As I blew out the candles on my 22nd birthday cake two weeks ago, I felt part of my youth blowing away and the onslaught of maturity setting in. Now I know everyone needs to grow up a little bit as they get older, and I feel like I'm embracing my new-found maturity. And now when I occasionally go to dinner and make a trip to Blockbuster for a completely satisfying Friday or Saturday (sometimes both) night, I wonder why the heck I ever did some of the stupid stuff me and all my friends did in high school and early college. Why did it seem like a good idea to let somebody do donuts in my Mustang on a baseball field at 2 in the morning? Or throw a party at my parent's house, when I knew I would get caught (I was that kid that got caught for EVERYTHING)? I'm thankful I never got into any real trouble or make any lasting mistakes in my younger days (wow, I feel like my grandma right now), but I do wonder why.
In CNN's Dr. Gupta's blog I came across a possible answer to teenagers occasional lack of sanity: brain development. After the age of 13, the brain in a young outwardly looks like someone in his or her late 20s; however, inwardly, it does not process information as well. The part of the brain that makes decisions is not fully developed until the early to mid 20s (Does this mean I have a few more freebie bad decisions ahead of me until I hit 25 lol) Since this part of the brain is not fully developed, it can't handle stress and decision-making as well as an adult. This part can overload, which can lead to judgments an adult brain might not make (I can't see my mom doing donuts in her SUV on the baseball field at 2 a.m.). According to the blog, scientists say good judgment comes and goes until the brain completely develops.
Luckily for me and millions of others who survived their teen years, we never made rash decisions with far-reaching consequences. However, teenagers brain immaturity could contribute to problems with long-term effects such as heavy
drinking, smoking, doing drugs, having unprotected sex and even thinking of suicide. Because the teenage brain is a complex "mish-mash" of anxiety and confusion, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are now trying to map how the teen brain functions in hopes of pinpointing some of the irregularities so they can prevent some of these potentially damaging behaviors from ever taking place.
I should tell my mom about this. Maybe she'll forgive for that time in high school when she found a bottle cap in the chandelier from my friends inventive drinking game.
Link to: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta/2007/11/do-teenagers-think-rationally.html
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
How many calories are you really burning on cardio machines?
I'm trying to get back into shape after my surgery, and I've been hitting the elliptical machine a lot. A few days ago, I was talking to my boyfriend about my workout, and he shook his head when I told him I had burned about 500 calories on the elliptical. He works at the UF gyms and sees people working out all the time. All these girls think the elliptical machine is the greatest thing ever, he said. But that calorie counter is not accurate. I, of course, defended the elliptical machine and told him that it was a fine workout ... but I wasn't really sure. Was he right? How many calories was I burning?
Unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer. From my Internet research I found that treadmills and stationary bikes have the most accurate calorie counters because they've been around the longest and have been researched and revised. Elliptical and other newer cardio machines have less accurate calorie counters because they haven't been researched a lot yet.
I found some basic tips to think about when working out on cardio machines:
The machines that ask for your weight will give a more accurate account. If you don't give a machine your weight, it usually bases its calculations on a 154-pound male. So if you weigh much less or much more than that, the calories reading you get ont he display console could be way off.
Your individual metabolism affects how many calories you burn. If you have a higher lean body mass you will burn more calories.
The machine assumes you're going at a certain speed or intensity. If you hang on the rails, do "baby" steps on the treadmill or otherwise "cheat" in your workout, the machine doesn't know it. If you put your feet on the rails of the treadmill, slalom skiing style for three of your 30 minute workout, you will have burned less calories than the machine says. Don't cheat.
Equations used by the manufacturers to determine calories burned may have been based on people who are not yet comfortable with the machine. You burn more calories doing something new than something you've done for a while. So the longer you work on a particular machine the less calories you may burn.
I felt better about myself after my research. Although I didn't get the straight answer I was hoping for so I could prove the boyfriend wrong, I did feel more educated and ready for more workouts. However, I will take my workout summaries with a grain of salt next time I hit the gym.
Unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer. From my Internet research I found that treadmills and stationary bikes have the most accurate calorie counters because they've been around the longest and have been researched and revised. Elliptical and other newer cardio machines have less accurate calorie counters because they haven't been researched a lot yet.
I found some basic tips to think about when working out on cardio machines:
The machines that ask for your weight will give a more accurate account. If you don't give a machine your weight, it usually bases its calculations on a 154-pound male. So if you weigh much less or much more than that, the calories reading you get ont he display console could be way off.
Your individual metabolism affects how many calories you burn. If you have a higher lean body mass you will burn more calories.
The machine assumes you're going at a certain speed or intensity. If you hang on the rails, do "baby" steps on the treadmill or otherwise "cheat" in your workout, the machine doesn't know it. If you put your feet on the rails of the treadmill, slalom skiing style for three of your 30 minute workout, you will have burned less calories than the machine says. Don't cheat.
Equations used by the manufacturers to determine calories burned may have been based on people who are not yet comfortable with the machine. You burn more calories doing something new than something you've done for a while. So the longer you work on a particular machine the less calories you may burn.
I felt better about myself after my research. Although I didn't get the straight answer I was hoping for so I could prove the boyfriend wrong, I did feel more educated and ready for more workouts. However, I will take my workout summaries with a grain of salt next time I hit the gym.
Cold v. Flu: The neverending conundrum
I woke up Monday morning feeling under the weather. My stomach didn't feel right, my body ached, nose ran, and overall icky feel had come over me. On Tuesday morning, it was worse. I spent the majority of my day in bed watching TV; I was so tired that instead of getting up and doing something, I watched a Lifetime movie, now that's bad.
But as I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself, I began to self-diagnose myself. Do I have the common cold, or do I have the flu? EEK!
In case you are in the same boat this winter, here are some ways to distinguish cold from flu.
Fever is rare in colds, but 80 percent of people with flu have fever. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
A mucus-producing (lovely isn't it) cough usually comes with a cold, but a non-mucous producing cough comes with the flu.
Slight body aches come with the common cold, but severe body aches accompany the flu.
Stuffy nose goes with the cold but not the flu.
The chills go with the flu but rarely with colds.
Tiredness is mild with cold but severe with flu.
Sneezing common with the cold but unusual for the flu.
Headache is not usually associated with the cold, but is present in 80 percent of flu cases.
Sore throat is common with the cold, but it's not common with the flu.
Chest discomfort is mild with cold but severe with flu.
Lastly, the common cold develops over a few days so you know it's coming. However, the flu has a rapid onset of 3-6 hours and brings sudden symptoms such as high fever and aches and pains.
After examining these symptoms, I believe I have a cold. For now, I'll keep drinking my orange juice and trudging along with general ickiness.
But as I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself, I began to self-diagnose myself. Do I have the common cold, or do I have the flu? EEK!
In case you are in the same boat this winter, here are some ways to distinguish cold from flu.
Fever is rare in colds, but 80 percent of people with flu have fever. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
A mucus-producing (lovely isn't it) cough usually comes with a cold, but a non-mucous producing cough comes with the flu.
Slight body aches come with the common cold, but severe body aches accompany the flu.
Stuffy nose goes with the cold but not the flu.
The chills go with the flu but rarely with colds.
Tiredness is mild with cold but severe with flu.
Sneezing common with the cold but unusual for the flu.
Headache is not usually associated with the cold, but is present in 80 percent of flu cases.
Sore throat is common with the cold, but it's not common with the flu.
Chest discomfort is mild with cold but severe with flu.
Lastly, the common cold develops over a few days so you know it's coming. However, the flu has a rapid onset of 3-6 hours and brings sudden symptoms such as high fever and aches and pains.
After examining these symptoms, I believe I have a cold. For now, I'll keep drinking my orange juice and trudging along with general ickiness.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Drinking and pregnancy
All my sister-in-law wants is an icy, salty margarita. She's not a big drinker. She's a 31-year-old stay at home mom, but everyone needs a drink now and then, especially when you have two screaming toddlers running around, she told me. However, she is pregnant with her third child and it's taboo for her to indulge in alcohol.
But is it really that bad if my sister-in-law has a few drinks while pregnant?
A new Reuters article suggests that occasional binge drinking while pregnant won't cause birth defects, but the research is not conclusive. A recent review of 14 studies, said that binge drinking throughout a pregnancy does stunt growth, and cause birth defects and brain development problems. However, little substantive evidence of binge drinking once and a while during pregnancy causes problems such as miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormal birth weight or birth defects.
"When pregnant women report isolated episodes of binge-drinking in the absence of a consistently high daily alcohol intake, as is often the case, it is important to avoid inducing unnecessary anxiety as, at present, the evidence of risk seems minimal," according to the researchers in the Reuters article.
This comes as somewhat of a relief to me and my family. My sister-in-law, well, actually most pregnant women think that the tiniest thing will hurt their baby. Don't eat this, do eat that, the list goes on and on. And while I'm certainly not encouraging drinking while pregnant, I find this research encouraging because it let's pregnant women breathe a little easier. If my sister-in-law craves a margarita, then she should just drink it and not feel terribly guilty about it.
While the link between alcohol and pregnancy may not be a myth, here is top 20 list of pregnancy myths.
But is it really that bad if my sister-in-law has a few drinks while pregnant?
A new Reuters article suggests that occasional binge drinking while pregnant won't cause birth defects, but the research is not conclusive. A recent review of 14 studies, said that binge drinking throughout a pregnancy does stunt growth, and cause birth defects and brain development problems. However, little substantive evidence of binge drinking once and a while during pregnancy causes problems such as miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormal birth weight or birth defects.
"When pregnant women report isolated episodes of binge-drinking in the absence of a consistently high daily alcohol intake, as is often the case, it is important to avoid inducing unnecessary anxiety as, at present, the evidence of risk seems minimal," according to the researchers in the Reuters article.
This comes as somewhat of a relief to me and my family. My sister-in-law, well, actually most pregnant women think that the tiniest thing will hurt their baby. Don't eat this, do eat that, the list goes on and on. And while I'm certainly not encouraging drinking while pregnant, I find this research encouraging because it let's pregnant women breathe a little easier. If my sister-in-law craves a margarita, then she should just drink it and not feel terribly guilty about it.
While the link between alcohol and pregnancy may not be a myth, here is top 20 list of pregnancy myths.
Sport camp on crack!
From about age 12 to 18, I was a pretty intense athlete. I played competitive softball 12 months out of the year, trained often, and practiced three to four days a week. I even had a separate batting coach that used to play for the Blue Jays. But I was still a teenager. I still went out with my friends, hit the beach every now and then and spent time being a kid.
My class recently took a field trip to IMG Academies in Sarasota, Fla. At IMG, I feel like some of the kids lose their teenage years, but it may be worth it. IMG Academies is a campus devoted to the training of athletes. It began as the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Sarasota, Fla. This tennis academy became famous for training players like Andre Aggassi and Monica Seles. In 1987, IMG bought Bllettieri's academy and expanded the academy to take a comprehensive training approach to encompass additional sports. Today, IMG trains students in tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, basketball and mountain sports
The academy focuses its training on six key components: physical conditioning, mental conditioning, sports medicine, communication, nutrition and regeneration. These components work together to make a complete athlete.
I found the communication component to be the most interesting aspect of the program. A mediocre actor, Steve Shenbaum, and a former broadway performer, Blair Dalton, worked together to teach the athletes to communicate. For us, they played improv games and talked a lot. They teach the athletes to find coins when talking to people. Blair's example of a coin was scuba diving in the Keys for lobsters. They encourage the athletes to get to know people through these coins by asking questions and listening. However, as I left that day and saw the craziness that is IMG, I had to wonder, how can these kids gain coins when all they do is train?
My class recently took a field trip to IMG Academies in Sarasota, Fla. At IMG, I feel like some of the kids lose their teenage years, but it may be worth it. IMG Academies is a campus devoted to the training of athletes. It began as the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Sarasota, Fla. This tennis academy became famous for training players like Andre Aggassi and Monica Seles. In 1987, IMG bought Bllettieri's academy and expanded the academy to take a comprehensive training approach to encompass additional sports. Today, IMG trains students in tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, basketball and mountain sports
The academy focuses its training on six key components: physical conditioning, mental conditioning, sports medicine, communication, nutrition and regeneration. These components work together to make a complete athlete.
I found the communication component to be the most interesting aspect of the program. A mediocre actor, Steve Shenbaum, and a former broadway performer, Blair Dalton, worked together to teach the athletes to communicate. For us, they played improv games and talked a lot. They teach the athletes to find coins when talking to people. Blair's example of a coin was scuba diving in the Keys for lobsters. They encourage the athletes to get to know people through these coins by asking questions and listening. However, as I left that day and saw the craziness that is IMG, I had to wonder, how can these kids gain coins when all they do is train?
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
New Year's Resolutions In November?
Although the ball doesn't drop in Times Square for another two months, I find myself reading New's Years fitness resolution articles daily.
About six weeks ago, I had shoulder surgery. On Sept. 20, I went from running a few miles every day to none. I finally got the ok from my physical therapist about two weeks ago to do cardio on the elliptical trainer after I showed off my obscene strength with the dog bone weights. But now that I've got the ok to workout again, I'm lost. I know I'm not able to do what I used to do right away, but I'm also frustrated because I can't do what I used to do right away.
A Resolution Health article recently ease my worries. "Easing Back Into Your Fitness Routine" recommends the 1-1 rule. If you've been out three weeks, then it'll take three weeks to get back to where you were. So for me, it's going to take six weeks (hopefully). In addition, the 50-50 rule applies. Do 50 percent of your standard activity before you were out 50 percent of the time. For me, I used to run for about 45 minutes a day. So now I should do 22.5 minutes (but I haven't gotten the ok to run yet so I'll just apply that to the elliptical).
Using the information from this article, I'm going to try to get back on track and slowly move up to where I was.
When the ball drops on New Year's, I should be wearing my skinny jeans again ;)
About six weeks ago, I had shoulder surgery. On Sept. 20, I went from running a few miles every day to none. I finally got the ok from my physical therapist about two weeks ago to do cardio on the elliptical trainer after I showed off my obscene strength with the dog bone weights. But now that I've got the ok to workout again, I'm lost. I know I'm not able to do what I used to do right away, but I'm also frustrated because I can't do what I used to do right away.
A Resolution Health article recently ease my worries. "Easing Back Into Your Fitness Routine" recommends the 1-1 rule. If you've been out three weeks, then it'll take three weeks to get back to where you were. So for me, it's going to take six weeks (hopefully). In addition, the 50-50 rule applies. Do 50 percent of your standard activity before you were out 50 percent of the time. For me, I used to run for about 45 minutes a day. So now I should do 22.5 minutes (but I haven't gotten the ok to run yet so I'll just apply that to the elliptical).
Using the information from this article, I'm going to try to get back on track and slowly move up to where I was.
When the ball drops on New Year's, I should be wearing my skinny jeans again ;)
What I learned from Dr. Oz
Dr. Mehmet Oz, "America's Doctor," was kind enough to have a video conference with my class last week. I'd seen him on Opera in the past and was curious as to what this acclaimed doctor would talk about.
The lasting message made my day: Journalists do make a difference.
Oz told us that it was our patriotic duty to improve health care in America. He spoke about the need for journalist to report accurate, fun health stories.
The two ways he suggested to improve health writing were 1) using humor. People love to laugh and humor makes a story even about a dry topic enjoyable. 2) Busting myths. People love to hear about myths and if they're fact or fiction. It's a tried and true story and it works.
Throughout the questions and answer period, Oz gave insightful answers on a number of different topics from possible pregnancy to journalists role in health and continually gave more tips as to how to get health messages to the public through writing.
Metaphors work great, he said. Almost everyone thinks in metaphors.
Lastly, how do you know if you're a good health writer? When someone shares your information with someone else you've done your job.
Thanks Dr. Oz
The lasting message made my day: Journalists do make a difference.
Oz told us that it was our patriotic duty to improve health care in America. He spoke about the need for journalist to report accurate, fun health stories.
The two ways he suggested to improve health writing were 1) using humor. People love to laugh and humor makes a story even about a dry topic enjoyable. 2) Busting myths. People love to hear about myths and if they're fact or fiction. It's a tried and true story and it works.
Throughout the questions and answer period, Oz gave insightful answers on a number of different topics from possible pregnancy to journalists role in health and continually gave more tips as to how to get health messages to the public through writing.
Metaphors work great, he said. Almost everyone thinks in metaphors.
Lastly, how do you know if you're a good health writer? When someone shares your information with someone else you've done your job.
Thanks Dr. Oz
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