Vox Fit Club

Water Water Water

nobody@vox.com(foxsydee) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:41:36 -0700

The latest BLI newsletter (recieved via email this morning) offers a different take on the whole "drink your water" issue.

Have you had your "fluid" today? :p

Check it out:

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Water: 8 x 8
Dr. Chet Zelasko | June 24, 2008

Water has been in the news recently--drinking water, to be more specific. Two researchers from the University of Pennsylvania attempted to find the source of the long-standing recommendation to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day or 8 x 8, for short (1). They saw that the Internet was full of recommendations for drinking a lot of water, and they wanted to find out why. They examined all clinical trials on drinking water back to the 1970s, and they couldn’t find a single clinical trial to support that recommendation!

Next they decided to examine some of the reasons that are given for drinking 8 x 8--their reasoning was that the recommendation had to be based on science. Let’s see what they found.

Clinical Outcomes
The researchers found four reasons cited on the Internet for drinking more water:

Eliminate toxins
Improve organ function
Help weight loss
Prevent headaches, including migraines

They couldn’t find significant research to support any of those claims. I agree, for the most part.

Drinking more water to flush the body won’t eliminate toxins--it just adds more fluid to the body. You eliminate toxins by providing the liver with proper nutrients so it can neutralize toxins and then eliminate them through the kidneys, but more water won’t help that process. The right foods and supplements will.

Drinking water before eating to help with weight loss proved to be equivocal. Some studies support it, others do not. I think that it comes down to being consistent. If you drink 8-16 ounces of water 15 minutes before every meal, that will give your body the water it needs and may help you eat a little less. As the researchers suggested, because water is not patentable, the research to prove or disprove it will never be done. I would try it anyway because there’s no harm and it’s a way of providing nutrients--and water is a nutrient--to the body on a regular basis.

Drinking water to help organs such as the skin or the brain also doesn’t have much basis in research. Severe dehydration can affect the skin, but drinking more water doesn’t provide additional benefits. The sparse research on drinking water for migraines did show improvement, but it wasn’t statistically significant. The brain is almost 80% water and the muscles about the same. Lack of water can cause fatigue and contributes to muscle cramps; it wouldn’t be surprising if drinking more water did benefit headaches, including migraines.

Is 8 x 8 Justified?
Let’s get back to the original question of the eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Is it justified? As I said, the researchers examined clinical trials back through the early 1970s, but perhaps they should have picked up a basic physiology textbook instead, such as Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology (2). If they had looked there, they would have found a section in the chapter on fluid balance that talked about how much water we lose every day under normal conditions:

Skin (not from sweat)--12 ounces
Lungs--12 ounces
Sweat--4 ounces (without exercise)
Feces--4 ounces
Urine--48 ounces
Total: 80 ounces per day. And remember, that’s without sweating due to exercise or high heat and humidity.

The recommended 8 x 8 would provide 64 ounces, and that means we would be 16 ounces short based on typical fluid loss, even before your daily exercise routine. That’s why eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day is still a good idea. Notice I said fluid. Tea, coffee, sports and energy drinks, soft drinks, juice--all fluids count toward that total.

The researchers focused only on drinking an additional 64 ounces of water per day. They picked a position and defended it from a strict clinical-outcome perspective. Normally that’s good practice, but in this case it just didn’t make any sense.

There’s one more thing that you’ll probably read somewhere and that’s the water in fruits and vegetables counts toward that total. I agree, but most of us eat only three or four servings of fruits and vegetables per day, if that. Let’s say you start your day with an orange; that’s four ounces of fluid. Later, with your dinner, you have a medium baked potato along with a cup of broccoli; that would add four ounces and three ounces respectively. Then let’s say you top it off with a banana--another three ounces. From the foods you ate, you got 14 ounces of water--you still need another 66 ounces. And that’s why eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day is still a good idea. Now you know why. Bottoms up!

References:

Negoianu D, and Goldfarb, S. Just Add Water. J Am Soc Nephrol 2008; 19:1-3.
Guyton and Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th Edition. W.B. Saunders. Pps 264-5. 2000.

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CHEW ON THIS: There is no such thing as an obesity epidemic

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:04:57 -0700

A predominant part of leading & sustaining a healthy lifestyle is changing your mindset & being mindful.

As a public we have been brainwashed for years by television shows & untruthful food marketing and advertising about what we believe healthful eating & living should be; we have relied on these poor sources as our main source of nutrition & health education for our bodies, and today we are paying for it as a nation.

Look around you the next time you do a quick run to do errands, and simply be mindful about the % of people you see around you, adults and children, struggling with weight...the #'s are alarming. Compare this to what you saw 20, 10, even 5 years ago - there is undoubtedly a difference.

Being healthy & leading a healthy lifestyle first and foremost requires mindfulness and intention in every area of your life - it involves being in touch with how your body feels, do you feel stressed out about something? Is that why are you're eating that bagel, or are you TRULY hungry, does your body TRULY need those calories?

THINK PEOPLE THINK -- think and SET YOUR INTENTION constantly when it comes to nutrition. Don't eat mindlessly because you're at a conference or meeting and just because food sits on the table and it looks good, then you have to eat it? No you don't - ask your body first, am I hungry? Think about the time you last eat, is it truly time to eat again or will you be mindlessly consuming needless calories if you indulge?

As Americans we let our feelings & gratifications dictate our lives way too often - I want, I want, I want...and sadly we carry this poor attitude right over into food.

This comes into play just as much in our physical health and food today than ever before. The bigger, better, faster attitude of Americans has finally taken it's toll on our public health as a nation and it's got to stop. Eating should not be 110% of the time about pleasure and indulgence, we need to change our mindset as a country to understand that food is a way we honor the earth and land as we produce it, and honor our bodies and health and minds as we consume it in order to be prepared to live life to the fullest.

That said, here is a thought I think everyone in this country needs to hear: there is no such thing as an obesity epidemic; there is an over-feeding epidemic; a lack of quality nutrient food sources epidemic; & a lack of physical activity epidemic in this country - obesity is merely a symptom of these larger problems.

Branding the public health problem as an obesity epidemic merely pervades the incorrect mindset that health is not each individual's personal responsibility and it is out of their control, when in fact it is very much in their control, there are just those sadly that have not done yet what it takes to control it.

Kudos to those who have; it now becomes our job to pass on the invaluable lesson and MINDSET of a healthful life to those who haven't yet made this same discovery.

In health,

Heather Dube - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, NASM CPT, BA Psychology

www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
healthmatters.vox.com/
hdube@youandimprovedcoaching.com / 408.667.7551

Can Wellness Coaching Help You? Find out More Here.
"No matter our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."- Dale Turner
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."- Albert Einstein

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Join MyBlogLog.com to Social Network Your Blog for Free

nobody@vox.com(Debbie) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:34:42 -0700

Steps to Signup for Free:

#1.) Under "debbie" Click On ""MyBlogLogProfile" and a new window will appear, then:

#2.) Where the Green Strip is on top Click On "JOIN/SIGN IN" and you'll be on MyBlogLog.com page to JOIN !

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America's Unhealthiest Drinks Exposed

nobody@vox.com(foxsydee) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:20:23 -0700

America's Unhealthiest Drinks Exposed on Yahoo! Health

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatth...

Americans have a drinking problem, and not the type you might think. After posting a blog a few weeks ago called "Belt-Busting Beverages," we received hundreds of comments from the Yahoo community claiming they had no idea the stuff they drink could be so hazardous to their waistlines.

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Sucralose: blessing or curse?

nobody@vox.com(foxsydee) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:54:15 -0700

Here is the latest e-newsletter from Better Life Unlimited with respect to this somewhat controversial subject. (I had to cut and paste it into this post as I couldn't use "vox this" to capture it as it's not yet posted online as it just came out today via email)

Dr. Chet and BLI are always on the money, in my opinion. I have been using them as a reference for years. I always like his common sense approach to things.

********************************************************************************************************************************

Sucralose: An Update

Dr. Chet Zelasko | June 10, 2008

Artificial sweeteners are a part of modern life--they're a blessing and a curse. They can provide an alternative to sugar to feed our sweet tooth and reduce calories. They're also blamed for everything from migraines to multiple sclerosis. I addressed those concerns in a Newsletter on sucralose over three years ago (1). However, I've gotten numerous questions recently about the safety of sucralose, which includes both Splenda® and its generic equivalents; it's time to look at the research again.

Sucralose 101

Sucralose is a sugar molecule that's chemically modified to make it sweeter. Three hydrogen molecules are replaced with chlorine molecules in a complex chemical reaction. The results are a modified sugar molecule that's 600 times sweeter than the original. Because the body doesn't have the enzymes to break down the sucralose molecule, it passes through the system and is eliminated.

The word chlorine just freaks people out. There's no evidence that elemental chlorine is released from sucralose--certainly no more than the minute quantities that would be released from salt, tomatoes, fish, or any of the thousands of foods that contain some form of chlorine. In some municipalities, there's likely to be more chlorine in a cup of water from the water-treatment plant than would ever be obtained from the typical use of sucralose.

That doesn't stop anti-artificial-sweetener groups from writing page after page about the dangers of sucralose, much of it revolving around the issue of chlorine. It comes down to this: prove it. Hire a laboratory that can assess serum chlorine levels in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial; prove that sucralose is broken down in the gut in a substantive way and is absorbed. Until then, there's no ! evidence to support their position.

Reported Negative Effects

One of the criticisms of sucralose is that it triggers migraine headaches. There have been two case studies published on the relationship of migraines and sucralose (2-3). The problem is that the patients all had a variety of other possible triggers for migraines. In addition, the writers were not researchers--they were clinicians. That doesn't mean they can't write about their observations, but it does mean that they can't establish cause and effect with a single subject. Think about it for a moment. These are physicians who treat people for migraine headaches every day. With the hundreds of patients that they see, they found two who reported that sucralose--or a variety of other factors--might have been a trigger. It is an observation. Period.

Other negative effects have been reported on anti-artificial-sweetener websites. Besides migraines, there are joint pain, diarrhea, rash, muscle aches, and seizures also reported. But here's the thing: even on a website dedicated to reporting negative events about sucralose, there have been 15 comments in just under four years--and some of those are repeats. Out of the millions of doses of sucralose used everyday, there have been just two case studies and 15 comments. There's no scientific basis to link sucralose to any of the negative effects--just observations.

Other Studies

There have been two studies in humans that have examined the use of sucralose. Researchers compared the American Diabetes Association diet with an experimental low-fat diet using fat replacers and sugar substitutes including sucralose (4); the diabetic subjects using the experimental diet experienced a greater improvement in metabolic and anthropometric profile, including a greater increase in HDL cholesterol and larger decreases in HbA1c, body weight,! and bod y mass index.

Another study involved Native American subjects who are prone to type-2 diabetes (5); researchers sweetened low-sugar watermelon with sucralose to test palatability. The substitute was palatable to a wide variety of ages, thus providing an alternative to a high-sugar food.

These are not earth-shattering studies, but they're research on human subjects where side-effects were monitored. There were none that wouldn't be expected in such studies.

Bottom Line

Since the first sucralose Newsletter, there have been numerous e-mails that have circulated and website postings that talk about the negative effects of sucralose. None have contributed any more scientific evidence that sucralose is detrimental to anyone's health. Does that mean that no one will ever have a negative reaction to sucralose? Absolutely not--individual negative responses will always be a factor with any food or drink. But there's no evidence at this time that we are at risk for any disease from the regular use of sucralose.

Use it or don't--the choice is yours. As I concluded the last time, if you crave something sweet, eat some fruit. That's the better life way.

References:

Sucralose: Just the Facts. Newsletter. January 27, 2005.

Bigal ME, Krymchantowski AV. Migraine triggered by sucralose--a case report. Headache. 2006 Mar; 46(3):515-7.

Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E. Popular sweetener sucralose as a migraine trigger. Headache. 2006 Sep; 46(8):1303-4.

Reyna NY et al. Sweeteners and beta-glucans improve metabolic and anthropometrics variables in well controlled type 2 diabetic patients.

Am J Ther. 2003 Nov-Dec; 10(6):438-43.

Collins JK et al. Consumer acceptability of low-sugar watermelon sweetened with non-calorie sweetener by a Native American community.

Int

J Food Sci Nutr. 20! 06 Aug-S ep; 57(5-6):363-8.

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Bragging on Justin for a Change (vs. Sara)

nobody@vox.com(geekgal) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:06:35 -0700

From Justin: —- Took the plunge and traded a 1/2-ton pickup truck for a 30lb mountain bike for the commute to work this morning. It was quite the experience, here’s my blog post: Bike Geek: A carbon-free day… When it was all said and done, with 26 miles or so of riding, I saved two gallons of gas and burned [...]

:: 500 character article excerpt; visit GeekHabitat.com for more. ::

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The Potential Dangers of Sucralose (Splenda?)

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:05:12 -0700

One key thing our public needs to learn is don't believe anything you read that comes from a food marketer or someone trying to make money off you - including the 'next fad in nutrition' - whether it's low fat, digestive health, or no-cal sweeteners. They're always just jumping on the bandwagon of the next big thing to cash in before the ever-fickle American public tires of it and moves onto the next nutrition fad, and it's working for them at least, but the American public health picture is losing big right now as they continually fall prey to these company gimmicks revolving around nutrition, food & diets.

Always get the facts first before you try a product, as 110% of the time marketers tweak food labels and basically flat out lie as our FDA sets the bar so low that if they have only a small % of certain negative ingredients they can still say it has 'zero this' and 'zero that' on the label and get away with it legally. Or they can say something is pesticide free if it was not sprayed directly, but still was produced on a farm that uses pesticides and could have air transfered....there are numerous ways these jerks fool with the truth to get you to buy, buy, buy....

There is still nothing on any shelf in any market that will supercede the nutritient benefits of the foods God put on this earth for us humans, and there never will be. Science cannot recreate or improve nature, no matter how hard it tries to claim it can and does.

In fact, there is nothing on any shelf in any market that your body requires or needs & most of it actually counteracts your good health & breaks down your bodies internal natural healthy processes, and not for the good.

Here is a perfect example of how well food marketing can brainwash people into thinking they're putting something healthy in their bodies as they choose to rely on the packaging & trust the companies trying to make money on their lack of nutrition knowledge, vs. researching and finding the facts about what they're putting into their bodies first - and it's not good news folks: The Potential Dangers of Splenda (Sucralose)

Splenda marketing - Happy thoughts on the package make happy, gullible consumers!

Like most unnatural, synthetic, chemical junk that we are not naturally meant to eat, there are no longterm studies yet that show effects of use of ingesting Splenda for years on end, yet the FDA allows them to be pushed through to market and sold to the public not knowing what will happen down the road to people longterm as this unnatural product takes root in the body & builds up over time.

Even better if you dig, you'll find the company producing it foolingly named McNeil Nutritionals is really J&J / Johnson & Johnson - isn't it interesting how marketing works? We rename ourselves something that sounds health related and people all of the sudden believe we are a legitimate nutrition source, when we're actually just white-coated scientists fooling with nature in a lab and creating something unnatural & telling people it's good for them.

And while we're at it, we'll add a few chlorine compounds to Splenda in the lab so the body won't be able to digest it, so we'll avoid the NATURAL process of digestion altogether so it creates a situation where no calories are absorbed, and even though there are calories truly in the product and they get metabolized somewhere in the body, but we don't know where they're going, or what harm they're causing when they get there, maybe like creating cancerous cells over time, what the heck - we've got a product we can claim has no calories and the American public will just eat that up, so sell the thing, chlorine in it or not - what's the big deal if people eat a little chlorine as long we become millionaires off the product? A little lie never hurt anyone, right?

Would you feed Splenda to your child now?

WAKEUP AMERICA -- And we wonder why our country has some of the highest rates of cancer in the world? Do you think European or other countries are taking in as much of this chemical junk as Americans are? Trust me they're not, because in their countries the people take a more active role in voting on food production issues, and the government also permits them to be active participants in determining the quality of food they're ingesting.

Not the US government folks, because it's all about what food manufacturer or big pharmaceutical is paying the FDA off to get their product pushed through to market with minimal testing - and who cares if a couple thousand lives are lost, right?? ..as long as their stock portfolios look good from the kickbacks they're receiving.

I'll say it again, science will never top nature, folks -

God didn't make sucralose, man did - and if it was good for us, it would have been handmade by God many years ago.

Stick to what He made for us to eat, and you will never go wrong - I don't know about you, but a healthful, long life free from illness sounds a LOT more appetizing than something that sounds as horrifying as lab-created, chlorine-filled "sucralose".

For safe sweetener alternatives that are from NATURE and won't add empty calories to your food plan, try stevia (be sure it's the all natural product). It is available at Trader Joes or your local health food store. Stevia is starting to become more readily available at grocery market chains.

Another lo-cal healthy sweetener option is xylitol, which is comprised from natural occuring sweeteners in fruits.

If you're not so concerned with caloric content blue agave syrup is a final natural sweetener option, although with the hefty amount of caloric content this product packs, I would recommend use of this in minimal amounts on infrequent occasions, i.e. make stevia your daily sweetener, but for an occasional treat to switch your taste up use blue agave.

In health & wellness,
Heather Dube - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, NASM CPT, BA Psychology
hdube@youandimprovedcoaching.com / 408.667.7551

"Perhaps the only limits to the human mind are those we believe in." - W. Harman
web: http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
blog: http://healthmatters.vox.com/

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NEED SOME INSPIRATION?: Double Amputee Will Compete in the 08 Olympics

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:06:56 -0700

The mind is a powerful thing....and how we each harness and utilize that power is up to each individual for themselves.

I've always found in training my clients the mindset they show up with sets the stage for what we will achieve in that session, and fitness trainers alike know this well when they head to the gym daily for their own workout - they are sure to set the stage mentally before they hit the weights or cardio, knowing well how much the mind effects the results they will walk away with when they put their workout to bed for the day.

The scale of our mindset possibilities is amazingly wide, from a severely obese person who attempts to walk for 5 minutes on a treadmill and tells themselves they would rather sit down on the couch & suck in some tv, to a man who lost both his legs & felt running competition was so much his calling in life & put up #'s to show it, so believably so that he petitioned the Olympic Committee when they told him a double amputee was not allowed to apply to compete in the event by the rules, and WON my friends....

Double Amputee Will Compete in the 2008 Olympics

Oscar-pistorius

So the next time you DECIDE IN YOUR MIND ("your decision" being the key point) to whine about a breaking a sweat, chose tv over caring for your physical health, and give up when you feel a slight bit of pain when you're on your last rep at the gym, ask yourself this question: How much drive & motivation do YOU show up with on this scale of possibilies? Enough to lose both legs, but come forth with MORE HEART than those legs ever gave you to win??? The decision on how you show up is yours, and yours alone....

ALL Americans, obese and otherwise, should all take a lesson from this man. And you can bet if there is one tv show I'll sit down to watch it will be to watch him compete, in awe of his passion for life & truly living it to the fullest, as he runs in the 2008 Olympics.

In health & wellness,
Heather Dube - Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, NASM CPT, BA Psychology
hdube@youandimprovedcoaching.com / 408.667.7551

"Perhaps the only limits to the human mind are those we believe in." - W. Harman
web: http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
blog: http://healthmatters.vox.com/

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HELP NEEDED: CA menu labeling bill goes to vote tomorrow (Senate Bill 1420)

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:34:24 -0700

Menu Labeling Vote Tomorrow

Your Support Needed Today!

Our menu labeling bill (Senate Bill 1420) is up for a vote on the Senate Floor

tomorrow and your voice will help decide its fate! SB 1420 will make “full

disclosure” of nutritional information at the point of sale the norm at California’s

chain restaurants but in order for that to happen,

we need you to communicate your support to your state Senator today!

The American Heart Association is sponsoring this important legislation to help

empower Californians when they dine out by providing nutritional information at

the point of sale. Basic nutritional information is extremely important to

consumers who are dealing with chronic diseases such as heart disease,

diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

We need your support to make menu labeling a reality in California.

Please click here and send your e-mail in support of this legislation today!

With your action, SB 1420 will make it through the Senate and move on to

the Assembly.

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Announcing FREE Wellness Coaching Services Available - limited time offer!

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:31:39 -0700

If you have a health & wellness goal, or goals for that matter, that you would like to work on or have been trying to work on unsuccessfully for some time, I'm happy to announce that You & Improved Coaching will be offering FREE weekly wellness coaching sessions for a few select clients at this time & would love to help you reach those health goals once and for all.

This free coaching relationship opportunity in total will extend up until your goal is reached or 3 mos., whichever comes first. The good news is wellness coaching to date has been successful in helping clients to achieve at least 75% of their goals in a 3 mos. timeframe, sometimes up to 100% goals successfully achieved!

Those interested can visit the Coaching Services page at www.youandimprovedcoaching.com & click on the contact us link in the Wellness Coaching Services section of the page (2nd section down) for further info on this limited time opportunity.

In health & wellness,

"Health Matters"- NASM CPT, ACSM CPT, Licensed Wellness Coach

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