Sit Up Straight

We’re often told to sit up straight, type with our feet flat against the floor, and keep our shoulders relaxed. Thanks to the field of ergonomics, we now have these tips—and plenty of others—that help us to keep our bones and joints healthy while on the job.

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Diabetes & Mental Health Coping strategies for anxiety and depression

An often forgotten, and even neglected, aspect of type 2 diabetes is the mental health burden that patients with this disease face. Thankfully, there are lifestyle strategies and natural supplements that may help patients cope with diabetes-related stress and depression.

Diabetes: mind and body

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by an absolute or relative lack of insulin. Type 1 diabetes mellitus typically begins in childhood with the inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin and properly regulate blood sugar. The more common type 2 diabetes mellitus typically begins in adulthood due to poor lifestyle habits, and is characterized by insensitivity to insulin, which cannot be overcome by the pancreas.

There is much hope today for patients with both types of diabetes, since many natural health products and pharmaceuticals are available to improve blood sugar regulation while also reducing risk factors for kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, and cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks.

However, many clinicians approach type 2 diabetes by primarily focusing on the hormonal, visual, nerve, cardiovascular, and kidney issues, yet seldom discuss and manage the mental health implications of living with the disease. Type 2 diabetes affects both the mind and body, so it is imperative that clinicians take a holistic approach in their management of the disease.

Mental health concerns

The mental health burden that patients with diabetes face is worrisome. Compared to non-diabetic patients, there is a two-fold increase in the severity of depression and anxiety among diabetes patients. The combination of psychological disorders and diabetes is especially damaging because it can have a negative impact on psychosocial and medical outcomes.

Among type 2 diabetes patients, those with depressive symptoms will likely report more stress associated with having the disease, leading to an increase in negativity, which, in turn, is associated with more avoidance and passive behaviour. This is a vicious cycle, since the increase in avoidance and passive behaviour lead to more depressive symptoms or greater diabetes-related stress.

Depression and anxiety can also lead to other seemingly unrelated health concerns. For instance, a recent study showed that compared to healthy subjects, type 2 diabetes patients with severe depression and anxiety have a higher prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms.

There is even a specific personality trait attributed to type 2 diabetes, known as the “Type D (distressed) personality.” Type 2 diabetes patients with Type D personality experience increased loneliness, stress, and emotional distress.

Manage stress

While it is evident that type 2 diabetes increases the likelihood of having mental health concerns and being less able to manage the daily stresses of life, the good news is that there are numerous strategies that can empower patients to better manage their psychological health and overcome these issues.

Yoga

One of the best strategies is to engage in yoga several times each week. Yoga helps to build body awareness and is great at calming the nervous system. It involves numerous postures that integrate or unite the body and mind. With experience the participant learns to breathe more fully and completely.

According to a study from 2011, yogic practices “enhance muscular strength and body flexibility; promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function; promote recovery from and treatment of addiction; reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain; improve sleep patterns; and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”

Another recent study showed that regular yoga among patients with type 2 diabetes significantly improved quality of life. Previous studies have shown yoga to help control the symptoms and complications associated with having type 2 diabetes.

By regularly practising yoga, type 2 diabetes patients may have less psychological distress and better management of their disease. The other benefit is the potential absence of side effects, since yoga is essentially side-effect free when practised correctly.

Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness training is a form of meditation that helps people focus attention on the present and encourages a positive attitude toward that experience.

Some provincial health plans or extended health care plans will cover most of the costs associated with participating in such programs. However, some programs charge additional fees, such as for course materials, so it’s always best to double check. Programs are often offered at local hospitals or health care facilities.

The rationale for this type of meditation has been validated in the medical literature, especially for chronic conditions such as diabetes. Mindfulness-based programs are thought to improve medical outcomes and the ability to cope with clinical problems that often accompany chronic conditions. Similar research has shown that participating in this form of meditation may benefit patients’ ability to cope with diabetes-related symptoms, as well as more generally improve their quality of life and well-being.

Specific research on type 2 diabetes has shown that mindfulness-based training can improve pain, sleep, and worrying and decrease depression, anxiety, and general psychological distress.

Massage therapy

A lesser known therapy that may facilitate better mental health among type 2 diabetes patients is therapeutic massage. Results from scientific literature have been mixed. However, older studies have noted that it results in greater relaxation compared to resting alone and is thought to induce the relaxation response. The relaxation response brings more balance to stress hormones in the body and improves the utilization of insulin.

These studies have also noted that massage therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety in many groups, including individuals with type 2 diabetes. Other benefits of therapeutic massage include increased blood circulation, especially to the lower limbs.

Helpful supplements

It is best to complement yoga, mindfulness, and/ormassage therapy with natural medicines that may further de-stress the nervous system and help to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Always check with your health care practitioner to make sure a supplement is right for you.

Chromium

One of my favourite natural medicines for type 2 diabetes is the trace mineral chromium, which is thought to increase the sensitivity of insulin in the body. It has been well studied and can safely enhance the effectiveness of blood sugar-stabilizing medications by improving blood sugar control (double check with your health care practitioner before combining with medications). A large meta-analysis showed that supplemental chromium reduces both glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood sugar levels.

The less well-known benefits of supplemental chromium involve its ability to reduce certain symptoms of depression, including carbohydrate craving, as demonstrated by a 2005 study.

Rhodiola

The other natural medicine that I often prescribe to type 2 diabetes patients with mental health issues is the herbal medicine Rhodiola rosea. I particularly like rhodiola since it has virtually no interactions with medication and therefore can be safely combined. Again, ask your health care practitioner to be safe.

Human studies support the use of rhodiola for the treatment of anxiety, mild to moderate depression, fatigue (burnout), and life stress. Very preliminary research on rats has shown it to reduce binge eating, which can be a problem among type 2 diabetes patients and may contribute to guilt and psychological distress.

Outcomes

Over the past 14 years I have treated hundreds of patients with mental health issues, including those with type 2 diabetes. In the majority of cases, the additions of lifestyle modifications and specific natural health products have successfully improved quality of life and medical outcomes.

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Therapeutic Drawing

Wondering how to calm down in the midst of overwhelming deadlines? Grab a pencil.

Mindfulness can be achieved by bringing attention to seeing or sensing, hearing or tasting, as is done in meditation, but visual art can offer a further tool by providing a focus for sensory perception. Drawing, for instance, can help us connect with our sense of sight, slowing down our seeing and making it more embodied. Sketching a peach, we can take note of the fuzzy texture of its skin, the subtle shades of pink and orange, and the late afternoon light tinting it. As we do so, we can become more fully present to the moment.

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Ten benefits of meditation

As modern life becomes increasingly stressful, it seems there is never enough time for all we need to do. So the idea of carving out more time for a commitment to sit–and meditate–may seem absurd.

Take just a moment or two to consider some of the real benefits of meditation and you may be surprised at how much easier it can be to manage life’s challenges.

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Smooth Running

Glucosamine sulphate occurs naturally in joint structures in the body and is an important compound in the manufacture of cartilage, which covers and protects the ends of bones. When cartilage degeneration leads to loss of mobility and accompanying pain, glucosamine sulphate supplements can help.

Cartilage degeneration is the main cause of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. According to the Arthritis Society of Canada (arthritis.ca), it afflicts nearly one in 10 Canadians, making it one of the most prevalent diseases.

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Alzheimer's Know the signs, lower your risk

“Honey, have you seen my keys?” It’s not uncommon to misplace items from time to time. What is uncommon and not part of the normal aging process is not knowing how to use your keys.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that involves both the buildup of amyloid plaque outside brain cells and abnormal protein structures, or “tangles,” inside the nerve cells.

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Yoga for Type 2 Diabetes

Routinely inviting relaxation into our day is important for all of us, particularly when facing emotional or physical challenges. If you’re managing type 2 diabetes, make time to check in with your physical well-being with yoga and mindfulness.

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Treat Your Brain Well, Your life depends on it

If you can use an ATM machine, set your alarm clock and remember why you set it, write a cheque, go back to work after a coffee break, and remember to pick up groceries on the way home, then the chances are you don’t have a brain injury.

The things that you and I do almost without thinking can cause severe difficulty for those with traumatic brain injuries.

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Get Fit with HIIT Better workouts in less time

Less time on the treadmill with greater health and fitness results? It may sound too good to be true, but according to recent research studies, less is more when it comes to workouts that are based on high intensity interval training (HIIT).

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Joint Healthy Exercise, Easing osteoarthritis

More than 100 types of arthritis exist, affecting people of every age, physical condition, and ethnicity. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, about 60 percent of Canadians with arthritis have difficulty participating in recreation or leisure activities, though keeping active is key.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It affects the joints in the body; particularly the hands and the weight-bearing joints of the hips, knees, feet, and spine. The exact cause of OA is unknown, but what is known is that being overweight and sedentary dramatically increases the risk of getting osteoarthritis, especially in the hips and knees.

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Solutions to Male Depression

If you’re a man with symptoms of depression or chronic fatigue, and have been offered an antidepressant, you may want to consider checking your hormone levels first. Recent evidence shows symptoms of depression and fatigue in men may be linked to declining adrenal, thyroid, and sex hormones, namely testosterone.

After about the age of 40, men increasingly experience symptoms of fatigue and depression. Irritability, weight gain, loss of confidence, and social isolation often result in a diagnosis of depression. Severe fatigue is often attributed to burnout.

For many men, vacations, counselling, and medication fail to produce sustained improvement. They may find themselves on a raft of medications aimed at controlling their symptoms, rather than addressing the root cause of hormone decline. In addition, these same men may be diagnosed with hypertension, obesity, elevated cholesterol, heart disease, elevated blood sugar, or erectile dysfunction, all of which may be managed separately.

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The Truth About Sports-Enhancing Supplements

Here’s the lowdown on the most popular sports supplements.

Caffeine

Claim: improves athletic endurance

Research:

• enhances performance of trained athletes when low to moderate doses (3 to 6 mg/kg) are taken in supplement form
• enhances performance when taken 15 to 30 minutes before exercise
• Benefits high-intensity exercise such as soccer and rugby

Risks:

• can cause insomnia, nervousness, irritated stomach, nausea, vomitting, increased heart rate and respiration; large doses may cause irregular heartbeats and even death

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10 Exercise Benefits for Men

Listing the benefits of exercise sounds a bit like the start of a late-night infomercial for some gadget that sounds too good to be true. Feel happier? Live longer? Stop memory loss and help prevent cancer? But it is true … and all this could be yours for just three weekly workouts of 50 minutes each!
While weight loss is an important result of exercise for many people, exercise has far broader effects on overall health; understanding its consequences just may motivate you to make better friends with your gym membership.

1. More energy and better sleep

A common reason for not exercising is a lack of energy. This can be a tough hurdle to cross but once you get those first few workouts under your belt, it’s much easier to continue. Physical activity builds physical capacity, meaning that the more you exercise, the easier those same activities will be in the future. Outside the gym this also means that you will experience less fatigue when going about your daily activities. Of course, this means that at the end of the day, you’ll have that much more energy to exercise!

Adding physical activity into your daily life will also improve your energy levels by supporting healthy sleep. Sleep is intrinsically tied to circadian rhythms—the cycles of hormones within our bodies that drive many of our physical processes. Regular exercise improves sleep quality and has been shown to improve even chronic insomnia. In addition, exercise can help the body adapt to changes in the sleep/wake schedule resulting from travel or shift work. Better sleep will lead to less daytime fatigue and greater energy reserves in your day-to-day life.

2. Pain management

Pre-existing injury or generalized pain is another important factor preventing some men from becoming more active. Although extra care is warranted when exercising with injuries, physical activity can reduce pain and the limitations that it may pose.

Chronic back pain is one complaint that may be markedly improved by exercise-based therapy. However, musculoskeletal pain is not the only discomfort to be relieved by exercise. A recent investigation into the role of aerobic exercise in men with chronic prostatitis showed significantly decreased pain levels in the study group.

Prioritizing physical activity can also help to ward off future discomfort. In a recent study of exercise and back pain, participants with the poorest fitness levels at baseline were those most likely to have developed back pain in follow-up visits six years later, meaning that poor fitness may be considered a risk factor for back problems. Other research shows that targeted stretching and strengthening exercises may help to prevent the occurrence of specific injuries altogether.

3. Immune workout

The preventive benefits of exercise extend to other body systems as well. Engaging in just 20 minutes of daily exercise has significant impacts on the strength and activity of the immune system. Increased immune surveillance reduces the risk of respiratory infections such as the common cold.

Intensive training has been shown to decrease immune activity but as this is really only of concern to elite athletes, this is no reason to skip the gym!

4. Sexercise!

If you need another reason to get active, could the promise of a more fulfilling sex life motivate you? Regular activity builds endurance and strength, making all other physical pursuits that much easier. A study of men with sexual dysfunction showed that exercising for 180 minutes per week improved their satisfaction with their sex lives. In a similar study erectile function was specifically improved in active participants. Regular exercise has also been shown to decrease the risk of sexual dysfunction before it starts.

Pelvic floor exercises, or Kegel exercises, play an important role in men’s sexual health. Men struggling with sexual dysfunction after prostate removal report significant improvements after incorporating exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Beginning these exercises shortly after surgery intensifies their benefit (check with your health care practitioner first). Some experts recommend that all men perform regular Kegel exercises to preserve and enhance their sexual function.

5. Brain building

In addition to promoting a healthy and happy sex life, regular exercise will also help to preserve the function of another organ of concern to men as they age: the brain. Regular moderate-to-vigorous exercise over the lifespan reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease by as much as 40 percent. Exercising at least three times per week may cut the risk of dementia by 21 percent. While the connection between these conditions and exercise habits is not yet fully understood, physical activity is protective.

Even without a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, cognitive function tends to decline over the lifespan. Regular physical activity can preserve the ability to perform mental tasks such as recalling dates and locations over time. If you are noticing deficiencies in your memory, introduce a plan of moderate exercise to increase memory and benefit brain function.

6. Movement for mood

Simple but regular exercise strategies will support other key functions of the brain. Committing to an ongoing routine of physical activity can reduce your risk of developing depression. If depression has already been diagnosed, introducing regular activity may provide substantial support to other care you may be receiving. The mood-balancing effects of exercise are thought to result from endorphins and other brain chemicals that are released during physical activity.

If you are not clinically depressed but just feeling bogged down by the pressures of your daily life, you will also benefit from exercise. Physical activity provides many opportunities for the expression of frustrations and stresses as you run, pedal, and crunch your way to fitness.

In addition, physical training actually changes the body’s response to psychological strain. Compared to their untrained counterparts, trained athletes have lower heart rates, decreased cortisol levels, and calmer mood states in the face of pressure. Blunting the stress response through activity may shield the body from the effects of chronic stress.

7. Quality (and quantity) of life

Aside from helping with specific issues such as depression and the management of life stressors, exercise has significant and positive effects on the overall health-related quality of our lives. This hefty claim is borne out by research showing that the more time a person spends exercising in leisure time, the more likely they are to have better mental health, less pain, and a higher level of social functioning. Those who don’t exercise show comparable declines in these indicators of life quality.

But the benefits don’t stop there: in addition to improving life quality, exercise contributes to longer life. Compared to mildly active men, those who are highly active cut their risk of death from any cause by 22 percent. Increasing your moderate-intensity physical activity by just one hour per week will decrease your risk of death from all causes by 4 percent. If you are searching for exercise motivation, consider these statistics.

8. Exercise your heart

The benefits of aerobic exercise to cardiovascular health are well documented, and a sedentary lifestyle is a known risk factor for heart attack and stroke. A recent study put this into perspective by demonstrating that owning both a car and a television increases the risk of heart attack by 27 percent. On the flip side, incorporating moderate physical activity into your life will significantly decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke by up to 63 percent.

Many risk factors contribute to cardiovascular risk, but high blood pressure (hypertension) and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are commonly cited culprits. Whereas pharmaceutical therapies such as beta blockers or statins will address one of these targets at a time, exercise can modify several factors simultaneously (however, don’t stop your medications without consulting your health care practitioner).

A recent study using recreational soccer drills as a treatment (one hour, three times a week for three months) showed significant reductions in blood pressure and LDL in addition to causing a decrease in body fat. Definitely more fun than pills.

9. Curbing cancer

When considered collectively, cancers of all types are the leading cause of death among Canadian men. Cancer does not discriminate: it affects men of all ages and ethnicities. Nonetheless, some risk factors are within your control and may significantly decrease your risk of getting cancer. Exercise is one of these factors.

Population studies consistently show that exercise protects against many types of cancer. Leisure-time physical activity decreases colon cancer risk in men by 20 percent. Prostate cancer rates drop by almost 10 percent in exercising men, while trends in kidney cancer are similar. Physical activity is far from being a guarantee against a cancer diagnosis, but it does appear to provide some added insurance.

In men who have cancer, exercise is an important part of a recovery strategy. Brisk walking may contribute to delayed progression in clinically localized prostate cancer, while regular activity decreases the chance of dying from colon cancer. During prostate cancer treatment, exercise may reduce fatigue and other associated side effects.

10. Diabetes protection

Aside from cardiovascular disease and cancer, regular workouts help to protect against other chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Type 2 or late-onset diabetes occurs when the body becomes insensitive to insulin, preventing glucose from entering the cells. Left untreated, the resulting high levels of sugar in the blood can lead to severe complications such as blindness, limb loss, and kidney failure.

The goal of diabetic therapy is a reduction in blood sugar levels. Exercise can significantly reduce hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a standard measure of blood glucose control. This improvement may be caused by a renewed sensitivity of body cells to insulin.

Physical activity also markedly decreases the risk of developing diabetes, by as much as 65 percent in some studies. It is interesting to note that the protective effect of exercise is not reliant upon weight loss: risk reduction is independent of body weight.

Although physical activity may never get its 15 minutes of infomercial fame, it holds tremendous potential for the physical and mental health of every Canadian man. Try some today!

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5 workouts at work

• Plan a 10-minute walk between your car and your office, bus stop, or client location.
• Always take the stairs.
• Walk to a colleague’s office instead of calling or emailing.
• Take a lunch break every day and get outside.
• Stretch regularly at your desk or elsewhere in your workplace.

Kegel exercises for men

Kegel exercises may help to preserve and enhance function of the male reproductive and urinary systems.

• Find your pelvic floor muscles by trying to stop the passage of urine midstream, or tighten those muscles that stop you from passing gas.
• Tighten these muscles and hold for 3 seconds.
• Keep breathing while holding and try not to use other muscle groups (buttocks, abdomen).
• Perform Kegels up to 10 times in 1 set; repeat up to 3 times per day.

How to get ahead in exercising: 5 tips to get you started

• Find a gym or yoga studio close to your workplace.
• Hire a trainer for a few sessions if you aren’t sure how to start.
• Commit to meeting a friend at the gym for your workouts.
• Set achievable goals. For instance, train for a race with a running group.
• Feel proud of yourself. Exercise can be perpetuated by a positive outlook.

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Stress-Busting Exercises - Stop, breathe, & stretch

Stress, for many people, is something to dread. For others, it is the means to their existence. While stress is a natural occurrence, and our response to it has helped us evolve and survive through the centuries, too much stress on a regular basis can be detrimental to our health.

Over 30,000 years ago the Cro-Magnon man needed his body’s response to stress to be swift, especially when hunting for, or being hunted by, large predators. Our Cro-Magnon guy needed this mechanism of his autonomic nervous system (what is termed the fight-or-flight response) to allow for important adjustments in the face of danger—in his case, to eat or to be eaten.

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The Fast and the Furious

After 15 minutes of inching forward during the morning commute, it’s almost your turn to merge when a driver cuts in front of you. Your pulse races, you lay on the horn, and mutter a few choice words. Driver alert: aggressive driving behaviour negatively affects your physical and psychological health.

While there is no consensus on a definition of road rage, Leon James and Diane Nahl, professors at the University of Hawaii, define aggressive driving as “driving under the influence of impaired emotions, resulting in behaviour that imposes one’s own preferred level of risk on others.”

While few of us engage in extreme road rage, many of us drive aggressively on a daily basis by running yellow lights, honking our horn, or yelling at “idiots.” If we are to believe media reports and the incidents we witness while driving, we might assume that road rage is on the increase.

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Lecithin One of the healthy fats

Your mother may never have admonished you to take your lecithin, but this healthy fat is essential for the normal function of every cell in our bodies.

Lecithin directly affects nerve and brain function, fat transportation, and metabolism, and protects cells from oxidation. Lecithin contains a phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine, which is absorbed by the intestinal mucosa and metabolized to choline in the liver.

Small amounts of choline are carried to the brain, where it is converted to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is required for adequate nerve function as well as for memory storage and retrieval.

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Lose Weight with Weights

It is a widely-believed myth that training with weights will make you resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. Women especially often shy away from the bench press and other weight machines, afraid of building too much bulk. In doing so, they miss out on a host of health benefits–better posture and alignment, osteoporosis prevention, strength and weight loss.

Huge, glistening, rippling muscles will not develop overnight, or even with regular weight training. Testosterone is necessary in order for muscles to increase dramatically in size–and women just don’t possess enough of the hormone for this to happen. Although huge muscles can be developed through training, even most men do not eat well enough or train hard enough to gain any serious mass. Bulking up is nearly a full-time job–one to one and a half hours, five or six days a week–and requires supplemental protein and calories.

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Feed a Healthy Weight

If weight loss was a colour, it would be green. It’s no coincidence that green vegetables factor heavily in most weight and health maintenance programs.

Fruits, vegetables, and sea vegetables provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates including fibre), as well as many other cofactors to keep digestion smooth, metabolism on track, hormones balanced, immunity strong, and detoxification steady. With obesity rates rising, a nutrition-based strategy to support disease prevention and weight maintenance is within our grasp: going green.

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Lose the Bulge-Not the Carbs

Advocates claim that low carbohydrate intake will improve our body’s insulin/blood sugar balance, thereby fostering weight loss. Although preliminary research has shown slightly more weight loss over the short term with lower carbs, long-term studies demonstrate otherwise.

A recent one-year randomized study compared many of the leading diets, including low-carb diets and the traditional low-fat diet. It was found that all the diets were similarly effective at reducing weight and lowering cardiovascular risk factors. The traditional low-fat diet was found to be the most practical; therefore compliance was best with this diet.

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Add Some to Lose Some

Although a nutritious diet and regular exercise are key to losing weight, research shows that there is more you can do to shed pounds. Dietary supplements can play an important complementary role in regulating metabolism, suppressing appetite, and curbing sweet cravings.

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Effective Weight-Loss Programs

There are hundreds of weight-loss programs that vow to help create a lean, muscular body with little body fat. The reality is that while most popular diets and programs produce short-term results, the majority of people fail to achieve and maintain their weight-loss goals in the long run.

The real solution is taking a rational approach to weight loss by utilizing scientific breakthroughs in the understanding of human appetite regulation and metabolism. The centrepiece of any effective weight-loss program is utilizing unique blends of selected, highly viscous soluble (HVS) fibres. When properly combined these natural dietary fibres act synergistically to bind more water and create a greater gel-like mass than any other fibre alone.

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Eat Early; Eat Less

Changing eating patterns may lead to easier weight loss. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) followed participants and their eating habits for seven days. Those who ate more in the morning had less total food consumption for the rest of the day, while the others in the group generally ate more as the day went on, with less time between food consumption. This resulted in higher calories consumed and less calories burned as activity levels dropped in the evenings.

Starting the day right by having a sound breakfast has been confirmed in other research to reduce fat cravings, lower cholesterol levels, and lead to overall increase in vitamin and mineral intake. This one change may be a simple key to managing your weight.

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Exercise Smarter-Not Harder-for Weight Loss

We all know that exercise is essential for weight management because it burns calories. But how much and what kind of exercise is best?

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh enrolled 201 overweight, sedentary women as participants in a one-year study. They were randomly assigned to one of four exercise groups: (1) vigorous intensity with high duration; (2) moderate intensity with high duration; (3) moderate intensity with moderate duration; or (4) vigorous intensity with moderate duration. All women were instructed to follow a 1,200 to 1,500 kilocalorie-per-day diet and reduce fat intake to 20 to 30 percent of total energy intake.

Weight loss was significant in all groups, with those exercising moderately gaining similar benefits to those who exercised vigorously. Participants who walked briskly (moderate exercise) for at least 50 minutes, five times a week, and who cut back on fatty foods saw the best long-term weight loss. In six months, they lost an average of 25 pounds, or about 15 percent of their body weight, and the program helped them keep the weight off the rest of the year. It came down to the calories they burned, not how hard they worked to burn them.

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Getting Juicy

Another day, another round of nagging guilt. Yet again, you’ve failed to consume even close to the seven to 10 servings of fresh fruits and veggies recommended by Canada’s Food Guide. The question is, just how does one go about adding these healthy foods into an already busy lifestyle?

Here’s one terrific way: fresh juices. If you happen to have a juicer packed away, think about starting up a relationship with it again. Don’t have a juicer? Take heart. There is now a new concept in juicing that doesn’t even involve owning a juicer.

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