Top 5 Calorie Burning Warm Weather Sports

Posted on June 8, 2011 by David A Fein, MD

By: Tom O’Connor, RCEP, CSCS
Exercise Physiologist

Summer fun is coming but those extra winter pounds may be coming along too! As the weather warms up – it’s time to move outside for some fun warm-weather sports that can burn off those unwanted winter pounds and get us ready for swimsuit season.

#1: Squash/Tennis – (singles only) with a high calorie rate, these exercises provide semi-constant movement.  They also involve the upper body, core, and lower body and can take a lot of effort on each body part.  You only need one other player to have fun and burn calories!

#2: Beach Volleyball – With constant movement in the sand, this high calorie burner also involves all muscle groups, but can have lag time if your partner is doing all the work!  The sand helps absorb some impact and it can initially add calories because of its difference in surface.

#3: Basketball – Basketball is a very high impact and high calorie sport, but does not require as much upper body power as squash and to a lesser extent volleyball.  It can be played with as little as one person an up to an entire team.  Flexibility in pickup games keeps basketball high on the list.

#4: Football/Field Hockey – High calories and very high intensities for very short bursts.  There is downtime often, but the very high intensity makes for a large caloric load to be expended.  The only downfall here is the need for a large group to play with and that can be difficult and deterring.

#5: Soccer – Soccer is a great team sport that also has a lot of calorie benefits.  Soccer players tend to have high aerobic capacities.   Casual soccer would yield the lowest of the five, but competitive soccer is a very high calorie and demanding sport.  The only reason soccer falls to number five is because of the large team required to play.

Squash & Tennis

Calories/Hour: 560-850

Beach Volleyball

Calories/Hour: 500-750

Basketball

Calories/Hour: 440-750

Football &
Field Hockey

Calories/Hour: 500-800

Soccer

Calories/Hour: 400-780

 

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Five Cancer-Fighting Changes You Can Make This Week!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by David A Fein, MD

By: Karen McPartland, RD
Senior Dietitian

According to the National Cancer Institute, about eighty percent of cancers are due to identified factors and some of these factors can potentially be controlled. Thirty percent of cancers are due to tobacco use, and as much as 35 to 50 percent are due to foods. Improving your eating habits is a great way to potentially avoid many types of cancers as well as other diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Kitchens full of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains make it easy to eat meal and snack combinations that are high in flavor but low in added salt, sugar and saturated fat (all dietary factors that can contribute to cancer risk). By changing the food you have on hand you’ll take a solid step to support your cancer-prevention efforts. So, follow these simple steps to make your kitchen more supportive of cancer prevention.

1. Check your Grains – Whole grains like brown rice, whole-wheat bread and rolled oats are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which protect cells from the types of damage that may lead to cancer. Unfortunately, there are many foods on the shelf that look like whole grains, but really aren’t whole grains. When you are at the supermarket, don’t just grab the first loaf of brown bread or the first box of “wheat” crackers that you see. Take the time to look at the label to make sure that you are you really choosing whole grain products. A true whole grain food will contain the word “whole” as part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list (ex. whole oats, whole wheat flour, etc.).

Here are some examples of whole grains to stock in your pantry: Whole Wheat bread like Arnold Healthy Multi-Grain bread, 100% whole-wheat crackers like Kashi Heart to Heart crackers, Cereals made from whole oats or other type of whole grain like Quaker Oatmeal or Nature’s Path Optimum Blueberry Cinnamon cereal

2. Scale Back on Sugar – Foods high in sugar, such as candy, cookies and sodas, are calorie dense foods, and, as we know, many studies have found convincing evidence that these foods contribute to weight gain and obesity. Since having too much body fat is one of the leading risk factors for cancer, replacing sugar-laden foods with lower calorie/sugar-containing foods can help prevent weight gain, thereby reducing your risk of cancer (as well as other diseases like heart disease and diabetes).

Try these lower sugar alternatives: Unsweetened seltzer water, black, green and herbal teas, Plain instant oatmeal with a sprinkle of cinnamon instead of flavored packets, Plain non-fat yogurt with a handful of blueberries instead of yogurts with high fructose corn syrup, etc.

3. Slash Sodium – Too much salt increases the risk for some types of cancer like stomach cancer. We get most of our sodium from highly processed canned, boxed and frozen foods as well as salt added at the table.

Look for these lower sodium and no-salt options: Unsalted/Raw or lightly salted almonds, pecans or other nuts, Crispbread crackers like Wasa or Ryvita brands, Mrs. Dash Seasonings, Frozen vegetables without added sauces, Frozen soups like Tabatchnick Lentil Soup, etc.

4. Fill Up on Fiber -Eating foods that contain fiber lowers the risk for digestive cancers (as well as Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease). Whole grains, vegetables, beans, nuts and fruit are your tickets to a fiber-rich diet.

Try these fiber-boosting ideas: Keep a bowl of fresh fruit like apples, bananas and pears on your kitchen counter. If you see it, you are more likely to eat it! Carry dried fruit and single-serve packets of nuts with you so you have a nutrient-dense, fiber-rich snack to keep your energy up while running errands.

5. Buy the Basics- Move to a healthier diet by incorporating often overlooked basics that contain cancer-fighting nutrients. Canned or frozen beans (phytochemicals, folic acid, fiber), low-sodium canned tuna or salmon (omega-3s), whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce (lycopene and vitamin C) and peanut butter (vitamin E) are examples of powerhouse foods that you can stock up on so that you always have a quick snack or a quick meal in your pantry.

Keep these ideas in mind when you need a quick snack or meal: For a Snack: 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter on 1 slice whole-wheat bread or a handful of steamed soy beans. For a Main Dish: Whole wheat pasta tossed with canned tuna, broccoli and 2 tsp olive oil or Whole wheat pasta tossed with chickpeas and tomato sauce.

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HCG: Keeping Your “Fountain of Youth” Running

Posted on June 8, 2011 by David A Fein, MD

It has been called the body’s “Fountain of Youth”: a hormone that helps you lose fat, gain muscle mass, increase bone density, and maybe even improve your energy and sex life.  It’s Human Growth Hormone (HGH).  As we get older, the levels of HGH in our blood gradually decline.  While numerous online website offer products they claim will raise your HGH levels or will even sell you HGH injections, these products are controversial at best.  Concerns about the safety and effectiveness of HGH supplements may be well-founded.  While using HGH itself is potentially dangerous, there are some strategies you can use to naturally support your body’s production of HGH that may help to keep you looking and feeling younger.

HGH is secreted from the pituitary gland, a very small gland at the base of the brain.  In childhood, it is important for maintaining growth and HGH deficiencies can cause short stature.  HGH deficiency can also occur in adults and is associated with increased visceral fat, diabetes, loss of bone density and decreased energy.

As we age the level of HGH gradually declines, leading some researchers to postulate that supplementing HGH levels will help to maintain the vitality of our younger years.  Some research studies appear to provide support for the idea.  A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990 treated a small group of men over 60 and found that HGH caused significant increases in muscle mass and bone density.  Another study published in 2007 showed that elderly patients given HGH gained about 4 lbs of muscle mass and lost a comparable amount of fat.  However, there was no improvement in fitness levels and it may be that HGH only caused an increase in the amount of water weight in their muscles.

On the other side of the story, artificially increasing your HGH levels may have some serious side effects. Elevated levels are associated with increased risk of diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome and possibly colon or prostate cancer.  Adults who develop benign tumors that over-secrete HGH can develop Acromegaly, a condition causing abnormal bone growth and other complications.

The patients in these studies were given HGH by injection.  (The hormone is not useful when taken orally as digestion destroys it.)  HGH is available as a legal drug to treat documented deficiencies, particularly in children.  However, a Google search for HGH easily finds numerous clinics and online pharmacies that will prescribe HGH as an antidote to aging.

The problem with this strategy is that natural HGH production and the way it is used in your body is a complex process.  HGH is carried in the blood attached to various carrier proteins.  The levels of these carrier proteins may have a role in how HGH affects various body functions.  HGH given by injection without the body compensating for the higher levels with an increase in those carrier proteins may substantially alter the effects of HGH.  The secretion of HGH by the pituitary varies throughout the day and night.  HGH injections are not able to mimic those normal and essential variations in the HGH levels. So, HGH injections at this point remain an unproven and potentially dangerous approach to slowing the aging process.

But there are some simple strategies that may help you to boost your natural production of HGH.  Keeping your levels higher with these strategies allow for the body’s normal HGH secretion rhythms and carrier protein production.

Most of your HGH production will normally occur during sleep. Consequently, sleep deprivation leads to lower HGH levels.  Many of use sleep as our “time bank”.  When we don’t have time to get all the things done that we want to cram into our day, we get the extra time by sleeping less.  In the short term, we can get away with this.  In the longer term, the evidence of the dangers of inadequate sleep continues to accumulate.  Getting enough sleep keeps you thinner, younger and feeling better.

HGH plays a role in the regulation of blood sugar.  HGH secretion is inhibited when your blood sugar goes up.  So, a diet that is high in carbohydrates, especially if those carbohydrates are eaten just before sleeping, will suppress HGH production.  It may not be an “old wives’ tale” that eating before bed makes you fatter.  Those bedtime snacks will suppress your HGH levels and, in the long run, that could play a role in promoting weight gain. If you really need to eat before bedtime, try to pick something that is a low carb snack.

There is evidence to suggest that certain amino acids play a role in stimulating the pituitary gland to increase the production of HGH.  Arginine and glutamine may be the most effective at increasing HGH secretion.  These amino acids are a normal part of our diet and supplementing them is generally benign.  Various over-the-counter supplements are available with both of these amino acids in the same capsule.  Taken at bedtime, these may help to increase HGH output during the night.

While the evidence remains controversial about the benefits of HGH injections, these simple steps may help to support your body’s own production of this hormone in a safer way and lessen the decline of this important hormone comes with age.

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