How Is Obesity Measured?
Many Americans are at increased health risk because they are obese. The U.S. Surgeon General, in a 1988 report on nutrition and health, estimated that one-fourth of adult Americans are overweight. Obesity is a known risk factor for chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
Everyone needs a certain amount of body fat for stored energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions. As a rule, women have more fat than men. Doctors generally agree that men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are obese. Precisely measuring a person's body fat, however, is not easy. The most accurate method is to weigh a person underwater - a procedure limited to laboratories with sophisticated equipment.
There are two simpler methods for estimating body fat, but they can yield inaccurate results if done by an inexperienced person or if done on someone with severe obesity. One is to measure skinfold thickness in several parts of the body. The second involves sending a harmless amount of electric current through a person's body (bioelectric impedance analysis). Both methods are commonly used in health clubs and in commercial weight-loss programs, but results should be viewed skeptically.
Because measuring a person's body fat is tricky, doctors often rely on other means to diagnose obesity. Two widely used measurements are weight-for-height tables and body mass index. While both measurements have their limitations, they are reliable indicators that someone may have a weight problem. They are easy to calculate and require no special equipment.
Weight-for-Height Tables
Most people are familiar with weight-for-height tables. Doctors have used these tables for decades to determine whether a person is overweight. The tables usually have a range of acceptable weights for a person of a given height.
One problem with using weight-for-height tables is that doctors disagree over which is the best table to use. Many versions are available, all with different weight ranges. Some tables take a person's frame size, age, and sex into account; others do not. A limitation of all weight-for-height tables is that they do not distinguish excess fat from muscle. A very muscular person may appear obese, according to the tables, when he or she is not. Still, weight-for-height tables can be used as general guidelines.
The table printed here is from the 1990 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a pamphlet printed jointly by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. This table has a wide range for what the pamphlet calls "healthy" or "suggested" weights.
In this table, the higher weights generally apply to men, who tend to have more muscle and bone. The lower weights more often apply to women, who have less muscle and bone. The table also shows higher weights for people age 35 and older, which some experts question.
Click on Image
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body mass index, or BMI, is a new term to most people. However, it is the measurement of choice for many physicians and researchers studying obesity. BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's height and weight. BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI = kg/m2). The table printed here has already done the math and metric conversions. To use the table, find the appropriate height in the left-hand column. Move across the row to the given weight. The number at the top of the column is the BMI for that height and weight.
In general, a person age 35 or older is obese if he or she has a BMI of 27 or more. For people age 34 or younger, a BMI of 25 or more indicates obesity. A BMI of more than 30 usually is considered a sign of moderate to severe obesity.
The BMI measurement poses some of the same problems as the weight-for-height tables. Doctors don't agree on the cutoff points for "healthy" versus "unhealthy" BMI ranges. BMI also does not provide information on a person's percentage of body fat. However, like the weight-for-height table, BMI is a useful general guideline.
Body Fat Distribution: "Pears" vs. "Apples"
Doctors are concerned with not only how much fat a person has but where the fat is on the body.
Women typically collect fat in their hips and buttocks, giving their figures a "pear" shape. Men, on the other hand, usually build up fat around their bellies, giving them more of an "apple" shape. This is not a hard and fast rule, though. Some men are pear-shaped and some women become apple-shaped, especially after menopause.
People whose fat is concentrated mostly in the abdomen are more likely to develop many of the health problems associated with obesity.
Doctors have developed a simple way to measure whether someone is an apple or a pear. The measurement is called waist-to-hip ratio.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
To find out someone's waist-to-hip ratio, measure the waist at its narrowest point, then measure the hips at the widest point. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. A woman with a 35-inch waist and 46-inch hips would do the following calculation:
35 ÷ 46 = 0.76
Women with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 or men with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 1.0 are "apples." They are at increased health risk because of their fat distribution.
What Causes Obesity?
In scientific terms, obesity occurs when a person's calorie intake exceeds the amount of energy he or she burns. What causes this imbalance between consuming and burning calories is unclear. Evidence suggests that obesity often has more than one cause. Genetic, environmental, psychological, and other factors all may play a part.
Genetic Factors
Obesity tends to run in families, suggesting that it may have a genetic cause. However, family members share not only genes but also diet and lifestyle habits that may contribute to obesity. Separating these lifestyle factors from genetic ones is often difficult. Still, growing evidence points to heredity as a strong determining factor of obesity. In one study of adults who were adopted as children, researchers found that the subjects' adult weights were closer to their biological parents' weights than their adoptive parents'. The environment provided by the adoptive family apparently had less influence on the development of obesity than the person's genetic makeup.
Nevertheless, people who feel that their genes have doomed them to a lifetime of obesity should take heart. As discussed in the next section, many people genetically predisposed to obesity do not become obese or manage to lose weight and keep it off.
Environmental Factors
Although genes are an important factor in many cases of obesity, a person's environment also plays a significant part. Environment includes lifestyle behaviors such as what a person eats and how active he or she is. Americans tend to have high-fat diets, often putting taste and convenience ahead of nutritional content when choosing meals. Most Americans also don't get enough exercise.
People can't change their genetic makeup, of course, but they can change what they eat and how active they are. Some people have been able to lose weight and keep it off by:
* Learning how to choose more nutritious meals that are lower in fat.
* Learning to recognize environmental cues (such as enticing smells) that may make them want to eat when they are not hungry.
* Becoming more physically active.
Psychological Factors
Psychological factors also may influence eating habits. Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness, or anger.
While most overweight people have no more psychological disturbance than normalweight people, about 30 percent of the people who seek treatment for serious weight problems have difficulties with binge eating. During a binge eating episode, people eat large amounts of food while feeling they can't control how much they are eating. Those with the most severe binge eating problems are considered to have binge eating disorder. These people may have more difficulty losing weight and keeping the weight off than people without binge eating problems. Some will need special help, such as counseling or medication, to control their binge eating before they can successfully manage their weight.
Other Causes of Obesity
Some rare illnesses can cause obesity. These include hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, depression, and certain neurologic problems that can lead to overeating. Certain drugs, such as steroids and some antidepressants, may cause excessive weight gain. A doctor can determine if a patient has any of these conditions, which are believed to be responsible for only about 1 percent of all cases of obesity.
What Are the Consequences of Obesity?
Health Risks
Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It's a health hazard. Someone who is 40 percent overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as an average-weight person. (This effect is seen after 10 to 30 years of being obese.)
Obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. It is also associated with higher rates of certain types of cancer. Obese men are more likely than nonobese men to die from cancer of the colon, rectum, and prostate. Obese women are more likely than nonobese women to die from cancer of the gallbladder, breast, uterus, cervix, and ovaries.
Other diseases and health problems linked to obesity include:
* Gallbladder disease and gallstones.
* Osteoarthritis, a disease in which the joints deteriorate, possibly as a result of excess weight on the joints.
* Gout, another disease affecting the joints
* Pulmonary (breathing) problems, including sleep apnea, in which a person can stop breathing for a short time during sleep.
Doctors generally agree that the more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to have health problems.
Psychological and Social Effects
One of the most painful aspects of obesity may be the emotional suffering it causes. American society places great emphasis on physical appearance, often equating attractiveness with slimness, especially in women. The messages, intended or not, make overweight people feel unattractive. Many people assume that obese people are gluttonous, lazy, or both. However, more and more evidence contradicts this assumption. Obese people often face prejudice or discrimination at work, at school, while looking for a job, and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression are common.
Who Should Lose Weight?
Doctors generally agree that people who are 20 percent or more overweight, especially the severely obese person, can gain significant health benefits from weight loss.
Many obesity experts believe that people who are less than 20 percent above their healthy weight should try to lose weight if they have any of the following risk factors.
Risk Factors
* Family history of certain chronic diseases. People with close relatives who have had heart disease or diabetes are more likely to develop these problems if they are obese.
* Pre-existing medical conditions. High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or high blood sugar levels are all warning signs of some obesity-associated diseases.
* "Apple" shape. People whose weight is concentrated around their abdomens may be at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer than people of the same weight who are pear-shaped.
Fortunately, even a modest weight loss of10 to 20 pounds can bring significant health improvements, such as lowering one's blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
How is Obesity Treated?
Treatment options for obesity are explored in depth in other fact sheets. The method of treatment will depend on how obese a person is. Factors such as an individual's overall health and motivation to lose weight are also important considerations. Treatment may include a combination of diet, exercise, and behavior modification. In some cases of severe obesity, gastrointestinal surgery may be recommended. (Source: Weight-control Information Network (WIN))
The Most Potent Anti Obesity Agent
From the founder and president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Klatz, comes an exciting groundbreaking book that will forever change how we think about the aging process and all of its side effects. In Grow Young with HGH, Dr. Klatz introduces to the public the never-before-revealed, wide-ranging benefits of this extraordinary hormonal therapy that has been proven in human studies to reverse aging. Dr. Klatz explains why GH is such an amazing medical and scientific advance and how its youth-restoring benefits are available to everyone.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is by far the most potent and effective anti-obesity fat-burning agent ever discovered! HGH does something no other weight loss product does. HGH promotes the burning of fat by making it available to the body as fuel, revives up the metabolism to youthful levels, reshapes the body by selectively reducing the fat in the waist, abdomen, hips, and thighs, and at the same time increasing muscle mass.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) revitalizes the immune system, lowers the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and improving blood cholesterol profiles, improves oxygen uptake, improves sleep and helps prevent osteoporosis.
HGH is a powerful anti-obesity hormone. HGH promotes the burning of fat while increasing muscle mass. It enhances sexual function in both men and women. For many it acts like cosmetic surgery in a bottle, restoring skin thickness, elasticity, smoothing out wrinkles and rejuvenating hair and nails.
The Feast-Fast Cycle - an excerpt from Grow Young with HGH.
The best explanation for how growth hormone works to reduce weight and build muscle, according to Danish researcher Jens Sandhal Christiansen, comes from a paper on the metabolic action of growth hormone that was published in Nature in 1963. The way it works is this. With every meal, we go through a three stage cycle of feast and fast.
In the first hour after eating (stage one), the blood sugar rises and insulin is released, which encourages the storage of excess carbohydrates and fat. After the second hour (stage two), growth hormone is released and the levels of insulin and blood sugar start to fall. At this stage, growth hormone acts to build up muscle protein, an activity that is enhanced by the presence of insulin.
In stage three, known as the postabsorptive phase, which occurs more than four hours after eating (the fasting stage), the growth hormone concentrations remain at a high level, while the insulin almost disappears. At this stage, growth hormone acts solely to mobilize the body's fat stores for burning as fuel.
When we're young, our levels of growth hormone are high in relation to insulin. This is good because insulin works to create fat, while growth hormone works to break down fat for use as energy. Growth hormone acts as a brake on insulin, keeping its fat creation and storage at a minimum. This is why, when you were young, you could pig-out on pizza and fries and shakes all you wanted without paying the consequences.
Now, let's look at what happens when you age. Starting around your mid to late thirties, even in the twenties for some people, you start to put on fat even though your diet and physical activity haven't changed. The reason is that the balance between growth hormone and insulin has shifted.
Growth hormone has declined while the levels of insulin, if anything, have remained the same or even gone up. Insulin is an essential hormone required for metabolism of sugar. Without it, we die. Insulin also stimulates muscle growth but to a much lesser extent than GH. But with less growth hormone around, insulin is free to turn every calorie you don't immediately expend into fat for later use.
Insulin and growth hormone are both our friends; it is the balance between them that is the problem. By bringing growth hormone back to youthful levels - not beyond, which could have negative effects - we can restore the balance between GH and insulin so they both work together as outlined in the feast to fast cycle above.
In this way, when GH and insulin are both in the bloodstream together, they help to stimulate protein synthesis and muscle mass growth. At the same time the higher levels of GH work to block insulin's fat storage effect. And during the postabsorptive phase when insulin disappears from the bloodstream, growth hormone can melt away fat without interference.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is by far the most potent and effective anti-obesity fat-burning agent ever discovered! HGH does something no other weight loss product does. HGH promotes the burning of fat by making it available to the body as fuel, revives up the metabolism to youthful levels, reshapes the body by selectively reducing the fat in the waist, abdomen, hips, and thighs, and at the same time increasing muscle mass.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) revitalizes the immune system, lowers the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and improving blood cholesterol profiles, improves oxygen uptake, improves sleep and helps prevent osteoporosis.
HGH is a powerful anti-obesity hormone. HGH promotes the burning of fat while increasing muscle mass. It enhances sexual function in both men and women. For many it acts like cosmetic surgery in a bottle, restoring skin thickness, elasticity, smoothing out wrinkles and rejuvenating hair and nails.
The Feast-Fast Cycle - an excerpt from Grow Young with HGH.
The best explanation for how growth hormone works to reduce weight and build muscle, according to Danish researcher Jens Sandhal Christiansen, comes from a paper on the metabolic action of growth hormone that was published in Nature in 1963. The way it works is this. With every meal, we go through a three stage cycle of feast and fast.
In the first hour after eating (stage one), the blood sugar rises and insulin is released, which encourages the storage of excess carbohydrates and fat. After the second hour (stage two), growth hormone is released and the levels of insulin and blood sugar start to fall. At this stage, growth hormone acts to build up muscle protein, an activity that is enhanced by the presence of insulin.
In stage three, known as the postabsorptive phase, which occurs more than four hours after eating (the fasting stage), the growth hormone concentrations remain at a high level, while the insulin almost disappears. At this stage, growth hormone acts solely to mobilize the body's fat stores for burning as fuel.
When we're young, our levels of growth hormone are high in relation to insulin. This is good because insulin works to create fat, while growth hormone works to break down fat for use as energy. Growth hormone acts as a brake on insulin, keeping its fat creation and storage at a minimum. This is why, when you were young, you could pig-out on pizza and fries and shakes all you wanted without paying the consequences.
Now, let's look at what happens when you age. Starting around your mid to late thirties, even in the twenties for some people, you start to put on fat even though your diet and physical activity haven't changed. The reason is that the balance between growth hormone and insulin has shifted.
Growth hormone has declined while the levels of insulin, if anything, have remained the same or even gone up. Insulin is an essential hormone required for metabolism of sugar. Without it, we die. Insulin also stimulates muscle growth but to a much lesser extent than GH. But with less growth hormone around, insulin is free to turn every calorie you don't immediately expend into fat for later use.
Insulin and growth hormone are both our friends; it is the balance between them that is the problem. By bringing growth hormone back to youthful levels - not beyond, which could have negative effects - we can restore the balance between GH and insulin so they both work together as outlined in the feast to fast cycle above.
In this way, when GH and insulin are both in the bloodstream together, they help to stimulate protein synthesis and muscle mass growth. At the same time the higher levels of GH work to block insulin's fat storage effect. And during the postabsorptive phase when insulin disappears from the bloodstream, growth hormone can melt away fat without interference.
The Aging Myth
"Rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man." I blurted out to a group of medical doctors and fitness technicians as I was trying to impress them enough to put a minitrampoline into their corporate fitness room at Warehouser in Washington.
"If it is so good and you tell us that you are a product of this form of exercise, what have you against our testing you. Put your body where your mouth is." I agreed. They did test me, and a half-hour later they admitted that I had a body comparable to that of an 18 year old athlete. That was good for the ego of a 38 year old man. That was 20 years ago. I am now 58, and, if I am going to reach my goal of living healthy to 120, I have to yet reach my mid-point of my life. I am not yet "over the hill".
When I made these kinds of statements at 40, many times I would receive snide remarks about being a "big dreamer", but no more. I am now comfortably situated among many athletes who believe that aging is a biological myth. Cheryl Tiegs is 51. At 17, she made the cover of Glamour. At 31, an age when most models are washed up, she was anointed "top model" by Time. As recently as 1996, she appeared in Sports Illustrated�s annual swimsuit issue. "Beauty has no age boundary," she says. What it means to be 50, 60, 70 is completely changing."
Okay, I�ll admit that she�s one in a million, but genes aren�t everything, according to the latest research, "a healthy lifestyle and a strong relationship have the biggest impact on how well people age," says Robert Kahn, M.D., co-author of Successful Aging. Tieg�s profile fits that anti-aging blueprint I have been talking about for over twenty years.
"Ideologically we can reverse the aging process by 15 to 25 years," says Mariam Nelson, Ph.D., a Tufts University scientist and specialist in aging. We can do that by becoming stronger. At age 35, says Nelson, we begin to lose one quarter to one third of a pound of muscle each year. Yet Nelson�s studies of weight training in women over 45 shows that even into their 90s, people can add muscle mass and bone density, reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, and lead more useful, independent lives.
In other words, the problem isn�t aging but disuse. "People who don�t exercise regularly suffer a 1 percent loss in aerobic fitness every year starting at age 20," says Barry Franklin, Ph.D. president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "But that loss can be restored years later," he adds, "through just three months of steady exercise." This combined with a program of light weight training, will lead to improvements in cardiovascular function, skeletal muscular function, and the ability to use oxygen.
In the mid 90s James Hagberg, Ph.D., then an exercise physiologist at the University of Pittsburg (now with the University of Maryland), began studying 25 postmenopausal women athletes. Hagberg calls them his Superwomen. These yuppy obsessives tested like teenagers. "Their body fat is 33 percent lower than that of postmenopausal women in general, they have the cardiovascular function of women 30 years younger, and some of them look decades younger," Hagberg says.
So, now that we have established a few benefits of regular exercise, where is the best place to get this exercise? The answer to that question is completely up to you. Moderate endurance exercises include swimming, biking, walking and hiking, scrubbing a floor, and playing golf without a golf cart. Strength exercises would include free weights or weight machines in a health spa. However, it is not necessary to go to a professional gymnasium for a complete exercise program. All you need is a little imagination. As a full scholarship wrestler at Oklahoma State University, I used to run up and down the stadium steps and lift other wrestlers over my head for exercise. My coach had enough imagination for all of us.
Everybody has his own favorite method of exercising, let me share mine with you. Naturally it is rebounding, because you can do anything your body needs right in the comforts and convenience of your own bedroom or family room in front of the television. In his Book, Jump for Joy, James R. White, Ph.D., states, "Rebounding is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that science has found."
Dr. Gideon Ariel, of the Olympics Committee, considers, "rebound exercise an ideal aerobic exercise activity for all ages, designed to promote and maintain a healthy mind and body."
Dr A. Ackleson of Texas believes "rebound exercise is undoubtedly the most complete and efficient training activity known for building coordination, stamina, agility, balance and overall physical fitness without the usual trauma associated with other forms of vigorous exercise."
Dr. James Fisk, of New Zealand, states, "There should be a rebounder in every home, school, office, workplace, physiotherapy department/office, gymnasium and anywhere else that one can think of."
Now, if you like other forms of exercise, activities and sports, remember that "rebound exercise increases one's tolerance for exercise." In other words, consider rebounding as a precursor to all other exercises and activities. By doing so, you will enjoy life to its longest and fullest. And I�ll see you on the other side of 100!
"Rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man."
N.A.S.A. CONFIRMS IT!
"�for similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running, a finding that might help identify acceleration parameters needed for the design of remedial procedures to avert deconditioning in persons exposed to weightlessness."
"If it is so good and you tell us that you are a product of this form of exercise, what have you against our testing you. Put your body where your mouth is." I agreed. They did test me, and a half-hour later they admitted that I had a body comparable to that of an 18 year old athlete. That was good for the ego of a 38 year old man. That was 20 years ago. I am now 58, and, if I am going to reach my goal of living healthy to 120, I have to yet reach my mid-point of my life. I am not yet "over the hill".
When I made these kinds of statements at 40, many times I would receive snide remarks about being a "big dreamer", but no more. I am now comfortably situated among many athletes who believe that aging is a biological myth. Cheryl Tiegs is 51. At 17, she made the cover of Glamour. At 31, an age when most models are washed up, she was anointed "top model" by Time. As recently as 1996, she appeared in Sports Illustrated�s annual swimsuit issue. "Beauty has no age boundary," she says. What it means to be 50, 60, 70 is completely changing."
Okay, I�ll admit that she�s one in a million, but genes aren�t everything, according to the latest research, "a healthy lifestyle and a strong relationship have the biggest impact on how well people age," says Robert Kahn, M.D., co-author of Successful Aging. Tieg�s profile fits that anti-aging blueprint I have been talking about for over twenty years.
"Ideologically we can reverse the aging process by 15 to 25 years," says Mariam Nelson, Ph.D., a Tufts University scientist and specialist in aging. We can do that by becoming stronger. At age 35, says Nelson, we begin to lose one quarter to one third of a pound of muscle each year. Yet Nelson�s studies of weight training in women over 45 shows that even into their 90s, people can add muscle mass and bone density, reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, and lead more useful, independent lives.
In other words, the problem isn�t aging but disuse. "People who don�t exercise regularly suffer a 1 percent loss in aerobic fitness every year starting at age 20," says Barry Franklin, Ph.D. president of the American College of Sports Medicine. "But that loss can be restored years later," he adds, "through just three months of steady exercise." This combined with a program of light weight training, will lead to improvements in cardiovascular function, skeletal muscular function, and the ability to use oxygen.
In the mid 90s James Hagberg, Ph.D., then an exercise physiologist at the University of Pittsburg (now with the University of Maryland), began studying 25 postmenopausal women athletes. Hagberg calls them his Superwomen. These yuppy obsessives tested like teenagers. "Their body fat is 33 percent lower than that of postmenopausal women in general, they have the cardiovascular function of women 30 years younger, and some of them look decades younger," Hagberg says.
So, now that we have established a few benefits of regular exercise, where is the best place to get this exercise? The answer to that question is completely up to you. Moderate endurance exercises include swimming, biking, walking and hiking, scrubbing a floor, and playing golf without a golf cart. Strength exercises would include free weights or weight machines in a health spa. However, it is not necessary to go to a professional gymnasium for a complete exercise program. All you need is a little imagination. As a full scholarship wrestler at Oklahoma State University, I used to run up and down the stadium steps and lift other wrestlers over my head for exercise. My coach had enough imagination for all of us.
Everybody has his own favorite method of exercising, let me share mine with you. Naturally it is rebounding, because you can do anything your body needs right in the comforts and convenience of your own bedroom or family room in front of the television. In his Book, Jump for Joy, James R. White, Ph.D., states, "Rebounding is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that science has found."
Dr. Gideon Ariel, of the Olympics Committee, considers, "rebound exercise an ideal aerobic exercise activity for all ages, designed to promote and maintain a healthy mind and body."
Dr A. Ackleson of Texas believes "rebound exercise is undoubtedly the most complete and efficient training activity known for building coordination, stamina, agility, balance and overall physical fitness without the usual trauma associated with other forms of vigorous exercise."
Dr. James Fisk, of New Zealand, states, "There should be a rebounder in every home, school, office, workplace, physiotherapy department/office, gymnasium and anywhere else that one can think of."
Now, if you like other forms of exercise, activities and sports, remember that "rebound exercise increases one's tolerance for exercise." In other words, consider rebounding as a precursor to all other exercises and activities. By doing so, you will enjoy life to its longest and fullest. And I�ll see you on the other side of 100!
"Rebound exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man."
N.A.S.A. CONFIRMS IT!
"�for similar levels of heart rate and oxygen consumption, the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running, a finding that might help identify acceleration parameters needed for the design of remedial procedures to avert deconditioning in persons exposed to weightlessness."
Aerobic Exercise Dangers
When discussing aerobic exercise you must understand the difference between High Impact and Low Impact and how those differences affect the body.
High Impact Dangers
Everytime the foot hits the ground, force is generated by the impact. Some of this force travels down and out, absorbed by the shoe and the ground. Some of the force travels back upwards to be absorbed by the foot, ankles, knees, etc. The higher the impact, the more force is absorbed by the body.
While a sudden injury rarely occurs during this type of injury, microtraumas, or very slight cumulative injuries, do occur frequently. Over time these little injuries can become big problems.
The most likely place for a major problem to develop is in the cushions of major bones, the meniscus of the knees, and the disks of the spinal column.
The animation below shows how the bony spinal segments (vertebrae) can break down from excessive wear and tear.
The Low Impact Difference
To reduce the chance of these microtraumas developing into big problems, the goal is to focus on activities that produce high aerobic benefits and low impact forces.
By far, the best exercise routine to fit this bill is rebounding on a mini-trampoline. If done properly, virtually every major muscle in the body, especially the heart, is worked with extremely low impact to the knees and spine.
As always, consult your physician before starting any new exercise routine.
High Impact Dangers
Everytime the foot hits the ground, force is generated by the impact. Some of this force travels down and out, absorbed by the shoe and the ground. Some of the force travels back upwards to be absorbed by the foot, ankles, knees, etc. The higher the impact, the more force is absorbed by the body.
While a sudden injury rarely occurs during this type of injury, microtraumas, or very slight cumulative injuries, do occur frequently. Over time these little injuries can become big problems.
The most likely place for a major problem to develop is in the cushions of major bones, the meniscus of the knees, and the disks of the spinal column.
The animation below shows how the bony spinal segments (vertebrae) can break down from excessive wear and tear.
The Low Impact Difference
To reduce the chance of these microtraumas developing into big problems, the goal is to focus on activities that produce high aerobic benefits and low impact forces.
By far, the best exercise routine to fit this bill is rebounding on a mini-trampoline. If done properly, virtually every major muscle in the body, especially the heart, is worked with extremely low impact to the knees and spine.
As always, consult your physician before starting any new exercise routine.
Fitness Facts For Older Americans
During the lifetimes of older Americans there have been revolutionary changes in how we live and work and what we eat. Even more importantly, there has been a revolution in what we know about living long and living well. Today, our scientific knowledge regarding exercise, nutrition, and other areas of health is being added to and revised so rapidly that unless you have the latest facts, you can easily be following outmoded recommendations.
BONING UP ON THE LATEST FACTS ABOUT OUR MUSCULO-SKELETAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS
"Take It Easy You're Not as Young as You Used to Be" is not so sage advice. Yet, the majority of middle-aged and older Americans seem to adhere to this outmoded dictate. Surveys show that only 30 percent of Americans aged 45 to 64 exercise regularly, while 32 percent of adults 65 and older follow a regular plan of exercise.
We now know that the human body repairs itself and performs more efficiently with proper conditioning that is achieved through a program of regular exercise and good nutrition. This is particularly true for the musclo-skeletal system and the cardio-vascular-pulmonary system, which is made up of our lungs, heart, and the miles of veins, arteries and capillaries that traverse our bodies.
With exercise, our bones, particularly our joint bones and the bones of the spinal column, rebuild and repair themselves as they should. Without exercise, they tend to become thin and porous-a condition known as osteoporosis.
When we do not exercise, fat displaces muscle, muscles become smaller and weaker-a process known as atrophy, and we gain weight more easily because even at rest muscles burn more calories than does fat. Added weight puts added stress on our heart and lungs, and on the weight bearing joints of the knees, hips, ankles, and feet.
It becomes more difficult to climb stairs, get out of a chair, and even to walk and to maintain our balance. Weak muscles cannot protect our joints or help to provide needed strength and balance so that we are more prone to falls. Frail bones and weak muscles limit our ability to care for ourselves and our homes, and to enjoy the later years-years that can and should be a time of productivity and enjoyment.
When you exercise, however, you help to reduce fat tissue, while building muscle and bone. Muscle is heavier than fat but takes up half the space, so you can actually reduce your body measurements without losing weight. Strong muscles help to protect your joints and spinal column, improve your posture and balance, increase your mobility, and reduce the likelihood of falls and other accidents, and give you a younger body image.
"AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE"
When it comes to our health and fitness this is sage advice indeed. But being "out of shape" does not mean that you cannot "get in shape" and this is true not only for people in their 40's, 50's and 60's but people in their 90's as well.
Recent research has found that when it comes to exercise you need a combination of three types-weight training for strength; aerobic exercise for strength and endurance; and calisthenics (stretching, bending, and twisting exercises) for flexibility. Studies have found that violent physical exertion is no more useful to gaining and maintaining fitness than is moderate exercise. What is more, violent physical exertion can result in an increased risk of injury or heart attacks for those who are not in prime physical condition. So start off slow and go slow with your new exercise program.
Walking and other aerobic exercises done at a pace which makes you breathe a little harder and work up a mild sweat for a half hour to one hour three days a week will keep your heart, lungs, and vascular system in good working order and strengthen your bones and muscles.
Exercise intensity for aerobic conditioning is measured by heart rate. A good activity level is 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is determined by subtracting your age from 220. Thus the recommended exercise heart rate for a 60-year-old person is 112 beats per minute. People who have not been exercising should begin using 60 percent of their maximum heartbeat as the target heart rate and can ultimately move up to 80 percent when they have reached their maximum fitness level.
Do not attempt a strenuous workout during hot, humid weather and wait until at least two hours after eating before engaging in moderate to heavy exercise. Warning signs of overexertion include an inability to talk, dizziness or disorientation, nausea, or pains in your chest, upper back, left shoulder or arm. If you have any of these symptoms check with your physician as soon as possible.
To avoid excess strain on the heart, and injury to your muscles, warm up for about five minutes before working out, and cool down after exercises. Never abruptly stop exercising, since the sudden stop in motion can cause lightheadness or muscle cramping.
Walking is a good exercise because it can be done at a pace that you can easily set for yourself, it takes no equipment other than a pair of good walking shoes, and it can be done at virtually any time, and on your own. Walking strengthens muscles in the lower body, helps to build new joint bone and tissue, and helps to ward off or slow osteoporosis. Since walking only works the lower half of the body, other aerobic exercises as well as exercises that increase flexibility should be included in your routine. Other good aerobic exercises for weight bearing joints include dancing, tennis, racquetball, basketball, and biking.
Before beginning an exercise program, check with your personal physician and start off slow to avoid overexertion and accidents. And stick with it. Varying the type of physical activity you engage in will help to use all the major muscle groups in your body, and avoid overuse of any one major muscle group. It will also prevent boredom.
Aerobic exercise not only strengthens your bones and muscles and helps to prevent osteoporosis, it also strengthens your heart and helps to maintain your lung capacity. Aerobic exercise slows or prevents the buildup of cholesterol plaque in the veins and arteries (atherosclerosis) and helps to ward off arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries by keeping them flexible, thus reducing high blood pressure which plays a major role in heart disease and strokes. Exercise also improves the functioning of the liver, pancreas and other vital organs.
Sustained aerobic exercise can help to control Late Onset, or Type II, diabetes mellitus since it aids in the metabolism of sucrose. What is more, exercise helps to spur the production of human growth hormone which otherwise ceases to be produced after about age fifty. Human growth hormone helps to maintain the size and strength of muscles which diminish as we age.
If you have arthritis and other joint or motion impeding conditions, swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise. It offers many of the benefits of other aerobic exercises without putting undue stress on joints which, because of arthritis or injury, are unable to repair and rebuild themselves in the normal manner. Swimming, however, unlike weight bearing aerobic exercises, does not aid in the rebuilding of bone and therefore is not helpful in preventing or slowing osteoporosis, nor does it appear to be helpful in reducing weight.
Physical exercise not only increases the metabolic rate so that more calories are burned during the activity, but for several hours after you have stopped. What is more, as you improve your muscle tone and enlarge your muscles, they will burn more calories even when you are engaged in sedentary activities.
IF YOU DO NOT USE IT, YOU WILL LOSE IT
Not long ago, it was "accepted knowledge" that older people could not increase their muscle strength nor their muscle mass. Now, happily, this myth has been dispelled. In 1989, researchers from Tufts and Harvard Universities undertook a study of older people in their late 80's and 90's. The researchers worked with a group of frail elderly residents at Boston's Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged. These residents had multiple functional problems, chronic conditions and were very sedentary.
At the beginning of the project, the project participants, whose average age was 90, were tested to determine the heaviest weights that they could lift with their legs. Following this initial test, they began a program of weight training. They did three sets composed of eight weight lifting repetitions each for three days a week. They worked out with weights that were 80 percent of the maximum weight that they could lift.
After two weeks, they were retested and the weights were increased. At the end of six weeks, these frail older people had increased their muscle strength on average by 180 percent. What is more, none of the participants had reached a plateau. As a result of their increased muscle strength, their average walking speed increased 48 percent, two participants no longer needed their canes, and one participant was able to rise from a chair without using the chair arms.
All of the participants resumed their sedentary lifestyles at the end of the program. The researchers then retested them, and found a 32 percent loss in maximum strength after only 4 weeks of detraining. The moral of this story is "If you don't use it, you'll lose it," but the happy ending is that you can regain your fitness and strength at almost any age which will help you to retain or regain your independence, freedom, and add to your good looks.
Weight training is as essential to good physical health in your later years as aerobic exercise is. It strengthens your muscles and bones, and there are indications that it is helpful in lowering cholesterol levels. Weight training also increases the strength of ligaments and tendons so that less stress is placed on your joints. In the past, people with high blood pressure, heart diseases and conditions such as arthritis were warned to avoid using weights. But researchers in the Tufts and Harvard study found that weight training had no adverse effect on blood pressure or heart function and advise that strengthening your muscles, tendons, and ligaments actually helps to ease pressure on the joints.
Weight training can either be with free weights such as barbells and dumbbells, or with specially designed equipment which works various parts of the body. Weight training can be used to increase your muscle strength or your muscle endurance.
If you have not worked with weights before be sure to have a qualified person instruct you in their use and have them set up a program of exercises which includes the specified number of repetitions to be done in each set as you progress toward your goal. Muscle strengthening exercises should be done for at least 20 minutes three times a week.
A program of Calisthenic, Isometric and stretching exercises combined with dance will enable you to develop muscle strength and endurance as well as flexibility and cardio-pulmonary fitness. Joining a class or renting or buying videos made by qualified instructors (not just movie stars) is a good way to get in shape and avoid mishaps. Many dance classes especially those in ballet, modern, and aerobic dance include calisthenic, isometric, and stretching exercises as part of the routine.
Staying physically fit can give you a body that performs and looks like those of persons years younger than your chronological age. At the VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City Utah, physically fit men in their mid-fifties were compared to inactive men in their mid-20's. The results were astounding. Active older men had lower resting heart rates--64 beats per minute versus 85 beats per minute for the younger men, higher oxygen uptake during maximum exercise, and slower heart beats in the first minute after exercise than the men in their 20's who did not keep fit. What is more, the older men weighed an average of 166 pounds compared to 192 pounds for the younger sedentary men.
GET MOVING
Before you begin an exercise program, be prudent and be prepared, check with your physician and make sure that you begin your exercise program "by the book" or with a qualified instructor. In so doing you will gain the maximum benefit from the program and avoid strains, sprains and other mishaps.
Even if you have been exercising on an on-going regular basis, it does not hurt to take a refresher class every so often, since new exercises are added and older, less effective ones are being dropped. And make sure that your instructor is licensed or certified to provide instruction. If no classes are available in your area and you want to start an exercise program on your own, be sure to obtain the latest publications and/or videos available. Some calisthenic and isometric exercises recommended a decade or two ago are no longer considered safe, so it is important to have current information.
Many agencies and organizations including the YM and YWCAs, junior colleges and universities, senior and community centers, adult and continuing education, and health clubs and spa's offer classes in sports, exercise, dance, and weight training that provide instruction that will enable you to gain the maximum result and avoid injuries and mishaps.
GET MOVING AND DISCOVER A NEW, REVITALIZED YOU
If you are retired you now have the time it takes to get in shape. If you are not retired, make the time. Remember Weight training should be done three times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes under a trained instructor, while bending and stretching exercises should be done every day for about 10 minutes and aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes three times a week
BONING UP ON THE LATEST FACTS ABOUT OUR MUSCULO-SKELETAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS
"Take It Easy You're Not as Young as You Used to Be" is not so sage advice. Yet, the majority of middle-aged and older Americans seem to adhere to this outmoded dictate. Surveys show that only 30 percent of Americans aged 45 to 64 exercise regularly, while 32 percent of adults 65 and older follow a regular plan of exercise.
We now know that the human body repairs itself and performs more efficiently with proper conditioning that is achieved through a program of regular exercise and good nutrition. This is particularly true for the musclo-skeletal system and the cardio-vascular-pulmonary system, which is made up of our lungs, heart, and the miles of veins, arteries and capillaries that traverse our bodies.
With exercise, our bones, particularly our joint bones and the bones of the spinal column, rebuild and repair themselves as they should. Without exercise, they tend to become thin and porous-a condition known as osteoporosis.
When we do not exercise, fat displaces muscle, muscles become smaller and weaker-a process known as atrophy, and we gain weight more easily because even at rest muscles burn more calories than does fat. Added weight puts added stress on our heart and lungs, and on the weight bearing joints of the knees, hips, ankles, and feet.
It becomes more difficult to climb stairs, get out of a chair, and even to walk and to maintain our balance. Weak muscles cannot protect our joints or help to provide needed strength and balance so that we are more prone to falls. Frail bones and weak muscles limit our ability to care for ourselves and our homes, and to enjoy the later years-years that can and should be a time of productivity and enjoyment.
When you exercise, however, you help to reduce fat tissue, while building muscle and bone. Muscle is heavier than fat but takes up half the space, so you can actually reduce your body measurements without losing weight. Strong muscles help to protect your joints and spinal column, improve your posture and balance, increase your mobility, and reduce the likelihood of falls and other accidents, and give you a younger body image.
"AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE"
When it comes to our health and fitness this is sage advice indeed. But being "out of shape" does not mean that you cannot "get in shape" and this is true not only for people in their 40's, 50's and 60's but people in their 90's as well.
Recent research has found that when it comes to exercise you need a combination of three types-weight training for strength; aerobic exercise for strength and endurance; and calisthenics (stretching, bending, and twisting exercises) for flexibility. Studies have found that violent physical exertion is no more useful to gaining and maintaining fitness than is moderate exercise. What is more, violent physical exertion can result in an increased risk of injury or heart attacks for those who are not in prime physical condition. So start off slow and go slow with your new exercise program.
Walking and other aerobic exercises done at a pace which makes you breathe a little harder and work up a mild sweat for a half hour to one hour three days a week will keep your heart, lungs, and vascular system in good working order and strengthen your bones and muscles.
Exercise intensity for aerobic conditioning is measured by heart rate. A good activity level is 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is determined by subtracting your age from 220. Thus the recommended exercise heart rate for a 60-year-old person is 112 beats per minute. People who have not been exercising should begin using 60 percent of their maximum heartbeat as the target heart rate and can ultimately move up to 80 percent when they have reached their maximum fitness level.
Do not attempt a strenuous workout during hot, humid weather and wait until at least two hours after eating before engaging in moderate to heavy exercise. Warning signs of overexertion include an inability to talk, dizziness or disorientation, nausea, or pains in your chest, upper back, left shoulder or arm. If you have any of these symptoms check with your physician as soon as possible.
To avoid excess strain on the heart, and injury to your muscles, warm up for about five minutes before working out, and cool down after exercises. Never abruptly stop exercising, since the sudden stop in motion can cause lightheadness or muscle cramping.
Walking is a good exercise because it can be done at a pace that you can easily set for yourself, it takes no equipment other than a pair of good walking shoes, and it can be done at virtually any time, and on your own. Walking strengthens muscles in the lower body, helps to build new joint bone and tissue, and helps to ward off or slow osteoporosis. Since walking only works the lower half of the body, other aerobic exercises as well as exercises that increase flexibility should be included in your routine. Other good aerobic exercises for weight bearing joints include dancing, tennis, racquetball, basketball, and biking.
Before beginning an exercise program, check with your personal physician and start off slow to avoid overexertion and accidents. And stick with it. Varying the type of physical activity you engage in will help to use all the major muscle groups in your body, and avoid overuse of any one major muscle group. It will also prevent boredom.
Aerobic exercise not only strengthens your bones and muscles and helps to prevent osteoporosis, it also strengthens your heart and helps to maintain your lung capacity. Aerobic exercise slows or prevents the buildup of cholesterol plaque in the veins and arteries (atherosclerosis) and helps to ward off arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries by keeping them flexible, thus reducing high blood pressure which plays a major role in heart disease and strokes. Exercise also improves the functioning of the liver, pancreas and other vital organs.
Sustained aerobic exercise can help to control Late Onset, or Type II, diabetes mellitus since it aids in the metabolism of sucrose. What is more, exercise helps to spur the production of human growth hormone which otherwise ceases to be produced after about age fifty. Human growth hormone helps to maintain the size and strength of muscles which diminish as we age.
If you have arthritis and other joint or motion impeding conditions, swimming is an excellent aerobic exercise. It offers many of the benefits of other aerobic exercises without putting undue stress on joints which, because of arthritis or injury, are unable to repair and rebuild themselves in the normal manner. Swimming, however, unlike weight bearing aerobic exercises, does not aid in the rebuilding of bone and therefore is not helpful in preventing or slowing osteoporosis, nor does it appear to be helpful in reducing weight.
Physical exercise not only increases the metabolic rate so that more calories are burned during the activity, but for several hours after you have stopped. What is more, as you improve your muscle tone and enlarge your muscles, they will burn more calories even when you are engaged in sedentary activities.
IF YOU DO NOT USE IT, YOU WILL LOSE IT
Not long ago, it was "accepted knowledge" that older people could not increase their muscle strength nor their muscle mass. Now, happily, this myth has been dispelled. In 1989, researchers from Tufts and Harvard Universities undertook a study of older people in their late 80's and 90's. The researchers worked with a group of frail elderly residents at Boston's Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged. These residents had multiple functional problems, chronic conditions and were very sedentary.
At the beginning of the project, the project participants, whose average age was 90, were tested to determine the heaviest weights that they could lift with their legs. Following this initial test, they began a program of weight training. They did three sets composed of eight weight lifting repetitions each for three days a week. They worked out with weights that were 80 percent of the maximum weight that they could lift.
After two weeks, they were retested and the weights were increased. At the end of six weeks, these frail older people had increased their muscle strength on average by 180 percent. What is more, none of the participants had reached a plateau. As a result of their increased muscle strength, their average walking speed increased 48 percent, two participants no longer needed their canes, and one participant was able to rise from a chair without using the chair arms.
All of the participants resumed their sedentary lifestyles at the end of the program. The researchers then retested them, and found a 32 percent loss in maximum strength after only 4 weeks of detraining. The moral of this story is "If you don't use it, you'll lose it," but the happy ending is that you can regain your fitness and strength at almost any age which will help you to retain or regain your independence, freedom, and add to your good looks.
Weight training is as essential to good physical health in your later years as aerobic exercise is. It strengthens your muscles and bones, and there are indications that it is helpful in lowering cholesterol levels. Weight training also increases the strength of ligaments and tendons so that less stress is placed on your joints. In the past, people with high blood pressure, heart diseases and conditions such as arthritis were warned to avoid using weights. But researchers in the Tufts and Harvard study found that weight training had no adverse effect on blood pressure or heart function and advise that strengthening your muscles, tendons, and ligaments actually helps to ease pressure on the joints.
Weight training can either be with free weights such as barbells and dumbbells, or with specially designed equipment which works various parts of the body. Weight training can be used to increase your muscle strength or your muscle endurance.
If you have not worked with weights before be sure to have a qualified person instruct you in their use and have them set up a program of exercises which includes the specified number of repetitions to be done in each set as you progress toward your goal. Muscle strengthening exercises should be done for at least 20 minutes three times a week.
A program of Calisthenic, Isometric and stretching exercises combined with dance will enable you to develop muscle strength and endurance as well as flexibility and cardio-pulmonary fitness. Joining a class or renting or buying videos made by qualified instructors (not just movie stars) is a good way to get in shape and avoid mishaps. Many dance classes especially those in ballet, modern, and aerobic dance include calisthenic, isometric, and stretching exercises as part of the routine.
Staying physically fit can give you a body that performs and looks like those of persons years younger than your chronological age. At the VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City Utah, physically fit men in their mid-fifties were compared to inactive men in their mid-20's. The results were astounding. Active older men had lower resting heart rates--64 beats per minute versus 85 beats per minute for the younger men, higher oxygen uptake during maximum exercise, and slower heart beats in the first minute after exercise than the men in their 20's who did not keep fit. What is more, the older men weighed an average of 166 pounds compared to 192 pounds for the younger sedentary men.
GET MOVING
Before you begin an exercise program, be prudent and be prepared, check with your physician and make sure that you begin your exercise program "by the book" or with a qualified instructor. In so doing you will gain the maximum benefit from the program and avoid strains, sprains and other mishaps.
Even if you have been exercising on an on-going regular basis, it does not hurt to take a refresher class every so often, since new exercises are added and older, less effective ones are being dropped. And make sure that your instructor is licensed or certified to provide instruction. If no classes are available in your area and you want to start an exercise program on your own, be sure to obtain the latest publications and/or videos available. Some calisthenic and isometric exercises recommended a decade or two ago are no longer considered safe, so it is important to have current information.
Many agencies and organizations including the YM and YWCAs, junior colleges and universities, senior and community centers, adult and continuing education, and health clubs and spa's offer classes in sports, exercise, dance, and weight training that provide instruction that will enable you to gain the maximum result and avoid injuries and mishaps.
GET MOVING AND DISCOVER A NEW, REVITALIZED YOU
If you are retired you now have the time it takes to get in shape. If you are not retired, make the time. Remember Weight training should be done three times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes under a trained instructor, while bending and stretching exercises should be done every day for about 10 minutes and aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes three times a week
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