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With people wondering what to do in the wake of recent news suggesting fish oil supplements may not be as effective at improving heart health as previously touted, the known benefits of exercise on heart health remain constant. Lets take a look at exactly what has been reported.

In May The New England Journal of Medicine published the Italian Risk and Prevention Study in which 12,513 people had evidence of either atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The participants were given either a one gram/daily dosage of fish oil or placebo. There were no significant differences (0.2%) in the “primary endpoints”- defined as hospital admissions or death from cardiovascular causes. Women did have reduced time in endpoints vs men overall- does this mean fish oil is potentially more harmful to women than men? Some studies have suggested links between fish oil and cancer- but still no hard evidence. The hypothesis is that post-menopausal women are potentially more sensitive to hormonal effects that fish oil is thought to be involved in.

In September of last year, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that reviewed numerous studies performed between 1989-2012. Some of the later studies contradicted earlier ones as positive benefits could not be reproduced. This was also true for two studies, one performed earlier and one later, that relied on diet sourced omega-3 oils directly from fish. Dosages were reported to be anywhere between less than one gram/daily to 1.51 grams/daily. Ultimately, the report’s authors recommended individuals look at their own data and dosage to judge the efficacy of fish oil/omega-3 supplementation. What if studies were done on participants who take several grams daily?

For specific heart health benefits from exercise, the Amercian Heart Association says that becoming more active can lower blood pressure as much as four to nine mm Hg, similar to the results patients have from blood pressure medications. The AHA says women can reduce their risk of heart disease by 30-40 percent by staying active. In 2011 the journal Circulation published a report that found a 19 percent reduction in heart disease and stroke and a 15 percent lower risk of death from any cause in people who improved their fitness over a six year period. A lower risk of mortality was also found in those who improved their fitness even if their bodyweight did not change.

What is the right “dosage” of exercise to reap these rewards? The AHA recommends thirty minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. Even splitting up a thirty-minute session into three ten-minute sessions is an effective method. The Centers for Disease Control recommends either 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio weekly or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity weekly. Two days of full-body resistance training are recommended. For even greater health benefits, double the cardio times, the CDC recommends.

I have personally seen dedicated clients get off their blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication with their doctor’s approval. Some take fish oil and some do not. Whether fish oil supplements have a positive benefit on heart health or not, it is another reminder that there is no magic pill- just hard, smart work.

When asked his age, Satchel Paige, one of baseball’s greatest pitchers once replied “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” He was fifty nine when he pitched his last Major League game in 1965. He pitched against Carl Yastrzemski, whose father Satchel pitched against a generation earlier!

What can we do to identify factors that influence age and lifespan? There are seven main health risk factors that are cited by the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Dietetic Association. These are: BMI (Body Mass Index), high blood pressure, family history, smoking, high cholesterol, activity level, and age. BMI has been cited as the most critical by the AMA and ADA. Body Mass Index is calculated based on your height in inches and bodyweight. Find out your BMI here. Under 18.5 is considered underweight; 18.5-24.9 is considered normal; 25-29.9 is considered overweight; 30 and over is considered obese. These numbers do not take into consideration your body fat percentage, so a more heavily muscled person can fall into the overweight or even obese category. In general, the BMI does correlate to the average population’s lean mass to fat ratio. It is used by health insurance companies and employers to assess an employee’s health risk.

Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health led a study that suggested high BMI/bodyfat did in fact take years off lives. “Even modest weight gain during adulthood, independent of physical activity, was associated with a higher risk of death. We estimate that excess weight (defined as a body-mass index of 25 or higher) and physical inactivity (less than 3.5 hours of exercise per week) together could account for 31 percent of all premature deaths, 59 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease, and 21 percent of deaths from cancer among nonsmoking women.” Adiposity as Compared with Physical Activity in Predicting Mortality among Women, The New England Journal of Medicine, December 23, 2004.

In addition to getting your diet and nutrition under control, exercise can further reduce the impact of the risk factors. Exercising more than twenty minutes four times a week can lower the risk factors as much as ten percent, according to the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. Dedicated exercisers can, under their physician’s guidance, sometimes get off blood pressure and cholesterol medication.

Smoking not only causes cancer, but leaches vital micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) from the body’s cells. When this happens, the cells’ functions slow in an effort to preserve what amounts of vitamins and minerals are left. For example, one cigarette will leach one hundred milligrams of vitamin C from the body. We often think of vitamin C as helping to fight colds and infection, but its main function is the formation of collagen. Collagen is the protein matrix found in skin, bone, and connective tissue. When collagen is unable to form properly, skin does not regenerate normally and appears aged beyond actual years. Smokers also often suffer from degenerative disks in the spine, since the disks are made from collagen-based connective tissue.

Through proper nutrition and exercise, it is possible to “roll back the clock” and not only appear younger, but increase the years of your natural life. Lower your risk factors, and lower your Wellness Age.

While strength and aerobic/cardiovascular fitness often come to mind, flexibility is one of the most overlooked components of fitness. Flexibility is specific to everyone, individually. Genetics, daily postural habits (as we discussed in the last blog topic), and current fitness levels are all factors. The more flexible you are, the less chance there is you will incur injury in the pursuit of your fitness goals or daily activity. The more flexible you are, the easier it is to perform the exercises or activities you enjoy- and the better the results are.

Flexibility must be pursued safely. Some must-have guidelines to remember are:

• Never jerk, bounce, or force a stretch.
• Make sure to perform a warmup, at a minimum. This can include light cardio work for five to fifteen minutes, or what we call dynamic flexibility– performing light exercises that mimic the stretches to come.
• Ease into your stretch, and hold when it feels on the verge of slight discomfort- but not pain. After thirty seconds, your nervous system will relax the muscle and allow you to ease into the stretch further.

Just as with anything fitness related or any other area of our life, the more you practice stretching the better you become at that activity. Read the article on Yankees’ star Ichiro Suzuki- and how a flexibility program has helped him stay injury free. The Secret Gym of Ichiro Suzuki The coaches and the rest of the team are now following his lead after seeing what it has done for him.

Spring is upon us, signaling a rebirth in nature for the year. It can also remind us of what we should refresh in our lives.

How did you do sticking to your New Year’s resolutions? Did you set forth clear, defined goals? Are you achieving them? To jump-start your progress on the goals you set for yourself, write them down. This is a process that is a form of kinesthetic learning. Kinesthetic learning is when you physically are involved- hands on. It reinforces the idea, concept, or topic you are covering. Writing down your goals will make them almost tangible- you are now further cementing the goals in your mind.

If you have a goal of weight loss, say twenty-five pounds, write down “I am losing twenty-five pounds”. Place it somewhere, such as the refrigerator (a most appropriate place!), where you will be regularly reminded of it. Email it to yourself as a reminder. Once you have written down your goal, you are now holding yourself to account. Tell others about your goal, although some people may feel fitness related goals should be private for them. Other people are often excited about the goal they set for themselves, and can’t wait to share it with their family and friends. This way, you will be having others hold you to account as well.

After writing, seeing, and talking about how you are looking forward to reaching your goal, you will have a 300% increase in retaining that goal in the forefront of your mind- kinesthetic, visual, and audial learning/reinforcement. The more a goal is at the forefront of your mind, the more likely you are to take action and do what needs to be done to achieve it.

Did you know that eighty percent of employees in the U.S. will have some form of back pain in their life- enough to see a doctor or miss work? When we are seated, which is the main body position most occupations have us assume, there is 1.4x our bodyweight placed on our lumbar spine. It is being in a non neutral position (not having our body in what is ideal posture) throughout the day that is the number one reason for lower back pain.

What can we do to correct this? Certain muscles will be out of balance, strength and flexibility wise. The hamstrings (rear thigh muscles) are often tight, and this goes hand in hand with tight lower back muscles. The hip flexors, or front upper thighs just below the hips, are often tight and will pull the hips forward. This results in a weak lower back and shortened abdominals.

In addition to being conscious of having excellent posture throughout the day, start incorporating exercises that address these imbalances. Exercises that keep the spine and pelvis neutral should form the basis of a core-strengthening program. Planks and bridges are static holds which fire the deep abdominal and hip girdle muscles with your own bodyweight. Certain types of abdominal crunches and lower back exercises can be used to address a weak midsection. Stretching the hamstrings and hip flexors will be very important as well, but how much of each will depend on each individual’s current posture and alignment. It is best to have a fitness professional, either a highly qualified personal trainer or physical therapist, take a look at your posture and musculature to make specific, idividualized recommendations for you. Otherwise, we may be exacerbating the very condition we seek to remedy.

What does your health and physical fitness have to do with your opportunities in business?

Find out here

Its New Year’s again, and across the nation people are resolving to get in shape. All too often, we are caught up in the moment, and after a few weeks our enthusiasm fizzles. According to the International Health, Raquet & Sports Club Association, 50% of new health/fitness club members quit within six months. Several reasons may come to mind, but ultimately we are responsible. You might ask, “How do I know what sort of program to follow?” You may say, “I just can’t seem to fit it in” or “I get bored after a few weeks”. If you find you are making excuses, then you’ve come to the right place. My Getting America Healthy program is designed to give you crystal clear clarity on making the right decisions for you. You will be empowered, educated, and motivated. Not only will you have the tools to be healthier, you will have more energy to pursue all of your other goals. Resolve today to take action now, and make fitness a 24/7, 365 day a year lifestyle goal. I will show you how to do it.