Obesity is an enormous problem of epidemic proportions in this country. Factors such as changing eating habits (from healthy to “fast, fatty, and excessive”) and a sedentary lifestyle (for children as well as adults) have contributed to the obesity problem. It is also postulated that excessive consumption of fat creates failures in the signal transmitted by neurons controlling satiety in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus, and that these failures can lead to uncontrollable food intake and, consequently, obesity.

The researchers demonstrated that exercising (in this case exercising obese rodents) showed signals of restored satiety in hypothalamic neurons and decreased food intake. These findings confirmed that physical activity contributes to the prevention and treatment of obesity, not only by increasing energy expenditure, but also by modulating the signals of satiety and reducing food intake.

So, there you go, another good reason to exercise brought to you by your friendly chiropractor in Ventura!

Source:
PLoS Biology

Technorati Tags: exercise, weight loss, Where:Ventura-CA

health experts, such as chiropractors, and the U.S. government all recommend getting daily exercise — about an hour a day of moderate exercise for most adults — to keep weight off and prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plus, we chiropractors are well aware that keeping weight off not only helps to prevent the diseases just mentioned, but it also helps to slow down, and often prevent, arthritis and stress injuries of the musculoskeletal system caused by excess weight.

But, excess weight is not only caused by, and sustained through, lack of exercise. Here are some more “fun facts” from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics:

• The prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20 and over has increased from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2009.
• In 2009, 9 percent of adults 18 and over had diabetes, up from 8.2 percent in 2008 and 5 percent in 1997.
• 20.6 percent of adults smoked, about the same as in 2008.
• Nearly 23 percent of adults had at least one day of binge drinking in 2009, defined as having five or more drinks in a day.
• Most Americans believe they are healthy. More than 66 percent said they had excellent or very good health, down from 68.5 percent in 2008. 2.4 percent said they had poor health.
• Just over 4 percent of all Americans said they had an asthma attack in the past year

There are no shortcuts and no way to get around it: Good health and vibrant wellness is created and maintained through an overall healthy lifestyle.

Technorati Tags: exercise, healthy lifetyle, weight loss, Where:Ventura-CA

We all know that dieting isn’t easy, but the advisory committee for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans gave this clear-cut advice: “People in this country need to cut the calories they consume from added sugars and solid fats (butter, marbled meats) and start eating a more nutrient-rich, plant-based diet.”

The report called for many changes in the food environment. To read more, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2010-06-15-

Technorati Tags: back pain, hip pain, knee pain, obesity, weight loss, Where:Ventura-CA

Though it is unclear how most U.S. men and women feel about gastric bypass surgery versus losing weight by adopting a healthy lifestyle, since Americans tend to have the most overweight people, per capita, than any other country, it is safe to say that a new poll conducted in Briton might also apply to attitudes in this country. The new British poll suggests that more than half of Britons would rather shift excess weight through drastic surgery than diet or exercise. More women than men, in fact, see weight-loss operations as the key to quick results.

As a chiropractor, I find these poll numbers very unfortunate. Weight-loss is, of course, very important for a person’s overall health — from helping to avoid cardio-vascular disease and diabetes to preventing the degenerative and often debilitating changes in the musculoskeletal system that occur as the body attempts to compensate for excess weight. I work with people every day who are experiencing debilitating and unnecessary back, hip, and knee pain as the result of the excess weight their body is attempting to carry around. Do these people need to lose weight? Yes, of course, but often these very same people have a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, both of which impact the quality of their health, including organic function, oxygen and nutrient distribution, and mobility and energy, all of which will eventually affect their longevity.

Overall, 26 per cent of women said they never exercise and would rather endure the discomfort of surgery than visit a gym once a week. Though this is not a majority by any means, it is still an unfortunate number of women who do not understand that 1) weight-loss surgery has serious risks and should only be considered when all other healthier means have been attempted and failed, and 2) the only way to genuinely get healthy and stay that way, in addition to weight loss is to eat a healthy diet (a balanced, nutritious) and have regular physical exercise (30 minutes at least five days a week).

Posted via email from chirowellnessnews’s posterous

Technorati Tags: gastric bypass surgery, healthy lifestyle, weight loss, Where:Ventura-CA

Excess weight, in the form of body fat, overburdens the structure of the human body. It was not designed for the added. The musculoskeletal system can literally be put on overload with only an additional 20 or 30 pounds. For example, in an effort to compensate (counterbalance) for weight in the belly, the pelvis tilts forward. This causes joints in the low back to compress. Joint compression inhibits nerve function and produces painful inflammation. Most individuals who are overweight suffer from low back pain caused by a pinched sciatic nerve or misalignments of the spinal column that impinge nerves due to weight-bearing stresses. Misaligned vertebra can not only produce new arthritic changes in the spine, but can continue to irritate the degenerative changes that have already taken place over the years.

You may be wondering how chiropractic can help. First of all, to be clear, a healthy body weight is requisite in order for the musculoskeletal system to perform the way it is meant to. That said, in addition, chiropractic treatment relieves nerve impedence in the spine and helps to restore motion back into the joints of the musculoskeletal system, like in the low back, hips, and knees. A spine in alignment and joints that have good mobility make exercise and physical activity a lot easier. Exercise will not only help in weight reduction, but it can actually decelerate degenerative changes as a person ages.

It is always a good plan to make an appointment with a healthcare professional, like your chiropractor, to discuss diet and exercise. Chiropractors not only help people get pain relief from back challenges and joint inflammation due to arthritis, but in addition they offer highly knowledgeable advice on the type of lifestyle changes that can aid a person in staying healthier and more active through the years. Arthritis and immobility due to aging don’t have to be inevitable. The human body was meant to move, to walk, even to dance, without pain, for a lifetime.

So, if you’ve been throwing your weight around and all you’ve been getting in return is back and joint pain, your chiropractor can help relieve your suffering. Make an appointment today!

Technorati Tags: arthritis, chiropractic, Chiropractor, excess weight, weight loss

The findings were based on data from the National health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a regularly conducted government health survey. Researchers focused on surveys conducted between 1988 and 1994 and between 2001 and 2006, which together included more than 15,000 Americans between the ages of 40 and 74. They looked at rates of five lifestyle factors involved in preventing a range of health risks: maintaining a normal weight, getting regular exercise, eating enough fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol.

Though the study cannot tell us why healthy lifestyle habits are on the decline, lead researcher, Dr. Dana E. King, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said that one reason may be that these changes are just difficult to make. “People’s increasingly hectic lives may be making it hard to fit in regular exercise, or to sit down to healthier, home-cooked meals rather than eating take-out.” He suggested some simple steps can make a difference. “It’s not hard, for example, to take some fruit to work with you, instead of going to the vending machine.” (Parking a little farther away from your destination and walking a bit can help, too.) Most importantly, Dr. King stressed that “it’s never too late” for middle-aged and older adults to make lifestyle changes for the better. In fact, in an earlier study, King and his colleagues found that when middle-aged adults newly adopted a healthier lifestyle — including regular exercise and eating more fruits and vegetables — their risk of developing cardiovascular disease or dying over the next several years fell by as much as 40 percent.

If you think about it, there aren’t many things in life that carry an “it’s never too late” guarantee. So, why not start today, no matter what your age may be? Your healthy future is depending on you!

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular disease, healthy lifestyle, middle-aged adults, weight loss