Cooper Health Magazine - Summer 2009

The Summer 2009 edition was posted on August 4, 2009. Cover articles listed:

Healthy at Any Age

D for dilemma (you need vitamin D and probably aren't getting enough)

downsized dining

balanced body

http://www.cooperaerobics.com/Health-Tools/Cooper-Health-Magazine.aspx

About Strength Maintenance

As a balance to practicing aerobics (walking, running, cycling, swimming, lince dancing, etc.), there are benefits in maintaining strength at a reasonable level. There are many facilities with equipment and much equipment within private homes that are geared to help .... with some cost involved. Most of the equipment facilitated activity is beneficial, though some advertise more than can be achieved. Strength can be maintained with little or no equipment. The old fashioned push-up still works. Several months ago I decided to reach a level that I could perform 25 push-ups routinely. I started with 10 and did them everyday before dressing. That is at least once a day :-) , but is twice or more on most days as I shower after other activities. I increased the number by 1 every Monday morning. Last week I reached 25. This week 25 feels 'routine.'

A by-product of stength improvement has been being able to perform various yard/garden functions without straining anything. That is, maintining strength permits a higher level of work than could otherwise be performed without adverse consequences. For perspective, I'm currently 72 years old.

Moving More

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NEW COMMENT ADDED AT END! Jane Wang teaching:

http://www.tmbc.org/media/0902081/video.htm

and 

http://www.tmbc.org/media/0902082/video.htm

Cooper Aerobics Center Information

Read comments below

NEWS RELEASE 3/09/09

Physically fit students more likely to do well in school, less likely to be disciplinary problems

See supporting charts here

Read about the latest Cooper book here

Lowest cost found is at Amazon.com

About Pedometers

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During our Better Health series of presentations, the TMBC Better Health Task Force, experimented with several lower priced pedometers and found them to be lacking in accuracy. Currently a group of 10 folks are using the higher pricedOmron HJ-112 and early reports are they are working well. TMBC purchased these 10 pedometers from Amazon.com.

Soon we will test an even higher priced pedometer, the Omron HJ7201ITC which is functionally similar to the HJ112 but with the added feature of an USB connection that enables transferring data to a PC enabled with Omron software tracking long-term progress. We will report results here via the comment feature of the blog.

I found the holster not secure enough for many outside activities (and you may not be aware of when the pedometer pops out). However an alternative is to clip it in a fashion that the belt holds it secure as per the slideshow:

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US Lags Global Trend in Life-Span Change Version2

The original post on this subject can be found in the Archives as the earliest November 2007 post. Since that post appeared, Google has tinkered with the Gapminder software and updated the databases the software accesses. Additionally, other databases with related information have been updated such as GeoHive's life expectancy table for countries with populations exceeding 140,000 for the time-frame 2000-2005. That table lists 23 countries with greater life-expectancies than the US as of 2005. Using that order the following three snapshots are of the relationship of those 23 countries to the US plus India and China. While these two countries life expetancies are still below the US, they are remarkable in two respects. The rate of growth of the populations and the rate of increase in life expectancies. Clicking on an image will render a larger view:





In 1950 most of the 23 countries had life expectancies less than the US.



By 1981 most of the 23 countries were ahead of the US.



At 2008 all 23 countries (listed in order)were ahead of the US.

Functional Foods

Tara Barber, in her post entitled Healthy Eating for Dummies addresses balance in selection and portions. Dr. Kenneth Cooper in his book Start Strong, Finish Strong describes certain foods as functional foods. Functional foods include the following:

Benecol (spreads and chews)

Kroger's Active Lifestyle Fat Free Milk

Minute Maid Heart Wise Organge Juice

CocoaVia Brand Chocolate Bars

Dove Rich Dark Chocolate (NOT milk or white chocolate)

Green or Black Tea

Benecol, Active Lifestyle Milk, Minute Maid Heart Wise Orange Juice, and CocoaVia products include plant sterol and/or plant stanol esters which have some capacity to reduce total cholesterol levels. So those with slightly elevated cholesterol may achieve optimum levels by combining daily plant sterols/stanols in their diet with modest exercise.

Dove Brand Dark Chocolates contain higher than normal (for other brands of dark chocolate) flavanols. Green and Black Tea are also sources of flavanols. Flavanols promote elasticity of the blood vessels which offset part of the aging process. Any diet that includes dark chocolates needs to also address whether they render more caloric intake than daily exercise regimen burns.

These functional foods in addition to the well known foods including the omega-3 fatty acids (fish); monounsaturated fats (nuts); whole grains; fruits; and vegetables have enough variety to comprise diets that are both healthy and desirable.

TMBC Neighborhood Walking Trail

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Healthy Eating for Dummies

By Tara Barber
Assistant Director of Nutrition Services
East Carolina University
Division of Academic and Student Affairs
Campus Wellness and Recreation
MS, RD, LDN






Healthy eating…what does it mean?
• What is health?
• To meet nutrient needs (example: vitamin A, calcium, fiber, etc.)
• To meet calorie (energy) needs (weight management)

What we eat can affect our health status with or without weight change (Examples: high cholesterol; high blood pressure).

Consuming adequate nutrients and calories is based on a continuum of eating from meal to meal, day to day, weeks to weeks, etc. Try not to place all of your focus on one meal or even one day while in the process of developing healthier eating habits.

Natural/whole vs. Processed foods
• Natural/whole foods are foods in their natural, raw state which have the most nutrients.
• Processed foods may initially contain some natural/whole foods, but then are processed which typically removes nutrients and often adds preservatives, additives, sugar, fat, and/or calories.
• While shopping in the grocery store, in general, you will mostly want to shop along the perimeter of the store (the outside) where you will find more whole foods, while limiting the amount of foods that you purchase in the middle part of the store (in the aisles) where you will find more processed foods.
• Considering the cost of whole vs. processed foods…fat and sugar are cheap. Would you rather pay for your health now or later?

How to balance nutrients at a meal:
• Picture your meal on a plate and divide that plate into thirds (like a peace sign).
• Make one third of your meal lean protein; another one third grain/starch; and the remaining one third fruit and/or vegetable. This will provide you with a “rough estimate” of how to balance your meals.
• Lean protein sources – white meat chicken and pork (no skin or bones); lean beef; fish (not fried); eggs (limit yolks if concerns with cholesterol); dried beans (kidney, pinto, navy, black); nuts and peanut butter; low/no fat dairy foods; soy foods; and tofu.
• Carbohydrate sources – it is more health promoting to choose complex carbohydrates vs. simple carbohydrates mostly due to their fiber content. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads, rice, pasta, and cereals; as well as vegetables. Although fruits are considered a simple carbohydrate, they are very nutrient dense and also contain fiber. Fruit juice should be limited due to the high sugar content and less fiber content when compared to whole fruits.
• As far as fat content, we do need to limit our fat intake, but not eliminate it! Our bodies need more monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats rather than saturated and trans fats. MUFAs can be found in nuts, peanut butter, olives, and olive and canola oils. Omega 3 fatty acids are types of PUFA that are very heart healthy. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in some fish (salmon, albacore tuna, trout, and herring). Walnuts, soybeans, canola, and flaxseed contain substances that will convert into omega 3 fatty acids once inside the body. Saturated fats are found in animal meats, dairy foods, butter, and vegetable oil. Trans fats are unsaturated fats that are made saturated and contribute to heart disease. Trans fats are mostly found in processed foods and some margarines (look for the words partially hydrogenated oil on food labels to help you identify trans fats).

How do you know if you are consuming the right foods to obtain adequate nutrients? Include a variety of foods – this includes eating foods from all food groups (grains/starches; fruits and vegetables; dairy foods; lean protein foods; some MUFA & PUFA); in addition to eating foods with different colors, especially fruits and vegetables (don’t eat only green vegetables; include red, orange, and yellow too)! You can also make an appointment with a Registered Dietitian, as well as have regular check-ups with your physician.

What are appropriate portion sizes? A portion size is an amount of food for one person, which will vary from person to person. A serving size is a standard amount of food that is established by the USDA. Refer to www.MyPyramid.gov for more information on serving sizes.

Do I need a dietary supplement? The answer to this question is determined on an individual basis. When an individual is consuming adequate calories and a variety of foods, they are most likely meeting their nutrient needs; however, it is not guaranteed. If someone is not consuming adequate calories, it is very likely that they are not able to meet nutrient needs. Even if someone is consuming adequate calories without a variety of foods, they too may not be meeting nutrient needs. If you are not eating a variety of whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, it will likely be beneficial to take a standard multivitamin. Look for a multivitamin with the letters “USP” on it as this will ensure a good quality multivitamin.

Moderation – there are no bad foods only bad portions of foods! You can still eat all foods that you enjoy that may not be as health promoting as other foods, its all about learning moderation. Also when we deprive ourselves of certain foods, our cravings for those foods generally get stronger! Allowing yourself to consume smaller portions of these foods can help satisfy the craving without sacrificing your healthy eating habits.

NC % Overweight By County

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Some Weighty Data

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US Lags Global Trend in Life-Span Change

We have encountered a plethora of recent studies indicating the alarming increase in clinical obesity in the US. There were lots of ways of visually presenting the data, but by customizing the information at Gapminder (now a part of Google) we were able to see it clearly. Be patient as the screen sets up as the time will vary based on connection bandwidth and local machine robustness. After the screen fully loads click on "play" at lower left of the screen. Observe closely as it plays. When it finishes come back here and read about what you saw. Following are two snapshots, one at the beginning of the sequence (1960) and one at the end of the sequence (2004). To watch the transition from 1960 to 2004 click on the link entitle "Watch the world change" below:

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Watch the world change

Explaining the Chart:

The left-most side of the chart contains life expectancy in years from age 25 to age 80. So when countries progress upward on the chart it is indicative of increase in life-expectancy. The more the change, the greater the rate of increase.

The bottom of the chart indicates the population of countries from below 100,000 to over 1 billion. So small countries are on the left and large countries on the right.

Notice at the upper right of the chart there is a color-code keyed to population. So in addition to the size of a circle, the color of a circle also depicts a countries population.

Below the color-code box there is a "select" box. The countries with a check are those with identifier bubbles on the chart.

The years, at the bottom of the chart span from 1960 to 2004. As the chart progresses the year displays in the background of the chart.

You can stop the chart by clicking on stop and resume by re-clicking play.

In 1960 the US was in 11th place as to life expectancy around the globe. It was far larger than most of the countries ahead of it.

The following countries are included not because they have surpassed the US by 2004, but because they are very large population countries and are gaining rapidly:

China
India
Mexico
Brazil
Indonesia
Pakistan
Russian Federation
Bangladesh

The rest of the countries, 40 of them, are ahead of the US at 2004.

Most of the countries that have NOT progressed are African and are likely greatly impacted by political instability and aids. Place the cursor on an country and it is identified with both population and life-expectancy number displayed.

Play several times to embed the rate of change.

Notice at the top left are two tabs, one marked chart, and to the right, one marked map. Click on the map and the chart reorganizes geographically.

The countries ahead of the US vary greatly as to size, location, race, system of government, economic system, and amount spent on health care with most of the population of the world gaining rapidly.

It is certain that the rapid rate of obesity in the US has negatively impacted the increase in life expectancy. It is also certain that the obesity rate has not decreased since 2004 and is still a great problem today. Check out the slideshow of the US changes by state at the US Center for Disease Control here . And, check the latest information at this PDF .