B1 August 7–13, 2015
Health
Fitness
The Science of ‘Hangry’ or Why Some People Get Grumpy When They’re Hungry
Hanger is undoubtedly a survival mechanism that has served humans and other animals well.
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By Amanda Salis ave you ever snapped angrily at someone when you were hungry? Or has someone snapped angrily at you when they were hungry? If so, you’ve experienced “hangry” (an amalgam of hungry and angry)—the phenomenon whereby some people get grumpy and short-tempered when they’re overdue for a feed. But where does hanger come from? And why is it that only some people seem to get hangry? The answer lies in some of the processes that happen inside your body when it needs food. The Physiology of Hanger The carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in everything you eat are digested into simple sugars (such as glucose), amino acids, and free fatty acids. These nutrients pass into your bloodstream from where they are distributed to your organs and tissues and used for energy. As time passes after your last meal, the amount of these nutrients circulating in your bloodstream starts to drop. If your blood-glucose levels fall far enough, your brain will perceive it as a life-threatening situation. You
see, unlike most other organs and tissues in your body that can use a variety of nutrients to keep functioning, your brain is critically dependent on glucose to do its job. You’ve probably already noticed this dependence your brain has on glucose; simple things can become difficult when you’re hungry and your blood glucose levels drop. You may find it hard to concentrate, for instance, or you may make silly mistakes. Or you might have noticed that your words become muddled or slurred. Another thing that can become more difficult when you’re hungry is behaving within socially acceptable norms, such as not snapping at people. So while you may be able to conjure up enough brain power to avoid being
grumpy with i mpor ta nt colleagues, you may let your guard down and inadvertently snap at the people you are most relaxed
Simple things can become difficult when you’re hungry and your blood glucose levels drop. with or care most about, such as partners and friends. Sound familiar? Another Bodily Response Besides a drop in blood-glucose concentrations, another reason
people can become hangry is the glucose counter-regulatory response. Let me explain. When blood-glucose levels drop to a certain threshold, your brain sends instructions to several organs in your body to synthesize and release hormones that increase the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. The four main glucose counter-regulatory hormones are the following: growth hormone from the pituitary gland situated deep in the brain; glucagon from the pancreas; and adrenaline (sometimes called epinephrine) and cortisol, which are both from the adrenal glands. These latter two glucose counter-regulatory hormones are stress hormones that are released into your bloodstream in all sorts of stressful situations, not just when you experience the physical stress of low bloodglucose levels. In fact, adrenaline is one of the major hormones released into your bloodstream with the “fight or flight” response to a sudden scare, such as when you see, hear, or even think something that threatens your safety. See Hangry on B2
Health & Fitness
B2 Aug. 7–13, 2015
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Hangry continued from B1 Just as you might easily shout out in anger at someone during the “fight or flight” response, the flood of adrenaline you get during the glucose counter-regulatory response can promote a similar response.
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Nature and Nurture Another reason hunger is linked to anger is that both are controlled by common genes. The product of one such gene is neuropeptide Y, a natural brain chemical released into the brain when you are hungry. It stimulates voracious feeding behaviors by acting on a variety of receptors in the brain, including one called the Y1 receptor. Besides acting in the brain to control hunger, neuropeptide Y and the Y1 receptor also regulate anger or aggression. In keeping with this, people with high levels of neuropeptide Y in their cerebrospinal fluid also tend to show high levels of impulse aggression. As you can see, there are several pathways that can make you prone to anger when you’re hungry. Hanger is undoubtedly a survival mechanism that has served humans and other animals well. Think about it like this: If hungry organisms stood back and graciously let others eat before them, their species could die out. While many physical fac-
tors contribute to hanger, psychosocial factors also have a role. Culture influences whether you express verbal aggression directly or indirectly, for instance. And as we are all different across all of these factors, it’s little wonder there are differences in how angry people seem to get when they’re hungry. Dealing With Hanger The easiest way to handle hanger is to eat something before you get too hungry. While you may hanker for quick-fix foods, such as chocolate and potato chips, when
There are several pathways that can make you prone to anger when you’re hungry. you’re in the throes of hanger, junk foods generally induce large rises in blood-glucose levels that come crashing down fast. Ultimately, they may leave you feeling hangrier. So think nutrient-rich, natural foods that help satisfy hunger for
as long as possible, without excess kilojoules. Eating as soon as you are hungry may not always be possible. This may be the case during long shifts at work, for instance, or through religious fasts such as Ramadan, or during weight-loss diets that involve severe energy restriction (such as intermittent fasting diets). All of these should only be done if your doctor has given you the all-clear. In these cases, it can help to remember that, with time, your glucose counter-regulatory response will kick in and your blood-glucose levels will stabilize. Also, when you go without food, your body starts breaking down its own fat stores for energy, some of which are converted by your body into ketones, a product of fat metabolism. Ketones are thought to help keep your hunger under control because your brain can use ketones in place of glucose for fuel. A final—and very civilized— way of handling hanger is to suggest that difficult situations be dealt with after food, not before! Amanda Salis is an NHMRC senior research fellow in the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders at The University of Sydney. This article was previously published on TheConversation.com
Health & Fitness
B3 Aug. 7–13, 2015
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Preventive eye care for summer fun If you’re playing in the water this summer, you probably know to protect your skin from the sun, but do you know to protect your eyes? Many people are not aware that summer fun with pools, sand, and high-impact sports provides prime circumstances for contracting corneal infections—especially if you wear contact lenses. Dr. Steven Stetson, medical director of Diamond Vision in Manhattan, says that the majority of patients who come to see him for corneal inflammation (also known as keratitis) wear contact lenses. Symptoms of corneal infection include blurry vision, redness, pain, discharge (anything from increased tears to mucus), and increased light sensitivity. Playing Safe With Contact Lenses One of the best ways to prevent waterborne eye infections is to remove your contacts before getting in the water. A splash of contaminated water in your eye can bring a host of bacteria and fungi, and the space between your cornea and contact lens creates the ideal environment for them to thrive. “Any time you’re using contacts in water, there’s a hygiene issue,” Dr. Stetson said. “The most popular [bacteria] thrive in high toxicity, low oxygen environments, which contact lenses tend to create.” If you must wear contacts while in the water, replace them with new ones immediately after the water activity, Dr. Stetson said. If the reason you can’t forgo contacts while in the water is because your prescription is too high, he recommends considering laser refraction surgery, such as Lasik. “It’s always better to have your own eyes doing the work, not plastic, which does a good job holding onto pollens and organisms,” Dr. Stetson said. Lake Precautions If you swim or play high velocity water sports in lakes, you may very well end the day with algae and pollen in your eyes. If you react to the pollen in lakes, you may expect some redness that persists into the next day. If this happens, you
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may need to call an optometrist for anti-allergy drops. It’s also a good idea to take your contacts out while doing sports like water-skiing and wakeboarding because if, for example, you end up doing a face-plant, you not only run the risk of black eyes, but also having of your contacts knocked out by the impact.
One of the best ways to prevent waterborne eye infections is to remove your contacts before getting in the water. Preventing Sun and Sand Trauma In the summer, the sun is more intense. Although your eyes don’t burn, they can suffer from low-grade inflammation due to solar radiation. This can cause the elastic tissues to degenerate and bumps to form on the cornea. Dr. Stetson recommends wearing wraparound sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection to protect your eyes from solar radiation damage. As for sunscreen, it’s all right to use it around your eyes, but be careful not to get the cream in them. If you get sunscreen in your eyes, Dr. Stetson recommends immediately rinsing with artificial
tears. You should also rinse your eyes well if you get sweat in them. When playing ball sports, especially in dusty or sandy places, you should also wear wraparound sunglasses to block irritant-laden wind and particles—if not the ball itself. Dangerous Amebas One of the most severe—but luckily very rare—cause of eye infections is the acanthamoeba, a protozoa commonly found in dust and fresh water. The acanthamoeba loves to attach itself to tissue with rough surface cells—such as eyes that have been scarred by wearing contact lenses. The initial symptoms of an acanthamoeba infection are like those of a mild keratitis, and the only way to diagnose early stages of the infection is through analysis of cysts scraped off the cornea. An acanthamoeba infection is very difficult to diagnose and treat, Dr. Stetson said. “It’s clinically hard to see many of the signs, and you’d need to find the cysts and then treat them with medicines by special order.” Although an acanthamoeba infection is rare, it is much more likely to occur in contact lens wearers. A 2009 study published in the library of the National Institutes of Health found that over 95 percent of acanthamoeba infections occur in contact lens wearers.
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Health & Fitness
B4 Aug. 7–13, 2015
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Why Hot Days and Alcohol Don’t Mix By Conan Milner Epoch Times Sta
Alcohol depresses your hypothalmus, a gland that regulates body temperature.
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It’s time for fun in the summer sun. But before your next festival, barbeque, or summer soiree, consider what health experts say about mixing alcohol with high temperatures. According to Dr. Josef Thundiyil, emergency physician with Orlando Regional Medical Center, alcohol acts as a diuretic. In hot weather, this diuretic action drains the body of precious fluid at a time we need it most. “People think of alcohol as a thirst-quencher because it comes in a refreshing, cold liquid. But in hot weather, you’re already losing fluids through sweat and through exercise,� he said. It seems strange that drinking can dry you out, but it’s true. Alcohol leads to increased urination, but it’s not only due to an increase in liquid consumption. Thundiyill says that booze inhibits a hormone that regulates fluid balance. “You end up peeing out more than you take in,� he said. “Once you start drinking alcohol, you shut that hormone off, so it’s not as simple as making up for it by drinking more water. You’re going to continue to urinate more than you normally would if you hadn’t been drinking alcohol.� It’s still a good idea to sip water in between the beer, wine, or fancy cocktails with a tiny umbrella, but it takes more to catch up than you may realize. It’s estimated that alcohol makes you lose a third more liquid than you actually drink.
It’s still a good idea to sip water in between the beer, wine, or fancy cocktails, but it takes more to catch up than you may realize.
Heat Illness Maintaining good hydration is especially important in hot weather because your body uses fluid—sweat—to cool itself. If this thermoregulation process
breaks down due to a lack of fluids or prolonged heat exposure, it can lead to heat-related illnesses. This usually starts off as muscle cramping as we deplete electrolytes, but it can eventually turn into symptoms such as extreme fatigue, mental disorientation, and passing out. Prolonged heat illness—heat stroke—can lead to permanent brain damage, even death. Even non-drinkers are susceptible to heat illness, especially children, the elderly, and athletes training hard in the summer sun. Thundiyill sees otherwise fit patients pass out from excess heat and be completely confused for hours at a time. Add alcohol into the mix, and heat illness can come on even faster than normal. Alcohol depresses your hypothalmus, a gland that regulates body temperature. This means that if you drink alcohol in a hot environment, you’ll likely get hotter. And you don’t have to drink much to run into problems. “Impaired judgement is a big issue because a lot of times people don’t know exactly how
unclear their decisions actually are,� Thundiyill said. “Even if people may not achieve the legal driving limit, .08 in most states, you can still have ill effects. You can lose judgement and coordination, and that can give way to things like more significant inebriation.�
Don’t stay out in the sun too long. Take breaks inside to cool o. Blisters and red skin from lying in the sun too long, a severe barbeque burn, and a fireworks accident that led to scorched and damaged hands are some of the related cases Thundiyill has seen recently. “I’ve seen people pass out onto very hot concrete. Hot concrete can get up to 120 plus degrees,â€? he said. “They can’t get up, and they actually get burned from being on very hot ground.â€?
Water Recreation Dehydration is at the root of heat and alcohol induced injury. Ironically, water is often where a lot of mishaps occur. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 10 people a day die from drowning. About half of all drowning and boating-related deaths stem from alcohol. “We see people who go water skiing and do tricks that they may not ordinarily try and get injured. Some people try to repair a boat motor that gets stuck, and they get caught in the propeller because someone on the boat turns it on. These scenarios are made much more possible with the use of alcohol,� he said. Safe Summer Tips Alcohol is not a thirst-quencher. If you’re thirsty, drink water. Since inebriation, dehydration, and poor decision-making increase with heat, Thundilyill recommends that every outdoor summer party have at least one person who stays sober. “They always mention having a designated driver. But I think
it’s also important in the summertime if you’re going to be out at festivals or at a barbeque or outdoor activities all day to have somebody in the group plan not to drink, so they can keep an eye on other people,� he said. “This is particularly important in water recreation.� Pace yourself, especially with hard liquor. Cans or bottles of beer come in a fixed amount, so they’re easier to track. However, liquor consumption depends on the heaviness of the hand that pours it. If the cocktail is sweet and cold, you might not realize how much you’re putting away. Don’t stay out in the sun too long. Take breaks inside to cool off. You may be convinced after three Long Island iced teas that a nap in a hammock is a good idea. But you may wake up sunburned. Pay particular attention to the very young and very old. “People over 65, because [of] their underlying medical illness, because of medication, or because of their age, aren’t able to recognize when they get dehydrated,� Thundiyill said.
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RECIPE * 1/4 pound basil * 1/8 pound baby spinach, rocket, or kale * A bit less than 1/2 cup raw pine nuts * 4 tablespoons olive oil * 1 lemon, juiced
* 1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt * 1 garlic clove, chopped finely (or more for a little extra zing) * 1 teaspoon spirulina powder
Put basil leaves, greens, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, nuts, and salt in a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in spirulina. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.
Spirulina adds a protein boost, so this pesto keeps you fuller longer.
Olivia McFadyen writes for Organic Lifestyle Magazine, where this article was originally published.
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Health & Fitness
B5 Aug. 7–13, 2015
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Natural Sleep Tips
By Cathy Margolin rouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Ever count sheep? Who came up with that idea anyway? I used to try it and it drove me crazy. I always lost track of how many sheep. I guess that was the point, but it never helped me get to sleep. Here’s what I’ve learned after countless insomnia consults. Prescription sleep aids may work for some, but before you resort to that extreme, give a few of these natural sleep remedies a try.
this will be a positive influence: As you go to bed, give yourself the positive affirmation that you will sleep all night. Don’t doubt yourself— you may be surprised how strong the mind can be. 4. Love Your Mattress. Or love whatever you sleep on. If you don’t love it, change it. You spend months or years of your life sleeping. Do it in style.
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5. Temperature. This is one of the most important natural-sleep remedies. We have all experienced the too hot summer night or too cold winter morning. Make it right and enjoy the best sleep you can. (If night sweats are your “too hot” moment, check out a natural menopause relief remedy to naturally adjust your internal thermostat.) Bonus Tip. A few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow and behind your ear lobes provide a natural calming effect. If you are still suffering with poor sleep, try an all-natural sleep aid.
Try natural sleep aids before reaching for prescription medicines.
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1. Darkness Counts. Make the bedroom as dark as possible—no computers in the room, no clockradio light. If you want to sleep, you need to maximize that melatonin production, so you need blackness. When you can’t see your hand in front of your face, your sleep space is functioning as a natural sleep aid. 2. Stop Napping. No more than one short, 30-minute nap or less per day. Sorry folks, if you really want good-quality sleep, you’ve got to maximize the efficiency of seven hours straight. You shouldn’t need a nap if you have at least seven to eight hours of quality sleep each night. Power napping (30 minutes or less ) is approved, but more than that, and you are sabotaging your nighttime REM. 3.G et Seven toEight Hours. Change your mind. This is not a pipe dream. Although many of us would like to will ourselves to sleep, this method is fairly ineffective. But if you truly set a natural-sleep goal,
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Limit napping to 30 minutes per day.
Practical, Easy Activities to Balance Your Qi RYANKING999/ISTOCK
By Jennifer Dubowsky
3. Try Yoga In New York, there are free yoga classes at Bryant Park every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the summer. If you’re short on time, get a yoga DVD and do 15 minutes at home. It is worth it. Rodney Yee tends to provide good instruction on his DVDs. 4. Give Up Perfectionism Keep realistic standards for yourself.
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1. Breath Through Your Nose Yes, the beginning can be that simple! Breathing through your nose increases your intake of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide causes your blood vessels to relax and to widen, thereby opening up your arteries. This decreases your blood pressure, allows better blood flow to your heart and other important organs. 2. De-clutter Your Home and Workspace It will lower your stress level and increase your efficiency at home and work. Organize your child’s workspace as a good way to increase his or her productivity as well. Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement and space. Think of it in Western terms as putting your house in order. In feng shui, having a cluttered home blocks the energy flow through the structure. In Chinese medicine, blocked energy can lead to both emotional and physical pain.
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9. If You’re Married If you’re married or have a partner, make it a priority to find time for just the two of you alone every week. 10. Try Acupuncture And of course acupuncture is always a great way to balance your qi! Jennifer Dubowsky, LAc, practices acupuncture in Chicago. She earned her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from the University of Illinois and Master of Science in oriental medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College in Colorado. She completed an internship at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital in Beijing. For more information, visit TCM007.com
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B6 Aug. 7–13, 2015
Health & Fitness www.TheEpochTimes.com EXPLOSIVEKEEPER/ISTOCK
Regular Soda, Please Hormone that differentiates sugar from diet sweeteners could exist in humans We’ve all been there: We eat an entire sleeve of fat-free, low-calorie cookies, and we’re stuffing ourselves with more food 15 minutes later. One theory to explain this phenomenon is that artificial sweeteners don’t contain the calories or energy that evolution has trained the brain to expect from sweet-tasting foods, so they don’t fool the brain into satisfying hunger. However, until now, nobody understood how organisms distinguish between real sugar and artificial sweetener. Now, a researcher at the University of Michigan has discovered how the brain of a fruit fly differentiates between the two. Because that molecular machinery is present in the guts and brains of humans on a larger scale, Monica Dus, assistant professor in the U-M Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, believes human brains will differentiate in the same way. Fruit flies and humans share about 75 percent of the same dis-
When the fly licked the diet sweetener, it never produced this hormone/ digestive reaction.
ease-causing genes, says Dus, first author on a study that outlines the findings and appears in the journal Neuron. “We can ask, ‘Do these genes work the same in humans, to tell real sugar from artificial sweetener?’” Dus said. “The bits and pieces are there, so it is really possible that these genes work in a similar way. Plus, we knew that the human brain could tell the difference between real and fake sugar, we just did not know how.” Dus and colleagues Greg Suh and Jason Lai of New York University School of Medicine deprived fruit flies of food for several hours and then gave them a choice between diet, non-nutritive sweeteners, and real sugar. When the flies licked the real sugar, it activated a group of six neurons that released a hormone with receptors in the gut and brain. The hormone fueled digestion and allowed the fly to lick more of the nutritious food. On the other hand, when the fly licked the diet sweetener, it never produced this hormone/digestive reaction because zero-calorie sweetener has no nutritional or energy value. In every case, the flies abandoned the artificial sweetener and chose the regular sugar because the starved flies needed the energy provided by the calories in the real sugar.
From an evolutionary perspective, sweet taste means sugar (traditionally from fruit or high concentrate carbohydrates) and a subsequent big energy boost. Fruit flies can’t call out for pizza— their brains expect calories if they eat something sweet, and that’s why they chose the regular sugar, Dus says. If our brains work the same way, this helps explains why diet foods don’t satiate or satisfy us, and we gain weight while dieting, she says. It’s analogous to a person eating that entire sleeve of low-calorie cookies and the body telling her she’s still hungry. She keeps snacking until she eats something with nutritional value that meets her energy needs. The fruit fly has roughly 100,000 neurons, and the human brain has about 86 billion. The six neurons identified in fruit flies are in roughly the same spot in humans, which removes an immense amount of guesswork and lets researchers zero in on a location. The neurons fire only when they encounter real sugar, which provides a very elegant way for the brain to differentiate between real sugar and artificial sweeteners since they taste similar. In two previous studies, Dus and her colleagues found that flies that couldn’t taste preferred real sugar to a zero-calorie sweetener, which underscores the theory of
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Artificial sweeteners don’t contain the calories or energy that evolution has trained the brain to expect from sweet-tasting foods.
energy preference. They also characterized a neural circuit, dubbed Cupcake+, which functions as a behavioral on/off switch for eating. Turning off the Cupcake neu-
rons makes the fruit flies “feel” hungry, Dus says. From the University of Michigan via Newswise
Most Fitness Apps for iPhones Fall Short By Elizabeth Hillaker Downs Only one of 30 popular free fitness apps for iPhones meets the majority of recommended guidelines for physical activity, a new study shows. When compared to the guidelines for aerobic exercise, strength or resistance, and flexibility, the top-scoring app was the Sworkit Lite Personal Workout Trainer App with 9.01 out of a possible 14 points. Each app was scored across those three categories, examining to what extent they adhered to the specific guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine, including parameters for safety, warm-ups, cool-downs,
Ultimately, only Sworkit Lite Personal Workout Trainer met more than half of the criteria.
stretching, intensity, frequency, and progression. While more than half the apps included some of the recommendations for aerobic exercise and 90 percent met at least one criterion for strength and resistance, two-thirds of the apps did not meet any of the flexibility criteria. Users at Risk for Injury “While apps have great potential to give more people access to workouts that could help them achieve a healthy weight and fitness level, we found that the vast majority of apps are not as safe as they could be and do not give users the type of well-rounded workouts known to be most effective,” says François Modave, associate professor of health outcomes and policy at the University of Florida. Ultimately, only Sworkit Lite Personal Workout Trainer met more than half of the criteria. Three apps met more than half the criteria in the aerobic category: Sworkit Lite Personal
Workout Trainer, C25K—5K Trainer Free, and Running for Weight Loss. Four apps earned half the possible points in the strength or resistance category: Sworkit Lite Personal Workout Trainer, Ultimate Fitness Free, JEFIT Workout, and StrongLifts 5X5. No app scored above 50 percent in the flexibility category. “Several of the apps contained high-quality content in one of the three categories, but almost none of them had high-quality content in all of them, especially flexibility,” says Heather Vincent, assistant professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation. “This is a problem because flexibility is important for good exercise form, relaxation, and cool-down.” No Training Plan In addition to not meeting the specific criterion for each category, 23 out of 30 apps did not provide an actual training plan, explain how to choose a workout, or explain how to organize the workouts through
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Choose your fitness app wisely.
the week. That makes it difficult, especially for beginners, to follow a safe and physiologically sound progression in their exercise regimen. “The issues with these apps place users at risk for injury because the apps fail to prepare them to take on the exercises, use proper techniques, and address safety issues surrounding different types of exercise,” Modave says. “Our hope is that this study, which is the first to explore
what extent fitness apps are adhering to the ACSM Guidelines, starts a conversation about how to harness apps to give people high-quality, safe and effective workouts.” The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. This article was originally published by the University of Florida. Republished via Futurity. org under Creative Commons License 4.0.
Health & Fitness
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www.TheEpochTimes.com WORKOUT OF THE WEEK
Turkish Get-Up Your Go-To Move for Total Body Fitness
Your one-stop answer to getting the benefits of weight training while working every last muscle in your body.
By Dasha Libin Anderson Ever feel like you have no time to work out? Then finally you get yourself out for a run or a yoga class only to come home and worry about the fact that you didn’t get your weight training done? The Turkish get-up is your one-stop answer to getting the benefits of weight training while working every last muscle in your body. Specifically, it builds strong, mobile shoulders; a strong core and back; mobile hips; and strong and toned legs and glutes. Do this move 2–3 times a week to improve muscle endurance, stability, and balance.
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How to Use Add 15 repetitions on each side to your workout. Want more challenge? Get a heavier weight and work up to a maximum of 10 repetitions on each side. Ladies, try starting with at least a 10 lb weight and work your way up to 20 or 25. Guys, start with 20 lbs and quickly progress to 30, 35, and 40 lbs. The Turkish get-up is a traditional kettlebell exercise, but you can use dumbbells or any weight you feel comfortable with. How to Get Up When you first start, I advise you to do the motion without a weight because holding a weight overhead requires body awareness, which you’ll develop after you’re familiar with the move.
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9 Start lying down with the weight in your right hand (if using) and your right leg bent. 9 Raise your right hand straight up so your hand is directly above your shoulder. Your arm should stay up straight throughout the entire move. If you are not using a weight, you should still act as if there is a weight in your hand. 9 Keep your gaze focused on your hand or weight the entire time until you reach the standing position, then you can look forward. 9 Push yourself up to your left elbow. 9 Push yourself up to your left hand. 9 Lift your body up by pushing your hips up to the sky. 9 Bring your left leg back under your body and bend it so that you are now supported by your left knee, right foot, and left hand. 9 Come to a kneeling position by pushing off your left hand. 9 Come to a standing position with your left hand or weight overhead. How to Get Down Getting down from the Turkish get-up is exactly the reverse of getting up.
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9 Bring your left leg back to a kneeling position on the floor. 9 Put your left hand down by your left side. Do not position your hand too far back as this will make you sit on your heel, making it harder to do the next step. 9 Bring your left leg back out so that it is extended in front of you again (hips are still pushed up to the sky). 9 Bring your hips down so you are sitting on your buttocks. 9 Bring yourself down to your left elbow. 9 Lower yourself from your elbow so you are lying completely on the ground. Your left arm should stay extended in the air if you’re going to do multiple repetitions.
Dasha Libin Anderson is the creator of Kettlebell Kickboxing. If you like this, check out KettlebellKickboxing.com, sign up for the KB community newsletter, and get free ebooks and workouts, including your free “Belly Fat Book” and “Burn 500 Book.”
ALL PHOTOS BY PETR SVAB/EPOCH TIMES
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Health & Fitness
B8 Aug. 7–13, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com SPONSORED CONTENT
Need Urgent Care? Want It at Home? Vytaliz Can Make It Happen When you’re sick and in need of urgent care, often the last thing you feel like doing is dragging yourself to an emergency room (ER). Physically getting to the ER can be taxing enough, then the unavoidable long wait can seem a million times longer when you’re stressed and feeling lousy. In addition to the physical discomfort, you’re also exposed to pathogens in hospitals, which can be overwhelming to your already vulnerable immune system. “At the hospital you’re prone to a number of hospital-acquired infections caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens, and there’s a high probability of your simple sore throat translating into a serious issue down the line,” explains Dr. Amer Alnajar, the head physician at Vytaliz—an innovative health care company that brings high-quality urgent care right to your bedside. During his hospital residency,
Vytaliz is an urgent care concierge service that deploys a nurse to your home or office within 30 minutes.
Dr. Alnajar noticed that a lot of people who came to the ER had minor illnesses like headaches, stomachaches, and sore throats. The reasons they came varied from not having a primary care doctor covered by their insurance to not getting an appointment with their busy city doctor in a timely fashion. This huge unmet need for on-demand health care led Dr. Alnajar to launch Vytaliz (pronounced ‘vitalize’). Vytaliz is an urgent care concierge service that deploys a nurse to your home or office within 30 minutes of sending in a request via the Vytaliz app, irrespective of where you are in the five boroughs of New York City. “That nurse arrives with a big duffle bag … containing everything he/she needs to check the patient’s vitals and perform a proper physical assessment,” says Omar Elrabie, co-founder and director of operations at Vytaliz. The bag includes an iPad that the nurse uses for video calling one of the company’s board-certified doctors, who then talks with the patient to determine the best course of treatment. Nurses can give IV fluids for immediate symptom relief, while the doctor can electronically send prescription orders SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
Vytaliz founders Dr. Amer Alnajar (L) and Omar Elrabie.
COURTESY OF VYTALIZ
to a local pharmacy if need be. The app can also be used for an ill relative visiting from out of town. Or if an elderly relative living elsewhere in New York needs immediate care, you can make a request using the GPS feature of the app, and a nurse will go wherever they are in the five boroughs. “Instead of having to wait for an ambulance, or go to the ER and waste an entire day’s time, this process is purely convenient,” Mr. Elrabie said. Next year, Vytaliz plans to expand its services to two or more cities. There are other companies that do in-home medical visits; however according to Mr. Elrabie, Vytaliz is the only one that sends nurses instead of doctors, making it a more cost-efficient model. Lab Work at Your Convenience If you have a prescription for blood or urine tests, Vytaliz is staffed with 40 phlebotomists ready to come to your home or office to collect samples. All you have to do is upload a copy of your prescription to the app and schedule an appointment in advance or immediately. This is especially convenient if your lab work needs to be done on an empty stomach because the phlebotomist can arrive as early as 7 a.m. “It is usually a hassle to fast all morning in order to make it to the blood draw center by lunch time, if not later,” Mr. Elrabie says. From now through the end of August, this service is offered for free (it normally costs $59 per visit), so if your insurance covers the cost of lab testing, the entire process is absolutely free of charge. By next year, Elrabie hopes to have all of Vytaliz services covered through medical insurance. Unlike many medical innovations that add costs for insurance companies, Vytaliz
A screenshot of the Vytaliz app.
is actually about cost savings. Compare Vytaliz’s $129 urgent care visit fee to the conventional $1,200 for the same services if the patient goes to an ER. For patients using Vytaliz, costs are easy to understand as well. “Vytaliz keeps pricing simple, straightforward, and transparent so you don’t land in a financial quagmire, which is the last thing you need when you’re trying to recover,” Dr. Alnajar says. “You don’t have to worry about getting a bill that you were unaware of three months down the line,” he says, adding that despite being a physician, it took him a year to resolve a
payment issue for a test that was supposed to be completely covered by his insurance. He aims for Vytaliz to give the power of choice to patients, which under the current system often leaves them feeling helpless. First time users get $100 off. Promo code: EpochTimes
Vytaliz 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx 1-877-855-6924 Vytaliz-PX.RTRK.com
Shop for Success: Pack Your Pantry and Fridge With Healthy Options By Life Fitness If you’re trying to lose weight, you probably know diet and exercise are key to success. If you’re exercising consistently and truly challenging yourself at the gym, but you’re still not losing weight, or you’re exercising and continuing to gain weight, it’s time to rethink what you eat. Here’s the bottom line: If you don’t buy it, you won’t eat it. Shop for success to achieve success on the scale. Snacking Doesn’t Need to Sabotage Weight Loss Mindless snacking on calorie-laden foods is a big reason many people struggle with their weight. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tracked people’s eating habits for 30 years and concluded desserts, sweet drinks, salty snacks, and candy account for most calories consumed from snacks and contribute to obesity. If your kitchen is full of those foods, it’s time for a makeover. Guilt-Free Snacking It’s unrealistic to ban snacking between meals. Snacking on healthy options can actually bolster weight loss by keeping hunger at bay and preventing the urge to binge. Put these convenient and healthy snack options on your shopping list: F Heat-and-eat edamame. Lightly
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salted, they’re delicious and nutritious. Almonds. Enjoy in moderation. Popcorn. Snack on the air-popped variety. Watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple. Cut them up into bite-sized pieces as soon as you get home. A whole watermelon sitting on your counter won’t do you much good when you need a snack. Mini carrots and hummus. Cuties. Keep a few of these sweet, easy-to-peel oranges in your bag, backpack, or car. Bananas. Dark chocolate. Freeze pieces and savor one or two to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Snacking on healthy options can actually bolster weight loss. 11 Staples for Quick, Healthy Meals Snacking is one contributor to weight gain, but so is eating unhealthy meals. If you have the building blocks on hand to make quick, healthy meals, you’ll be less tempted to hit the drivethru or order a pizza. Studies confirm that preparing
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food at home bolsters healthy eating. Here are a list of ingredients to keep on hand for quick and easy meal preparation. Mix and match for variety that will satisfy without sabotaging. F Assorted healthy frozen proteins. Stock up on boneless skinless chicken breasts, salmon fillets, shrimp, lean ground turkey, and chicken. F Eggs. F Healthier condiments. Think mustard, balsamic vinegar, salsa, and hot sauce. F Healthy grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, or farro. F Chicken broth. F Garlic and onions. F Canned beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. F A “rainbow” of vegetables. Mix and match green, red, yellow, orange, and/or purple vegetables for variety. F Extra virgin olive oil. F Salt, pepper, and an assortment of dried spices. F Nonstick pan spray. Shopping smartly and stocking your kitchen with healthy options is the first step in changing your eating habits and setting yourself up for weight-loss success. This article was originally published on the Life Fitness blog. For more health and fitness information visit LifeFitness.com/Blog
Hummus makes a super satisfying, healthy snack.