Cool Hands to Burn More Calories

I am passing on this information from an interesting study done at Stanford University.  Hey, most of us can use all of the help we can get to get the most out of our workouts.  It seems like a reasonable way to make workouts more tolerable  as the weather gets warmer too. 

Just keeping your hands cool while exercising can reduce the discomfort of overheating and sweating so you work out longer.

That finding comes from a new study in the journal Circulation by Stacy T. Sims, PhD, a research scientist and exercise physiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. She recruited a group of 24 obese, yet healthy, women ages 30 to 45 to test the idea that cooling their hands might help them exercise longer -- a practice already used by some professional athletes. Dr. Sims enlisted obese women since they tend to give up exercise easily due to sweating, exhaustion, and overheating. Fat acts as an insulator, which is why overweight people tend to overheat when they exert themselves.

Sims divided the women into two groups. One held a device that ran cool water (60.8 degrees F) through it, while the second group's device had water at body temperature (98.6 F) running through it. The women then attended three exercise sessions a week for 12 weeks. The workouts included a mix of strength training and aerobic exercise.

At the end of 3 months the results were impressive. The women with cooled hands burned 2 inches of belly fat off their waists, lowered their blood pressure from 139/84 to 124/70, and shaved an average of 5 minutes off their time for a treadmill test. The women with body-temperature water showed no significant differences in any of the measures -- likely, Sims notes, because many of them dropped out early and skipped a lot of sessions.

No matter your weight, keeping your hands cool is one way to help you keep exercising when you'd rather cut your workout short. How to do it? Freeze a bottle of water and hold it in your bare palm while you work out, Sims says. As it melts, take a nice hydrating drink of water, which also helps your body cool down.

(Preceding information found at www.realage.com)

Try it out.  Let me know if it works for you!

In Health,

Charity

Raising a Lifelong Learner

I copied the following from realage.com   I know it has nothing to do with fitness, but I know that positive thinking and loads of encouragement are always healthy for our kids.

Enjoy!

Charity

Seven Steps to Raising a Lifelong Learner

1. Define their learning style. Figure out if it’s primarily:

• Visual—learns best by seeing teacher demonstrations, diagrams on board, pictures in books.
  
• Auditory—learns best by listening to lectures, discussions among class- mates, even audio books.
  
• Kinesthetic—learns best by doing, engaging with the environment, role playing.
  

2. Enlist help. Partner with your child’s school to implement a program that encourages success.
   
3. Keep focused. Help your child work on what needs to be worked on first, finish it, and then move on.
   
4. Celebrate success. Praise kids often for what they’re good at and encourage continued growth in those areas.
   
5. Stay positive. Don’t allow children to define themselves by limitations: “I’m no good at math” or “I’m a bad reader.”
   
6. Track progress. Spotlight how hard they try, how far they’ve come.
   
7. Provide perspective. Let them know that you make mistakes, that perfection isn’t the goal, and that errors are an opportunity to learn. 

Can We Fight Childhood Obesity?

After spending the past week fighting a cold and sinus infection and wiping my daughter's little runny nose, I am ready to get back into the swing of things.  I really hate being sick!!!  I hate it even more when my kids are sick.  So, as we continue on the road to better health and hopefully sleepFULL nights, I am ready to get back to business.  Raising healthy kids is on the top of my agenda.  I'm sure almost everyone is aware that as a country we are expanding.  I am not referring to our boarders.  I'm talking about childhood obesity.  Lets look at some facts.

• "To accommodate larger kids, some schools have instructions for teachers to provide separate chairs and desks for students who cannot fit into the pupil chairs. And school furniture makers are increasing the size of chairs and desks to accommodate larger students." (CNN Health, Feb 15, 2012)

• According to the CDC the rate of childhood obesity has gone from 7% in 1980 to 20% as of 2008. 

• 70% of obese youth ages 5-17 have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

• Obese children are likely to become obese adults.

• Obese children are at increased risk for diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, psychological problems, and social problems.  They are also at increased risk of many types of cancer.

When I see the hot lunch menu for my children's school, I feel like I am the only one who is alarmed by this.  They had a whole week when every food came on a stick.  My daughter's music teacher rewards her students with doughnuts.  What?!!!  Other teachers reward students with candy.  The children's menus at restaurants rarely include "real food" or anything green.  There seems to be a lack of taking our children's health seriously.


So, if we are aware we have an obesity crisis what are we going to do about it?  I stand back and shake my head, but I wonder what could I really do to make a positive change.  How do we help our schools?  How do we teach our children to make healthier food choices and get the physical activity they need?  


My children do take their lunch to school most days.  I try to provide healthy meals and snacks for them when they are at home.  I encourage physical activity.  What else can we do?  How can we get our schools on board?  I am open to any ideas.


Please share a comment.


In Health,
Charity