So, my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week is about zombies. More specifically, how a healthy diet and regular exercise can improve your chances of escaping a zombie invasion. Which is something that some people worry about.
If you aren’t worried about a zombie apocalypse you might be after seeing the movie World War Z, which opens this week.
Oddly, this isn’t the first time that I have managed to link nutrition and fitness with zombies.
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged aiken standard, diet, exercise, fitness, fitness column, health, nutrition, physical activity, World War Z, zombie apocalypse, zombies
I read this interesting article in USA Today about a family who is working together to lose weight by eating healthy and exercising more. The family is participating the USA Today’s Family Fitness Challenge, which provides them with expert advice.
Predictably, their fitness is improving and they are losing weight (over 100 pounds total so far). One family member even quit smoking!
What may be surprising is that they are saving money following their new healthier diet. By preparing most meals at home they are saving about $300 per week on food!
Another happy consequence is that they are spending more time together as a family by eating meals and exercising together. No doubt this is good support for them as they try to improve their health.
They are doing this as part of a TV show (The Doctors) and they have an exercise physiologist and a nutritionist working with them, so it would be easy to think that a typical family without this support wouldn’t be successful. I disagree.
I think that if most families started preparing dinners at home, eating as a family, and going for a walk (or doing some other activity) together after dinner they would get in better shape, lose weight, and benefit from more time together.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged diet, exercise, family, fitness, nutrition, obesity, physical activity, USA Today, weight loss
Given that most people aren’t active enough, the message “move more” seems like a good one. But it is possible to do too much. my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard this week discusses the potential hazards of doing too much exercise as well as how to avoid this situation.
For most people, the biggest risk for doing too much comes when they begin an exercise program. Progressing too quickly to longer time and/or higher intensity exercise can lead to muscle soreness or injury. A common guideline is the 10% rule: don’t increase your time or intensity more than 10% at a time. Although increases of 10% may not always be practical—a 10% increase from a 30 minute jog is 33 minutes—the message to increase slowly is a good one. Incidentally, this New York Times article suggests that there isn’t any good evidence that following the 10% rule reduces injury risk. That said, going from a 30 minute run to 60 minutes is too much, too soon.
One way to get guidance on how to progress in an exercise program is to consult a fitness professional, like a personal trainer. Sadly, many people get injured, or at least have a bad exercise experience, because of an overly ambitious personal trainer. Make sure you find someone who has experience with novice exercisers to help reduce this risk.
Despite the potential hazards of doing too much exercise, most people should worry about not doing enough. So, get moving!
Posted in Health & Fitness
Tagged exercise, fitness, injury, starting an exercise program
He may not look it, but Santa probably hits the gym regularly to work on the strength, endurance, and flexibility he needs for his job. Since Santa tends to keep to himself, he hasn’t come to my lab for a fitness test. But I tried to make a good guess as to what he does in the “offseason” to stay in shape in my Health & Fitness column in the Aiken Standard.
It’s a good thing he keeps himself in shape, too. Since he is overweight, good fitness is essential for reducing his risk of, among other things, a heart attack or stroke. In fact, Santa is probably healthier than some people who have a “normal” weight, but don’t exercise.
He should watch his weight, though. An ABC News report suggests that Santa is getting fatter!
