What Does Being "Healthy" Mean to You?

As trainers, we see people in all shapes and sizes.  Each client comes to us with different goals, different abilities, and different attitudes.  Some feel they are "healthy" but just need to lose a few pounds; others feel as if they are the furthest thing from "healthy".  Many clients define "healthy" as strictly an outward appearance (i.e., slim body, toned muscles).  What is your definition of "healthy"?  And, most importantly, how do you stack up to your definition?

If you look up the word "healthy" in the dictionary, this is one of the definitions:  possessing or enjoying good health, or a sound and vigorous mentality.  The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".  However different organizations define the word, people must begin to look at being "healthy" as more than just an outward appearance and the absence of disease.

Our mere outward appearance can be very deceiving.  Just because a person is "slim and trim" doesn't mean they are healthy.  Body fat percentages can run high in this body type.  How, you ask?  It's possible for a "slim and trim" person to have higher percentages of visceral fat (located around the organs) versus subcutaneous fat (located just below the skin).  Visceral fat is harder to see by the naked eye and contributes to "belly fat".  Therefore outward appearances neglect to show hidden dangers.

Other factors contributing to overall health are blood pressure (refer back to our blog, High Blood Pressure), high triglycerides and cholesterol, hormone imbalance, adrenal fatigue, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)...this list goes on!!  It is very important to "know your numbers".  You should know what your blood pressure is and what your lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides) looks like.  Those of you who exercise on a regular basis, do you know your numbers?  If not, you are neglecting an important piece to the puzzle of "health".

With a new year fast approaching, maybe it's time for you to take a step back and look at your puzzle of health.  Do all the pieces fit together?  Is the border (outward appearance) intact but still missing a few pieces?  Take control of your health and find those missing pieces.  Schedule your annual exam with your health care practitioner and look at contributing factors mentioned in this blog.  Schedule an appointment with a fitness professional and learn how you can not only improve your outward appearance but also tune up what's hiding beneath the skin.  Finally, schedule an appointment with a nutrition specialist and look at the fuel you are putting in your body.  When all of the pieces of your puzzle fit together, your body becomes a well-oiled, fine-tuned machine.  Our bodies are built to perform...it's time for you to start with a tune-up!!!

November is American Diabetes Month

According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 25.8 million children and adults in the United States, which equates to 8.3% of the population, have diabetes.  This is up from 23.6 million (or 7.8%) in 2010.    Last year there were 1.9 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older.  These numbers don't include the 79 million people classified as "prediabetes".  In 2007, the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. was $174 billion.  Of that number, $116 billion was for direct medial costs and the remaining $58 billion accounted for indirect costs (disability, work loss, premature mortality).  After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes.  Those are staggering statistics and they just keep getting worse on a yearly basis. 

What exactly is diabetes?  Diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus), or more commonly known as diabetes, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose (sugar) levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin.  There are 3 types of diabetes:  (1) Type 1, (2) Type 2, and (3) Gestational.  Type 1 diabetes was previously known as "juvenile diabetes" because it is frequently diagnosed in children and young adults.  This form of diabetes requires external sources of insulin (i.e., injections, insulin pump) because the body does not produce insulin.  Surprisingly, only 5% of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 1.  Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes.  This was previously termed "adult-onset diabetes" because it was commonly diagnosed later in life.  In type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or the body doesn't recognize the presence of insulin in the bloodstream.  People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes typically are overweight and/or obese, have high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Due to the growing epidemic of obesity in American children and adults, type 2 diabetes is no longer considered "adult-onset"; many children who are overweight are developing type 2 diabetes.  Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy.  Based on recently announced diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes, it is estimated that gestational diabetes affects 18% of pregnancies.

Complications of diabetes include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy (nervous system disease), and amputation.  What is your risk for developing type 2 diabetes?  Here is a list of those who at higher risk:

• People with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose (IGF)
• People over age 45
• People with a family history of diabetes
• People who are overweight
• Peole who do not exercise regularly
• People with low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), high trigylcerides, or high blood pressure
• Certain racial and ethinic groups such as Non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives
• Women who had gestational diabetes, or who have had a baby weighing 9 pounds or more at birth

You can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through a healthy lifestyle.  Change your diet, increase your level of physical activity, maintain a healthy weight...with these positive steps, you can stay healthier longer and reduce your risk of diabetes.  All of the prevention tips are here at PROMATx Health Club!  Already diagnosed with some form of diabetes?  Exercise can help!!  Come in and talk with one of our trainers and our nutrition specialist and set up a plan to control diabetes.  Your family and friends want you to live a long, healthy life!!

Want more info?  Click HERE to go to the American Diabetes Association website.

High Blood Pressure - The Silent Killer

Did you know that more than 66 million American adults suffer from high blood pressure? Did you know high blood pressure is known as the "silent killer"? It is given this name because high blood pressure (hypertension) doesn't have any symptoms and many people don't realize they have it. Hypertension also increases a person's chance for heart disease, stroke, and other serious problems.  Despite this, hypertension is easy to check for and can easily be controlled through exercise, diet and medication. 

In 2007, the Kentucky Department of Public Health published the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey results and showed that adults in Kentucky had the following risk factors for heart disease and stroke:

• 30% of adults in Kentucky had high blood pressure
• 38.5% of those screened reported having high blood cholesterol
• 9.9% had diabetes
• 28.2% were current smokers
• 69.1% were overweight or obese
• 55.8% reported no exercise in the prior 30 days
• 81.6% ate fruit and vegetables less than 5 times a day

As if these statistics were bad enough, all of these were higher than the national average!

Do you see any of those statistics that are "controllable"?  Meaning a person has the ability to affect the outcome?  All 7 of the above statistics fall under "controllable, lifestyle risk factors".  You have the power to prevent heart disease and stroke through exercise and diet.

Studies published to date suggest that moderate-intensity activity may be most effective in lowering blood pressure.  Furthermore, regular physical activity has been shown to be effective in reducing the relative risk of developing hypertension by 19-30%!!

Do you have hypertension?  Do you know what your numbers are?  Talk to your doctor or health-care practitioner for more information.  If you are already battling high blood pressure, be sure your tell your doctor you are exercising (or getting ready to start an exercise program).  It's important to have an open line of communication so adjustments can be made in medication.

Another reason to start your exercise program today!  Don't become a statistic...take charge of your health.  Stop in at PROMATx Health Club and learn how you can take charge and make your own transformation.