fitfamily360 blog

Perhaps these days we've been more concerned with the issues dealing with the financial administration and budgeting for healthcare, but there is another issue with healthcare that may be more critical to budgeting for it....that would be if most of any of us can meet the standard for heath in the first place. If over two-thrids of Americans are already obese or overweight , that statistic would mean that a lot of people are already under a "bell curve". It means by statistics obesity is becomine the "normal" if we continue the approach we are going at it. Which leads me to my qeuestion to all families, "does just having coverage" mean that we will have a healthy individual or state, if the measures to maintain health are not instituted regularly? Let's take a look at a neighborhood that builds the latest state-of-the art fitness center. With there membership fees they keep up the buildings manitenance, stock up on the latest snack bar energy b...

We discussed in previous blogs how there are a myriad of metabolic types and rates for various people , but perhaps we can simplify most into three categories. These three categories generalize the types of metabolic rates that can create problems or persent variations on normal. But, is there even such a thing as a normal metabolism or metabolic rate in today's fast paced world? Metabolic specialist presume that burning about 2000 kilo/cals is average for the typical person and that the normal BMI(body mass index) is below 25.Again this has to be adjusted for age,hydration status, bone densisty, muscle mass and even some cultures. The three typical discussed rates of metabolism we often see are the fast type, slow type and a mixed -variable type that is a compilation of many derrangements in metabolism effecting the majority of our population today. Let's discuss what this third type is and why are we seeing it rise so rapidly into today's modern society that seems to ...

The question of what is a diet and can everybody and there grandmother be on the same diet that you are eating is asked today. That question is not only not nutritionally or medically sound when commercials say "you can do it too", but rather presumptious as well that my metabolism or the tastes of someone else's likes of food in a meal "must" be just like mine. With different cars we know different engines take on efficiency with different fuels. A Ferrari will always require high octane and A Mack truck will run on diesel better and a Volkswagen bug will scamper down on regular fuel well. The same thing holds with people's fuels that supply to their own metabolism .Metabolism is what determines the type of diet you will best serve you body not only function on , but for survival. The cell is packed with powerhouse generators of energy called mitochondria and different amounts of them exist in different parts of the body . Body fat, the natural fat b...

Metabolism is basically your body trying to balance the total number of calories your organ's cells are able to "burn" with what they've consumed. The delicate dance your body does on auto-pilot can now be measured by electronic body resistance devices. This metabolic number has been defined on the average for the typical human as being about 2000 calories.If the number of calories you consume equal that of your output you maintain a basal metabolic rate(BMR)that will equal those you've consume. But, this "magic" number of calories you need may be a gross over or under-estimation based on your body's metabolic rate.As you can see this can be quite difficult to maintain. The BMI or body mass index on the underhand is the weight to height measured squared and is a way to measure your risk to obesity related diseases and morbidity. 24.9 to 30 is considered overweight and that over 30 is defined as obese. Body (white) fat over 15 % and 22% in women and...

Communities have gotten to become rather impersonal lately .In some instances neighborhoods have become environmentally unfriendly and ergonomically unsound for a daily commuters life.How can a day that begins at 5 a.m. for the 60 minute drive to and fro be catered to someone who wants to exercise, spend time with their family or even have the motivation to learn about nutrition to prevent heart disease? Enter the idea of neighborhood greenspace added on to the biospehere concept. Greenspaces can become more than just mere parks for walking , but can promote several activities such as jogging, bicycling, rock climbing, rowing, kayaking, canoing, and other aquatic activies for the entire family. These can therefore serve neighborhoods with the opportunity to participate with family members, neighbors and friends as you burn calories and promote fitness while have some connection to the green environment. In Atlanta, the botanical garden has not only become a place of growing ...

Why do we have food craves and why does it seem to be uncontrollable. Certainly many of our food habits seem to have a socio-cultural component to them. We eat at festivities, religious events, business meetings or at times we wish to celebrate an accomplishment. In our culture we habitually eat according to a condtioned set of time, but we often eat outside of these times also, why? For a long time we have looked at how the rapid rate of absoprtion of some foods, particularly carbohydrates, appear to have an effect on us by rebounding. We eat the sweet and quickly thereafter still have more hunger. There are receptors for glucose that sense the level of sugar in our blood to signal the brain when to kick it back up again, but new science is looking at a vast new connection that links our gut to our brain in various different ways. The gut peptide Gherlin made in the stomach causes an increase of appetite usually before we eat and even afterwards. Studies in bariatric surgery sho...

Heart disease strikes nearly a million people annually and its direct medical costs reach nearly a billion dollars.But,is there a way we can implement prevention to reduce the chances of acquiring it? The NIH, CDC, and American College of Sports Medicine all recommend exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 times weekly. Studies are now showing that this doesn't necessarily have to be high impact. Low impact or leisurely activity such as walks in the park, playing a game of tag with the kids or playing in the pool might have some positive effects as well. Exercise reduces the total cholesterol while reducing the "bad" cholesterol known as LDL.The "good" cholesterol, HDL is increased as well. Blood pressure is reduced so that pressure on the heart can pump up against less stress. The strength of ejecting blood per heart beat is more efficient and can extract more oxygen for your heart and tissues. It is believed that activity improves the regulation and balance of...

We've typically been told that heart disease is due to risks related to obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and family history. But lately science has become baffled by the mystery of some people who succumb to heart disease without any prior history at all. Of that number there are also some who have no symptoms what so ever of the "typical" presentation of heart disease such as chest pain, shortness of breath or palpitations. Medical science has now had to rely on statistics to "risk stratify" these candidates. The atypical presentation of heart disease has lead to defining newer risk factors as well. Some are objectively measurable factors some are more subjective. These include poor dentition. Bacteria in the gum have been known to set up "vegetative" emboli that can occlude a valve or vessel. These have known to break off and go to the brain as well. Good oral hygeine is key. An Amino Acid known as Homocysteine appears someho...

Today the American healthcare system has been in the forefront of a rising storm but a tsunami may be brewing with the health of all Americans.Today we live with the largest epidemic in our midst.The epidemic of obesity encompasses the wider concerns of an unhealthy lifestyle, poor nutrition, lack of leisurely activity, prevention education and relatively little in developing a real "culture of wellness". It seems that the frightening statistics that 66% of Americans are obese or overweight, that over 300,000 die annually from obesity at a cost of some $350 billion dollars has done little to change rising statistics. But, what is more troublesome is that obesity is the primary cause for a number of diseases including heart disease, stroke, heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes,cancer(colon,prostate, breast,throat, uterine) lung diseases(asthma and sleep apnea),gastric-reflux disease,liver disease, gallbladder disease and stones,osteoarthritis,gout, polycystic ovarian...