How Far is 10,000 Steps a Day... ??

So many of us have Fitbits and Apple Watches these days... or other wearables that track our steps. I always have heard that we should walk 10,000 steps a day. It wasn't until I read this article by Caitlyn Fitzpatrick on PopSugar that I really thought about the distance of 10,000 steps.

Before I give you the (somewhat depressing) statistics, we will first assume the 10,000 steps measured by your device are actually true walking steps. Sadly, we know these devices count arm oscillations, wrist movements, and other body movements as "steps" when we are not even moving (don't cheat). That said, let's look at the numbers!

10,000 steps = 5 miles

100 calories are burned every 1 mile of walking

10,000 steps = 5 miles of walking = 500 calories

Doing 10,000 steps, 7 days a week = 3500 calories = 1 pound of fat

All things being equal that means if you get your 10,000 steps in EVERY day, then you could potentially lose 1 pound of fat per week.   Even if you are doing other forms of cardio / workouts and are able to capture your burned calories - you need almost 3500 burned a week to lose one single pound.  Its now even more clear why it's so hard to lose weight!  But don't let that discourage you - keep moving and get walking!

Diet Review: An Excellent Look at Intermittent Fasting

It seems like every season there is a new diet trend:  low carb, keto, paleo, Atkins, on and on... One of the more fascinating eating methods that has shown some promising results is "Intermittent Fasting" or restricting calories from 12 - 24 hours (sometimes even longer).  

Intermittent fasting comes in different forms and there is an excellent article by Julia Belluz on Vox that I would highly recommend that explains the different types.

Studies like the one by Valter Longo and associates,  have shown that intermittent fasting helps people lose weight and fight disease, but sticking to the method can be difficult, and so the long term results are variable.

>> Read the whole article here.

Daily Fiber May Prevent Early Death, Heart Attacks, Strokes, Diabetes, and Colon Cancer

A study was recently published online by the Lancet looking at dietary fiber and health.  The findings are startling...! 

This study analyzed nearly 135 million person-years of data from 185 prospective studies and 58 clinical trials.  When they compared people who ate the lowest amount of fiber to people who at 25-30 grams of fiber each day:  dying from any cause,  heart disease, stroke, diabetes and colon cancer was reduced by 15-30%!

"The more dietary fiber people ate, the lower their risk. For every additional 8 grams of fiber consumed daily, the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer dropped by an additional 5% to 27%", per TIME magazine.

In this study, dietary fiber consumption was more significant than whole grains, or even concentrating on low glycemic index foods.

The best sources of fiber from WebMD are:

1. Beans: Think three-bean salad, bean burritos, chili, soup.
2. Whole grains: That means whole-wheat bread, pasta, etc.
3. Brown rice: White rice doesn't offer much fiber.
4. Popcorn: It's a great source of fiber.
5. Nuts: Almonds, pecans, and walnuts have more fiber than other nuts.
6. Baked potato with skin: It's the skin that's important here.
7. Berries: All those seeds, plus the skin, give great fiber to any berry.
8. Bran cereal: Any cereal that has 5 grams of fiber or more in a serving counts as high fiber.
9. Oatmeal:  Whether its microwaved or stove-cooked, oatmeal is good fiber.
10. Vegetables:  The crunchier, the better.

>>> Covered here in Time Magazine.

>>> Read the article from the Lancet here.

A Hormone Made During Exercise May Protect Against Alzheimer's

Every day patients ask what they can do to improve their memory... it turns out going back to the basics of eating well and getting regular exercise can go a long way! 

A hormone (FNDC5/irisin) is produced during exercise which may protect brains against Alzheimer's disease by improving synaptic plasticity (mental sharpness) and memory.

>>> Read a summary here

>>> Read the original paper in Nature

Exercise is Keeping Us Alive

"A 2015 report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges called Exercise – the Miracle Cure said that regular exercise can assist in the prevention of strokes, some cancers, depression, heart disease and dementia, reducing risk by at least 30%. With regular exercise, the risk of bowel cancer drops by 45%, and of osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes by a whopping 50%.

Exercise, in these terms, is not a fad, or an option, or an add-on to our busy lifestyles: it is keeping us alive."

>>> Read more from the Guardian Here

Cholesterol Rises with the Holidays

The New York Times (Bakalar) reports that research published in Atherosclerosis suggests that “the holiday season may confer an unwanted gift: higher cholesterol.”

>> Read more here.

HealthDay (Reinberg) reports that “after Christmas, cholesterol levels jumped 20 percent from summer levels among the 25,000 people studied.” 

An individual’s “risk of having high cholesterol becomes six times higher after the Christmas break, the scientists said.”

>>> Read more here.

Low Cardio Fitness In Men Tied To Higher Risk Of Stroke

Reuters (Dec 31, 2018 Crist) reported researchers found that men with low cardiorespiratory fitness are more likely to have a stroke than those with higher fitness.

Investigators “in Norway followed 2,014 middle-aged men for more than 20 years.” The researchers found that “those who were unfit for the whole study period, or who started out fit but became less so, were twice as likely to have a stroke as those who stayed fit or became fit.”

>>> The findings were published in Stroke.

Learn to Love Exercise

Depositphotos

So many of our patients struggle with "starting exercise".  I make it a special point to ask people if they have made good on their promise to start walking (like they promised) or using their home exercise equipment.   Often the weather is to blame ("its too cold") or maybe a recent back or knee injury.  A lot of the time, however, I think its simply hard to begin something new.

This is an excellent article to hopefully motivate you to begin getting healthy!

"How to make exercise a regular part of your life.  Learn to stop worrying and love working out," by Dan Seitz.

>>> Read more here

Fit Seniors Have Younger Hearts (NPR)

David Trood/Getty Images

"The people who got caught up in the exercise boom of the 1970s and stuck with it into their senior years now have significantly healthier hearts and muscles than their sedentary counterparts."

"...people in their 70s who have been exercising regularly for decades seem to have put a brake on the aging process, maintaining the heart, lung and muscle fitness of healthy people at least 30 years younger."  - Patti Neighmond.


>>> Read more on NPR Here.