The Healthy Bride

I read this article in the paper recently, and I am very disturbed by the findings. TRIPLED!!! is far, far too high a stat. Women need to their health under control.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) — Strokes have tripled in recent years among middle-aged women in the U.S., an alarming trend doctors attribute to the obesity epidemic.

Women’s average body mass index rose from 27 to 29 in the years researchers studied.

Nearly 2 percent of women ages 35 to 54 reported suffering a stroke in the most recent federal health survey, from 1999 to 2004. Only about half a percent did in the previous survey, from 1988 to 1994.

The percentage is small because most strokes occur in older people. But the sudden spike in middle age and the reasons behind it are ominous, doctors said in research presented Wednesday at a medical conference.

It happened even though more women in the recent survey were on medicines to control their cholesterol and blood pressure — steps that lower the risk of stroke.

Women’s waistlines are nearly two inches bigger than they were a decade ago, and that bulge corresponds with the increase in strokes, researchers said.

In addition, women’s average body mass index, a commonly used measure of obesity, rose from 27 in the earlier survey to 29. They also had higher blood sugar levels.

No other traditional risk factors like smoking, heart disease or diabetes changed enough between the two surveys to account for the increase in strokes.

In a “pre-stroke population” of middle-age women, a tripling of cases is “an alarming increase,” said Dr. Ralph Sacco, neurology chief at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Calculate your Body Mass Index

She used the National Health and Nutrition Surveys, a federally funded project that gives periodic health checkups and questionnaires to a wide sample of Americans. Participants are routinely asked whether a doctor had ever told them they had had a stroke, and about 5,000 middle-aged people answered that question in each survey.

Researchers saw that the stroke rate had spiked in middle-aged women but stayed about the same — around 1 percent — in middle-aged men. So they looked deeper at the responses to see if they could learn why.

Belly fat stood out, Towfighi said. The portion of women with abdominal obesity rose from 47 percent in the earlier survey to 59 percent in the recent one. The change in men was smaller, and previous studies have shown that “abdominal obesity is a stronger risk factor for women than men,” she said.

Men traditionally have had a greater risk of stroke than women, and “women start catching up to men five or 10 years after menopause,” said Dr. Philip Gorelick, neurology chief at the University of Illinois in Chicago and chairman of the stroke conference.

The new research means “we need to redefine our textbooks about stroke in women,” because they may now be more at risk in middle age than men.

Obesity “sets the stage for all the other risk factors to come in” like diabetes and heart disease, Gorelick added.

In other news at the conference, two studies found that stroke patients were more likely to die if they went to hospitals on nights or weekends, echoing other recent studies that found similar risks for heart attack and surgery patients.

Michigan State University doctors analyzed 222,500 stroke cases at more than 850 hospitals participating in an American Heart Association quality improvement program from 2003 to 2007.

In-hospital deaths were about 6 percent for those who arrived during normal business hours and had strokes caused by a clot, compared with 5 percent of those who entered the hospital after-hours. Deaths were 27 percent for off-hour strokes caused by bleeding in the brain versus 24 percent during normal hours.

A second study of 2.4 million stroke patients in California found death rates of 10 percent on weekends and nights versus 8 percent during weekdays.

Despite the poorer outcomes, doctors said no one should ever delay getting help, since any delay raises the risk of death. The best treatments can only be given in the first few hours after symptoms appear.

More information about women and strokes.

This article was in the NY Times today. Stan sent it to me. I have known these facts for some time….the research is pretty consistent in these finding and has been over the years. However, what about “if it feels good, do it”.

Really?

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: February 26, 2008
THE FACTS

Stretching — long promoted as a way to prevent injury, to reduce soreness and to speed post-exercise recovery — may not fulfill its promise. Over the years, scientists have found that stretching before or after a workout has little effect on either risk of injury or what is commonly known as delayed onset of muscle soreness, the discomfort that comes a day or more after challenging physical activity.

Numerous studies have reached this conclusion. One of the most recent and extensive reports was published in October in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The report reviewed 10 randomized studies, which over all looked at the impact of stretching before and after exercise, in repeated sessions and in intervals ranging from 40 seconds to 10 minutes. The authors concluded that stretching had little or no effect on post-exercise soreness.

Another systematic review, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise in 2004. It looked at multiple studies and found that stretching “was not significantly associated with a reduction in total injuries,� but also concluded that more research was needed.

For now, many experts say that what may work is a quick warm-up, like low-impact aerobics or walking. It also helps to ease into an activity by starting off slow and then increasing speed, intensity or weight (for lifting).

THE BOTTOM LINE

Research suggests that stretching does not affect soreness or risk of injury during exercise.

Yesterday, February 23, 2008

I lost my blog. After more than 1.5 years of adding some pretty good content (I thought) to the site through my blog…..in one day – poof! it was gone. That’s what I get for not having it backed up. I just registered with Mozy.com to back up all of my data. I have been LAME on this one and now I am sad, sad, sad.

I was able to find some past posts, so have tried to recreate the last 6 months. I think all is up that I have.

More new news soon!

Monday, February 11, 2008

This weekend I recevied an email asking me if I had any classes for Wives in Florida. Then today, Tanya emailed me that the article in Women’s World magazine was finally out in print. It’s SO good and is all about Tanya and The Healthy Bride. Brooke contributed a lot to the article. They called her while I was in Nepal and she answered their questions beatifully! It’s so fun to see all of those photos of Tanya! Check out Women’s World Magazine – the Feb. 18 issue.

Tomorrow night on PBS at 7:30pm The Healthy Bride will be featured on About The Money. Check out the show and meet Brie and Jennifer and see Tanya’s wedding video!

Friday check out Daily Candy! I am so excited!!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008
So cool! Ali Bayse asked me to answer a question for their “ask the expert� section of the magazine’s web site. Check it out!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Brides: What do you think of these findings?

January 25, 2008, 6:24 am

Bridezillas on a Diet:

Forget the flowers, reception hall and wedding dress. For many brides-to-be, losing weight is the most important part of the wedding plan.

The dress can be altered to fit, but is extreme dieting a healthy strategy? (Stephanie Keith for The New York Times)

More than 70 percent of brides-to-be want to lose weight before their wedding day, according to a new study from Cornell University. To reach the perfect wedding-day weight, more than one-third of them use extreme dieting tactics such as diet pills and fasting. And while most of us buy clothes that fit, about one in seven brides-to-be buys a bridal gown that is one or more dress sizes smaller than she normally wears.
“Most women engaged to be married idealize a wedding weight much lighter than their current weight,�? said co-author Lori Neighbors, assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She conducted the study while a graduate student at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology.

The study, published online from a forthcoming issue of the journal Appetite, surveyed 272 engaged women. The women surveyed ranged in age from 18 to 51, although the vast majority were under the age of 30. More than half of the women were normal weight, but 24 percent were overweight and 20 percent were obese, based on standard body mass index measures. Just 2 percent fell into the underweight category.
Dr. Neighbors found that 91 percent of the women were worried about their weight, reporting that they wanted to lose weight or were actively trying to prevent weight gain. By comparison, national data show that about 62 percent of similarly aged women have the same concerns.
Among the 70 percent of women who were trying to lose weight, the average desired loss was about 21 pounds, not counting three women in the group who were trying to lose more than 100 pounds each.
One surprising finding was that more than 90 percent of brides who wanted to lose weight said they were drinking more water. Extra water consumption was also common among the women trying to maintain their weight. The study authors note that some wedding Web sites promote water as an appetite suppressant, although it wasn’t clear if the brides were drinking water to feel full, avoid eating other foods or displace higher calorie beverages.
Nearly half the brides-to-be were willing to adopt extreme dieting strategies to reach their goal weight by their wedding day. Among extreme dieters, skipping meals and taking unprescribed diet pills and supplements were reported most frequently. About 10 percent of the women used liquid diets, while a fraction of the women started smoking, took laxatives or induced vomiting in order to lose weight.
The prevalence of extreme dieting behavior among brides-to-be is important because rapid weight loss usually isn’t maintained. But the study authors note that because brides-to-be are highly motivated to lose weight, doctors should use an upcoming wedding as an opportunity to discuss more healthful weight loss and eating behaviors.
At the time of the study, the women were still about six months or more away from their big day. But the average weight loss achieved was already about eight pounds, although the numbers varied widely.
“If these losses were maintained after marriage, they would be significant weight management achievements,’’ the authors noted. “Given the pressures of the wedding and beginning a new life as a couple, engaged women should be encouraged to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle rather than striving for a fleeting number on a scale or a temporary dress size.’’

Monday, January 28, 2008

I received a random email today that included information on a contest for the Best Trainer sponsored by Exercise TV. Hummm. What fun would that be? I love reality TV, I love to compete…..
Go Vote for your favorite trainer. Maybe you will see them on TV!
What is ExerciseTV’s Top Trainer?

An online contest to discover the country’s best trainers. Voting runs from Jan. 28 through March 23
Consumers from across the country vote for their favorite fitness professionals on http://www.ExerciseTV.com/alist

Winners will be awarded the title of Top Trainer and receive fitness apparel provided by New Balance

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Last weekend Scott, Lucky and I went for a snow shoe. Actually, Lucky and I went for two snowshoe trips. Snowshoeing is very fun and easy to learn.

Getting into snowshoeing is fairly inexpensive, and has few equipment requirements. You need warm clothes, boots, snowshoes and ski poles. You should also have a backpack. There are several parks in the area that lead free snowshoe trips on the weekends. I am linking a couple of free trips for your review: Leavenworth, Mount Rainier has ranger guided snowshoe walks.
Here are more fun facts about snowshoeing:

46% of snowshoers are women
12% of snowshoers are children aged 7-17
55% of snowshoers are under the age of 45
1.4 million people identify themselves as snowshoers, a 60% increase in the last decade
You burn 45% more calories snowshoeing than walking or running at the same speed
Fitness Benefits and/or Muscles Used

Snowshoeing is a cross-training conditioning sport, offering a low-impact, safe form of exercise. It is ideal for anyone interested in an aerobic workout combined with strength training and muscle endurance.
Snowshoeing is a great aerobic exercise that will improve or maintain cardiovascular fitness as well as burn calories.
Snowshoeing uses every major muscle group at relatively high intensity for extended periods of time, thus requiring high caloric expenditure.
Research has shown that individuals who substitute snowshoeing for running during the winter actually improve their running fitness over those who chose to run as their primary source of winter training.
The physical demands of snowshoeing can build up endurance levels and strengthen quadriceps for runners.
Muscles used are similar to those used in walking and hiking hilly terrain. Hip flexors may receive more of a workout and quads may get more exercise than usual in walking due to the lifting motion of each step.
Climbing in snowshoes works the hip flexors and extensors, crucial muscles for cyclists.
The use of poles while snowshoeing gets the upper body moving and helps condition arms, shoulders and back muscles.

Snowshoeing can accommodate a variety of activities—a casual hike in the woods, an overnight backpacking trip or an alpine climb.
Snowshoeing is a very inexpensive way to spend time with the entire family.
With a nearly immediate learning curve, snowshoeing provides hours of fun for adults and children of all ages.
Simplicity is perhaps one of the biggest draws to this sport. Snowshoes can be used in various types of snow conditions so, no matter what the weather, everyone can enjoy the great outdoors.

Even More Good News

Snowshoes have been in use for 6000 years and were one of the earliest forms of transportation.
Anyone can snowshoe—It is as simple as walking.
Snowshoes are easy to put on and take off, just like putting on another pair of shoes.
Snowshoeing requires modest physical effort with no fancy techniques or theories to learn. Learning curve is immediate.
Snowshoes are highly maneuverable so, outdoor enthusiasts can go where cross country skiers and snowmobiles cannot.
Snowshoeing offers participants the peaceful, quiet serenity of a snow-covered landscape –a great activity for the body and soul.

Sources:

The American Hiking Society
Tubbs Shoes
National Sporting Goods Association 2004 Sports Participation Study
My favorite trails to snowshoe:
Pratt Lake Trail
Pacific Crest Trail to Commonweath Basin
Granite Mountain (love!)
Camp Muir
Castle Peak (in Mount Rainier National Park)
Hurricane Ridge (Olympic National Park)
Have fun out there!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

It’s that time again. Vote for your favorites in the wedding industry at Seattle Bride Magazine. Last year was The Healthy Bride’s first year to win. Thanks! to everyone who voted for us!�

Monday, January 07, 2008

This was sent to me by Sara Rigel. A great article on how to “keep on going�

New York Times
December 6, 2007
Personal Best

By GINA KOLATA

BILL MORGAN, an emeritus professor of kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin, likes to tell the story, which he swears is true, of an Ivy League pole vaulter who held the Division 1 record in the Eastern region.
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His coaches and teammates, though, noticed that he could jump even higher. Every time he cleared the pole, he had about a foot to spare. But if they moved the bar up even an inch, the vaulter would hit it every time. One day, when the vaulter was not looking, his teammates raised the bar a good six inches. The man vaulted over it, again with a foot to spare.
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When his teammates confessed, the pole vaulter could not believe it. But, Dr. Morgan added, “once he saw what he had done, he walked away from the jumping pit and never came back.�
After all, Dr. Morgan said, everyone would expect him to repeat that performance. And how could he?
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The moral of the story? No matter how high you jump, how fast you run or swim, how powerfully you row, you can do better. But sometimes your mind gets in the way.
“All maximum performances are actually pseudo-maximum performances,� Dr. Morgan said. “You are always capable of doing more than you are doing.�
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One of my running partners, Claire Brown, the executive director of Princeton in Latin America, a nonprofit group, calls it mind over mind-over-body.
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She used that idea in June in the Black Bear triathlon in Lehighton, Pa., going all-out when she saw a competitor drawing close. She won her age group (30 to 34) for the half-Ironman distance, coming in fourth among the women.
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When it was over, she ended up in a medical tent. “I felt like I was going to pass out or throw up or both,� she recalled. “At a certain point in a hard race, you’ve pushed yourself beyond the point of ignoring the physical pain, and now you have to tell your mind that it can keep going, too.�
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The problem for many athletes is how to make a pseudo-maximum performance as close as possible to a maximum one. There are some tricks, exercise physiologists say, but also some risks.
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The first thing to know, said Dr. Benjamin Levine, an exercise researcher and a cardiology professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, is that no one really knows what limits human performance. There’s the ability of the heart to pump blood to the muscles, there’s the ability of the muscles to contract and respond, there’s the question of muscle fuel, and then, of course, there is the mind.
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“How does the brain interact with the skeletal muscles and the circulation?� Dr. Levine said. “How much of this is voluntary and how much is involuntary? We just don’t know.�
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But since most people can do better, no matter how good their performance, the challenge is to find a safe way to push a little harder. Many ordinary athletes, as well as elites, use a technique known as dissociation.
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Dr. Morgan, who tested the method in research studies, said he was inspired by a story, reported by an anthropologist that, he suspects, is apocryphal. It involves Tibetan monks who reportedly ran 300 miles in 30 hours, an average pace of six minutes a mile. Their mental trick was to fixate on a distant object, like a mountain peak, and put their breathing in synchrony with their locomotion. Every time a foot hit the ground they would also repeat a mantra.
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So Dr. Morgan and his colleagues instructed runners to say “down� to themselves every time a foot went down. They were also to choose an object and stare at it while running on a treadmill and to breathe in sync with their steps. The result, Dr. Morgan said, was that the runners using the monks’ strategy had a statistically significant increase in endurance, doing much better than members of a control group who ran in their usual way.
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That, in a sense, is the trick that Paula Radcliffe said she uses. Ms. Radcliffe, the winner of this year’s New York City Marathon, said in a recent interview that she counts her steps when she struggles in a race. “When I count to 100 three times, it’s a mile,� she said. “It helps me focus on the moment and not think about how many miles I have to go. I concentrate on breathing and striding, and I go within myself.�
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Without realizing what I was doing, I dissociated a few months ago, in the middle of a long, fast bike ride. I’d become so tired that I could not hold the pace going up hills. Then I hit upon a method — I focused only on the seat of the rider in front of me and did not look at the hill or what was to come. And I concentrated on my cadence, counting pedal strokes, thinking of nothing else. It worked. Now I know why.
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Dr. Morgan, who has worked with hundreds of subelite marathon runners, said every one had a dissociation strategy. One wrote letters in his mind to everyone he knew. Another stared at his shadow. But, Dr. Morgan asked him, what if the sun is in front of you? Then, the man said, he focused on someone else’s shadow. But what if the sun goes behind a cloud, Dr. Morgan asked?
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“Then it’s tough,� the runner conceded.
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Dissociation clearly works, Dr. Morgan said, but athletes who use it also take a chance on serious injury if they trick themselves into ignoring excruciating pain. There is, of course, a fine line between too much pain and too little for maximum performance.
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“The old adage, no pain no gain comes into play here,� Dr. Morgan said. “In point of fact, maximum performance is associated with pain.�
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The brain affects everyday training as well, researchers note.
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Imagine you are out running on a wet, windy, cold Sunday morning, said Dr. Timothy Noakes, an exercise physiologist at the University of Cape Town. “The conscious brain says, ‘You know that coffee shop on the corner. That’s where you really should be.’� And suddenly, you feel tired, it’s time to stop.
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“There is some fatigue in muscle, I’m not suggesting muscles don’t get fatigued,� Dr. Noakes said. “I’m suggesting that the brain can make the muscles work harder if it wanted to.�
Part of a winning strategy is to avoid giving in to lowered expectations, athletes and researchers say. One friend tells me that toward the end of a marathon he tries not to look at people collapsed or limping at the side of the road. If he does, he suddenly realizes how tired he is and just gives up.
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Marian Westley, a 35-year-old oceanographer in Princeton, N.J., and another running friend of mine, used several mental strategies in the recent Philadelphia marathon.
She slowed herself down at the start by telling herself repeatedly that she was storing energy in the bank. And when she tired near the race’s finish, she concentrated on pumping her arms. “I thought about letting my arms run the race for me, taking the pressure off my legs.�
She finished in three hours and 43 minutes, meeting her goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. “I am over the moon!� she wrote in an e-mail message the day after the race.