BlueSkies Newsletter - June 2008
Welcome to the June edition of the BlueSkies newsletter.
We hope that you find the articles informative and useful.
In this edition, our feature articles look at:
Also, look out for our tips on how to eat well at BBQs and our reader offers.
If you have any comments or there is a particular topic you would like us to cover in the future, please contact us by e-mail.
Diabetes - could you be at risk?
In the UK, there are over 2 million people with diabetes and there are probably another ¾ million people who have it without knowing, which is potentially fatal! Most of us have heard of diabetes, some of us know what it is but a lot of people are still unsure – this article helps you decide whether you could be at risk of developing diabetes.
What is diabetes?
In simple terms, diabetes is a condition in which the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood is too high - this happens because the body is unable to process the glucose in the normal way. In non-diabetic people, the hormone insulin is responsible for helping glucose to enter the cells of the body so it can be used as a fuel. In diabetics, this mechanism does not work properly.
There are two main types of diabetes:
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TYPE I diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin and is the least common of the two main types
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TYPE II diabetes is when the body cannot make enough insulin or when the cells in the body do not react to the insulin properly. This type of diabetes normally appears in people who are overweight and over 40 although in South Asian and African-Caribbean people it often appears in people who are 25+. However more children are now being diagnosed with Type II diabetes than ever before.
What are the signs?
It is important to know the symptoms of diabetes and get anyone showing them checked out by their doctor. The main signs of diabetes include:
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Increased thirst
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Increased urination – especially at night
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Tiredness – usually severe
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Unexplained weight loss
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Blurred vision
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Outbreak of thrush or genital itching
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Slow healing of wounds
People who have Type I diabetes will probably notice these symptoms develop quickly – normally over a few weeks – and they will be very obvious. In Type II diabetics, the symptoms are unlikely to be very obvious and may not even be present especially in older people who may associate some of them with the normal signs of ageing.
However, early diagnosis is key in the successful management of diabetes, so if you suspect that you or another member of your family has it – get yourself tested.
Am I at risk?
The cause of Type I diabetes is still not known for sure but it is thought that it could be triggered by a virus or infection. Type II diabetes, however, is much better understood and there are several factors which are known to increase your chances of developing it.
Get yourself tested for diabetes if you are Caucasian and over 40 or from another ethnic group and over 25 and any of these risk factors apply to you:
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One of your parents or siblings has Type II diabetes
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You are overweight or obese
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Your waist measures more than:
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31.5" (80cm) for women
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37" (92cm) for Caucasian males
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35" (88cm) for males from other ethnic groups
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You have high blood pressure or have suffered a heart attack or stroke
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You have high cholesterol
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You are inactive and exercise less than 3 times per week
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You are female and:
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have polycystic ovary syndrome
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have had gestational diabetes
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gave birth to a baby weighing over 9lb
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Remember, the more risk factors you have, the higher your chance of developing diabetes. Although diabetes cannot be cured, it can be treated very successfully and the sooner you start treatment the better! It’s not all about medication either - staying fit & active and following a healthy diet are extremely important for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes.
How do I get tested?
Screening for diabetes is simple and only requires a small finger-prick blood sample which is analysed for its glucose concentration. Your blood glucose level, in conjunction with any risk factors that you possess can identify whether you are at risk of diabetes.
If screening identifies that you are at risk of diabetes, your GP will arrange for further assessments which will confirm whether or not you are diabetic. The course of treatment will be decided between yourself and your doctor if you are diagnosed as diabetic.
BlueSkies can perform cost-effective, workplace screening for diabetes and we will provide GP referral letters to anyone who is at risk of this condition. For more information on our screening services, click here to visit our Health MOT pages or please e-mail us for further details.
NB This information is not intended to supersede that provided by your GP or any other medical professional. If you suspect that you or any of your family members may have diabetes - consult your GP immediately.
Activity Of The Month - Cycling
14-22 June 2008 is Bike Week which promotes cycling as a source of fitness and fun! During Bike Week, thousands of free cycling events take place across the UK – for more information click here. But why’s cycling so good?
Well besides saving us money and reducing our carbon footprint if we use it as an alternative form of transport, cycling offers a whole range of health and fitness benefits.
It will develop and tone your muscles, especially those in your legs & bottom, at the same time as improving your cardiovascular fitness and reducing your risk of high blood pressure, heart problems and other conditions. Additionally, cycling allows us to experience more of the great outdoors on our own or with our families. So, what are you waiting for, get on your bike and enjoy! Remember....always wear a helmet to protect your head when cycling outdoors!
Heart Rate Monitors - are they worth the investment?
You’ve probably heard of heart rate monitors, you may have used one in the past or you may currently use one during training. But, if you don’t, have you ever considered what it could do for your motivation, training or performance? Could a heart rate monitor be your ideal training partner?
What are heart rate monitors?
Heart rate monitors (HRMs) are bands worn around the chest which detect your heart beat, this information is sent to a watch where your heart rate (HR) appears. You can buy a variety of different HRMs from basic ones that just tell you what your HR currently is, to all-singing, all-dancing varieties that have in-built GPS tracking systems. The beauty of HRMs is that, if you know how to use them, you really don’t need to spend a lot of money in order to benefit from them.
Why monitor HR?
The heart pumps blood around the body and, by doing so, distributes oxygen and nutrients. Working muscles need more oxygen than resting muscles and the harder you train, the more they need. Hence, the harder you exercise, the higher your HR needs to be to meet the demand for oxygen. The harder you work, the faster your heart beats until you reach your maximum HR which, contrary to popular opinion, cannot be increased through training.
Monitoring your HR allows you to monitor the intensity at which you are working – this is important as training at specific intensities will result in specific fitness adaptations. Using a HRM during training ensures that you work at the correct intensity – not too hard, not too easy. Easy training means that you will not benefit from all the potential fitness or health improvements that training at the correct intensity can elicit. On the other hand, training at too hard an intensity results in you not being able to maintain the exercise for long enough to gain the desired benefits.
How to use HR
When using HR to monitor your training, the values are normally given as percentages of your maximum HR which can be estimated through the following equation – Max HR = 220 – age. It is more accurate to perform a maximal exercise test to find out your true maximum HR, but these tests are not suitable for everybody. Once you have worked out your maximum HR, training can be prescribed and monitored more effectively.
Here are some of the best reasons to use a HRM during your workouts:
- There is no hiding place – HRMs tell you exactly how hard you are working, or not, as the case may be!
- They allow you to personalise your workout pace and intensity
- HRMs allow you to measure your progress – the fitter you get, the lower your HR will be at any given speed or intensity – this will increase your motivation!
- When using a HRM, training is more efficient – you will get the most out of the time you spend exercising
- HRMs are objective, there is no subjective measurement and no guess work
- HRMs make ideal training partners providing immediate feedback to tell you to go faster or slower and…...they won’t lie to you!
Here are some other facts to remember if you use HR to guide your training:
- HR takes time to adjust and will gradually level out at a steady value after 2-3 minutes of exercise at a certain pace
- HR can drift upwards during an exercise session without any increase in speed or intensity primarily due to water loss through sweat
- It is important to train in a fully hydrated state as dehydration will result in a higher HR at any intensity or speed
- If you are tired, fatigued or stressed, HR can be higher than normal
- Think about terrain and wind if outside – these increase the effort required to exercise thus increasing HR
- Even when all other things are constant, there can be a natural day to day variation in HR of about 3bpm
So, there you go – these are the basic facts about HRMs! If you are thinking about buying one you should take professional advice as the HRM you need will depend on your fitness, activity/sport and budget! Why not visit click on the banner below to visit Totally Fitness and let them help you choose the right model! If you’ve never used a HRM to train before you will find that it revolutionises your workout and you will wonder how you coped without it!
Exercise Of The Month - Static Lunges
The basic version of this exercise is great for toning and strengthening the whole legs – particularly bum and thighs. There is also an element of balance involved which makes it great for improving balance and stabilisation from the hip and ankles.
- To do the lunge take a giant step forward coming up onto your back toe and planting your front foot flat on the floor
- Make sure you keep feet hip width apart to maintain balance
- Keeping feet in position sink your body down vertically bringing both knees to right angles with the front knee directly over the ankle and back knee clear of the floor
- Push up through the legs to return to the start position and repeat the movement until you get tired – then change legs and do it all again!
- To progress this you can try the forward lunge by stepping into the lunge position and exploding back to a standing start
Top Tips For BBQs
Well, it looks like summer may finally be here and that means BBQ season – fantastic! Even better news is that BBQ-ing is one of the healthiest ways to cook. However this is easily ruined by overdosing on high calorie, high fat dressings, sauces and the traditional added extras!
Why not follow these tips to healthy summer cooking?
- Make chicken or vegetable kebabs – they're much lower in fat than traditional burgers
- Try salmon or tuna steaks as an alternative to meat
- Trim any visible fat off your meat before cooking and remove the skin from poultry
- Resist adding lashings of butter to your corn on the cob
- Use wholegrain bread rolls instead of white ones
- Avoid adding cheese to everything – if you do try using low fat varieties
- Bake your jacket potatoes in foil on the BBQ and try topping them with low fat yoghurt and chives
- Eat plenty of salad but avoid high fat dressings such as salad cream and vinaigrette - try basalmic vinegar instead
- Avoid pre-prepared coleslaw and potato salads which are laden with fat – make your own using low fat mayo or fromage frais
- Watch your alcohol intake – this is often the source of the majority of calories
Food Of The Month - Tomatoes
From cherry to beefsteak, plum to yellow pigmy - we love them all! Besides tasting great cold or hot and making a fantastic accompaniment, sauce or base to a wide variety of meals tomatoes are very, very good for you. Tomatoes contain water, fibre and a list of vitamins and minerals as long as your arm.
If this isn’t enough they also provide phytosterols (1) which can help to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and a high level of lycopene which is associated with a reduced incidence of prostate & digestive cancers and heart disease. Lycopene is even easier to absorb from tomatoes that have been cooked, juiced or pureed - so why not have fresh tomato soup tonight? (1. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2002; 22: 533-49. Epub 2002 Apr 4.)
Know Your V's & M's!
In today’s high-paced world, getting a healthy, balanced diet which supplies us with all the essential nutrients is sometimes harder than it seems. So, should we be popping vitamin & mineral pills to make up for our diets? Probably not as they cannot replicate the benefits of eating healthily and they are definitely not food substitutes! In fact, recent research suggests that excess amounts of certain vitamins may actually be bad for us.
What are vitamins & minerals?
Otherwise known as micronutrients, vitamins and minerals are substances that we need in small but steady amounts to ensure normal growth, health and functioning. We need to get them from our diets because the human body cannot make the majority of them.
There are two different types of vitamins:
- Fat soluble – these are vitamins A, D, E & K which, as the name suggests, dissolve in fat meaning that they can be stored in the body for future use
- Water soluble – vitamin C and the B-vitamins which need to be dissolved in water before they can be absorbed. These cannot be stored in the body – any excess that you consume passes through your body – so you need a fresh supply of them every day.
There are lots of different minerals and we need some of them in much larger quantities than others. For example, we need lots of calcium to keep our bones and teeth healthy and strong but we don’t need much zinc although it is essential for good health.
To find out more about vitamins and minerals, how much you need and what they do in the body, visit the Health Supplements Information Service at www.hsis.org – they also have a handy Nutrition Calculator so you can check to see whether you are likely to be deficient in any nutrients.
The best sources
The very best source of micronutrients are whole foods – unprocessed, naturally occurring foods. Although supplements will provide you with a concentrated form of certain micro-nutrients, whole foods:
- ….are complex! They provide you with a variety of nutrients e.g. oranges provide Vitamin C but also some calcium, lots of other nutrients and some fluid – Vitamin C tablets lack all of these other nutrients.
- …contain fibre! Dietary fibre is important for overall health and digestion, it may also help prevent certain cancers, diabetes and heart disease.
- …provide protection! There are many other substances which are important for good health and whole foods provide these e.g. fruit & veg provides phytochemicals which may protect against cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure as well as antioxidants which protect your cells and tissues from damage.
So, do you need a supplement?
If you eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods from all the major food groups, you probably don’t need to worry about supplements as your diet should provide you with everything you need. However, if your diet is poor or you are following a restricted diet you may want to consider supplements – pregnant women and older people are also sometimes recommended to take supplements.
Remember, the only ways to find out if you are deficient in certain nutrients are to have your diet analysed in detail by a nutrition professional or to have your blood tested. If you are worried about nutrient deficiencies – consult your GP.
BlueSkies provide dietary analysis services that may help you identify whether your diet is deficient in certain nutrients. For more information, click here or e-mail us for further details.
How to take supplements
If you do decide to take a vitamin and mineral supplement, please heed the following advice:
- Speak to a pharmacist before you buy any supplements to check whether they are suitable for you.
- Avoid ‘mega-doses’ of micronutrients as these can actually do more harm than good! In general, try to choose a supplement that provides ~100% of your daily requirements.
- Look for certification – make sure the product is scientifically proven to contain what it says it does.
- Store supplements carefully – in a dry, cool place away from kids – especially if you are buying ‘child-friendly’ supplements which taste like sweets.
- Take supplements with water at room temperature – hot or cold drinks can damage them. Don’t drink caffeine within 15 minutes of taking supplements as it can interfere with their absorption.
- Don’t combine lots of different supplements as they can interact and be less effective e.g. zinc interferes with the absorption of iron and copper.
NB This information is not intended to supersede that provided by your GP or any other medical professional. If you suspect that you or any of your family members may have a nutritional deficiency - consult your GP immediately.
Support The Blue Cross With BlueSkies
BlueSkies support The Blue Cross. Every year, The Blue Cross re-homes over 6,000 unwanted and homeless animals. They never put an animal down simply because it has no home and they keep them for as long as it takes to give them the best chance of finding a loving new owner. The Blue Cross have 11 animal adoption centres across the country working hard to find new owners for the animals in their care – they receive no government funding and are totally reliant on donations and fundraising.
If you want to help The Blue Cross but cannot re-home an animal, you can donate from as little as £2 per month – even this small amount can help save a life. For more information, click on the banner below.
Keeping Active At Work
Most of us know we should be more active, that we’d have more energy, lose a bit of weight and feel more comfortable if we spent more of the day moving. However, its one thing knowing that you want to be more active, but often quite another putting it into practice. To help you in your quest BlueSkies have put together some ideas to help you keep active at work.
The journey to work
The first thing many of us look at when trying to fit more activity into our day is the way we travel to and from work. This makes a lot of sense as it’s a journey you have to make anyway and there can often be fringe benefits to choosing a more active means of transport.
If you currently drive to work consider the following:
- Is there a bus route or train line between home and work with stops/stations a reasonable walking distance away from both?
- Could you cycle from home to work in a reasonable time?
- Could you share a lift with someone who works/lives close by and walk part of the journey?
- Could you park further away from work and walk part of the journey from my car?
You may find it’s cheaper or quicker to use an alternative means of transport (especially with fuel prices these days) and you’ll be doing your bit for the environment as well as helping yourself lose weight, improve your health and get fitter.
If you’re already using public transport consider the following:
- Could you get on and/off the bus further away from home/work to spend more of your journey walking?
- Could you get off a train a stop early and have a long walk to work/home/the other station?
- Could you take a bike on the train and get off a stop early to cycle to work/home/the other station?
- Could you cycle the full distance from home to work in one direction and use the bus/train the other way until you get fit enough to cycle both?
The working day
Once we’re at work it gets a whole lot harder to be active, unless you have a job that involves some manual labour you’re likely to be stuck behind a desk – all too often from the time you arrive until the time you leave.
Here are a few tips to make sure you keep activity levels up and stress levels down:
- If you work in an office with a smoker, every time they go for a cigarette, walk downstairs with them then come back up the stairs before they light up
- Set an alarm on your computer to go off every 2 hours and take a 10 minute walk
- Whenever anyone offers you a cup of tea or coffee walk to the water fountain and get a glass of water – have the tea or coffee too if you want it
- Use the toilets on a different floor of the building or the other end of the building
- Don’t send emails or make phone calls to people in the same office – go and speak to people instead
- Have meetings on the go when possible
- Stand up or pace when taking phone calls – you can always pretend you need to go somewhere private or quiet to talk
- Try to arrange out of the office meetings around lunch time or at the start or end of the day so you can build walking into your travel time to get there
- Always use stairs rather than lifts or escalators, at least for part of the journey
- Get involved in office activities and move around during teamwork rather than sitting and waiting for others to come to you
Your lunch break
Make sure you take your lunch break away from your desk as a matter of routine every day, whether long or short, at the same time or different it doesn’t matter, just get into the habit of having a proper break and using it in a positive way.
- Your lunch break is your time – use it to be active
- If there is a gym/swimming pool close to your workplace you could go and do a 20 minute session
- If there is a park near your workplace you could go for a walk
- If there are showers at your workplace you could go for a lunchtime jog – there may even be a walking/running club you could join – or you could start one!
- You could walk to a restaurant/sandwich shop/cafe further away from work
- Take lunch with you and walk to a park to eat outside when the weather’s good
There are many opportunities to be active in the workplace but you have to look for them. Start off by making a conscious decision to be active at work and commit to saying "YES" when an opportunity does arise.
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