Health & Fitness by Lifestyle Magazine

Health & Fitness February

Health & Fitness

THE BIG

Part 2 – CAUSES & REMEDIES

In the last article we had a look at how an inactive lifestyle and poor dietary choices can lead to the development of cancers. In this article I would like to focus on external factors.

The modern world in which we live contains many hidden cancer-causing agents, and the governments are doing their best to make sure they stay hidden. Poisons such as chlorine and fluoride are approved for addition to drinking water, microwave ovens are promoted to be used as a quick and safe way to defrost, reheat and cook foods, artificial safety guidelines are given for living in close proximity to power lines, fluorescent lighting, which upsets the central nervous system, is permitted and widely used domestically and commercially. The list goes on but let us have a look at the above mentioned. Tap water can contain any of over 1,000 toxic contaminants, such as lead, aluminium, mercury, cadmium, asbestos, benzene, nitrates, pesticides, and radon. Chlorine and fluoride are added to “kill germs”. Chlorine builds up in your system and can cause heart and circulatory diseases and other problems. It also kills all the friendly bacteria in your digestive tract. Fluoride is even worse. A study was conducted of 40,000 children in 84 regions around the US and the concluded that fluoride had no significant impact on preventing tooth decay. Instead fluoride is associated with a rise in cancer in areas where it has been added to the drinking water. Another study by scientists in Japan showed that exposing normal cells to fluoride turned them into cancer cells. There have been over 50 studies conducted on fluoridated water since the 1950’s; all with the same conclusion, yet nothing is done to stop this practice because it’s cheaper than filtering the water. Even the US Food and Drug Administration warn that ingesting more than 2mg of fluorine daily is toxic, but you can take in up to 5mg daily through drinking tap water, cooking with tap water, or eating processed foods and drinks containing it. Three pints of fluoridated tap water taken daily can cause your entire body to become toxic. The best solution is to install an 24

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activated carbon filter to the mains water supply in your home. There are many types available but be sure to get a good quality one and change the carbon element regularly.

There may not be much you can do about exposure to radar stations, broadcasting towers, or power lines – unless you are willing to move to somewhere less exposed, but you can make changes in the home. Throw out the microwave, electric blanket, electric razor, and fluorescent lights. Sit further from the T.V and use it and your PC less frequently, use disposable razors, fit light fittings that use normal bulbs, keep the hairdryer further from your body and use for minimum time, do not have an electric clock beside the bed and keep the mobile phone off the bedside locker at night. If you start to make these changes in the home, along with the dietary changes mentioned in my previous articles, you are guaranteed to see and feel the many benefits in you and your family, especially in your children who are most vulnerable. Remember, when the government says “everything is alright” or your doctor says “there’s nothing to worry about”, it doesn’t mean there’s no risk. It wasn’t very long ago the same people denied there was any health risk in smoking, and they still deny that white sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil and food additives can cause cancers. It is up to each of us to get to know the facts and make changes in our own lives.

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Microwave ovens have become as common in today’s household as the toaster, and are advertised as being perfectly safe. However many studies, which are ignored by government health agencies, have shown the serious dangers of being exposed to microwaves. Microwaves “cook” food by alternating the magnetic polarity of the foods atoms thousands of times per second. This causes heat by atomic friction and changes the molecular structure of the food. The food then looks feels and tastes like it has been cooked. The process ruptures the cell walls of the food and releases huge amounts of free radicals which are known to be carcinogenic, immunosuppressive and major causes of ageing and degeneration of the body. Microwaves also destroy enzymes in food, which are responsible for the first stages of digestion in the stomach. These enzymes are only found in fresh raw food. Your body cannot make them and they cannot be substituted with any supplements. Without them food can only ever be partly digested and this allows bad bacteria to putrefy what’s left.

suppressed which results in severe behaviour disorders and learning disabilities. A field of 100 milligauss is generated by power lines at 50 feet. This is considered “safe” by many governments.

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Microwave ovens, power lines, T.V’s, computers and video games, mobile phones, fluorescent lights and other modern gadgets all emit microwaves and artificial light rays which enter the eyes, travel along the optic nerve and into the brain where they interfere with cerebral functions and suppress the pituitary and pineal glands. The pineal gland secretes hormones which influence almost all bodily functions, such as sleep/ wake cycles, moods, appetite and sexual drive. It is also highly sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field, which has a strength of only 0.5 milligauss. A study done in the US in 1980 of the effect of power lines on people living near them found that over 20% of the childhood cancers in those areas were caused by exposure to power lines with fields as weak as 3 milligauss. It also found that production of neurohormones in the brain was

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The top3diets that work Let’s face it, we’ve all put some pounds on over Christmas and New Year. Through all the food and drink that is required to get through the parties we’ll all be looking now for a good way to lose the weight and get back on track. The three following diets have been tried and tested for many years and can bring instant results.

Dukan diet

Mediterranean Diet

This diet has become famous in the last decade when French Doctor, Pierre Dukan was a dietician who legend has it that he noticed that traditionally older French women remained thin and svelte throughout their lives. He also noticed cases of obese people and compared the cases and reviewed what they ate each day.

This is the diet which every dietician recommends as its qualities are so good for the heart. With its basis being olive oil, fish, fruit and vegetables at its core it’s seen as one of the finest diets you can have to live a long and healthy life. It also makes sure you don’t put weight on in the long run. The only reason the Costa del Sol is now full of obese Spaniards is that they’ve chucked the Mediterranean diet and swapped it for the burger and chip variety.

In the 70’s the normal way to treat obese people would be to give them a low calorie diet and small meals but what would happen is once the calorie-restricted diet was finished and the weight was lost, the person would return to normal habits and the weight would pile back on. So Dukan came up with a way for dieters to maintain their lost weight. The Dukan diet has a list of 100 allowed foods. There would be 4 phases, which include attack, cruise, consolidation and stabilization. Attack This makes sure the dieter loses 3 kg (6.6 lbs) in up to 7 days. It kick starts the metabolism and it allows dieters to eat as much protein as they want. Cruise Food now includes protein rich food and 28 vegetables. The time of this stage of the diet is measured at 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of weight loss a week. Consolidation Once the weight is lost, the diet then keeps the weight off. Fruit, bread and cheese are reintroduced into the diet. You can have these together only twice a week. Stabilisation Finally dieters can eat what they want but only if they follow strict rules: one day a week is solely protein, oat bran to be eaten every day and acceptable exercise, for example: walk rather than take the car (within reason), take the stairs etc.

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The Mediterranean diet has lots of nutrition as it has varied foods and flavours including nuts, herbs, spices, beans and grains. Eggs and cheese are used in moderation and sweets and sugary foods used only on special occasions. With a low intake of sugar, low usage of red meat and saturated fat replaced by ‘good’ foods such as dark fish (Tuna and Swordfish) and olive oil, you can’t go far wrong with this diet and you can eat plenty of it. What’s more it insists on you drinking red wine! So what more do you need to hear? The diet is full of fibre, potassium and calcium and vitamins B12 (vital for the metabolism) and Vitamin D (also gained from the Sun). Benefits In studies on different diets, when it came to losing weight the Mediterranean diet came out tops in comparison with low fat diets every time. Being overweight is one of the biggest ways to get type 2 diabetes. Losing weight and keeping it off is essential and the Mediterranean diet does this for you. The healthy Mediterranean-style diet can also reverse and reduce any risk of developing metabolic syndrome, so lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Exercise It’s also recommended to do at least some exercise as part of a daily plan. As you’re down here on the Costa del Sol then chances are it won’t be chucking it down and so walking is probably the best exercise. As long as you do 2 ½ hours a week and some weights during the week, you’ll lead a pretty healthy lifestyle.

Overall By living on this diet, not only do you lose weight, but it can also help the brain and heart, it prevents cancer and stops diabetes!! It also make you live longer, reduces blood pressure and lowers bad cholesterol thus reducing any risk of heart disease. So why isn’t everyone on it? Well for most people living in foreign climes, it can be more costly than junk food. But for us down here on the Costa del Sol there really is no excuse. Getting junk food from English shops is more expensive and as local markets are so accessible here, then getting the cheaper Mediterranean diet food is a lot easier and cost affective.

The Alternative Diet The easiest option is not having to go on a diet in the first place. By being sensible in what you eat by using fresh produce and herbs, not drinking to excess and not becoming a couch potato, you can keep slim and avoid a whole host if illnesses as well. Food By eating local produce and avoiding processed pre-made foods aka Junk food, then there’s hardly any chance of putting any extra weight on, because the food won’t be full of too much salt, too much sugar or corn syrup. Salt Too much salt can increase heart disease, increase blood pressure in the short term and in the long term lead to strokes, heart attacks and osteoporosis. Sugar Too much sugar can cause obesity, heart disease, and cancer. It can cause acne, damage your skin and give you depression. Interesting that people with depression eat sweet things as comfort food, when in fact it’s making it worse! Too much sugar can also cause Diabetes. High Fructose Corn Syrup So you’ve seen how bad sugar is. Now just imagine something that’s far worse than sugar and is in just about everything. Introduced 30 years ago, obesity had rocketed since it’s introduction. Try to avoid at all costs. Alcohol This can pile on a lot of pounds over the years, it’s a slow process and a good sized beer belly is something which has cost a lot to create! But a simple beer belly can also cause a major problem for the heart, and until it’s got rid of, there will always be a higher chance of problems. Also too much alcohol means too much sugar which then can lead to diabetes. And that’s not even mentioning what a damaged or impaired liver can bring to you later in life. Exercise The Costa is one of the best places to take part in some exercise. If the weather is bad, it’s only too easy to jump in the car to go to the shops or stay in and watch TV rather than go out. Luckily we have sun most of the year round and we can walk and exercise, even when we’re walking to the nearest bar to walk off ‘for what we are about to consume’.

Overall we’re living in the best possible climate to stay slim and as long as we can control our beer intake then there’s every chance we can continue remaining healthy. Following parts of all three ‘diet’s can mean we make sure we never get into a situation of being overweight.

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Post-Exercise Stretches As a Sports Massage Therapist, I am often asked about stretching. It is an important component of any exercise regime, whether you are a competitor , keeping fit or exercising to lose weight after not doing anything for years. One of the questions I am asked is, “should I stretch before or after exercise?” Research has shown that stretching before will not prevent you having an injury. I usually advocate a thorough warm-up, and starting the exercise or activity at a lower level or weight.

Hip Flexor and hamstring stretch. Most important, keep body upright. Use support if necessary.

Single side pectoral stretch. Also stretches front of shoulder. Opposite leg leads to side stretched.

Lats and shoulder stretch. Crossing over the hands increases the stretch.

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Tricep. Place arm behind your head, palm flat against your back. Pull elbow gently towards head with other hand.

Frog stretch is an advanced short adductor stretch, hips must be in contact with the floor and soles of feet together. Ideal for dancers and martial arts.

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Lower back stretch. Ensure shoulders are relaxed as you curl up.

Stretching after exercise is very important, but why? After exercise our muscles stay in a partially contracted state. It is important to return them to a natural length. Should you exercise again the following day/s your muscles will still be tight and an injury may occur even during the warmup. Stretching after training will also reduce the amount of soreness from any heavy or hard training. Stretching is also important as it can help improve athletic performance as well as preventing injury. As we all mature in years the elasticity in our muscles reduces and our range of movement becomes less. Regular stretching reduces this. It goes back to a common saying for a lot of things “use it or lose it.”

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Advanced forearm stretches. Start with fingers touching and slowly ease forward.

Advanced forearm stretches. Start with fingers touching and slowly ease forward, as previous exercise. Please note different hand position.

Neck stretch. Ease arm across back and lean head same direction.

The photos show a variation of different stretches, some of these are called compound stretches as they stretch more than one muscle group at a time.

Thigh stretch. Keep knees close together, and you can push hips through to increase stretch.

Calf stretch. Lean forward, push back heel into floor keep back stretch.

Compound stretch for glutes, shoulders and lower back. May not be suitable for people with bad knees.

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Most people give up their New Year’s resolutions within a week of the New Year and remembering the good times of Christmas also has faded completely away by January the 24th. And also there’s them thar bills. You know the ones, the ones that you ignored and went ‘to hell with it, it’s Christmas’. By the 24th, stone cold reality hits, and according to Arnall ‘Following the initial thrill of New Year’s celebrations and changing over a new leaf, reality starts to sink in. The realization coincides with the dark clouds rolling in and the obligation to pay off Christmas credit card bills.”

But fear not! According to ‘experts’ you’ve just survived the worst day of the year as well! Yep, January the 24th was officially the “most depressing day of the year,” according to UK psychologist, Cliff Arnall.

The Sun can prevent this and thankfully there’s no better place to be in Europe then here on the Costa del Sol! That’s probably one of the factors why you’re all thinking January 24th? So?

A specialist in Seasonal disorders, he takes into account what the weather is like (W), how much money we owe (D), time since Christmas (T), time since failed new years resolutions (Q), low motivation (M) and drive to change things for the better (NA). Then he came up with a spurious equation that looks quite fancy:

Because of the Costa del Sol’s blue skies and longer winter days, people who suffer from SAD are virtually non-existent. And so when you’re lying back with your cheap beer looking up at that blue sky from your terrace or from your local, raise a glass to the Sun. Sure you might still be in debt but at least the weather’s good which can then motivate you so you can go out there and pay off those bills.

His equation is:

[W + (D-d)] x TQ M x NA This equation is based on British Weather, where despite the days may be getting longer since Winter Solstice, December 21st, the weather is still beyond foul with storms, greyness and generally God awful weather.

On top of this, in the U.K. a third of the population get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) aka winter blues/ depression.

DEPRESSION

If you are reading this then you’ve survived the 2012 end date of one of the Mayan Calendars and now that you’ve put all your money into the Christmas festivities and New Year, you now find yourself financially ruined.

Bizarrely this research was completed to aid a travel company and they found that when people have suddenly realised the mess they’re in, they are far more likely to book a holiday!

Viva la Costa!

“People feel bleak when they have nothing planned, but once they book a holiday they have a goal, they work toward having time off and a relaxing period,” one travel agent said. “When you imagine yourself on the beach it makes you feel positive. You will save money, go to the gym and come back to the optimism you had at the end of the year.”

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WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A BREAK FROM ALCOHOL AFTER THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

We all need a break every now and again. Maybe a break from our jobs or our partners. But if we’re used to having a drink everyday, whether it be to unwind or just due to habit, it can be easy to rely on alcohol and it can be difficult to take a break from it, starting a vicious cycle you may find hard to get out of. If you have been continuously drinking without having days off, especially over the festive season, taking a break can be an important way to ‘test’ how dependent on alcohol you might be. What better sign do you have that your drinking is out of control, than if you promised yourself you’re going to cut it out for a few days and you don’t or can’t. To tackle such dependency, it’s important to interrupt your drinking cycle and take regular breaks from alcohol. That way you lower your risk of becoming psychologically, or physically, dependent on it.

Building up tolerance If you drink regularly, your body starts to build up a tolerance to alcohol. This is one of the main reasons it’s important to consider taking regular breaks from drinking. Tolerance is a physiological response we have to any drug – including alcohol. The more you consume, the more your body gets used to it. Regular drinking induces certain enzymes in your liver that metabolise alcohol. If you drink heavily, over weeks or months, levels of these enzymes will go up and your tolerance builds. If you stop drinking completely, the enzyme levels go back down. As your tolerance builds up, you need to consume more alcohol to get the same effects. This can mean you end up drinking to levels that are harmful to your short- and long-term health, putting you at risk of a range of problems from heart disease to cancer. Taking a break from alcohol can have the effect of lowering or “resetting” your tolerance, so that it becomes easier to cut back. As all of our bodies respond differently to alcohol, the amount of time it takes to develop tolerance, or to reset it, varies from person to person. The benefit of having days off from drinking is that your body doesn’t become so accustomed to alcohol, and you’re likely to reverse a tendency towards tolerance. Plus, what a great way to gear yourself up for a more healthy and positive year ahead! 35

Insomnia

Insomnia - Inability to sleep due to nervous tension and/or excessive acidity in the system. Here are some diet tips to help combat your insomnia

Molasses

Bananas

Rich in organic iron, copper, potassium, vitamin B6 and calcium which stimulate nervous functions. Organic calcium is a well known promoter of good sleep. Pasteurized milk will not supply calcium to the system because of the lack of the enzyme lactase. Take 2 tbsp in warm water before bed.

Ripe bananas are full of potassium, sodium, and magnesium, which rebuild and balance nutritionally starved nervous systems. Also contain the amino acid tryptophan which is known to help good sleep.

Foods To Avoid: Vinegar- except apple cider vinegar, cooked meats, refined starch especially white bread and sweet pastries, hot peppers, strong coffee and tea, alcohol.

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