About Exercise And Healthy Living

We all know that the way to a healthy lifestyle and a better body is to have the perfect balance between exercise and the right food. With the benefits of a longer life, less risk of developing many diseases and a better maintenance of a healthy weight, the pros to a healthy lifestyle are hard to ignore. But you have to remember that eating well and exercises have to go together or you won't accomplish anything.

Lets start off with eating right. Healthy eating is a great opportunity to expand your range of choice by trying a variety of foods that you would not normally eat. Remember that a healthy diet does not mean that you have to eat foods that are bland or unappealing; you just have to eat everything in the right moderation. A healthy diet is one of the most important ways you can maintain an active lifestyle and protect against health problems. To do this, you must not skip meals, you must learn simple ways to prepare food, and you must avoid eating more sugar and learn to listen to your body.

The next important step is fitness. Exercise is an excellent way to lose weight and burn fat, improve fitness and boost energy levels. In your daily routine you should be doing at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, at lest five times a week. If you can't seem to get yourself up and out, try doing something with a friend. Go for a walk or find a gym or exercise class that you would like to take. Just remember to find an activity that you really enjoy; that way it will be easier to stick with it.

Exercise combined with a healthy diet is the key to reducing weight, reshaping the body and keeping weight off for good. Improved fitness levels and lower body fat will also help reduce the chances of overweight related illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. So remember to eat right and exercise daily! Your body will thank you for it.

Walking is the Perfect Exercise For Mind And Body

Out here in Maple Valley, Wa. we are fortunate to have an abundance of walking trails. The one I use most often is the Lake Wilderness trail. It runs around Lake Wildnerness up to the Cedar River Trail and really offers a beautiful view of the lake. But you can find a place to walk no matter where you live. Whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country, you can always find a place to walk, and find your own enjoyment.

I've lived in the city most of my life, and always found a place to walk. I remember many times walking with a childhood friend Bob across town, from West Baltimore to East, a hike of about 10 miles, and walking through the city had it's own pleasures and challenges, but we survived and have good memories of those days.

Walking is, I believe, the great all around exercise. It cost's nothing, just about anyone can do it to some degree, and it's good not just for the body, but for the soul as well. Sometimes when I walk, I do it just for the exercise, and to get out of the house. Other times, I've walked literally for hours when there's some pressing problem or concern that has troubled me, and I am oftentimes able to work through the problem during my walk.

So, if you're not in the habit, get out, take a walk today. You'll feel better, and you just may notice things that you haven't seen in years.

Best Walking Shoes

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7 Reasons To Exercise

Many us need to follow an exercise program, in order to remain healthy. Below, you'll find several good reasons why you should start exercising now.

1. Contributes to fat loss It is well proven from scientific research all over the world that physical exercise contributes to weight loss. If you burn more calories than you consume through nutrition, you'll lose weight. When you exercise, you burn more calories than when you don't. It's really simple - the more you exercise,the more weight or fat you'll lose.
2. Prevent disease The chances of developing several various diseases has been proven to decrease when exercising. These diseases include heart disease, cancer, diabetes,and the stroke.

Around 4 out of 5 deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to factors that include stress and lack of exercise. We all know that diabetes increases the chance for heart attacks and strokes. What this shows, is that many of the risk factors and diseases caused by not exercising are working in conjunction to damage your health. To prevent this from happening, start exercising.

3. Improving disease Many severe and minor diseases can be improved or even healed through regular exercise. These even include the diseases listed above. By following a regular plan, you can also decrease HDL cholesterol levels, decrease triglyceride levels, and decrease your blood pressure as well. Exercising on a regular basis will also reduce the risk of prostate cancer for men, breast and
uterine cancer for women, and much more. All of this is scientifically proven, which is why you should start exercising today.

4. Enhance your state of mind Everyone knows from the many scientific studies that regular exercising will lead to an increased release of endorphins in the body. These chemicals will fight depression and make you feel happy. The body releases these endorphins only 12 minutes into the workout.

There is another chemical known as serotonin that is increased during and after a workout. The increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system is associated with feelings of well being and decreased mental depression. The chemical can also help you sleep better at night.

5. Enhance your wellness When you are in great shape and well fit, you'll have more energy and you'll notice that your overall mood is improved. You will have experienced that you can stretch beyond your own limits and you know that you can do more than you thought possible.

6. Persistence Exercising regularly will give you more energy, which can help you be more productive at home and at work. Exercising can help give your new goals a sense of purpose and give you something to focus on and aim for. This can help you increase your persistence and prevent you from going off track while you aim for your goal.

7. Social capabilities After a workout on a regular basis you can boost your self esteem. This can help you look better and you'll be more comfortable as well. Exercise will also help you to become more active and meet new people, which will prevent you from feeling isolated and unsupported. Exercise will also increase your interests in sex, and can help you to improve your marriage or your partner relationship.

After knowing all of these tips and reasons to exercise, you shouldn't hesitate to get out there and exercise. You can exercise at home or go out there and join a gym. There are several different ways that you can exercise, all you have to do is select a few that you like. Take a little bit of time out of your day and start exercising - you'll feel better than ever before and your body will thank you.

5 Tips Easy Ways To Add Exercise To YouR Life

These days people live busy lives. Demanding work schedules, children and other obligations take up much of our time. When you do find free time do you really want to use it exercising? For most people the answer is no. So how can you stay in shape without spending hours in the gym? You can simply add more exercise to your daily life. Its that simple. Here are five ways to add exercise to your life.

Use your car less
This is the best way to add exercise to your life. How many times do you get in your car only to drive around the corner. Instead of using your car for short trips ride a bike or walk. Your trip probably will not even take any longer since you will not have to fight traffic or search for a parking spot.
Take a parking spot further back
If you must take your car, choose a parking spot closer to the back of the lot. The few extra feet you have to walk will add up and your car will be less likely to get door dings

Use the stairs
Instead of taking the escalator, use the stairs. It doesn't take much longer and stair climbing is one of the best ways to build leg muscle. Its amazing how popular stair climbers are at the gym but at the mall the stairs are almost always empty.

Go for a walk at lunch
After you finish eating you lunch, spend the rest of your lunch hour walking. It doesn't matter if you take a walk in the park or simply walk around your office building. The exercise will revive you and help your food settle.

Play outdoor games,

It's all in the mind

When you bring everything down to simple plumbing, the whole question of erectile dysfunction gets easier to understand. It's all to do with pumps and valves. When the arteries dilate, the blood flows into the penis. As it swells, the pressure shuts off the veins that would drain the blood out and, before you can say Jack Robinson (sometimes say it several times), you have an erection. If the problem is with the plumbing, the little blue pill is effective and dilates the right arteries. And, in the majority of cases, the problem is with the plumbing, so it's easily fixed. Unfortunately, the plumbing system sits in a building and there can be problems with the owner. For the whole thing to work, the owner has to want it to work. He has to want to respond to the sexual stimulation. Erections do not happen by accident. They reflect the mind.

This brings the bad news. If the cause of the erectile dysfunction is psychological, trying to rely on the little blue pill is not only a waste of time, it is also going to add a new layer of performance anxiety to the man's list of problems. The truth is that if a man is seriously depressed or has gone through an extremely stressful situation, there may be no enthusiasm for sex. Now add in all the other possibilities, like there are religious or cultural reasons why the man might find the idea of sex inappropriate or distasteful, and the likelihood of an erection recedes into the distance. Worse, suppose the man has been sexually abused or his first experiences with a woman left his self-confidence shattered. If the mind and the body cannot work together, sexual relationships are not going to be a success.

For once, it's actually more appropriate to talk about love rather than sex which tends to be the more mechanical form. When two people are in love, they are more relaxed and the relationship develops more naturally. There is more trust and fewer inhibitions. When the man is depressed, trust in self is lost. The antidepressants often have impotence as a side effect. So therapy rather than drugs is the better route. Once therapy begin to lift the depression and change attitudes towards sex, there will be a time to buy viagra. Self-knowledge and understanding can help someone back into a relationship. Assuming that the partner is still willing, an active sex life can be resumed. In its own right, this decision needs to be planned. Performance anxiety needs to be addressed and viagra is a reliable drug to produce the erection once the mind is willing. Not everyone can recover from a depression and still make the relationship work. But once trust begins to return, the chances are good.

Some Quick Exercise And Fitness Tips

Keeping fit through exercise is one of the gifts you can give yourself. You can make the gift better by combining your fitness regimen with a generally healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips.

While low carb diets are popular, carbohydrates are necessary in your diet. The right amount of carbohydrate intake can help you with your fitness goals, and is something you should discuss with your doctor.
If it’s mass you want, don’t add calories from just any source. You want muscle bulk, not fat. Find out what sources give you the most useful calories, not just the quickest calories.

Don’t fall into the trap of quick solutions. You probably know that steroids quickly build bulk, but they are ridiculously bad for you. Don’t sacrifice your health to a quick way to build your body. Work hard to achieve your goals honestly and healthily.

Talk to your doctor before starting any fitness regimen and keep him or her updated as you make changes. Your doctor may have some great tips for you so that you get fit the healthiest way possible. They can help with exercise plans, diet plans and vitamin supplement selections.

Don’t believe everything you hear or read about supplements. Many make claims that have not been properly evaluated. Some can even be detrimental to your fitness goals. Research your supplements carefully and ask your doctor when in doubt.

Maintaining a good fitness level does a lot to improve your life overall. You’re less likely to get sick and you’ll probably recover faster when you do get sick. You can cut your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and other diseases by keeping fit. Beyond that, you’ll just feel better and have more energy.

One of the best things about keeping fit these days is the wide range of regimens to choose from. It’s not just aerobics or weight lifting any more. You can find exercises that you love to do. Loving your fitness regimen will make it much easier to stick with it.

Energy System During Exercise

When we exercise our body uses a combination of all three types of energy; carbohydrates, fat and protein. Different exercises will cause the energy system to shift towards using the most appropriate fuel, largely depending on the level of effort an individual produces during exercise. Anaerobic exercise causes the energy system to shift towards burning predominantly carbohydrates (carbs) simply because movements require more effort. Energy is needed quickly for fast and/or power movements and because sugars (carbs) burn much more easily they form the major source of energy for exercises with high effort such as weight training, squash or sprinting. As much as 90% carbs can be used during anaerobic exercises. Although bear in mind that high intensity exercise can only be performed for a limited time, depending on the fitness level of the individual, thus during periods of rest the energy system will shift back and a little more fat may be burned, although this is only a minor change. An example is weight training with frequent rest intervals between exercising; another is soccer, where a player may run around the pitch until out of breath (burning up to 90% carbs) then have slight periods of walking to aid recovery which reduces the percentage of carb usage.

Aerobic exercises which are generally performed at a slower pace and with less effort usually burn a greater degree of fat. Fat is a slow-burning fuel which requires oxygen and exercising at lower effort enables the cells to use this energy more efficiently, meaning a greater percentage of fat can be burned, up to 70% of total energy used when exercising aerobically. Obviously some people will have greater fitness levels and able to workout at a higher rate of effort and still be exercising aerobically, this will allow the fitter person to burn more calories. An example of this would be an experienced long distance runner. They are very lean because they burn lots of energy and still use mostly fat even though training is fairly intense. Individual fitness levels mean it is important to workout within your own Target Heart Rate when trying to lose fat weight. Or as a beginner a good tip to use when exercising is to make sure you can still manage a conversation during a workout. In other words you want breathing to be deeper than normal but not out of breathe so you cannot talk.
Protein is also burned during exercise but this is usually a small percentage. Protein usage may increase to as much as 20% during high intensity training. However again bear in mind that exercising at such high levels of effort are not maintained for long so the actual amount of protein used for energy will still be small in comparison to carbohydrates and fats.

At this stage you may be thinking that the best way to burn fat is to hardly move so the energy system shifts towards higher degree of fat burning. Yes good thinking, in fact resting will shift the energy system into fat burning mode but because there are so few calories burned at rest it doesn’t contribute to effective weight loss. Remember calories do count so if you’re consuming 2500 calories per day but only using up 2000 then you will still gain weight, even if most of those calories come from fat stores. All extra energy will simply be converted into fat for storage replacement. For this reason there needs to be a happy medium between using up excess fat stores when exercising and burning enough calories so you always remain in a state of negative energy balance (more calories used up than taken in).

There are a few “experts” that say as long as you’re burning more calories it shouldn’t matter what type of fuel is burned, thus high energy exercises would be great for a dieter to lose weight. I disagree with this point, I believe if anaerobic exercise makes up the majority of exercises in your regime then most energy burned will come from carbs. This will drive appetite and encourage sugar cravings in order to replace the glycogen stores used, forcing the dieter to consume more calories. I believe many dieters struggle with cravings and overeating so anything which may cause an upset cannot be good. With aerobic exercise it helps regulate the appetite because glycogen stores are not reduced rapidly. Another point is that for the less fit individual anaerobic exercise is just too intense forcing the body to work very hard thus requiring longer for recovery. This could mean fewer workouts per week resulting in less energy burned over a greater time span. Aerobic exercise often helps people feel more energetic and motivated to workout again within a day or two.

Anaerobic exercise can be great for results but I believe this mainly applies to those with average to good fitness levels. The only exception is doing a weights session a few times per week purely to help boost or maintain lean mass and a higher metabolism. Otherwise I think the major part of an exercise regime should be made up of aerobic exercises, especially for the first 3 months of starting a weight loss program.

Exercising Vs High Blood Pressure

Exercise is recommended for just about everyone, and if you suffer from high blood pressure it is no different. Exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall can, in fact, help you reduce your high blood pressure and prevent heart disease and other common ailments associated with high blood pressure. However, there are a few special considerations to remember when you are exercising if you have high blood pressure and, as always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercising program or routine.

Before you begin a new exercising program, check your blood pressure at a doctor’s office or hospital regularly. If your numbers are consistently 180/110 mm Hg or higher, you should take steps to reduce this to a more normal level before doing any kind of intense exercise or training. The same is true if your blood pressure is moderately high but you suffer from other conditions, such as diabetes or breathing problems. However, even at this point, you can begin an exercise program by simply doing less-intense motor activities such as walking. Once you have your blood pressure more under control, your goal should be about 30 minutes of physical activity for five days out of the week. This means that you should break a sweat and be slightly out of breath, but there is no need to overdo it.
There are, however, certain activities that people with high blood pressure should avoid in order to reduce the risk of worsening the condition. Lifting weights is the most popular example. Because this is very stressful on the heart, if you have high blood pressure, weight training is discouraged. Highly intensive cardiovascular workouts are also not good for people with high blood pressure, as blood pressure levels rise significantly after very difficult physical strains on your body, and these higher levels could be very dangerous in someone who already has high blood pressure. A good rule of thumb is to simply know your own body. Push yourself in your training, but don’t overdo it.

Yoga and other Eastern slow-movement exercise routines are especially useful for people with high blood pressure, as they tend to work the body in a more heart-friendly way. Warm up and cool down for these, as well as any exercise program is very important. While you may primarily think of warm up and cool down times as preventative measures you take to avoid cramps and injuries, remember that the heart is a muscle too. By warming up and cooling down, you slowly raise and lower your blood pressure, rather than causing dangerous spikes.

There is almost no one in the world who cannot benefit from moderate exercise. If you get little or no exercise currently, speak to you doctor about finding a routine that is right for you. Over time, exercise cannot only help you lower your weight and cholesterol, but also your blood pressure. Exercise promotes a healthy lifestyle in general, and so by choosing a program that fits your needs you can live longer and be more healthy than you have ever been before.

How to Get Started With Exercise

It's no big secret. Everyone knows the benefits of aerobic exercise for cardiovascular fitness and our respiratory systems. A good alternative way of getting great aerobic exercise without pounding your joints is aqua aerobics. Aerobic activity, amongst other things, is good for your heart and your lungs, and by making them work harder at a more efficient rate through at least twenty minutes exercise, you can see a marked improvement in fitness and overall health. Aqua aerobics is as good for you as most other types of strenuous activity, like walking, running, dancing, cycling and class aerobics. Aqua aerobic classes are available in most leisure centers with swimming pools, for example a YMCA, or a private gym. Naturally, if you own a pool in your back yard, you can do aqua aerobics whenever you want!

Aqua aerobics is not as taxing on the muscles and joints as certain other aerobic activities, and it also tones and strengthens your muscles too, whilst at the same time increasing endurance and building stamina. If you're learning aqua aerobics by yourself, there are various instructional materials across a variety of formats available online and in most book stores. The routines involved will be tiered by difficulty and will be fun and easy to get you started. It is also common for them to be set to motivational music to really keep you pumping during your work out. Aqua aerobics is different to most similar exercises, and uses techniques like Pilates style movements to gently control the toning and strengthening of muscle groups, above water level and below water routines, and interval style work outs for cardio training and muscle sculpting. Any aqua aerobics lesson in your area will be taught by a certified instructor who will show you the most effective ways to get yourself into shape. Aqua aerobics burns as many, if not more calories than a traditional aerobic exercise program, and it also helps keep you cool while you work out!
Aqua aerobics classes are suitable for all age groups, regardless of physical health condition. Less strenuous classes are also available for the elderly, as well as specific classes for mothers to be. The only equipment you'll need is your swimsuit and your towel! Aqua aerobics boasts many advantages, and should be a serious consideration for anyone looking for some variety in their exercise routines. It is also a great option for those looking to get started in aerobics. Why not go with a friend, or exercise as a family? You can take an aqua aerobics class just about anywhere, so why not visit some of the numerous online sites about aqua aerobics for information on how best to enjoy aerobics and for some tips and techniques to keep this fun exercise exciting and effective, every single day.

Flexibility Just In Five Minutes A Day

In her book, “Life and Death in Shanghai”, Nien Cheng describes her life in China during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Because she and her late husband had worked for a foreign firm, her home and all her possessions were confiscated by the Red Guard, her daughter was tortured and then killed, and she was imprisoned and held in solitary confinement for six years. Ms Cheng was in her fifties when all this happened.

Conditions in prison were terrible and several times she came close to death. Describing one on her lowest points, when she barely had the strength to stand, she writes:
“...I thought that if I was going to survive the Cultural Revolution, I must discipline myself with physical and mental exercise. Inspired by my own resolution, I stood up rather abruptly. Dark shadows almost blinded me, and I had to sit down again. But from that day onward, I devised a series of exercises that moved every part of my body from my head to my toes, and did them twice a day. At first the exercise exhausted me, and I had to interrupt it with frequent periods of rest. Also I had to avoid the prying eyes of the guards, as exercise other than a few minutes of walking in the cell after meals was forbidden. Nevertheless, I managed to exercise each day and after a few months recovered my physical strength somewhat, as well as my feeling of well-being.”

Several years later, the political situation in China shifted and Ms. Cheng was released from prison. Despite all the hardships she had been through, her health quickly improved. Her friends commented that she looked much younger than her actual age. Eventually she moved to the United States.

It was fascinating for me to read about Ms Cheng’s system of movement exercises because it closely parallels a procedure described in the book “How to Learn the Alexander Technique - A Manual for Students” by Barbara and William Conable. This book emphasizes a procedure the Canables have named “body-mapping” - essentially a systematic process of exploring on your own body precisely how the major joints and muscle groups work.

This is not the sort of study one usually associates with anatomy - what I think of as “anatomy at a distance”, that is learning about the human body without relating it to the body of the student who is doing the learning. Nor is it at all like the detailed study of cadavers done in medical schools.

Body-mapping is all about the practical application of basic anatomical knowledge to yourself as a living organism, learning about how you function at rest and in movement.

In their book, the Conables write:

“In recent years some (Alexander Technique) students have expressed a longing to do flexibility work but have assumed they couldn’t devote enough time to it. To one of these students I said one day, ‘Well, you could do worse than simply put your joints through their range of movement each day.’ He came back a week later and said, ‘I did what you suggested and it was amazing.’ “What was that?’ I asked. ‘Put my joints through their range of motion each day.’ He showed me how much flexibility he had gained in a week doing that, and we began to systematically play with the idea. Sure enough, it works like magic and takes only about five minutes a day, with no necessity that the five minutes be consecutive. The student simply begins with the joint of the head and the spine...rotating the head and tilting, then moves on the the jaw...then on to the ribs, moving them at their joints with the vertebrae by taking a good breath. Then the student moves all four joints of the arm structure and the hand joints. Then the spine, bending forward, backward, to each side, spiraling, and twisting. Then the hip joint, knee, and ankle and the foot joints. That’s it. Done correctly this routine increases flexibility faster than anything I know, and I have wondered and wondered why. I now think two factors contribute, first the quality of attention brought to the movement, which is the kind of attention that makes it possible for the body to learn from each movement. Second, some of the movements are ones that many people rarely make, like rotation at the upper arm joint with the shoulder blade and rotation at the hip joint. The body seems to delight in these movements and the availability seems to free the joint.”

If you’d like to become more flexible, the experiences of Ms Cheng and of Baraba Connable’s students point to a simple, efficient and effective way to achieve that goal.

***

“Life and Death in Shanghai” by Nien Cheng was first published by Grove Press, New York, 1986. It is currently available in a paperback edition. The quote cited above is found on page 203.

Some The Dark Side of Fitness

A recent article in the New York Times, "Doctors See a Big Rise in Injuries As Young Athletes Train Nonstop" highlights a serious and growing health concern for teenagers and their parents. Typical injuries include stress fractures, cracked kneecaps and frayed heel tendons and damage to the alignment of the spinal column brought on by excessive flexing. As the article states, “...doctors in pediatric sports medicine say it is as if they have happened upon a new childhood disease, and the cause is the overaggressive culture of organized youth sports.”

The consequences of this new “disease” can be very serious, often requiring many months of expensive rehabilitation or even surgery. Some young athletes are left facing a lifetime of pain and physical restrictions.
The article emphasizes the role played by pressure from coaches and parents and by a culture in many sports that places so much emphasis on performance, and on winning, that players often ignore the pain signals coming from their bodies.

I was struck by the parallels between this teenage phenomenon and the wave of injuries reported during the early stages of the fitness boom of the 1980s. At that time, there were a great many newspaper and magazine reports of everything from severe shin splints caused by prolonged running on concrete to serious back and neck pain due to improper methods of weight lifting.

I can well remember the sudden influx of students during that period who came for Alexander Technique lessons after giving up on demanding exercise regimes because of pain or injury. They just wanted to learn how they could get back to where they were before and sadly that was not always possible. It seems that when a new fitness or sports trend begins, there is a heavy price to be paid by some participants.

What strikes me about both the current spate of injuries and the one that took place two decades ago is that in both cases, a huge emphasis on QUANTITY of exercise almost completely obliterated any concern with the QUALITY with which the exercise was performed. All too often fitness programs tend to be about things like how many miles you run, how many pitches you pitch, or how many hours you swim rather that how well you’re using your body as you run, pitch or swim.

It’s a bit like driving a car as fast as you can, for a long distance, without bothering to learn how to drive it well!

I am convinced that the current over-emphasis on quantity is one of the main reasons there are still so many sports and fitness related injuries. Sometimes it comes from the athlete him or herself - perhaps reflecting a common cultural idea that more is better. Sometimes it comes from outside. That certainly seems to be a large part of what’s going on with some young athletes today.

Anyone who studies the basic ideas of the Alexander Technique will very quickly see just how important the quality of one’s posture and movement is to the effectiveness and safety of any activity. This is true whether it’s a vigorous activity or something as mundane as using a computer or even watching TV. And if they decide to take up a new sport or fitness program, they have the knowledge and ability to approach it with skill, and with an appropriate level of body awareness and care.

(The article, “Doctors See a Big Rise in Injuries As Young Athletes Train Nonstop” can be found on page 1 of the February 22, 2005 issue of the New York Times.)

How to Choose The Right Exercise For You

The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do. What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as
answer.

If you choose something that you don't like to do, you aren't going to keep doing it for a long period of time. Give it some thought - if you don't like jogging, you aren't going to get up at 6 AM and go running. If you can't find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.
Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it's normally the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn't difficult to find a training partner to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.

No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury which will require time off to get over.

If you are really in bad shape, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day. Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days. You can also roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.

If walking isn't your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center. They have loads of variety and normally have trainers on hand to answer any questions you may have. When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service.

If they aren't willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly won't after you join. You should also make sure that the equipment they use is well taken care of. It's easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines. If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren't being taken care of.

If you still aren't sure what you should do, then you should look into golf or tennis. Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends. Tennis is great for fitness although it isn't for someone who is just starting out. If you haven't exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.

Tobacco, pot users at higher disease risk

Chances of serious lung disease about three times more likely than in non-smokers, study says

People who habitually smoke both tobacco and marijuana are about three times more likely than non-smokers to develop serious lung disease.

That affects a lot of people because nearly 20 per cent of Vancouverites over the age of 40 do or have done just that, according to a new study by a team from St. Paul's Hospital.

People who smoked only cigarettes were 2.7 times more likely than non-smokers to have chronic obstructive lung disease. Those who smoke or smoked both cigarettes and marijuana were 2.9 times more likely to have the disease.

The study, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, included nearly 900 Vancouver residents recruited into the study by random telephone dialing.

It showed that 14 per cent of participants now smoke only pot and 14 per cent smoke tobacco. Only 38 of the 856 participants now smoke both marijuana and tobacco. But 160 participants (18 per cent) were either current or previous users of both.

Consistent with previous population surveys showing B.C. has the highest marijuana use in the country, 45.5 per cent of participants in the current study said they had used marijuana in the past.

The study was designed to estimate the prevalence of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) among adults over the age of 40 in the general population and the associations with smoking.

Researchers from iCapture Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, a department at St. Paul's, had expected 15 per cent would have lung disease, but the study found it was 19.3 per cent.

About half of the people with clinical signs of lung disease had not yet been diagnosed with it -- they found out when they did lung function tests for the purposes of the study.

Lead author and respirologist Dr. Wan C. Tan said those study participants were given the results of their tests so they could share them with their family doctors, get referred for specialist care or, ideally, "take smoking cessation more seriously."

COPD -- which includes chronic emphysema or chronic bronchitis -- is often indicated by a continuing cough with phlegm and wheezing or shortness of breath. Tan said COPD is a progressive disease and is the fourth leading killer in North America, behind cancer, heart disease and stroke.

In the study, researchers found that participants with COPD had a greater likelihood of other illnesses like asthma, heart disease and high blood pressure. They were more likely to have a history of hospital admission for respiratory problems.

Marijuana smoking alone did not appear to cause COPD.

Although marijuana-only users had a 1.6 times greater risk of COPD than non-smokers, Tan said researchers are not convinced of the statistical power of that odds ratio because there were too few study participants who used marijuana alone in the COPD group.

Experts have found one marijuana joint is equal to the effects (on lungs) of 2.5 to five cigarettes. But while there is well-established evidence of lung damage from cigarettes, research has shown conflicting results on marijuana use.

The current study does not appear to provide clear answers, except for users of either tobacco alone or users of both marijuana and tobacco.

Since the study will now be repeated in other Canadian cities, the larger data set should reveal a more convincing picture of marijuana's role in the development of lung disease, Tan said.

"Innately, it seems logical that marijuana would be a risk factor for COPD. The noxious fumes are identical except for the THC in marijuana and the nicotine in tobacco," said Tan, adding there is a synergistic effect between marijuana and tobacco smoking. Marijuana may sensitize the lungs and exacerbate the effects of tobacco on the airways.

Study authors said the findings should have implications for public policy and additional research. "Anti-smoking campaigns should include a reduction in marijuana use among their goals, aiming especially at those who regularly use both marijuana and tobacco," states the paper's conclusion.

The local research was funded through a $200,000 grant from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Canada. Tan said the companies provided an unrestricted grant and had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation or writing.

Sun Health Issues Reporter

pfayerman@vancouversun.com

See more health news at vancouversun.com/health

Risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among current and former marijuana smokers

COPD defined by lung function testing, patient reports of symptoms or physician's diagnosis of chronic bronchitis or emphysema

Group Number Adjusted (n/N) odds ratio

COPD defined by spirometric testing

Tobacco* and marijuana** 25/160 2.90

Tobacco only* 79/286 2.74

Marijuana only** 4/54 1.66

Non-smokers 35/364 1.00

COPD defined by self-report

Tobacco* and marijuana** 98/160 2.39

Tobacco only* 174/286 1.50

Marijuana only** 14/54 0.62

Non-smokers 163/364 1.00

COPD defined by self-report of physician diagnosis

Tobacco* and marijuana** 13/160 1.53

Tobacco only* 32/286 2.07

Marijuana only** 1/54 0.67

Non-smokers 18/364 1.00

n= number with condition, N= number in category

*Participants who had smoked at least 365 tobacco cigarettes.

**Participants who had smoked at least 50 marijuana cigarettes.

Can. Medical Association Journal

Smokers Can't Blow Off Stress

Ask cigarette smokers why they light up and one answer you're likely to hear is that it relieves stress.¹

But if that's the goal, it's not at all clear that cigarettes deliver the goods. Half (50%) of all smokers say they "frequently" experience stress in their daily lives, compared with just 35% of those who once smoked and have now quit and 31% of those who never smoked, according to a Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey conducted June 16-July16, 2008 among a nationally representative sample of 2,250 adults.

The finding raises as many questions as answers. Does it mean that the kinds of people who smoke are pre-disposed to stress? Does it mean that the stress relief smokers get while smoking doesn't last once they don't have a cigarette in hand? Or might it mean that the whole idea that smoking relieves stress is illusory?

Psychologists, physiologists and neuroscientists are better situated than public opinion researchers to supply answers. Nevertheless, the Pew Research survey sheds some new light on the subject by allowing for a range of comparisons among current smokers, former smokers and non-smokers on matters related to stress, happiness, health and life satisfaction.

The survey findings come at a time when the share of adults in the United States who smoke appears to have stabilized following a half-century decline. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control show that for the period of January through June 2008, the share of current smokers in the adult population was 20.8%, a bit higher than in 2007, when it was 19.7%.

Moreover, the one-in-five adults who smoke now have a new reason to feel stressed. On April 1, the U.S. government imposed its largest-ever tax increase on cigarettes; Uncle Sam's take on a pack of cigarettes shot up to $1.01 from 39 cents. (The Pew Research survey was taken well before these taxes went up.)

The Pew Research finding of a strong correlation between smoking and stress raises an obvious question: Is the stress a by-product of the smoking or of other unrelated factors?

One way to look for answers is by conducting a multivariate regression analysis.² Ours finds that, even after controlling for the basic demographic characteristics of respondents -- including gender, age, race, education, income, marital status, and parental status -- current smokers are still more likely than non-smokers and quitters to report being frequently stressed.

However, our survey did not ask respondents about their psychological characteristics, so we were unable to weigh the impact of those traits on stress levels. Had we done so, it is possible we would have found that the independent effect of smoking on stress was weak or non-existent.

Happiness, Health, Life Satisfaction

The survey also finds that smokers are less happy and less healthy than both non-smokers and quitters.

About a quarter of current smokers say that they are very happy, compared with more than a third of quitters and almost four-in-ten non-smokers.

Consistent with what decades of public health research shows, smokers also report being in poorer health than non-smokers and quitters. Fewer than half of smokers (45%) say that their health is excellent or very good, compared with 63% of non-smokers and 55% of former smokers.

When asked whether they are satisfied with their family life, smokers are less likely than non-smokers and quitters to say that they are "very satisfied": About six-in-ten current smokers say they are very satisfied, compared with about seven-in-ten non-smokers and quitters. Smokers' satisfaction level with their job is also lower than that of non-smokers, and their satisfaction with their standard of living is lower than that of both quitters and non-smokers.

Who Smokes and Who Doesn't?

According to the Pew Research survey, more than half of adults (54%) have either never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Another 22% are former smokers or "quitters," and 24% are currently smoking. (This 24% figure is slightly higher than the 2l% figure for 2008 reported by the CDC.³)

Women are more likely than men to be non-smokers (59% vs. 49%), the Pew survey finds. However, a quarter of men have quit smoking, compared with just 18% of women, which explains the nearly equal rates of current smoking within each gender.

Older adults are less likely than younger adults to be current smokers. Some 31% of 18-29 year olds are smokers, compared with just 11% of those ages 65 and older.

However, the younger age group also has a bigger share of people who never smoked. Six-in-ten adults under age 30 have never smoked or have not smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lives. But among people who are ages 50 or older, only somewhere between four-in-ten and half never smoked.

Hispanics and blacks are both more likely than whites to be non-smokers. More than six-in-ten Hispanics and blacks have never smoked, compared with about half of whites.
High family income and high levels of education are associated with a low occurrence of smoking, and so is being married. Also, conservatives are more likely than liberals to be non-smokers (56% vs. 50%).

Region matters too. Compared with other regions of the country, the Midwest has the highest rate of smoking. Nearly three-in-ten (28%) Midwesterners are currently smoking, compared with only one in five Westerners.

Who Are the Quitters?

Nearly half of Americans have smoked at some time in their lives. But once a smoker, not always a smoker: Half of the men and 45% of women who have ever smoked have now quit.

Age is strongly related to whether a smoker continues or stops. At ages 18 to 29, about eight-in-ten smokers are still smoking. But the rate of current smoking goes down sharply as smokers grow older. By ages 65 and above, only about two-in-ten smokers are still smoking, which means that the rest have quit.

Whites are more likely to start smoking than are blacks or Hispanics. But among all smokers, whites are also more likely than blacks or Hispanics to quit. More than half of white smokers are no longer smoking, compared with about a quarter of black smokers and more than a third of Hispanics smokers.

Higher education and higher family income are related to a higher rate of quitting smoking. Married people also are more likely to quit than are those who are not married.

Liberals are more likely than conservatives to continue smoking once they become a smoker. About 63% of liberal smokers still smoke, compared with fewer than half of conservatives.

Among city dwellers, 57% of people who have ever smoked continue smoking, while only 48% of their suburban counterparts do so.

The findings about who is most likely to quit smoking are further confirmed by a multivariate regression analysis.⁴ Holding all other variables constant, men are more likely than women to quit smoking. Being older, married and a college graduate are also independently related to a higher probability of quitting cigarettes, as is being a conservative rather than a liberal.

More about Stress

Just as there are demographic differences in who smokes, there are demographic differences in who is more likely to feel stressed in their daily lives. In terms of age cohorts, the 30-to-49-year-olds are the most stressed: almost half report that they are "frequently" stressed. Nearly four-in-ten 50-to-64-year-olds say they are frequently stressed. Those over age 65 are the least stressed age group: only about one-in-five report being frequently stressed.

Apparently, money doesn't bring relief from stress, nor does higher education. Those with an annual family income of $100,000 or more are more likely to be frequently stressed (44%) than are adults with lower annual incomes. And compared with people with a high school education or less, college grads are less likely to report "rarely" or "never" experiencing stress.

The survey finds no linkage between marital status and daily stress. However, it does find a linkage between parenting status and daily stress. More than four-in-ten parents who have children under age 18 say they frequently experience stress in their daily life, compared with about one third of those who have no children or who only have adult children.

Men and women are equally likely to say they are frequently stressed. However, the share of women who say they never or rarely experience stress (22%) is smaller than the share of men who say the same thing (31%). Whites are more likely to report being frequently stressed than are blacks or Hispanics.

Finally, people's ideology (but not their party ID) is linked to stress. Liberals are more likely than conservatives or moderates to report being frequently stressed in daily life.

Background: Smoking in America

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking has decreased substantially since the 1960s. However, the rate of current smoking among adults has stabilized since 2004, averaging about 20%-21%. The most recent CDC data show that for the period of January through June 2008, the percentage of current smokers is 20.8, a bit higher than in 2007, when 19.7% of adults smoked.

While the rate of current smoking is lower among women than men, this gender gap has narrowed over time. In 1965, 34% of adult women smoked, compared with 52% of adult men. This gap gradually narrowed until reaching about 5% in the mid-1980s; it has remained in that range ever since. It's not that women are smoking more: rates of smoking for both men and women have declined since the 1960s. The narrowing gender gap since 1965 is mainly due to the fact that smoking has declined at a faster rate among men than among women.

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<sub>1. Parrott, Andy C. 1999. “Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Stress?” American Psychologist 54 (10): 817-820.
2. A multivariate regression analysis is a statistical technique that can be used to show the importance of each of a number of independent variables in predicting a phenomenon of interest – in this case, the likelihood that a respondent reports being frequently stressed or not. The independent variables in the model include smoking status, gender, age, race, education, income, marital status, parental status, and community type.
3. The CDC’s NHIS number for current smokers during January-June 2008 is 20.8% for all, 23.5% for men and 18.3% for women. The different estimates might be due to the different time periods of data collection and the different mode of surveys: the NHIS data are collected through a personal household interview, while the Pew data is through a telephone interview.
4. The explanatory variables in the model include gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, family income, marital status, having children under age 18, ideology, community type.</sub>

Passive smoking in cars linked to hayfever and wheezing in children

MedWire News: Children who are regularly exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke when travelling by car have significantly higher rates of hayfever and wheezing than those without such exposure, results of an Irish study show.

Previous research has shown that regular exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases in adults.

Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, Professor Luke Clancy, from the Tobacco Free Research Institute in Dublin, and team explain: “Children may be more vulnerable to second-hand smoke-induced respiratory diseases due to smaller airways and greater oxygen demand, as well as a less-mature immune system.”

But they add that “there is no evidence quantifying second-hand smoke -induced respiratory health effects in children exposed to second-hand smoke in cars”.

To address this, the team studied 2809 children, aged 13–14 years, selected randomly from schools throughout Ireland.

All the children completed questionnaires detailing their exposure to second-hand smoke at home and in the car, and whether they themselves smoked.

They were also asked whether they had ever suffered from asthma, hayfever, wheezing and other respiratory health problems.

The team found that, overall, nearly 15% of the children surveyed were regularly exposed to tobacco smoke when travelling by car.

After accounting for tobacco smoke exposure at home and other factors, the researchers found that children exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke in cars were 35% more likely to suffer from wheezing and 30% more likely to have hayfever symptoms than those who were not exposed to second-hand smoke in cars.

However, the team found no significant association between exposure to second-hand smoke in cars and an increased prevalence of asthma among children.

Professor Clancy and team comment: “Despite this study showing a tendency towards an increased likelihood of respiratory and allergic symptoms in children when exposed to second-hand smoke in cars, comprehensive longitudinal studies across different population settings are imperative.”

However, the researchers add: “Assuming a causal relation, such adverse respiratory symptoms could have a knock-on effect on school absenteeism, and also on being at greater risk for future second-hand smoke related morbidity [illness] and mortality.”

They conclude: “These results add further support to efforts to push ahead with legislation supporting smoke-free cars in Ireland but needs to be adequately substantiated with further evidence from elsewhere.”

Urine test may determine if a smoker is at risk for lung cancer

DENVER – Researchers may have uncovered why lung cancer afflicts some smokers and not others, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009.

"A history of smoking has always been thought of as a predictor of lung cancer, but it is actually not very accurate," said Jian-Min Yuan, Ph.D., M.D., associate professor of public health at the University of Minnesota. "Smoking absolutely increases your risk, but why it does so in some people but not others is a big question."

Yuan and colleagues hypothesized that the presence of the metabolite NNAL in a patient's urine might predict risk of lung cancer. This metabolite has been shown to induce lung cancer in laboratory animals, but the effect in humans had not yet been studied.

Researchers collected data from 18,244 men enrolled in the Shanghai Cohort Study and 63,257 men and women from the Singapore Chinese Health Study. In addition to in-person interviews to assess levels of cigarette smoking, dietary and other lifestyle factors, researchers collected blood and urine samples from more than 50,000 patients.

To evaluate the impact of NNAL, researchers identified 246 current smokers who later developed lung cancer and 245 smokers who did not develop lung cancer during the 10-year period following initial interview and collection of urine samples.

Levels of NNAL in the urine were divided into three groups. Compared to those with the lowest levels, patients with a mid-range level of NNAL had a 43 percent increased risk of lung cancer, while those at the highest level had a more than two-fold increased risk of lung cancer after taking into account the effect of number of cigarettes per day, number of years of smoking, and urinary levels of cotinine on lung cancer risk.

Levels of nicotine in the urine were also calculated. Those with the highest levels of nicotine and NNAL had an 8.5-fold increase in the risk of lung cancer compared with smokers who had the lowest levels after accounting for smoking history.

"Smoking leads to lung cancer, but there are about 60 possible carcinogens in tobacco smoke, and the more accurately we can identify the culprit, the better we will become at predicting risk," said Yuan.

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The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes more than 28,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and nearly 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.