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The Sequoia Advisor
IN THIS ISSUE May 15, 2007
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Don't Ignore Vitamin D Deficiency
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How to Stop Emotional Eating
- Date Change...Return of Whack-it
Round Robin... June 8th
Check-out the Healthy Product Page
Don't Ignore Vitamin D Deficiency
A Large Vitamin D Shortfall In a recent study of fourteen to seventeen year olds, Catherine M. Gordon, a pediatric endocrinologist and director of the Bone Health Center at Children's Hospital in Boston, found low blood levels of vitamin D. Generally, low vitamin D is a problem found in seniors, not in teens who are out in the sun playing and having a good time. As kids play, sun exposure on their skin produces adequate amounts of vitamin D. However, due to the use of sunscreens and reduced outdoor play time; vitamin D deficiency has become a problem for teens. This study reinforces other adult studies showing increasingly low blood levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D Basics Vitamin D was originally misnamed and is actually not a vitamin at all. It's a naturally occurring hormone, produced when particular ultraviolet rays from the sun strike your skin. Vitamin D plays a key role in preventing seventeen varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, and periodontal disease. If more vitamin D is produced than is needed, your liver stores the excess. In a natural vitamin D cycle, the skin produces enough vitamin D in the spring and summer to last you through the corresponding winter when vitamin D production is at its lowest due to clothing and reduced hours of sunlight.
What Steps Should I Take?
1. Get Your Vitamin D Levels Checked Your physician can administer a simple blood test to check for 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels. Optimal levels are around 50 ng/mL (125 nM/L).
2. Limited Sunscreen Free, Sun Exposure (5 to 15 minutes) Most experts suggest limited sunscreen free, sun exposure (5 to 15 minutes) in the middle of the day for adequate vitamin D production. You need about 4000 units of vitamin D daily. You make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after about 20 minutes of summer sun. Depending on the color of your skin (darker skin requires longer exposure times) this brief sun exposure should be adequate for healthy vitamin D production in the spring and summer months. In the fall and winter, vitamin D supplementation is about the only way to keep blood levels within the normal range.
3. Supplementing with Vitamin D Vitamin D3 is readily available from health food stores and inexpensive. It is always recommended to have your doctor check your vitamin D levels before taking supplements. Excess vitamin D can be harmful to your body.
Vitamin D from Food It is almost impossible to get enough vitamin D from your food alone. For all practical purposes, Vitamin D must come from either sun exposure or supplementation. Here are the primary foods that contain naturally high in vitamin D listed in International Units (IU):
Salmon (31/2 oz.) 360 IU Mackerel (3 1/2 oz.) 345 IU Sardines (3 1/2 oz.) 270 IU Fortified juice (8 oz.) 100 IU Milk (8 oz.) 98 IU Egg yolk 25 IU
To read the MSN Health article, A Plague of Brittle Bones, click here.
Getting Active, Eating Healthier and Reducing Stress to improve your health is easier than you think. To learn more about Fresh Start, please contact Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or by email to Woody@SequoiaHealth.com.
How to Stop Emotional Eating
Food as the Villain Every year more and more people are becoming overweight. Some studies show that a little extra weight is better than being underweight. However, as the years go by and the pounds increase, your health deteriorates and medical conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, back and knee pain, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression start to pile-up. These medical conditions can severely reduce the quality and enjoyment of your life.
For nearly 30 years now, food has been singled out as the cause for our growing overweight population. Many diets have come and gone, having little effect on stopping this epidemic. Low fat this, high protein that and counting calories has been the universal answer to losing weight. Blaming food as the culprit for obesity has never and will never be the answer to solving this problem. Neither is blaming a sedentary lifestyle as a primary cause. More people are physically active now than ever before. However, our increased awareness of food coupled with increased activity has not changed the face of obesity. So what is to blame for such a wide spread problem and what can you do about it right now?
Your Mouth vs. Your Treadmill
Until now, weight loss has been seen as a calorie in calorie out equation. Maintaining a healthy weight requires burning more calories than you take in. It's nearly impossible to work-off your excess weight or to think that extra activity can allow you additional food indulgences. Physical activity is a healthy pursuit and is good for your body and mind. Your body is designed for regular physical activity that stimulates the brain and heart function, increases circulation and digestion and strengthens your immune system. Regular physical activity is the number one way to dramatically improve your health. But physical activity, by itself, is not a successful way to permanently lose or maintain a healthy weight.
Here is the simple example. Your mouth can always take in more calories than your activity level will ever burn off. Here is an example. You order the lunch special at your favorite Chinese food place, or worse, a buffet. It's an egg roll, fried rice, Schezwan beef, a fortune cookie and maybe a Coke to wash it all down. Counting the calories you'd see about 700 to 800 calories for lunch. Your average workout might burn 250 to 300 calories for an hour of time. Doing the math, you've got about a two hour work-out just to burn-off lunch. So how many people do you think are going to workout for two hours a day?
Stopping the Need to Eat
The most successful, long-term weight loss strategy involves learning how to
stop your need to overeat. When asked why they overeat, most overweight people will tell you they are emotional or stress eaters. They'll tell you they feel a compelling drive to eat food. Food involves an abnormal amount of time in their day both mentally and physically. Life is all about food. These are the most accurate statement you'll ever hear about being overweight.
Take a moment and think about why you eat more than your body needs. In the same moment, think about what food means to you. Are you stressed, sad or depressed? To fix the weight, you have to solve the root problem. Most overweight people associate food with comfort and a feeling of safety. Figure out where your overwhelming drive to eat is coming from. Knowing why you eat more than you need, understanding and fixing the drive behind your excess eating is critical to permanent, healthy weight loss. You also need to relearn how to interact with food in a healthy manner. All the food in the world can't relieve the stress or substitute for feeling loved or feeling good about yourself. You've got to find a better way!
Learn how Fresh Start helps break the emotional eating cycle and helps you take a healthy approach to weight loss. Balance your lifestyle and maintain good health at any age. For more information contact Woody McMahon at 703-464-5171 or email to Woody@SequoiaHealth.com.
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Return of Whack-it-... Round-Robin June 8th
Whack-it Round Robin returns Friday night, June 8th from 7 to 9pm.
Foot Pain Relief... Now on the Healthy Product Page
Check out our new Healthy Products page. I have tested and used each of these products personally finding them to meet or exceed my expectations. To learn more go to www.SequoiaHealth.com/products.
Continued Good Health,
Woody
Woody McMahon The Sequoia Advisor
Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. 483A Carlisle Dive Herndon , VA 20170
Required Disclaimer: The material provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The material is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than suggesting that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The material and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on material in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Copyright (c) 2006-2007 by Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
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