Sounds like the title of a new thriller only this one is for real. Hypertension or high blood pressure has been given the designation of the silent killer because it has no symptoms, no warning signs and most people afflicted don’t even know they have it. Getting scared yet, you should be? Consider about one in three adults is hypertensive. So, what exactly is hypertension anyway?
We all know that our hearts are essentially a pump that circulates blood throughout the body. Each time our heart beats the force pushes blood out into the arteries. These arteries are made of muscle and semi flexible tissue not unlike elastic that will stretch to accommodate the force of the pump. Blood pressure is simply the measurement of outward force on the arterial walls.
Whether you workout on your own, take group classes or have a personal trainer you likely have started to notice the benefits of an ongoing exercise program. You now may look leaner, feel stronger and have more energy than before. While many of us generally start an exercise program to look better by losing some weight, toning up or adding some muscle the benefits of your efforts actually go much deeper.
A common question I seem to get from new clients or interested parties is something like what kind of exercise should I be doing or I do Pilates or yoga, is that enough? Well to best answer those questions I thought I would post an article I had written elsewhere last January. At worst you will gain insight into my exercise philosophy, and at best you'll learn what to expect when you come in to see me. Considering that we are just out of the summer slump and that friend and family reunions during the holidays are on the horizon, exercise enthusiasm tends to spur up at this time of year. Consider it a mini new year of sorts.
Do you have the will power to walk into a bakery and not buy anything? If this is a battle you have fought and lost, and perhaps more than once, you must take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Still this fact probably doesn’t make you feel any better, you may be angry with yourself, possibly even depressed. Those few blissful moments, the ones you so skillfully rationalized into being (I worked out today, I’ll eat a light dinner) have now passed. Soon it will just be you, your mirror and your conscience. Oh, if I can just walk past the bathroom mirror and not look.
It the answer that you seek lays before you, would you recognize it?
When is the last time you went to a bookstore or looked online for a diet book? Do so and you quickly find hundreds even thousands all claiming to have the answer you seek. Diet obsession has become a quest for the unattainable; a metaphorical Holy Grail.
Recently, I was at a house party at a client’s home. The house was filled with smart and interesting people that I quickly discovered were largely physicians from various fields of medicine. As I made my way around the room and was introduced as the home owner’s personal trainer and weight loss guy I began to have several party goers engage me in conversation. First came their opinions that two of their colleagues’, (both my clients) were probably too thin now and might need to eat a little more. A few jokes in that regard followed. Of course opinions are only your opinion if you really believe them.
IBS is a catch term to describe a wide range of digestive symptoms. In fact 1 in 6 people are said to suffer from IBS and it is the number 1 reason patients seek out a gastroenterologist. To be clear IBS is different from inflammatory bowel disease which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD causes inflammation, ulcers or other damage to the intestinal lining whereas IBS does not. IBS is considered a functional disorder (the digestive system looks normal, but doesn’t function as it should).
IBS symptoms include: gas, bloating, fullness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, sometimes alternating, and mucus in stool. Reports of back pain, headaches, anxiety, sleeping problems and fatigue are not uncommon.
Thousands of years ago Herodotus the 5th century BC Greek historian wrote stories of a mythical fountain that bestowed eternal youth. In the 16 century Juan Ponce de Leon searched for such a fountain in what is now Florida. Today some scientists believe they may have found a type of fountain of youth if you will, within our own bodies. This source of eternal youthfulness may be attributed to a repetitive DNA sequence that caps our chromosomes known as telomeres.
Researchers at Harvard University recently released their results from an experiment testing an enzyme on mice to effectively arrest aging. What they discovered was profound.
First a bit of biology 101. The nucleus is sort of like the administrative center of the cell. It is protected by a porous double plasma membrane. Within the nucleus we find the chromosomes which contain our DNA. The genes within the DNA hold the recipe for everything that makes us. The ends of the chromosomes are protected by end caps known as telomeres, these caps function sort of like the plastic tips on your shoe laces. Every time a cell divides the telomeres get shorter, in effect the cell gets older and after several divisions (Hayflick Limit) the cell dies before the telomeres completely run out. This prevents damage to the genes and the possibility of passing on mutated information.
We all know we should eat more fruit and vegetables they’re high in fiber, vitamins, enzymes, and naturally low in calories. Well, there is another great reason to indulge: antioxidants. Think of antioxidants as nature’s army going after and stopping cell disrupting terrorists know as free radicals. Antioxidants bind with free radicals until they can be safely eliminated from the body. Free radicals are those little scavengers that cause aging, inflammation and disease. Want to live longer, healthier, well then eat up kiddies.
All of us at some point and time have or will experience heartburn and associated acid reflux. Statistics show a growing number of hospital visits due to heartburn symptoms that are rather similar to heart attack symptoms.
Heartburn symptoms can include:
1) Chest pain (stabbing or burning)
2) Nausea
3) Pain in the left arm
4) Jaw pain
5) Difficulty swallowing
6) Chronic cough
Recent statistical information brings to light that Vitamin D deficiency is alarmingly on the rise. Likely reasons for this trend are a decrease in dairy consumption due to increases in vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, lactose intolerance and increase use of sunscreens. 75% of Americans do not get sufficient vitamin D. The average American diet provides only 100 IU per day. Dark skinned people in less sunny areas are particularly susceptible to deficiency.
Go through life long enough and eventually you will experience some type of joint and muscular pain. Whether it’s an acute injury, chronic use syndrome or arthritis there are options you should be aware of beyond pain relievers, a sedentary lifestyle, and surgery. Prolotherapy and PRP are 2 such treatments that can reduce or eliminate pain, speed healing, and erase most the debilitating symptoms.
One very important area sometimes overlooked and often misunderstood in sport and exercise is proper and adequate hydration. Failure to drink enough fluids can lead to early fatigue, overheating and thickening of the blood. Too much water consumption can cause abdominal distress, interfere with oxygen transfer and in severe cases brain swelling. In warmer climates increased fluid intake is essential to the tune of about 4- 6oz every 20 minutes. Add humidity and the requirement goes up.
Length of activity, intensity and ambient temperature all must be taken into consideration. Add to this your size (larger people are more susceptible to overheating), sweat rate, health status and clothing.
Maybe you just started a new health kick or your consistent training routine is not yielding the results you were used to anymore. Are you trying to get stronger, leaner or maybe gain muscle? Possibly you are an athlete or weekend warrior, you’re putting in the work, but you’re not getting stronger, your energy is down or your lean/fat ratio isn’t improving. Well, it could just be that your post workout recovery meal isn’t what it should be.
You’ve gone to the effort to find the right gym, maybe the right trainer. You work hard vary your routine regularly and eat the right balance of carbs, proteins and fats all while watching your calories, so what gives?
According to government sources the average American consumes 37% of their calories in the form of fat, considering the American Heart Association recommends no more than 30% we have some way to go. Take into consideration however, the different types of dietary fat, there is saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and trans fat. Not all these fats should be viewed with the same disdain.
The concept of interval training has been around longer than I can remember. It’s the reason Lifecycles and StairMasters had built in programs taking you up and down simulated hills during a workout. The science behind it is this; by varying the workload during a workout session you also cause a variance in heart rate resulting in both greater aerobic demand and greater calorie expenditure. The net result would be increased conditioning and more significant weight loss.
