Wednesday, May 27, 2009

So You Want to Start a Fitness Program?

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, and the “unofficial start to summer” has begun, I can’t let May pass without bringing some attention to it being National Fitness and Sports Medicine Month. If you are not already being physically active, now is a great time to start.

There have been many population based observational studies, as well as laboratory-based studies, involving tens of thousands of people showing that regular physical activity and/or exercise has a variety of benefits. Some of these include improving cardiovascular and respiratory function, reducing coronary artery disease, decreasing the development of diabetes, decreasing anxiety and depression, enhancing feelings of well being, etc. Since it is also National High Blood Pressure Month, why not celebrate it by starting a fitness program to help keep your blood pressure at a normal level?

If you have not been performing regular physical activity or exercise, you may be wondering if it is safe to do so. In general, if you are a person with normal cardiovascular health, exercise should not increase your risk of heart attack. However, keep in mind that your risk does increase with age.

It is a good idea to follow the recommendation of the most recent Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health (1996), which says “Experts advise previously sedentary people embarking on a physical activity program to start with short durations of moderate-intensity activity and gradually increase the duration or intensity until the goal is reached.” In addition, it also says “Experts advise consulting with a physician before beginning a new physical activity program for people with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, or for those who are at high risk for these diseases. Experts also advise men over age 40 and women over age 50 to consult a physician before they begin a vigorous activity program.”

So what kind of physical activity or exercise should you be doing, and how much? For overall health, most people should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity “aerobic” type physical activity or exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, or bicycling on most days of the week. Aerobic exercises (also known as “cardio”) strengthen your cardiovascular system and improve your respiratory health. These types of exercise lower your resting heart rate and blood pressure and improve your lung capacity.

Ideally, one would also include some type of strength training at least twice a week as well. This includes exercises such as push-ups, dips, pull-ups, squats, lunges, weight lifting, using bands, etc. These types of exercise improve your bone health, as well as your muscular strength. Strength training can often help improve balance, which in turn lowers the risks for falls. This is particularly important for those at risk of osteoporosis, and for the elderly.

So what are you waiting for? Go for swim, ride your bike, play on a jungle gym, or try inline skating. Get out there and walk or run with your friends, your family, and your pets! There are a myriad of ways to get (and stay) active, just use your imagination.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Summer Outdoor Cooking Tips

Memorial Day is quickly approaching, and with it, the summer season of outdoor grilling and picnics. It can be tempting to let your healthy eating habits fall by the way side at parties, but if they are going to be a frequent occurrence, you want to make sure that you still have healthy options available. Another thing to keep in mind about summer eating is that historically, food poisoning peaks in the summer time. To avoid food poisoning and keep your outdoor picnics healthy, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Clean: Make sure that you and your guests wash your hands before preparing or handling food, and that all surfaces that will come in contact with food are clean as well. The rule of thumb for safe hand washing is to use soap and warm water and rub your hand for 20 seconds prior to rinsing. Always wash your hands before and after handling food. Any surface that comes into contact with raw or cooked food should also be cleaned with warm soap and water.

Separate: Always separate raw meats and poultry from fruits, vegetables and cooked foods. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meats, vegetables, and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.

Cook at the right temperature: Use a food thermometer. Color alone is not a reliable indicator of when a food is done; often the outer surface of meat will brown quickly while the inside still has not reached a safe temperature to kill bacteria. Steaks, roasts and chops should be cooked to 145 °F, hamburgers to 160 °F, all poultry to 165 °F, fish to 145 °F, and fully cooked meats like hot dogs to 165 °F or until steaming hot.

When you take cooked meats off the grill, remember to place them on a clean plate or platter, NOT on the unwashed dish that held them when they were raw because the juices left on the plate from the raw meats can cross-contaminate cooked foods.


If you use a smoker, the temperature in the smoker should be maintained between 225 °F and 300 °F. Use your food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal temperature.


Be sure to “keep hot food hot.” This means using warming trays, chafing dishes, or slow cookers to keep hot food at a temperature of 140 °F.

Chill: Bacteria can start to grow on perishable food that has been sitting out too long; avoid having food sit out for more than 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 °F, perishable foods shouldn't sit out more than one hour. Make sure to “keep cold food cold.” This means cold food should be kept at 40 °F or below; you can use ice packs or ice sources underneath. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly and discard any food that has sat out too long.

Water: Pack water. Avoid buying a lot of soft drinks and other beverages with “empty calories.” Use juice boxes as an occasional treat for kids, but remember even the most healthful juices contribute excess calories. Freeze reusable water bottles (for a full-day outing) or partially freeze them (for a shorter outing chill just 1 hour or so in your freezer); place the bottles in a cooler or bag to help keep foods chilled.

Fruit: Pack fruit whole if you can to ease clean up later, or slice it up and put it in plastic containers that can double as serving dishes.

The menu: Consider foods that don't spoil quickly. Humus or peanut butter on bagels, veggie wraps, vinegar-based pasta salads, and breakfast items such as waffles or pancakes travel well and have a slightly longer “shelf life” than with a slightly longer life than deli meats, casseroles, and cheeses.

High-fiber snacks: Instead of “convenience” bags of crackers, chips, or snack foods, choose high-fiber foods in large bags/containers to portion into baggies or small containers. Look for 3 grams (g) fiber or more/serving for snack food items; the more fiber, the more filling (and in general, the healthier) the snack. Some foods that fall into this category are dried fruits, nuts, seeds, popcorn, and some types of pretzels.

Sweets and treats: Decide ahead of time your “policy” on sweets and treats. For example limit treats to one serving per day.

Questions? The USDA has a great resource available 24/7 to help you plan your summer cookout. It is called “Ask Karen,” which is a virtual representative. You can find “Ask Karen” at AskKaren.gov. You can also talk to food safety coaches by phone at the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). Food safety experts staff the hotline Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. In addition, recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation and the American Celiac Disease Alliance, May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. It is estimated that approximately 1 out of 133 people in the United States have celiac, though many go undiagnosed.

What is Celiac? It is a genetic, chronic, autoimmune intestinal disorder. However, symptoms can vary and are not only gastrointestinal. In people who are genetically susceptible, specific proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley known as gluten damage the absorptive surface of the small intestine. The surface of the small intestine is covered with tiny finger-like projections called villi that are responsible for absorbing all nutrients (vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins). In people with celiac, gluten can cause the villi to become inflamed and flattened, leading to malabsorption of these nutrients, which can in turn cause conditions such as anemia, osteoporosis, certain types of cancer, and can also increase the risk of developing other autoimmune disorders.

Celiac develops due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. It can occur at any age, including the elderly, and may be triggered by severe stress, a gastrointestinal or viral infection, surgery, or pregnancy.

Symptoms may include abdominal pain and bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, chronic fatigue and weakness, lactose intolerance, weight loss, bone/joint pain, easy bruising of the skin, migraine headaches, depression, mouth ulcers, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, infertility (in both men and women), recurrent miscarriages, and elevated liver enzymes. Celiac can also occur more frequently in people with other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, Turner Syndrome, and Down Syndrome.

If you think you may have celiac, it is very important that you do not “self diagnose” and avoid gluten. If you avoid gluten and then have testing done to determine whether you have celiac, the test will give a negative result. It is imperative that persons suspected of having celiac consume gluten regularly prior to testing to ensure and accurate result. Blood tests used to detect celiac include endomysial antibody, tissue transglutaminase antibody, anti-gliadin antibody, and total serum IgA. Unfortunately, these tests are not 100% accurate. The only definitive test for celiac is a small intestinal biopsy. A genetic test is also available to identify markers that place a person at high or low risk of developing celiac. This test does not diagnose celiac, but it can rule it out.

Currently the only treatment for celiac is following a gluten free diet for life. Thankfully, that is getting easier to do as there are more and more products available to help ease the transition.

To raise awareness of celiac, there are many events being held nationwide, including a golf tournament in Connecticut and walks/runs in Texas, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, Florida, and Michigan. Uno Chicago Grill (found nationally) is also holding a “Dough Rai$er for Celiac Awareness” May 25 – 31. For those of you who may not know, Uno launched a gluten free menu this year and has gotten rave reviews.

For more information on events nationwide, visit http://americanceliac.org/

Monday, May 4, 2009

May is National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month (along with National Fitness and Sports Medicine Month, Digestive Disease Awareness Month, and National High Blood pressure month).

Now that we are in late spring and quickly approaching summer, it is the ideal time to begin cycling, if you are not already. This is the time of year that people often begin to complain of the heat, specifically that it is “too hot to run.” I happen to like the heat, and I am also primarily a runner, although I do other sports as well, so I run year round. However, I can understand that some people do not acclimatize as well to heat and therefore are better off focusing on other types of sports or exercise to stay active during the warmer months. Cycling in the spring and summer is great because even when the temperature rises, you can stay fairly cool because you make your own wind!


You can go for long rides, short rides, and everything in between. And with everyone trying to cut corners and save money any way possible, riding a bike to work and/or to run errands is a great way to save money while at the same time getting some exercise.


If you plan to do long rides (2 hours or more), you can carry multiple bottles of water and “snacks” with you (on the bike) and on almost any route you will be able to coast at least at some point to take a break if you need to.


Most cities have bike shops that offer beginner classes on taking care of your bike, how to cycle safely, and often offer free group rides. There are also tons of bike races to take part in.


Here in Austin, Texas starting today (May 4, 2009), you can join the commuter bike challenge at http://www.austincommuterchallenge.com/ . This allows you to log your miles, plan routes, get cycling tips and routes from other users, etc. The city of Austin will also use data from this challenge to improve they city’s cycling infrastructure.


You may want to also note Friday, May 15 on your calendar; this is “Bike to Work Day.” In Austin from 7 to 9 a.m., the following locations will be providing free breakfast: Whole Foods Downtown, One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs RD), City Hall Plaza, Bike Texas (1902 E. 6th street), Mellow Johnny’s (4th and Nueces Streets), Wheatsville Coop (3101 Guadalupe St), Bicycle Sports Shop (517 S. Lamar Blvd), Freewheeling Bicycles (24th and San Gabriel streets), Orange Bike Project and Longhorn Po-boys (Speedway between Dean Keaton and 21st street), The Peddler and Texas Culinary Academy (119 E. North Loop Blvd), Shoal Creek Blvd at Far West right of way, Music City Cycles (6301 W. Parmer Lane, #504), and El Chilito (2219 Manor Rd).


Happy cycling!