Weight Debate

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy!!

You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from regular physical activity. Even modest amounts of physical activity can improve your health. Start with small, specific goals, such as walking 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week, and build up slowly from there.

What Does Regular Physical Activity Do???

• Increases your chances of living longer!!
• Helps you control your weight.
• Reduces your risks for cardiovascular disease.
• Reduces your risks for type 2 diabetes.
• Reduces your risks for metabolic syndrome – a group of risk factors linked to overweight and obesity.
• Reduces your risks for some cancers.
• Strengthens your bones and muscles.
• Improves your mental health and mood.
• Improves your ability to do daily activities.
• Prevent falls among older adults.

Try these activities to add more movement to your daily life:

• Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Make sure that the stairs are well lit.
• Get off the bus one stop early if you are in an area safe for walking.
• Park your car farther away from the entrances to stores, movie theaters, or your home.
• Take a short walk around the block with your family, friends, or coworkers.
• In bad weather, walk around in a mall.
• Rake the leaves or wash your car.
• Visit museums, the zoo, or an aquarium. You and your family can walk for hours and not realize it.
• Take a walk after dinner instead of watching TV.

As you become more fit, slowly increase your pace, the length of time you are active, and how often you are active.

Remember to:

Start slowly - Your body needs time to get used to your new activity.

Warm up - Warm-ups get your body ready for action.

• Shrug your shoulders,
• Tap your toes,
• Swing your arms,
  OR
• March in place

You should spend a few minutes warming up for any physical activity, even walking. Walk slowly for the first few minutes.

Cool down - Slow down little by little. If you have been walking fast, walk slowly or stretch for a few minutes to cool down. Cooling down may protect your heart, relax your muscles, and keep you from getting hurt.

Check with your doctor before starting a vigorous physical activity program if you are a man over the age of 40, a woman over the age of 50, or if you have any chronic health problems.

Why You Need Calcium
Everyone needs calcium every day to keep their bones strong and less likely to break, and this is especially important for girls and women. Most women do not get enough calcium daily. The body cannot produce calcium, it must be absorbed through food.

Calcium is a mineral needed by the body for:

• Strong bones
• Strong healthy teeth
• Proper function of the heart
• Muscle contraction
• Blood vessel expansion and contraction
• Secretion of hormones and enzymes
• Transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system
• Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis later in life (weak bones and bone loss)

Daily Recommended Calcium Intake mg = milligrams

• Birth to 6 months – 210 mg
• 7 to 12 months – 270 mg
• 1 to 3 years – 500 mg
• 4 to 8 years – 800 mg
• 9 to 18 years – 1,300 mg
• 19 to 50 years – 1,000 mg
• 50+ years – 1,200 mg

Calcium is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines, such as antacids for heartburn. Vitamin D also plays an important role in healthy bone development. Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium – this is why milk is fortified with vitamin D.

Example:
3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk = 900 mg of calcium
Plus additional servings of calcium-rich foods = 400 mg of calcium
Total = 1,300 mg of calcium everyday

Good Sources of Calcium Include

• Rhubarb, frozen, cooked, 1 cup 348 mg
• Sardines, with bone, 3 oz. 325 mg
• Spinach, frozen, cooked, 1 cup 291 mg
• Salmon, canned, with bone, 3 oz. 181 mg
• Low fat or nonfat milk, cheese, and yogurt
• Dark green leafy vegetables such as bok choy and broccoli
• Calcium fortified foods such as orange juice, cereal, bread, soy beverages, and tofu products
• Nuts such as almonds

1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis.
Some people don’t even know they have osteoporosis until they break a bone.
Make sure you are getting enough calcium everyday!!

Urinary incontinence (UI) is loss of bladder control. Symptoms can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. Urinary incontinence is more common as people age. But it is not a normal part of aging. In men, urinary incontinence can result from prostate problems or nerve damage due to disease or injury:

• Men who have had diabetes for many years may develop nerve damage that affects bladder control and sexual function.
• Stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis all affect the brain and nervous system, so they can also cause UI.
• Overactive bladder is when the bladder squeezes at the wrong time. It may be caused by nerve problems, or it may occur without any clear cause. Symptoms of overactive bladder include:
  • Urinary frequency – urination 8 or more times a day or 2 or more times at night.
  • Urinary urgency – the sudden, strong need to urinate immediately.
  • Urge incontinence – urine leakage that follows a sudden, strong urge.
• Spinal cord injury can cause urinary incontinence by interrupting the nerve signals needed for bladder control.
• In neural birth defects such as spina bifida, the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. In severe cases, nerve damage can affect bladder control.

If you have any urination problems, talk to a doctor. Treatment depends on the type of problem you have and what best fits your lifestyle. It may include simple exercises, medicines, special devices or procedures prescribed by your doctor, or surgery.

Another way to determine if your weight is placing your health at risk is to measure your waist.

Your waist measurement does not determine if you are overweight, but it does indicate if you have excess fat in your abdomen. This is important because extra fat around your waist may increase health risks even more than fat anywhere else on your body.

• Women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches may have an increased risk for obesity related diseases.
• Men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have an increased risk for obesity related diseases.