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The University at Buffalo Center for Successful Aging recommends considering a BURST approach to fitness for the holidays.

Avoid injury because it can reverse months of gains.

Listen to your body. When something doesnt feel right, stop.

Get help when lifting heavy objects.

Build in rest days.

Know risks of your fitness and have a plan if something goes wrong.

Push past your comfort zone. Rating of Perceived Exertion can help. This is a self-rating of intensity based on heart rate, breathing and muscle fatigue during exercise. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 representing the hardest effort possible, aim for an intensity of 7 interspersed with lower intensity recovery phases at about 3 or 4.

Aim for behavioral and performance goals instead of body composition goals. For example, I will exercise or meditate, or both, at least 20 minutes each day through the holidays, instead of I will lose weight during the holidays.

Seek small, attainable goals and grow from there. For example, exercise at least once during the first week, then twice the second week; or walk one block the first time out, twice the second and so on.

Combat all-or-nothing thinking. Small gains count and small setbacks are not failures. Stay encouraged.

Track progress. Count steps, keep an exercise journal.

Find a challenge each day. Take the stairs, if its safe for you. Park further from your destination. Pick up the pace during part of your walk.

Variety prevents boredom. Walk the block, or the mall, alternating your pace. Do 5 to 10 squats; if its too easy, hold weights. Try some pushups, even if you have to start by doing wall pushups.

Find a weight you can lift eight to 10 times before getting tired; move up in weight when it becomes easy to lift it 12-15 times.

Add intensity to your typical workout, even if for a few minutes.Get out of the gym. Try rock climbing, dancing, laser tag.

Build in short 3- to 5-minute exercise breaks.

Look for YMCAs, senior centers and other winter recreational pursuits.

Be active together. Social support can help you stay motivated and committed.

Team and group activity improves adherence.

Create an enjoyable environment that supports common goals.

Sources: Nikhil Satchidanand, a UB exercise physiologist and assistant professor, and Kenneth Seldeen, research assistant professor, both part of the Center for Successful Aging and UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Continued here:
Add a BURST of fitness to your holiday regimen - Buffalo News

Banana eaters traditionally peel off the skin, chuck it in the bin and then devour the soft yellow fruit inside.

But one dietitian has claimed eating banana peel can improve people's sleep, give them healthier skin and also help with weight loss.

Susie Burrell wrote in her blog Shape Me that eating the peel can increase a person's "overall fibre content by at least 10% as a lot of dietary fibre can be found in the skin of a banana".

The Australian dietitian adds: "You will get almost 20% more Vitamin B6 and almost 20% more Vitamin C and you will boost both your potassium and magnesium intake."

The NHS recommends eating foods high in fibre when trying to lose weight, and Vitamin C is known to help with maintaining healthy skin.

Ms Burrell assures her readers she is not telling them to bite down on the "bright yellow banana skin along with the banana".

She advises people to cook the skin to soften it up and help break some of the cell walls, which in turn will make the nutrients easy to absorb.

Ms Burrell says the skin can be included in recipes for smoothies, baked good and curries.

The dietitian writes that blending the skin into recipes or smoothies is the most practical way to use them, and adds: "Here you will increase the volume and nutritional content of recipes with minimal change to taste and texture of the cooking."

She continues: "For example if you make your smoothie with a whole banana, chop the ends of the skin, chop into small pieces and simply blend with the rest of the smoothie.

"For recipes such as muffins or banana bread, cooking the skin first before mixing it into the recipe is an easy way to incorporate them."

Ms Burrell, who is a brand ambassador for the company Australian Bananas, writes that bananas with bright yellow skins have a higher proportion of antioxidants associated with anti-cancer effects.

She adds that less ripe bananas with green skins are particularly rich in the amino acid tryptophan which is associated with good sleep quality.

Ms Burrell said green banana skins are also rich in resistance starch, the special type of fibre known to benefit gut health.

She writes that this is because green skins are better consumed after boiling in order to soften their skins.

Ms Burrell writes that banana skins also have practical use in day to day life, and says cooking meat on top of them will help boost the moisture content of any meal.

She also adds that they are great for making vinegar.

The dietitian claims people in Australia eat more than 5 million bananas a year, with eating the skins being a way to utilise the whole fruit.

Link:
Eating banana skin can help with 'better sleep and weight loss' - Sky News

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has created a lot of buzz over the years, but perhaps one of the biggest was when he admitted he only eats one meal per daywith longer breaks on the weekends (a practice known as intermittent fasting or OMAD), meditates twice per day, and uses a combination of sauna and ice baths at night (among other daily habits). The virality was swift, and fasting was even referred to as a Silicon Valley trend. It actually has another name, though, and that is biohacking. While tech guys certainly didnt invent biohacking, they have helped increase its visibility, leading a lot of people to wonder: What exactly is biohacking and should I be doing it?

Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Crazy-Sounding OMAD Diet Thats Trending Right Now

Oxford University Press defines biohacking in a shocking way: The activity of exploiting genetic material experimentally without regard to accepted ethical standards, or for criminal purposes. This harsh definition is hardly what Ive found in my research on the topic; while hacking and criminal are often synonymous in our minds, biohacking in its more extreme forms is hardly done with malicious intent (unless you think taking science and medicine out of the hands of big corporations with the hopes of making personal discoveries and breakthroughs is malicious).

Aside from that definition, there seem to be two camps on what biohacking exactly is. On the one hand you have the side that says biohacking is anything that changes the biology of your brain function. This includes many everyday pursuits such as nutrition, sleep habits and meditation (among others). However, there are others who believe biohacking is a deeper, more intentional do-it-yourself exploration of biology. Surprisingly, it doesnt always directly involve the body; for example, some biohackers seek to learn more about biology by engineering the genes in yeast.

Since the lines are blurry, were taking a look at both sides of biohacking and the science behind it. What you may find is that youve been biohacking your brain this whole time and didnt even know it.

You dont have to be in Silicon Valley using some never-heard-of technology and supplements to biohack your brain. Thats according to Karina Benameur, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Emory University, who teaches the open course Biohacking Your Brains Health and shares the view that biohacking can absolutely consists of really anything that enhances brain function.

A lot of people think biohacking is this high-tech thing, but it really doesnt have to be, she explains. Exercise is biohacking; nutrition is biohacking. What I go through in my course is how to biohack using things that are accessible to you in everyday life.

Benameurs main focus of study is nutrigenomics; specifically nutrition and its effect on neurological diseases. She notes that if you eat properly you can actually change the structure of your brain, making it a form of biohacking. In the same vein she specifically notes that meditation and exercise have been proven via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to have structural and functional changes in the brain.

Everything is interconnected; for you to change the structure of your brain, the nucleus of that neuron has to have expressed proteins to build more material for those areas to increase, Benameur explains. Anything that changes in the body has a correlate in the molecular genetic model; that is called epigenetic modification.

Thus lies the argument that biohacking is actually a broad process than just scientific experiments. For example, studies have been done that show aerobic activity has direct effects on the structure of the brain. Benameur notes that exercise increases certain neurotransmitters in the brain and that MRIs have confirmed it increase the size of your memory center. She admits that we often exercise to increase muscle mass and lose weight, but in fact, we are also unintentionally biohacking. While genetics are a consideration in our overall health and well-being, they can be changed through exercise, proper nutrition and more all because you are making an impact at the molecular level.

Related: Everyday Improvements You Can Make Right Now to Boost Your Brain Health and Extend Your Mindspan

Can biohacking really be that simple? According to Josiah Zayner, PhD, founder and CEO of The ODIN (and a biohacker himself), no; it is a technical discipline. Formerly a research scientist at NASA in their Synthetic Biology Program, Zayner left and founded The ODIN to make biohacking courses and kits available to the masses. Zayner believes that biohacking gives people the chance to directly contribute to science and medicine, in order to rely less on the scientific and medical systems already in place.

I want people to learn to be their own hope, because with million-dollar drug prices science and medicine are failing us, Zayner notes. F*** the scientific and medical systems that are killing us with opiates, taking 9 years on average to approve drugs and having the audacity to charge people to read and access scientific papers.

Zayner does the type of biohacking that probably comes to mind when you first hear the word; he has given himself a fecal transplant, experimented with various ways to genetically engineer his skin and even injected himself with DNA that underwent CRISPR gene-editing (which in part led to an investigation for practicing medicine without a license).

Zayner is far from the only person doing this type of experimentation, some extreme cases include one womana magicianwho had chips and magnets implanted in her body that are used during her shows (some by herself and some by a friend who is a nurse). There is also a man that has a chip implanted that can unlock his house. These examples dont directly involve changing the structure of the brain or DNA, but biohacking in this sense doesnt have to have that result. In fact, you can genetically engineer yeast to make your own glow-in-the-dark beer thanks to a kit Zayners company sells; youre still experimenting with biology and exploring a new fieldall from the comfort of your own home.

As biohacking is an ever-evolving field with different interpretations, how you biohack is up to you. Benameur speculates the practice is gaining popularity because of Silicon Valley. Other reasons include trendy new diets (take the rise of intermittent fasting popularized by celebrities including Jennifer AnistonandVanessa Hudgens) or simply the hope to stay young forever (like biohacker Eric Matzner).

People are always interested in making themselves better, she adds. They are curious about what they can do to make themselves better and if they can find shortcuts to do that, they will.

Even self-help guru Tony Robbinstouts biohacking as a means to take charge of improving your health. Of course, some biohacking practices involve a certain amount of risk, but it isnt just those that are seen as more extreme; this can even include trying to biohack your nutrition. Intermittent fasting, for example, is noted to carry the risk of eating too restrictively and also affecting cortisol levels (which impacts stress).

Zayner asks, Want to get started in biohacking? Its more simple that it seems, he shares. You can start by reading scientific journals. buying equipment, taking classes and exploring the science of the field in which you wish to understand.

Find out why Dr. Oz says the times you eat and take your medicine can significantly affect your health.

Read more here:
Biohacking 101: What Does Biohacking Mean and Is It Safe? - Parade

A waitress shed 125lbs after her grandfather begged her to lose weight on his deathbed.

Jessica Reid, 25, was tipping the scales at a staggering 284lbs - 20st, 2lbs - when she heard her granddad Robert Crosss dying wish.

The veteran, who passed away at 95, urged his granddaughter to drop the weight and get in shape.

The waitress said: His dying wish was for me to get in shape and to be in good health.

He never bought up my weight before because he knew I was so sensitive about it and he thought I was beautiful anyway.

But on his deathbed, he said: Jessie, I want you to take care of your health and get in shape.

After he told me that, I decided it was time to take care of myself.

He wanted me to have a better life so my feelings werent hurt.

Jessica, who is 5ft11in, lost the 8st, 9lbs weight in just over a year and now weighs a healthy 160lbs [11st, 4lbs].

She used to struggle into size 18 [UK size 22] clothing but now she fits into a petite size six [UK size 10].

I have been heavy my whole life, Jessica said.

Everything revolved around food, we were eating out constantly.

I grew up on Shirley Temples [a sugary drink] and chicken fingers.

Food became my outlet.

The waitress suffered bullying at school on account of her large size.

She said: Facebook pages were made about me, people would hack into my social media account and say nasty things.

It was mostly about my weight.

I was bullied for being heavier.

I was never popular in high school or middle school.

They could call me a cow and tell me to lose weight.

I didnt want to step on the scales because I knew I weighed over 200 pounds.

Jessicas weight struggle became even worse when she turned 21 and started drinking sugary, calorie-laden cocktails.

She blamed downing Bahama Mamas - made of coconut rum, syrup and fruit juices - for piling on even more pounds.

She said: I put on more weight when I started drinking.

Every night after drinking, I would get Jack In The Box tacos or chicken wings.

I was constantly eating carbs and fried food.

Jessica tried to diet but she admitted that she was never able to stick to a healthy eating plan.

She said: I tried so many times.

My half brother is really into healthy eating and he tried to help me.

But I could never stay on track.

Food was an addiction for me.

It was how I coped with my emotions and boredom.

If I was bored, I would eat.

I had been doing it ever since I was a child.

But in May 2016, Jessicas grandfather Robert passed away after having a pacemaker fitted.

On his deathbed in a hospice, he begged her to lose weight and she finally started to face up to her food issues.

She said: It still took me a couple of months after he passed away to realize that I needed to change my life completely.

It wasnt until about August that I started to change my eating habits.

I went to the grocery store and bought lots of vegetables.

I slowly weaned myself off the bad things, I threw out all the garbage and I replaced it with fresh fruit and vegetables.

In August, Jessica swapped her daily diet of McDonalds, bags of chips and takeout pizza for healthy foods like salmon, vegetables and protein bars as snacks.

She also cut back on alcohol and only drank on special occasions.

As soon as she lost her first 10 pounds, she enrolled at a bootcamp in Yuma, Arizona, where she was living at the time.

She said: It was a six-week bootcamp and it was for an hour three times a week.

It was mostly cardio and full body workout like sit ups, kettlebell swings and push-ups.

I lost about 17 pounds and a total of seven inches around my waist.

She discovered Crossfit, a fitness program involving squats, weightlifting, gymnastics and running.

For my first month of Crossfit, I hated it.

But I knew I had to keep pushing myself.

She admitted that she struggled when her weight loss slowed down and hit a plateau.

I lost 90 pounds and I was waiting to hit the 100 pound mark and it took so long.

It took a month and a half to lose that 10 pounds.

My friends told me that I had to keep going and that I would get there.

On November 2017, just after Thanksgiving, Jessica hit her target weight of 160 pounds.

It was amazing," she said.

It was a whole lifestyle change, it wasnt a diet.

This is how I live every day now.

I dont even weigh myself anymore, I know Im fit and I eat healthy so Im not worried anymore.

She added that friends dont even recognize her following the incredible transformation.

People dont recognize me all the time," she said.

In October 2017, I went to Florida to visit some friends and they said they didnt even realize it was me.

Ill post transformation pictures on my social media and my new friends cant believe I was ever that big.

Clothes shopping is so much easier now.

Since losing the weight, Jessica has noticed she has loose skin but she is happy to show it off.

She said: "I have some loose skin and it doesn't bug me.

"I flaunt it.

"I wear crop tops and bikinis, I don't care."

She works out three to four times a week and eats healthily almost all the time - but she does allow herself one cheat meal per week.

Usually I indulge on a Sunday and Ill eat chicken wings or whatever else I feel like.

But the best part of her weight loss has been the change in her mindset.

She said: Im a whole new person now.

I had no confidence before, I was always really depressed.

Now Im very positive.

I wake up every morning thinking I want to be a better person than I was yesterday.

"I feel like my granddad pointed me in the right direction and he is with me all the time."

Continue reading here:
Waitress loses 125lbs to fulfil her grandfather's dying wish - Kent Live

A Montreal woman is asking the National Assembly to take a stand against a different kind of discrimination: fatphobia.

Edith Bernier is asking elected officials to amend article 10 of Quebec'sCharter of Human Rights and Freedoms, to acknowledge discrimination based on a person's physical appearance, including their weight and size.

The charter says one cannot discriminated based on certain physical characteristics, such as race, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. Body weight and other physical attributes are not included.

But it's a systemic problem that should be properly addressed, said Edith Bernier, who runs Grossophobie.ca, a website that shares information on fatphobia.

"[Larger people] who are not as comfortable in their own skin as some others may be ... might realize, if their size is now part of legal discrimination, that maybe they're not the problem," Bernier said. "That maybe the system could be."

Bernier'ssubmitted apetition on the National Assembly website, sponsoredby QubecSolidaire co-spokesperson Manon Mass.

It says that weight discrimination is rooted in the belief that body weight is the result of personal choices, despite "science demonstrating the contrary."

That discrimination against obese individuals could lead to social isolation and psychological problems, and also contribute to their access to health care, it says.

"For example, I would show up to the doctor with an ear infection, and they say 'well lose weight, it's going to fix everything,'" she said.

Bernier said that similar laws already exist in other jurisdictions, such as the state of Michigan.

Since the petitionwent live on Monday, Bernier saidshe's already received significant backlash online.

"People come in [on social media] saying, 'we're going to take you seriously when you lose weight,'" she said. "So it demonstrates how people are not taking fat people seriously sometimes."

The petition is available on the National Assembly website and runs until Feb. 25, 2020.

Go here to read the rest:
Montreal woman wants weight discrimination to be added to Quebec charter - CBC.ca

Parineeti Chopra has been training hard for her upcoming role inSaina, a biopic about badminton star Saina Nehwal. The Hindi film actress has been on an inspirational fitness journey since 2015 when she took up Kalaripayattu, a South Indian martial art form, to tone her body the healthy way. Chopra has since tried a range of workouts, from pilates to swimming. The reasons: mixing things up makes sure you never tire of your fitness routine and that you successfully avoid a workout plateau.

As we await the release ofSainanext year, lets relook at Kalaripayattu and some other martial art forms that are great for weight loss and muscle tone.

Kalaripayattu classes in Chennai. Image source: Getty Images.

Kalaripayattu: One of the oldest traditional martial art forms in the world, Kalaripayattu has its origins in Kerala, with many warrior clans in the region practising it to protect their land. The martial art form is inspired by movements of animals like the lion, tiger, snake and elephant. Other than losing weight, it improves body flexibility, promotes awareness and helps in gaining control over the mind.

Karate: A Japanese word that means empty hands, Karate was born in the Okinawan Islands as a form of self-defence at a time when weapons were banned by invading Japanese forces in the early 20th century. Its a good choice for anyone who may be looking to build upper body and arm strength, as it involves a series of punches, kicks and strikes. A person can burn nearly 450 calories in a single 30-minute session of Karate while training at a personalized level.

Taekwondo: A Korean martial art form which is often - mistakenly - thought to be similar to Karate, Taekwondo involves greater use of the legs. With many more kicks, it helps to tone and strengthen the lower body. It also makes the body more flexible.

Kickboxing: Technically a mishmash of Karate and boxing, Kickboxing originated in 1950s Japan. It is a full-body exercise that helps in toning the arms, legs and abs. It also helps in increasing mobility, flexibility and balance. One of the most intense cardio workouts, its estimated that a person can easily burn 400 calories in a one-hour session.

Judo: Judo is an intense martial art form which involves holding, throwing, blocking and controlling the opponent by taking them down. It is more like a form of self-defence, so it requires great strength. The practitioner may lose a lot of weight if he/she does not increase his/her caloric intake while practising judo.

Capoeira: You might have heard of this Afro-Brazilian martial art in the context of Zumba. Capoeira combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. There are leg sweeps, lunges, head kicks and elbow movements all rolled into a rhythmic dance that helps to burn a lot of calories. It enhances flexibility and endurance and tones up the entire body.

Kung fu: Kung fu is a high-intensity martial art form that originated in China some 400 years ago. Its most famous practitioners - actors like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li - may have made it look easy, though its anything but. Constant movements like kicks, punches, jumps and somersaults are required in this martial art form, which eventually helps in losing weight. Apart from teaching you self-defence, Kung fu makes your heart stronger (cardiovascular training) and tones the muscles.

Tai-Chi: An ancient Chinese martial art form, Tai-Chi is a low-impact workout thats easy on the joints. The movements, with poetic names like white crane spreads its wings, draw on nature. Often compared to Yoga, this form of exercise is supposed to have wide-ranging benefits like reducing stress, controlling blood pressure and increasing muscle definition.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health. For more information, please read our article onFitness: Benefits, Components and Types.

Updated Date: Nov 27, 2019 18:53:41 IST

Tags : Capoeira, Judo, Kalaripayattu, Karate, Kickboxing, Kung Fu, Martial Arts, Muscle Tone, NewsTracker, Taekwondo, Tai Chi, Weight Loss

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Bored of the gym? Try these martial art forms for weight loss and muscle tone - Firstpost

This time two years ago, Mary Downs was a very different woman. Weighing 21st 2.5lbs and wearing a size 26, she feared a catalogue of health problems including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol could send her to an early grave.

Today, the 55-year-old music instructor of Bathgate, West Lothian, sees a brand new woman staring back at her from the mirror. Now 9st 7.5lbs and a trim size 10 after shedding 11st 9lbs more than half of her bodyweight shes confident, happy, and, most importantly, healthy.

Although feeling much happier about her image following her massive weight loss with Slimming World, it was yearning for change on the inside that motivated Mary to shed the pounds. She knew her old eating habits were punishing her body and desperately wanted to turn her life around.

Mary said: Losing the weight and making these changes has saved my life. Its also given me a different and better life. I lost both my parents and my maternal grandparents to strokes and I was so worried I was heading for the same fate if I didnt change my habits. My family was really worried about me too.

Id gotten to the stage where my knees and ankles were so swollen that I was walking with a stick, I was on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol and, alarmingly, Id been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes when I was 40.

I was monitored every six months and knew that Id need to go on insulin if the condition worsened. It was a real worry I know the condition can cause blindness and I know someone who lost a limb through diabetes-related circulatory problems. I didnt want that to be me.

After losing about 7st, I went for my routine blood glucose test and the doctor was so shocked by the result that she had to do it again. My levels were normal and there were no signs of Type 2 diabetes at all. It was just the news I needed to motivate me to keep going with my weight loss.

In the same month as World Diabetes Day, Marys inspirational story supports research revealing that following a Slimming World diet helps patients who have Type 2 diabetes to lose weight and manage their glucose control.

Mary, married to husband Owen, 58, and mum to grown-up daughters Susannah, 27, and Rachael, 22, knows her health problems were impacting her family and says she got momentous support from her brood.

She added: They knew how important it was to me. Time with my husband and daughters now is always fun. I have the energy to go out with them, whereas before I made excuses to stay at home or, if we went out, I would stay in the background. I was so tired I would fall asleep as soon as I sat in a chair.

Now I enjoy spending girly time shopping and being pampered. I have even borrowed a pair of jeans and sweatshirt from one of my daughters now that were the same size. I never thought in a million years that would be possible.

Mary says shed always struggled with her weight. She was a size 18-20 when she married Owen in 1987 when she was 23, and hovered there for most of her adult life. Yo-yo dieting before holidays could see her drop a few stones, but shed always gain the weight again, and often more on top.

Her daily diet often involved skipping breakfast, but then over-indulging on shop-bought sandwiches, crisps and chocolate at lunch. Dinner would be a cheese-laden lasagne ready-meal with garlic bread, followed by a cake or biscuit. For supper there would be several slices of toast with butter and snacks of sweets, crisps and biscuits.

Shaken by the death of her mum in 2015, it took two years of contemplation for Mary to work up the courage to join her local Slimming World group in Bathgate in May 2017. She explained: Id not been near scales in so long and I got the shock of my life when I saw Id hit 21st 2.5lbs. I felt numb. Thats the only way to describe it.

With support from her doctor, taking advice on her diabetes, and from her Slimming World Consultant, Mary followed the food optimising eating plan and started cooking healthy meals from scratch. Ready meals were scrapped in favour of home-made soups and salads and fakeaway meals of home-cooked Szechuan beef or home-made chicken pizza.

It took her just over two years to reach her final target of 9st 10lbs on August 10 this year. At 5ft 3.5ins shed reduced her BMI from 52.4, dangerously morbidly obese, to 24.1, in the perfectly healthy weight range for her height.

She added: People think slimming means going hungry, but I never felt like I was on a diet in fact, people are always surprised at how much food I have on my plate. I absolutely love cooking now and I enjoy experimenting with spices and new ingredients.

Ive just learned how to make small changes like eating lots of vegetables, using lean meat and fish or cooking with low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil or butter.

Ive also stopped the snacking on crisps and chocolate. I eat loads more fruit now and feel far better for it my energy levels are through the roof compared to before.

I found I got so much support from going to my group every week and it really helped to hear other members ideas and tips. It helps you feel like youre not doing this alone.

Doctors had suspected Mary had arthritis before her weight loss, but her joint problems have now gone completely and she no longer requires a walking stick.

She smiled: Ive just changed my way of thinking towards food entirely. I still indulge and enjoy every second of my holiday but I eat the right things. My only regret is that I never did this while my mum was alive to see it. She knows how much my size bothered me and I know shed be so proud to see that I finally tackled it.

slimmingworld.co.uk

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Losing almost 12 stone cured my diabetes... and saved my life - The Sunday Post

(Reuters Health) - Obese teens who have surgery to lose weight report better quality of life, less joint pain and fewer physical limitations after their operations than before, a new study suggests.

Researchers followed 242 obese teens who had so-called metabolic and bariatric surgery to lose weight over three years, starting when they were 17 years old, on average. Prior to surgery, half of the teens had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 50, making them severely obese; two-thirds had musculoskeletal pain and joint pain and half had poor physical function.

Three years after surgery, the teens average reduction in BMI was 27%, which meant they were still obese. However, previous research has shown that a BMI reduction of just 5% to 10% is enough to result in meaningful improvements in health and quality of life.

And in the current study, researchers found that every 10% reduction in BMI was associated with 6% lower odds of the teens having musculoskeletal pain and 10% lower odds of having joint pain.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery leads to large and sustained reductions in joint pain and improvements in physical function in adolescents with severe obesity over 3 years, Dr. Sharon Bout-Tabaku of Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues write in Pediatrics.

These improvements will allow teenagers to move, be more functional, and participate in physical activity to improve their joint health and maintain their weight loss, the study team notes.

More than one in five American teens are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Teens are considered obese when their BMI is at or above the 95th percentile for youth of the same age and sex.

An online child and teen BMI calculator is available from the CDC (here: bit.ly/2QC2CWN).

Adolescent obesity is associated with chronic joint pain and with irreversible joint damage, the researchers note. But even as a growing number of obese teens get metabolic and bariatric surgery to lose weight, research to date hasnt offered a clear picture of how these operations impact future joint health.

In the current study, the decline in BMI wasnt directly associated with changes in poor physical function three years after surgery.

But young people who complained of joint pain after the surgery were 21% more likely than those who didnt to also report poor physical function.

The study wasnt designed to prove whether or how surgical weight loss might directly improve joint pain or musculoskeletal pain in obese teens.

One limitation of the study is that the data came from a research project designed to study improvements in weight and obesity-related disease, not joint pain, the study authors note.

Another drawback is that data on physical improvements was based on patient surveys, not on objective measures of physical function or body mechanics.

Even so, the results suggest that improved joint health can be added to the list of potential health benefits of weight loss surgery, the authors conclude.

Adolescence represents a window of opportunity for caregivers to implement exercise and behavioral supports pre-and post-surgery to maintain long-term weight and joint health benefits, the study team writes. Future research should be focused on studying the relationship among weight loss, biomechanical and systemic inflammatory mechanisms, performance measures, and biomarkers to identify, target, and treat adolescents who are obese and at risk for knee osteoarthritis.

SOURCE: bit.ly/2OqJubC Pediatrics, online November 19, 2019.

Originally posted here:
Obese teens' quality of life improves after weight loss surgery - Reuters

Hoda Kotb is so wonderfully relatable when it comes to the struggle of trying to eat better.

During Monday's fourth hour of the Today show, Hoda and her fellow co-host Jenna Bush Hager stepped on a scale while announcing their intent to try out intermittent fasting, a popular weight-loss diet among celebrities that asks you to restrict when and how much you eat during a specific period of time. The pros and cons of the plan have been hotly debated in the nutrition world, but if there's one thing everyone can agree on, it's that you should consult with your doctor first before giving it a go.

To launch their experiment, Hoda and Jenna tried out each other's scales to make sure the numbers they were seeing were accurate. Hoda's weight was recorded at 158 pounds, while Jenna's scale read 171 pounds.

A day after revealing her weight on the show, Hoda posted a video of herself sweating it out on a stair machine at the gym. In that same post, though, she also shared a picture of an Oreo cookie and wrote in the caption, "Me yesterday: HEY: 158 lbs ... I am coming for you! Me after workout: swipe [to the cookie picture]."

To show solidarity, Hoda's fans penned encouraging and hilarious words to the NBC morning show anchor. "Im with ya, girl!! " one fan wrote. "I worked out yesterday and came home to eat 4 cookies . Thats a balanced diet, right?" another joked.

Meanwhile, Jenna (who just gave birth to her son in August) hasn't posted anything on Instagram about her progress just yet. With that being said though, the mother-of-three spoke up about Monday's weigh in on Tuesday and clarified that she's doing this more to "be healthy" instead of to lose weight.

"I was reminded why I don't weigh myself yesterday because I was playing with my kids, and I kept having that one number in my head," Jenna explained. "And I'm like, 'You know what? No, no, no, no.' I don't want life to be controlled by a scale."

Whatever happens, we wish Jenna and Hoda the best of luck in their quest.

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'Today' Star Hoda Kotb Got Very Real on Instagram After Revealing Her Weight Loss Plan - GoodHousekeeping.com

22-year-old Shivam Munjal was done with constant body-shaming and the looks people gave him owing to his weight. He had touched a whopping 99 kilos and felt tired all the time. This is how he lost a whopping 25 kilos by working out at home with unwavering dedication.Name: Shivam MunjalOccupation: Student

Age: 22 yearsCity: BahadurgarhHeight: 5 feet 8 inchesCurrent Weight: 74 kgsHighest weight recorded: 99 kgsWeight lost: 25 kgsDuration it took me to lose weight: 7 months

My breakfast: A cup of oats in milk with almonds and walnuts.

My lunch: 2 chapatis with 1 bowl of dal, salad and 1 bowl of vegetable raita.

My dinner: Protein shake after working out and paneer or soya bean one hour later.

I indulge in: I really enjoy eating besan chilla on my cheat days.

My workout: I did not join any gym and use to do bodyweight exercises and some dumbbell workout at home for 7 months straight.

Here's my workout schedule:Monday: Chest and 30 minutes of high-intensity cardioTuesday: Back and jogging for 30 minutesWednesday: Arm workout and cardioThursday: High-intensity Tabata workout. Tabata is a whole body workout with 8 different exercises in an interval of 4 minutes.Friday: Shoulder workout and cardioSaturday and Sunday rest.

Fitness secrets I unveiled: It is all about the efforts you put in to lose weight. I had joined a gym a few years ago but did not give my hundred per cent. So, even though I lost some weight, I gained it back again very soon. Hence, it is important to be consistent and eat healthily. While being a vegetarian, it was difficult to find the right diet, but I managed to lose weight without doing any special diet. I have realised that a calorie deficit diet is the only thing you need to lose weight.

How do I stay motivated? There were a lot of moments in my life when I thought of giving up and in those times the only thing that kept me going was the quote-- I didn't come this far to only come this far. While everyone says that looks dont matter and you need to have a good heart, it is all a lie. When you are overweight, people will body shame you, discriminate against you and look at you with disgust. I was tired of the way people looked at me and I wanted to get rid of that.

More:
Weight loss story: My girlfriend cheated on me because of the way I looked. This is how I lost 25 kilos! - Times of India

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