Wellness News

By Emma Needleman - 

Weight Watchers’ big selling point used to be that you could eat whatever you want and still lose weight—provided, of course, that you kept your daily calorie count under the recommended average.  While using their trademark “points” system, disciples of Weight Watchers didn’t have to stick to kale and tofu.  It was as acceptable to have three points worth of candy instead of three points of fruit salad. 

But now the weight loss company has introduced their revamped PointsPlus program: a new system that discourages processed foods and empty calories and tries to steer its members towards more fruits and vegetables.

To some, it seems a bit hypocritical.  In the past, Weight Watchers has brought in huge profits from their brand of frozen and processed foods: everything from frozen cheeseburgers to chocolate muffins, all with the Points stamp of approval on them.  Now, high-fat and processed foods are eschewed for a more natural diet. 

Under the new plan, virtually all fruits and vegetables have zero points, meaning you can eat as many of them as you want, while previously WW-approved snacks like unbuttered popcorn and granola bars have shot up in point content.  The logic is that natural foods are higher in protein and fiber, which keep the body fuller for longer and also require more energy to break down. 

Critics say that the new plan will inhibit the dramatic weight loss Weight Watchers’ customers are looking for.  Fruit, after all, has a high sugar content, and, to many nutritionists, a calorie is a calorie: it doesn’t matter that you eat “healthfully” if you eat too much.  But proponents of the new plan say that putting the emphasize on natural foods will help dieters eat less: it’s processed foods and empty calories that lead to cravings and the cycle of bingeing.

Proponents of natural foods also hope that Weight Watchers’ new direction is the first step to a more holistic view of food and nutrition.  Instead of simply focusing on calories and weight loss, dieters may shift their focus to helping food fuel their bodies by looking at protein or nutrient content, for example.

Did you know that after age 50 a sedentary person could lose up to 0.4 pounds of muscle in a year?  However with exercise, such as yoga and resistance training, you can increase muscle mass and grow stronger during your Golden Years, say experts at the University of Michigan Health Center.

Progressive resistance exercise is the key to increasing lean muscle mass and strength, according to Mark Petersen, PhD, a research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Physical Activity and Exercise Intervention Research Laboratory.

Muscle mass loss continues as people age with the greatest loss coming in one’s senior years. But physicians are even seeing declines as early as in the 30s and 40s and 50s of sedentary people, Peterson says.

Current research shows that strength capacity is the most important aspect of an individual’s ability to function. With resistance exercise, older adults can continue to do the types of movements that we take for granted most of our lives, such as standing up out of a chair, climbing a flight of stairs, or even walking across the floor. People well into their 80s and 90s can see substantial strength improvement and remain strong and active using progressive resistance exercises, such as yoga asanas.

Progressive resistance training entails altering the amount of weight used, frequency, and duration of training sessions according to an individual’s progress.

New research from the University of Michigan underscores Peterson’s claims. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, found that adults practicing progressing resistance training over an 18-20 week period added 2.42 ponds of lean muscle to their body mass and experienced a 25-30% strength increase.

Peterson recommends progressive resistance exercise for anyone over 50. A good way to start, especially if you’re sedentary, is to use your body mass as a load for a variety of exercises. Getting the ok from your physician is the first step.

Simple exercises such as squats, modified push ups, standing up out of a chair, lying hip bridges are good beginnings, as well as yoga exercises like Plank pose, arm balances, and standing yoga poses.

As you get comfortable with these exercises, older adults can begin taking more advanced resistance training in a fitness or exercise facility. Look for a certified trainer or professional with experience in working with older adults.

Adults in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond have different needs than those in their 20’s, and Peterson recommends you seek out a certified trainer or professional experienced in working with older individuals as they are better equipped to provide guidance that can ensure your safety.

Petersen says strengthening exercises should be done a minimum of twice a week – and ideally more, based on study results. You can continue to increase the resistance and intensity of your training by adding weights, machines, full body exercises, and exercises that use several joints and muscle groups simultaneously, such as the leg press, chest press, and rows.

A steady increase, little by little, will give you the best overall results, long term, for increasing your strength and stability. Your fitness professional can guide you and adjust your regime as you increase your muscle mass. Not only will you be stronger for your efforts, but you will continue to enjoy your favorite activities throughout your senior years.

by Emma Needleman

Most people think that to protect your bones, you’ve simply got to get enough calcium—specifically by drinking your milk.  But the truth isn’t that simple: Americans, for their part, get about 70 percent of their total calcium intake from dairy products, but we’ve also got some of the world’s highest osteoporosis rates. 

In fact, studies increasingly show that higher dairy consumption is actually associated with increased risk for broken bones.  And, on the heels of a new study that shows calcium and Vitamin D supplements don’t do much to increase bone density, the science increasingly shows that our old habits aren’t cutting it when it comes to protecting our bones.  And while you do need calcium, you also need to consume it in a way that allows for the best possible absorption into your bones.

Let’s start with the dairy issue.  Consuming dairy products is more or less a Western habit—in Asia and Africa, dairy is generally not part of the diet.  Instead, people get their calcium from vegetables, at much lower levels than our recommended average of 1,200 mg a day.  But since vegetables have higher levels of magnesium—which your bones need to absorb calcium—people living in these countries tend to have lower rates of broken bones and fractures.  In diets where fruit and vegetables are the primary sources of calcium, your body will take in calcium and magnesium in a ratio of about 1:1.  In diets where dairy is the primary source of calcium, the ration is more like 12:1. 

Reducing the amount of meat in your diet can also help protect your bones.  Protein is important for building strong bones, but excessive meat consumption can create higher levels of acid in the blood and urine, which the body then tries to regulate by releasing calcium.  You don’t have to become completely vegetarian, but reducing the amount of meat you eat and replacing it with vegetables or other forms of protein will certainly be beneficial to your skeleton.

So how can you get calcium without swigging milk or taking supplements?  Here are 5 of the best natural sources of calcium for healthy bones.

Collard Greens.  Leafy green vegetables are one of the most healthful sources of calcium and magnesium.  One cup of boiled collards contains a whopping 358 milligrams.  Kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, bok choy and turnip greens are full of calcium, too.  The one exception is spinach, which has a high concentration of oxalate, making it difficult for the body to absorb calcium. 

Baked beans.  Beans in general are a great source of calcium, as well as a hearty non-animal protein.  One serving of baked beans contains over 100 milligrams of calcium.  Navy beans, white beans and garbanzos are also full of calcium and magnesium, as are soybean products like tofu.

Oatmeal. Surprisingly, two packets of instant oatmeal contains between 100-150 mg of calcium, and more magnesium than a cup of collard greens.  Quinoa is another calcium-rich grain.  Try either for a healthy breakfast.

Sesame seeds.  Just one tablespoon of sesame seeds contains about 88 milligrams of calcium, and about a third of the daily value for magnesium. Make sure to buy the unhulled kind, though, as it’s the seed’s hull (outer shell) that contains most of the nutrients.  Try grinding themup like flax seeds and adding to breakfast cereal or soups and salads.

Almonds.  Almonds are a nutritional powerhouse, providing a dense source of protein and fiber, along with calcium and other minerals necessary for building strong bones.  Just one serving has 750 milligrams of calcium.  Almonds, plain or mixed with dried fruit, make great snacks by themselves, or try replacing your jar of peanut butter with nutrient-rich almond butter. 

It's the start of a new year, and many of us are already wondering how we are going to keep our New Year's resolutions. YogaUOnline.com contributor, Kristine Kaoverii Weber offers some great tips and action steps to help us keep those resolutions, including 6 good habits to cultivate for a healthier lifestyle.

by Kaoverii Weber

“Every year I try eat better,” a yoga student Jen, told me in a frustration-tinged tone, “And I do really well for a while, but then I start to notice, around the end of February, that my old habits have come back and I’m eating candy bars again every day. I just don’t know how to make it stick.”

Habits, whether good, bad or neutral, comprise much of our daily activity. Brushing your teeth, meditating and taking a shower are all habitual activities. But so is eating junk food, biting your nails, negative self-talk and spending too much time on Facebook. How do you make New Year’s Resolutions stick? Whether you’re trying to lose weight, quit smoking, stop eating sugar, or just trying to get to bed earlier here are some yoga ideas about employing the power of yoga and making it work for you so that your New Year’s Resolutions actually become healthy habits.

These also happen to be some of the core principles of my Subtle Yoga Training and Personal Transformation Program –  a unique journey toward becoming the kind of authentic, inspiring yoga teacher the world is waiting for.

1. Satsaunga (keeping good company) 

We make a big mistake in our thinking about habits when we define them as purely individual behaviors and choices. In reality they have as much (perhaps more) to do with your social circumstances as they do with you personally. Many habits are the indirect, tremendously complex result of your social network. According to the folks who conducted the Framingham Heart Study, “When smokers kick the habit, odds are they are not alone in making the move. Instead, the decision to quit smoking often cascades through social networks, with entire clusters of spouses, friends, siblings and co-workers giving up the habit roughly in tandem, according to a new study supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).”

The Framingham study found that if someone you didn’t even know – a friend of your friend’s friend – quit smoking, you were 9 percent more likely to quit yourself. This means that people you don’t even know influence your habits. And guess what, if your best friend becomes obese, your chances of heading that way go up 171 percent. Is that a good enough reason for you to schedule regular yoga classes with your friends?

The yoga tradition recommends satsaunga or “keeping good company.” Perhaps the most powerful thing you can do to change your habits is hang out with people with good ones and encourage them in others.

2. Create Good Habits 

One of my yoga teachers said to me, “Don’t worry about your bad habits, just meditate every day and see what happens.” We had been talking about whether or not it’s okay to drink alcohol, eat meat, stay up late and other habits yogis generally eschew. She explained that it’s not so much about steeling your will against what you should not be doing, but rather paying attention to cultivating what is good for you. Here are a few of my faves:

1. Exercise – do I really need to say why? The more important question is this: How does your social situation/life support this? Do you need an exercise buddy? Can you scrape your spouse off the couch to join you? How can you make this fun, easy and something you will actually do regularly.
2. Be in Nature – find someplace not too far from home and go there to breathe, walk, be – twice a week.
3. Hydrate – if you use a quart-sized Ball jar, you can easily keep track and the amount varies from person to person. I try to drink at least three in the winter (a lot in the form of herbal tea) and more in the summer starting 30 minutes after or finishing 30 minutes before eating.
4. Eat like a real person – I’m serious! It’s much better to have hearty, healthy meals than it is to be plagued by late night snack attacks that pack on the pounds. Smoothies and tea are great, but they do not constitute three meals a day. Remember, cultivate the good habits! For example, eat a lot of steamed veggies or salad at the beginning of your meals – this will go a long way towards helping you attain a healthy weight. Don’t worry so much about what not to eat, rather focus on enjoying the good things.
5. Put your legs up on the wall – if I could only bottle this pose! The yogis called it “the reversing process” it’s an amazing way to relax and to help correct a spectrum of imbalances. The benefits of regularly stimulating the relaxation response should not be underestimated and I know of no yoga pose that does it better.
6. Get to bed by 10 pm – well, this is one I don’t always follow, but I do try hard, especially if I’m really run down, to remember how much better I feel when I’m rested. Chinese medicine folks say that every hour you sleep before midnight is equal to two hours. Sleep is good.

3. Visualize it, Believe it

Quantum physics has confirmed an important insight that yoga masters have understood for centuries – mind can control matter. Allowing the mind to stray into its old patterns is simply self-defeating fatalism: “I am just a heavyset person, that’s the way my whole family is, it’s genetic” or “I am a night owl and that’s when I do my best work and even though I’d like to sleep better, I just can’t.”

If we are really limitless as the teachings of yoga tell us, then why do we place these deterministic, tired old restrictions on ourselves? If you are really the universe, then how can you simply give up and resign yourself to being a chocoholic? One way of remembering your limitlessness is to be vigilant about catching yourself in your thinking patterns.

Here’s what Patanjali said: “Vitarka Bhadane Pratipaksa Bhavanam” If you’re plagued by a negative thought, cultivate its opposite. What is one thought that irritates you regularly? Find it’s opposite, see how it feels when you say it to yourself – say it over and over until you feel it, until you really believe it.

4. Silence Please

But like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Patanjali’s pratipaksa practice has its limits. This is because negative thoughts are often actually feeling patterns which are carved into the limbic brain – creating a shift with your rational front brain that percolates down into the depths of your non-verbal reptilian self may not be possible.

But yoga offers a powerful way to shift out of deeply held mindsets – meditation. Preferably twice a day, even if it’s just for 2-3 minutes upon waking and before going to sleep. It will help you connect with your Source, activate your relaxation response and put things into perspective.

Neuroscientist mapping the brain states accessed during meditation say that meditation slows the patterns called delta waves. These patterns, similar to those activated in deep sleep are associated with healing the body. Meditators learn to access this deep state consciously.

Food that is “nuked” may cause hearts to fluke: a recent study reveals that microwave ovens, often shunned by the health-conscious for their negative effects on the nutritional value of food, also negatively impact our hearts.

According to Mercola.com, a study conducted by Dr. Magda Havas of Trent University found that the levels of microwave frequency radiation we see in home kitchens is significant enough to affect both heart rate and heart rate variability.  The study found that 2.4 GHz radiation (the frequency produced by WiFi routers and microwave ovens) emitted at levels well within federal safety guidelines can effect “immediate and dramatic changes” in both heart rate and heart rate variability.

In other words, even though laws have been put in place to try to ensure the safety of microwave ovens, damage is being done. Anyone experiencing an irregular or rapid heartbeat and/or chest pain may wish to unplug their microwave oven discontinue use.

New research also indicates that microwave radiation from kitchen microwave ovens can lead to blood sugar spikes connected with diabetes in susceptible individuals. 

If you wish to continue using your microwave, Mercola suggests stepping away from the device when in use and checking it routinely to ensure no significant frequency “leakage” (such as through an improperly sealed door, etc.) is occurring. While federally approved levels of microwave emission can be harmful, the sky-high levels of frequencies radiated from an un-sealed microwave can be critically dangerous.