, making them contract and release. This peroduct is supposed to cause you to burn off body fat.  Losing body fat requires a combination of cardio exercise and a reduced calorie diet. You can’t lose weight or fat by spot reducing or without moving your muscles. The only way to lose fat is to do the work yourself.

Fitness Flop 2: Ab Lounge/Ab Rocker.  Cost-$129-$179.00

The Ab Rocker and Ab Lounge are both a portable piece of exercise equipment that resemble a lounge chair. They claim to work the upper, lower abs and obliques, all while you rock back and forth in front of your television. When a product’s claims sound too good to be true they usually are. While sitting comfortably in one of these rocking chairs you probably won’t break a sweat or feel any muscle burn, therefore you won’t be working the abdominals. There are much more effective ways to work the abdominal muscles that don’t cost a dime.

Fitness Flop 3: Six Second Abs.  Cost $60-$90.00

This is a piece of exercise equipment that allows you to work the various parts of your abs without lying down. The promise behind this product is that in mere minutes of working out daily, you’ll be able to achieve substantial results in a matter of 1-2 weeks. The only positive thing about this product is the included exercise and diet program that hints that abdominal exercises alone do not reduce abdominal fat. The actual six second abs exercise product is a very low quality piece of plastic and the resistance offered by the bands of the six second abs is very insignificant.

Six Second Abs got its name from the time it takes to complete one repetition. I can think of something else you can do with this that takes six seconds!!

I’ll be talking about more fitness flops next week–but now it’s time for my
Fitness Tip of the Week:

Forget spending all your money on equipment that doesn’t work
See if you can do the following 60 second routine everyday
15 sec jumping jacks
15 sec march in place
15 sec wall push up
15 sec wall squat
Repeat at least 5 times–try to do 4 times a day!

I’m Joanie Greggains —–until next week make fit happen!

OK, I don’t care if you’ve been hitting the gym and working out for years, chances are you’ve fallen for a few fitness myths. While some myths may contain half truths, many of these exercise induced myths have largely been debunked by current research, but surprisingly the following 10 are still in circulation.

Photo by NACDublin

MYTH ONE: YOU CAN SPOT REDUCE.
No matter how many crunches you do, it’s not possible to melt fat off just your midsection. You have to work the whole body–weights for muscle strength and endurance, cardio to utilize fat as fuel combined with healthy diet is the only way.

MYTH TWO: AEROBIC WORKOUTS BOOST YOUR METABOLISM FOR HOURS AFTER YOU STOP.
The myth that working out in the morning will keep your body burning calories at a higher rate all day is only partially true. You do end up burning more calories after you get off the treadmill, but only about 20 over the course of the day, not the several hundred extra many people seem to expect.

MYTH THREE: TREADMILLS ARE BETTER FOR YOUR KNEES.
People with knee problems may have been told that running on a treadmill gives you more cushion than running on pavement. NOT! The real stress on your knees doesn’t come from the surface you run on it comes from your body weight, which provides up to four times more pressure on your knees per pound with each step.

MYTH FOUR: STRETCHING BEFORE A WORKOUT PREVENTS INJURY.
Stretching after a workout, once your body is warmed up may help to increase your range of motion, but stretching beforehand when your body is cold will not.

MYTH FIVE: SPORTS BRAS ONLY PREVENT BOUNCING.
Sports bras can actually help prevent your breasts from sagging as you age. The bouncing action of high impact activities can stretch out the ligaments that hold your breasts in place causing them to droop. Solution: wear your sports bra.

MYTH SIX: LIFTING WEIGHTS BULKS YOU UP.
Many women avoid the weight rack because they are afraid of bulking up. Relax: it’s the testosterone in men that helps them build large, bulky muscles. Women on the other hand develop long lean muscles. Plus, muscle can boost your metabolism.

MYTH SEVEN: YOU CAN EAT WHEREVER YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU EXERCISE.
Not! Exercise does play a role in how much fat you gain, but only about 20%. The other 80% comes from the food you eat. Many people overestimate how many calories they burned during a workout and then overeat.
This is why in order to lose weight you have to keep track of calories you consume.

MYTH EIGHT: YOU ONLY BURN FAT IN YOUR TAGET HEART RATE ZONE.
Actually you burn a mixture of fat and carbs no matter what your heart rate is. The body is built to get the most efficient amount of fuel it can, which is usually not solely fat burning. Get the best results by mixing high and low intensity throughout your workout.

MYTH NINE: YOU BURN MORE FAT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
If you work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach your body will tap into fat reserves to help get the fuel it needs. Unfortunately it will also tap into your muscle supply, burning even more muscle than it does fat, which can be counterproductive as lower muscle mass means lower metabolism.

MYTH TEN: YOU SHOULD PUSH TO MUSCLE FATIGUE.
Pushing yourself to complete muscle fatigue is a sure way of overtraining and not getting results you want. Instead work to about 80 to 85% of your capacity to get the best results.

30 Second Exercise Tip of Week
AB AND BACK STRETCH
-Sitting up straight
-pull in your abs
-reach your hands upwards, and hold for 10 seconds–if in a car do at stop light-never while driving
-repeat 10 times throughout your commute

Keep reaching!

I’m Joanie Greggains–until next week–make fit happen!

Love Handles, aka Muffin Top.  Photo courtesy of Colin Rose

Everyone has stubborn fat you just can’t shift, whether its love handles or back fat. Maybe you obsess over bingo wings, or know your stomach will never be flat, no matter how much you diet and exercise.

Until recently, it was thought our body shape and fat deposits were due to our genetic makeup – turns out this is only part of the story. According to new research, the way fat accumulates around our body reveals far more about our health and diet than we thought, and the key to getting rid of those wobbly parts forever is to understand why you pile on the pounds in certain places.

The wrong foods, hormonal imbalances, stress and toxins can also determine where we store fat. Weight doesn’t go on evenly all over, and while it’s largely genetic there are certain lifestyle factors that determine where fat is deposited.

The Problem: Stomach Fat
The Cause: Stress
Stomach Fat has been linked to stress levels. When we’re stressed cortisol is released from our adrenal glands and this causes the body to lay down fat around the stomach. A recent study at Yale University found that even slim women are more likely to have excess abdominal fat if they regularly feel stressed. Why does enhanced cortisol exposure led us to accumulate abdominal fat you ask. That’s because abdominal, or visceral, fat has more cortisol receptors than fat anywhere in your body. That’s why stressed people from all walks of life store fat around their stomachs.

The Cure:
The good news–you dont have to spend hours on the treadmill – in fact too much cardiovascular exercise can create excess cortisol. You need a balanced workout that includes weights, yoga or pilates and cardio – a balanced workout. Working out without over doing it is a great way to reduce stress.

Stomach fat can also be caused by imbalanced gut bacteria. Too much sugar, grains, alcohol, salt, and junk food feed gut bacteria. Try cutting them out and take a good probiotic.
Foods that restore cortisol balance and so can help flatten your stomach include lean protein, green vegetables, olives and sweet potatoes.

The Problem: Back Fat
The Cause: Your Body Can’t Process Carbs
Many women store excess fat around their shoulder blades. This can be due to your body not handling carbohydrates efficiently. Telltail sign–fat spillage all around your bra strap – hate it!

The Cure:
First of all eliminate grains and refined carbohydrates (such as white rice, pasta and sweets) from diet. Instead eat clean diet of lean protein, fresh vegetables, fruit and lots of water. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise also helps. Try circuit or spin classes.
Resistance work for upper body using free weights and machines should help shrink your back.

The Problem: Bingo Wings–upper arms chunky and rough to touch. Your armpits spill over a strapless dress.
The Cause: This can be due to toxins in your system.
There was a recent study about BPA (Bisphenol A) a toxin found in everyday products like plastic bottles. BPA puts a toxic load on your body and excess fat is one side effect. Within three days of eliminating BPA’s there is a 77% decrease in BPA’s in the body. Bottom Line: Never heat up anything in a plastic container and try and limit the amount you drink from a plastic bottles.

The Cure:
Triceps Dips, Triceps Extentions, Resistance Work that targets upper body. Eat clean to detoxify the body

The Problem: Love Handles–You can grab a handful of fat from each side of your waist
Cause: Too Much Sugar
A thick waist with excess fat can be a sign that your body isn’t handling insulin well. A sugary diet can result in fatty deposits around the waist.

The Cure:
This type of fat can also be due to stress, like stomach fat. Antioxidant rich food such as berries, variety of fresh vegetables an green tea can stabilize blood sugar levels.
In terms of toning up, love handles can be fairly stubborn and don’t always respond well to targeted exercise. However, love handles do respond well to exercise such as Bikram Yoga (Yoga done in heated studio). Sweating is a good thing.

30 Second Exercise Tip of the Week
GLUTE SQUEEZE
Ok here’s something that’s good for every body!!
You can do this anywhere and anytime you’re sitting down.
Lets work that butt.
–Sit up straight
–Squeeze your gluteus maximus muscles otherwise known as your Butt
–Hold for 5 seconds
–Here we go 1-2-3-4-5-
–Do 4 sets of 5 squeezes

Keep Squeezing!

Even though people think of vibrating belt machines as products of the 50′s, they were first introduced in 1928 by Dr. Kellog at his health facility in Michigan. Women wanting to lose weight hoped to vibrate their fat away. Vibrating belt machines became even more popular after World War II. Women put away their work clothes and tried to look more like the glamourous actresses of the times by shaking their fat off.

When vibration wasn’t enough, women turned to the next logical step: electric shock. The Relax-a-Cizor first introduced in 1949, promised to zap the fat off. More than 400,000 were sold before they were taken off the market in 1970 due to many unpleasant side effects.

Vibration type fitness machines have made a 21st Century comeback. Unlike the shaking belts of the 1950s, this time the vibration is focused on the entire body. Enter the Vibration Platform. The theory is that when you stand on the vibrating platform, high frequency vibration will coarse through your body. Your body’s natural response to this sort of vibrarion is to tense up. As all the muscles of the body contract together, tendons are thought to lengthen as blood flow to each of the muscles increases.

While there are definitely some benefits to a total body vibration platform, so far it has not been shown to help with weight loss, muscle tone, or body sculpting.

Ok, what about the benefits? Preliminary research has shown that for those with knee joint problems, low bone density or poor balance, standing on a vibrating platform while performing other upper body exercises may help with these problems. For those looking to improve their fitness level, it is possible to use free weights, resistance bands, and other light equipment while standing on the vibrating platform. The additional weight and concentration required by your body to maintain balance can help increase the benefits of other exercises.

The technology is new, so research is still coming in. The greatest downside to this technology is the cost. Entry level models often sell for $2,000 dollars. A better way to go, is to check out fitness facilities that have vibration platforms and give it a try! Shake it Up!!

30-Second Tip of Week:
This week’s assignment is to stay hydrated. I read a statistic that says from 60-80% of people are chronically dehydrated! Your body is about 70% water, so you can imagine the effect drinking a bit will have on your entire system – staying hydrated can improve your mood, make your skin shine, relieve pain, improve your digestion and so much more. So raise a glass of water – here’s to your Health!

Wrangler jeans as seen on buttocks who have never confronted cellulite in their lives.

Guys, you may not worry about cellulite, but believe me, women do. Well, ladies, we’ve had jeans that squeeze our stomach in, others that lift our butt and now Wrangler has launched jeans that go after our cellulite.

The jeans “Smooth Legs” skinny jeans are made from fabric treated with caffeine, Retinal and algae extract, all ingredients used in products that “reduce the appearance” of cellulite—notice I said “reduce the appearance” not get rid of. Wrangler says that 69% of women in clinical trials reported an improvement in the “appearance” of their thighs.

The clinical trial held in France required the jeans to be wore for eight hours a day, five days a week during the six week testing period.

All this to reduce the appearance of cellulite–Actually by wearing the Jeans you don’t have to worry about cellulite, as your legs are covered. Maybe that should be the pitch.

But wait there’s more, it’s no longer enough for our items of clothing to perform just one task, now to add to the collection of multitasking clothing, Triumph is set to launch bottom-moisturizing control pants. Each of the pieces in the collection is infused with tiny aloe vera micromoisture capsules. The capsules which last for 100 washes, start to release moisturizer when they come into contact with skin.

Triumph says its collection will help to keep your nether regions in silky smooth condition, all while sucking you in and keeping stray flab hidden away.

Are these the hardest working “control pants” or what!?

30 Second Tip of Week

Do The Squeeze

Here’s an exercise you can do anywhere including your car

We can create our own “control pants”

—squeeze your glutes together

—hold for a count of five then release, one buttock at a time.

—repeat this for 5 minutes or more

—you should feel a tightening in both your abdominal and glute region, no additional fashion investments required.

Premenstrual Syndrome is among the most common health problems reported by women, affecting approximately 1 in 3, and there’s not much modern medicine has to offer. Ancient traditional medicine, though, in Asia and Persia used a spice called saffron to treat menstrual disorders. But what did they know–that was 3,500 years ago (in fact the earliest recorded use of any medicinal plant). Didn’t they realize you can’t really know anything unless it’s put through a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial? Well it took 3,500 years, but now we finally have it. Watch my 2-min. video Saffron for the Treatment of PMS to see the results.

The spice saffron is composed of the female reproductive organs of the flower of the saffron crocus. Each flower just produces a few threads, such that you need 50,000 flowers to make a single pound of spice–enough flowers to fill a football field. No wonder it’s the most expensive spice in the world. Thankfully, the PMS study found benefits using a tiny amount. What if you could get away with using even less, though?

In my 2-min. follow-up video Wake Up and Smell the Saffron I profile one of the wildest studies I saw published last year that documents psychological benefits from even just the scent of saffron. How’s that for the power of plants? The study concludes:  “Smelling saffron… is simple and easy, and it seems there is little side effect.”

For more flower power see my blog and videos on hibiscus tea (Better Than Green Tea) and chamomile tea (Red Tea, Honeybush, & Chamomile and Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy). And hey, broccoli florets are just clusters of flower buds; see The Best Detox, Broccoli Versus Breast Cancer Stem Cells, and 26 other broccoli videos. Don’t like broccoli? Well, I have hundreds of videos on more than a thousand other topics.

-Michael Greger, M.D.

How can you tell when you really, truly need to arrange help and make more time for yourself? Consider these four warning signs:

1. All you ever talk about or think about is caregiving.

Compassion fatigue is a very real condition to which caregivers are vulnerable. (Professional nurses and social workers get it, too.) Your caring is critical — but because you’re an individual, it’s not the entirety of your life even when it takes up most of the hours in a given day. It’s important for your sanity, and to maintain other important relationships and responsibilities, that you keep your life outside of caregiving moving forward.

Talking to friends and family about their lives and interests is one way to do this. So is spending time on non-caregiving activities, like things you used to enjoy doing. Even if you do them in lesser amounts, do them.

2. You rely on booze or cigarettes to make it through the day.

Substance overuse is a red flag for stress. Sometimes caregivers use substances like alcohol, cigarettes, or illicit drugs as crutches to get them through the long and stressful stretches of the day. Excessive use of caffeinated coffee or power drinks can fall into this category, too. So can mindlessly overeating sweet or salty snack foods that provide empty calories.

Instead of relying on substances to prop you up in a hard situation, it’s healthier to get yourself out of the situation in order to recharge.

3. You can’t fall asleep — and then dread waking up.

Sleep disturbances are a reliable signal of overwhelm. You may be unable to sleep because you’re so wound up, or because your loved one with dementia or another issue keeps awakening and therefore keeps you up. Either way, you don’t get the seven to nine hours you need to feel refreshed and refueled for the long haul. By morning, you may have a sense of not wanting to get out of bed because you’re too tired or not looking forward to what’s ahead.

Resolving sleep issues is key for every caregiver. Arranging respite help is one way you can cut down the stress that feeds many sleep problems.

4. You can’t remember the last time you felt happy or a sense of pleasure.

To be sure, nursing a loved one through a health condition like dementia or stroke recovery isn’t jolly business. But persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness are a warning sign of depression. If you can’t find pleasure in even small ways (the feeling of a walk outdoors, a grandchild’s smile, a good book, a cup of coffee with a friend), you may be suffering from the effects of caregiver burnout — and may be at risk for depression. Weaving more off-duty time into your day and getting support from others can help.

There is such a thing as caring “too much”.

About the Author

Paula Spencer Scott is a senior editor at Caring.com, the leading online destination for caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Paula is a 2011 MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging fellow and writes extensively about health and caregiving.

There was a research study of more than 17,000 individuals in 2010 linking to much sitting with increased risks of disease and premature death.

1. Men and women who reported more than 23 hours a week sedentary activity had a 64 percent risk of dying from heart disease than those who were sedentary less than 11 hours a week.
2. People who use a computer for 11 hours or more a week, or watch tv 21 hours or more a week, are more likely to be obese.
3. Too much sitting time correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other prevalent chronic health problems.

OK you get it—sitting itself is not fundamentally harmful—except when done incorrectly for long periods of time on a consistent basis. Your body was not meant to be sedentary—look at all your moving parts. (If you’re driving look later.)

Numerous metabolic and other body processes are negatively impacted by long periods of sitting. Here’s some things you can do to get off your butt:

–Get up frequently at least once every hour, stretch, walk around, move for at least 5 minutes
–Use an exercise ball for a chair–unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility
–Exercise at your desk—many movements you can do that benefit your body
–Cut back on TV, video games and computer at home—make your leisure time is as active as possible

Bottom line: energy creates energy—all together now—”stand up and move forward.”
(Research studies published: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2011, British Journal of Sports Medicine editorial 2011)

The results—seventy percent of the time the ice had more bacteria than the toilet water.

In four of the five restaurants, ice from the self-serve machines had more bacteria than toilet water, as did three out of five cups of ice from drive trough windows.

Sixty percent of the restaurant ice also tested positive for E. coli, which comes from the feces of animals and can cause serious illness.

While a certain amount of bacteria in water is considered harmless, no amount of E. coli is acceptable, however small.

We already know that soft drinks are one of the worst fluids you could drink–number one source of calories that has helped fuel the obesity epidemic in the USA–and if that’s not bad enough, now we find out that soft drinks–dispensed through insufficiently cleaned fountains or filled with contaminated ice–can expose you to more harmful bacteria than toilet water–yuk!

If you just can’t go cold-turkey and give up your fast food soda all at once–then next time you pull up to the window say “hold the ice”!

1.  Nurses often work long shifts and are constantly on their feet.  The last thing you’d want to do is take another hour of your day walking on the treadmill or going for a jog.  Instead, get a couple of free weights, resistance bands or dumbbells and do some strength training exercises for 30 minutes.  Research shows that even strength training can improve cardiovascular fitness as well. [1]

2.  Have you ever had trouble moving a patient from their bed, lifting them up from a seat or assisting them down the hallway or to the bathroom?  Strength training is the best way to make this easier by increasing muscular strength and neural coordination. [2]

3.  After a long shift moving from patient to patient I can see how it might get difficult to remember patient history, prescriptions, ailments etc.  Moderate strength training and exercise can help you increase focus and mental performance to help you think and care for your patients even better. [3]

4.  Are nights on the hospital floor stressing you out?  Stress might lower your immune system and raise your risk of contracting an illness.  Multiple studies have found that strength training helps reduce stress and strengthen your immune system. [4]

These are just a few benefits of strength and resistance training. If you have some feedback, more ideas or questions I’d love to hear from you at matthew@movemofitness.com or send us a comment on facebook.

For a dollar a month, Indian gooseberry (amla) powder may work as well as a leading diabetes drug without the side effects. Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/amla-versus-diabetes/ and I’ll try to answer it!  Also, please check out my associated blog post on amla and cholesterol.

This mechanism is similar to how “normal” levels of fiber consumption (huge by modern standards) Relieve the Body of Excess Estrogen (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/relieving-yourself-of-excess-estrogen/), which may explain reduced breast cancer risk in those eating plant-based diets. Fiber also helps Improve Intestinal Transit Time (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-mass-transit/). Stool Size Matters (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/stool-size-matters/) and it Protects Against Diverticulosis (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diverticulosis-nuts/)!

Have a question for Dr. Greger about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-fiber-lowers-cholesterol/ and he’ll try to answer it!

The bioavailability of some phytonutrients is increased by cooking. See my Best Cooking Method video to find out which vegetables are better cooked and which are the best to eat raw. Check out my 33 other videos on greens and hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects. And note that the study I’m talking about here is published in an open access journal, so you can click on it above in the Sources Cited section and read it full-text for free.

Please also check out my associated blog post: http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/04/19/breast-cancer-stem-cells-vs-broccoli/!

Photo: veer66 / Flickr

Recent testing of mercury concentrations in three national brands of canned tuna found that:

“55% of all tuna examined was above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safety level for human consumption.”

And the problem appears to be getting worse. Previous studies on canned tuna, in 1993 and 2004, showed concerning levels of mercury contamination, but not as bad as it is now. See my profile of the paper in my 2-min. video Which brand of tuna has the most mercury?

Given the average level of mercury pollution found in canned tuna, researchers suggest that your average 9 year old would exceed the EPA limit even if they only ate a can of tuna every 6 weeks! They conclude: “These results indicate that stricter regulation of the canned tuna industry is necessary to ensure the safety of sensitive populations such as pregnant women, infants, and children.”

Some question whether the federal safety limits are even sufficiently protective. A recent review from researchers at Harvard and elsewhere on the adverse effects of mercury in fish proposed that the exposure limits set in the United States should be cut in half. Already, current regulations in the United States allow up to 10 times as much mercury in fish as the EPA limit allows, and so our fish is allowed to have 20 times more mercury than may be considered safe.

Because the EPA safety limit on mercury in fish may not sufficiently protect pregnant women in the United States, a recommendation has been put forth that fish-eating women may want to get tested for mercury before considering getting pregnant. It’s a simple test. Since mercury basically contaminates our whole body, all they need is a hair sample. See more details in my 2-min. video Hair Testing for Mercury Before Consider Pregnancy.

Studies on children of the neurobehavioral toxicity of mercury suggest that no level of mercury exposure can truly be considered safe, but pressure from the fish industry may be preventing safety limits from dropping further. In my video Nerves of Mercury I profile a famous study published in the Journal of Pediatrics showing brain damage in adolescents at below the mercury limits placed on fish in this country. As one former EPA toxicologist told the Wall Street Journal, “They really consider the fish industry to be their clients, rather than the U.S. public.”

Mercury is not just a problem for children. Mercury and other toxic pollutants in fish is thought to be why the consumption of dark fish (such as salmon, swordfish, bluefish, mackerel, and sardines) may increase one’s risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregularity of heart beat rhythm associated with stroke, dementia, heart failure, and a shortened lifespan. See my 2-min. video Red Fish, White Fish; Dark Fish, Atrial Fibrillation. Also check out Fish Fog, which discusses the link between fish consumption and neurobehavioral abnormalities in adults. For more information on industrial pollutants in fish, see Xenoestrogens & Sperm Counts and Fish Intake Biomarker.

There are also natural toxins that can bioaccumulate up the aquatic food chain. See my 2-min. video Amnesic Seafood Poisoning about a rare toxin called domoic acid. It can turn up in tuna and other seafood and can cause anterograde amnesia, the loss of short-term memory popularized in the movie Memento. Even drugs can build up in fish. In my 1-min. video A Fine Kettle of Fluoxetine, I follow up on my earlier video Prozac Residues in Fish about the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish fillets.

For more on canned tuna specifically, see Carcinogenic Putrescine, The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages, Amalgam Fillings vs. Canned Tuna, and Mercury in Vaccinations vs. Tuna.

Fish aren’t the only source of toxic heavy metals, though. Mercury has been found in both high fructose corn syrup-containing products (see Mercury in Corn Syrup?) and Ayurvedic dietary supplements (Get the Lead Out).

Building on these muscle groups and relying on them more to do lifting and moving will help alleviate the stress on other muscles groups that tend to be overused in lifting patients such as your deltoids and those located in your lower lumbar.

So here are some quick instructions, tips and a video for some fun squat exercises.

Form:  The movement begins from a standing position, feet shoulder width apart and toes pointing slightly outward.  (If you are squatting with a barbell place the the bar across the trapezius muscle or right at where the base of your neck meets your back). The movement begins by moving your hips and butt back and bending the knees and hips to lower your torso and returning back up to standing position.  During the movement you should be keeping your back flat and keeping your stomach tight to help bear some of the weight in the upper body.  The squat can be lowered to various depths, but your hips should descend to at least as low as your knees.  Also, ensure that when the knees are bent they are aligned with the direction of your toes otherwise twisting of the knee joint may injure ligaments in the area.

Helpful Tips:

• Flat Back with your head and chest up (don’t flex your spine or curve forward)
• Keep your abominals tight
• Squat down until your tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
• Don’t let your knees curve inward or point towards each other
• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and point your toes slightly outward.

Here is a short video of three separate exercises and their descriptions are below:

Box Squat
To build on correct form, use a box, seat or raised platform to act as a marker for how low you should squat.  Once your butt touches the box, it’s a signal for you to go back up.  This will help make sure you reach the same and correct depth with you squat every time.

Braced Squat
Adding a little more difficulty, this exercise requires a weight such as dumbbell or weighted plate.  Perform the squat while bracing your arms and holding out the dumbbell or plate.  This will also help build on your shoulders, shoulder girdle and trapezius muscle groups.

Split Jump Squat
No weight required.  Just jump and land into a split leg position with one leg bent in the front with your knee bending to about 90 degrees and the back leg stretched out backward with the knee slightly bent and nearly touching the floor.  Jump and reciprocate to the other leg.

Nurses have one of the most difficult jobs in our country. Working several hours a day to take care of our ill requires a mental and physical strength that is both inspirational and world changing. However, sometimes this work can be so difficult that it becomes a challenge to maintain personal health and fitness. That is why in the past year I’ve provided as much as help as I can when a few close family and friends in the nursing profession asked me for fitness tips. After a while I started hearing the same patterns and decided to share some tips with a greater audience. Below is a list of common challenges I’ve heard from nurses and a couple ways to overcome them to increase your health and fitness:

Photo: Cheryl Empey

‘My work hours at the hospital are irregular and I just can’t find a consistent workout time.’

The key to this challenge is reframing the way you prioritize health, exercise and fitness in your life. It’s not about finding time. It’s about making time and making the habit. Nurses can have crazy schedules sometimes — 12 hour shifts, multiple day blocks, late night shifts, etc. If you keep thinking you will find time to work out and stay fit you’ve already failed. Prioritize fitness in your life and make time for it. This might mean getting up 45 minutes earlier for a quick 30-40 minutes workout or even finding a close gym by the hospital that you can check into for a short workout during your breaks. Don’t let your irregular schedule be your only excuse, by reframing exercise and fitness as a real priority in your life, you will make time instead of trying to find it.

‘Sometimes my shifts are too long and I’m just too tired to get a workout in.’

Nurses have a tough job. You’re working and moving around all day caring for those who are ill. It’s definitely a very emotionally and physically exhausting job and the last thing thing you’d want to do after work is exercise. But trust me, it’s worth it. There are several studies that show that exercise actually improves your energy levels as well as your focus. It’s counterintuitive, but spending energy in your workout helps give you more energy, focus and concentration throughout the day. This will help you not only get through the day, but help you focus on what you do best, caring for your patients. Just like everything else that’s great and worth achieving in life, you have to understand that making exercise a regular part of your life will take time, but the benefits are proven and well worth it.

‘I haven’t worked out in so long and don’t know if I can get back into regular exercise.’

This excuse is not unique to nurses, but I feel like nurses have a unique motivation to overcome this challenge. Would you let this excuse slide for a patient that is recovering or rehabilitating after a surgery or illness? If you’re in the profession of caring for the sick and elderly I’m sure you must have seen numerous examples of individuals overcoming physical challenges and their fear of the unfamiliar. Use this motivation and a reminder that you too can do the same. Not only can your work with patients motivate yourself back into fitness, but vice versa. How would it feel if you could inspire people who were once sick, to become fit again?

‘Some days I work 12 hour shifts and don’t get to eat regularly or healthy.’

Healthy eating and good nutrition is essential to improving your health and fitness. Working hours for nurses can be long and irregular, but you have to find a way around that to prioritize good nutrition. Here are a couple tips:

• Buy a healthy snack like trail mix or nuts that is easy to prepare and put in a small sandwich bag.
• Cook more and you can even set up a cooking rotation with other nurses where you bring healthy food for each other each day.
• Lastly, if you’re running out of options, make a protein shake or green smoothie. Go to the nearest nutrition store, pick up a jug of protein powder or veggies so you can make a healthy shake to drink before or after work. Shakes are super easy to prepare, healthy and cheap. If you’re a little more adventurous, try out some green smoothies like the ones here.

Hope you enjoyed these tips. Let me know what you think at matthew@movemofitness.com and if you have any other great tips to add!

Though most COPD is caused by tobacco, up to a third of COPD sufferers never smoked. The title of an editorial in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition describes where some of the remainder of risk is coming from: “More Evidence for the Importance of Nutritional Factors in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.”

As I explore in my 2-min. video Preventing COPD with Diet, data dating back 50 years found that high intake of fruits and vegetables was positively associated with lung function in general, but does that mean it could prevent COPD? There’s been a burst of new research over the last ten years to answer just that question.

In 2002 we learned that every extra serving of fruit we add to our daily diet may reduce our risk of getting and then eventually dying from COPD. In 2006 we could add tea drinking to fruits and vegetables for COPD prevention. In 2007 a twin pair of studies emerged, one from Columbia and another from Harvard, implicating cured meats such as bacon, bologna, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and salami as a risk factor for developing COPD. They thought the nitrite preservatives in the meat might be mimicking the damage incurred by the nitrites from cigarette smoke (see my 2-min. video When Nitrites Go Bad for more). In 2008 Harvard decided to study women as well and came to the same conclusions. We know now what to go out of our way to eat and what to try to avoid.

In 2009 soy was added to the good list; both tofu and soy milk were found to be protective agents against breathlessness. A 2010 article racked up the benefits of fiber, especially from whole grains, but “Impact of Dietary Shift to Higher-Antioxidant Foods in COPD: A Randomized Trial” was the study we’ve all been waiting for. Sure the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects of plant foods can help prevent COPD, but what if you already have the disease?

One hundred and twenty COPD patients were randomized into two groups. Half were told to eat at least one extra serving of fruits or vegetables per day, and the other half stayed on their regular diet. The lung function of the control group that wasn’t given any dietary advice slowly, but surely, got worse. That’s what tends to happen in diseases like emphysema–you get worse and worse and then you die. The lung function of the half eating an extra serving of fruits and vegetables every day started out the same, but did not get worse. In fact, if anything, it appeared that their lung function got progressively improved a little over the three years. That’s not supposed to happen; you’re supposed to get worse. View the graph accompanying my video Treating COPD with Diet.

The researchers speculated it could be the antioxidant effects of fruits and vegetables or the anti-inflammatory properties, but recognized it may not be directly related to the plant foods at all. When you eat more of one thing, you tend to eat less of another. “For example,” the researchers noted, “the addition of fruit and vegetables resulted in a decreased consumption of meat, which is known to be a pro-oxidant.” Either way, though, there is now hope. The paper concludes: “These findings suggest that a dietary shift to higher-antioxidant food intake may be associated with improvement in lung function, and, in this respect, dietary interventions might be considered in COPD management.”

The tobacco industry viewed these landmark findings a little differently. Instead of adding fruits and vegetables to ones diet to prevent emphysema, wouldn’t it be simpler to just add them to the cigarettes? And indeed, a study was published on the addition of acai berries to cigarettes attempting to show a protective effect against emphysema in smoking mice.

The meat industry quickly followed suit. Blackberries “literally dyed burger patties…distinct purplish color,” experimenters lamented, though infusing lamb carcasses with kiwifruit juice before rigor mortis set in did, evidently, improve tenderness. An experiment to improve the nutritional profile of hot dogs with powdered grape seeds flopped. There were complaints that the grape seed particles were visible in the final product, and if there’s one thing we know about hot dog eaters, it’s that they’re picky about what goes in their food

-Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you really were going to infuse lamb carcasses with kiwi fruit juice, do you remember which juice is healthier between green and yellow kiwis? Spark your memory in my 4-min. video Antioxidant Content of 3,139 foods.

The earlier video I refer to in this one is Prozac Residues in Fish. Researchers have also found evidence of Prozac levels in poultry products. Despite the contaminants, tap water is still likely better than bottled. A better way to avoid unwanted drugs may be to cut back on meat and dairy and transition to a more plant-based diet, which, for reasons other than the ALA mentioned in the video, may also improve mood. And I didn’t mean to suggest caffeine is necessarily deleterious to health—check out What About the Caffeine?

Image credit: Urban Hafner / Flickr

Last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an editorial entitled “Coffee consumption and risk of chronic diseases: changing our views” reviewed the growing evidence that for most people, the benefits of drinking coffee likely outweigh the risks. For example, a recent analysis of the best studies published to date suggests coffee consumption may lead to a modest reduction in overall cancer incidence, as detailed in my 1-min. video Coffee and Cancer.

Each daily cup o’ joe was associated with about a 3% reduced risk of cancers, especially bladder, breast, mouth, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, liver, leukemic, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.

What about the caffeine, though? Glad you asked! Check out What About the Caffeine?

There are a few caveats. Some health conditions may be worsened by coffee, such as insomnia, anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), high blood pressure, and certain heartbeat rhythm irregularities. There are also compounds in coffee that increase cholesterol levels, but are effectively removed when filtered through paper, so drip coffee is preferable to boiled, French press and espresso. Pregnant women should restrict caffeine consumption to less than two cups of coffee a day.

Despite the growing evidence of health benefits associated with coffee consumption, I still don’t recommend people drink it—not because it’s not healthy, but because there are even healthier choices. In this way, coffee is like a banana, another common convenient plant product. If you have a choice, I’d encourage you to make healthier fruit choices (apples are better, berries are best). Similarly, when it comes to beverages, I’d encourage you to choose an even healthier one, like green tea.

One final note: not all routes of administering coffee are benign. Consider the title of a case reported in a medical journal last month: “Rectal Perforation…Caused by Rectal Burns Associated With Hot Coffee Enemas.”

“Shania becomes depressed and has thoughts of suicide after being bullied and going off her medication. She gets help from her sister, Sydney, her mother, counseling and love and help from her family. Her true story emphasizes that help is available and help works for depression and suicide prevention.”
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 273-8255

Get the Suicide Prevention App or visit the web site: www.mhatexas.org/ask/

You can help prevent suicide in your community by knowing how to ask about suicide, and knowing where to get help. Download the free suicide prevention iPhone App today, ASK ! Search under suicide prevention in App Store to get the ASK! about suicide App to save a life with warning signs, how to ask and hotlines.

Project Coordinator/Producer:
Merily Keller, Texas Suicide Prevention Council — TexasSuicidePrevention.org
Mary Ellen Nudd, Mental Health America of Texas — Mhatexas.org

Creative Direction: Casey McPherson, Davis Niendorff — Mhatexas.org

Director: Jason Marlow

Cinematographer: Todd Campbell

Music: Karl Snyder “Valentine’s Wisdom”
courtesy of Third Side Music

****Not all videos on the internet about suicide prevention promote healthy responses and safe behavior.**** These videos follow best practice guidelines as outlined by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Mental Health America of Texas. Our goal is to promote both in our continuing effort to prevent suicide across all demographics, and especially among youth in Texas.

This video was developed under contract number 2010-034469 from the Texas Department of State Health Services(DSHS) to Mental Health America of Texas(MHAT). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Texas Department of State Health Services or Mental Health America of Texas; nor do pictures or mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by TDSHS or MHAT.

In this episode of In Range, host Cameron Harris introduces both himself and the podcast.

You can find Cameron’s podcast empire at www.HarwoodPodcast.com