BlueSkies Newsletter - May 2008
Welcome to the May 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 avoid hydrogenated fats 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.
The Weight Of The Issue
Being overweight is bad for your health! But what is ‘overweight’, what is ‘normal’ and how do you measure it? Is weight or fat the problem? Should you measure your waist or get on the scales? It can be very confusing, so this article aims to give you the bare, naked truth!
Fat facts
Let’s start with a few facts! The human body is made up of a number of different components – muscle, bone, blood & fat etc. The amount of fat that we carry that is one of the key factors in determining our health but body fat can be split into two different types – essential fat and storage fat.
- Essential fat is vital for our body to function normally and it represents ~3% of total body mass
- Females have additional, gender-specific essential fat which represents ~9% of body mass, therefore essential fat in women is about 4x higher than in men.
- Storage fat surrounds/protects our vital organs and is deposited under the skin too. This is the fat that we can gain or lose and it normally represents ~12% body mass in men and ~15% in women.
Therefore, the average male would have ~15% body fat and the average female ~27%.
Overweight or over-fat?
This is one of the common areas of confusion – weight or fat? Well, in reality both are important! If you are overweight, you are likely to be over-fat but this is not always the case. Your GP would use something called the Body Mass Index (BMI) to assess the ‘normalcy’ of your weight in relation to your height. BMI applies to the majority of people but not to everyone!
For example, highly muscled athletes would probably be categorised as overweight or obese but they are definitely not fat! So, BMI is only useful to a point. BlueSkies BMI tape measures have a handy BMI calculator wheel on the front to allow you to keep track of your BMI – click here to find out more.
What are you made of?
Measuring body composition tells you much more than BMI – it tells you how much of your weight is fat! There are several ways to measure body composition with the gold standard method being hydrostatic weighing where you are immersed in water. Luckily, other, more convenient, methods are available – these range from skinfold callipers to scales which send a small electrical current through your body.
We NEED some fat but too much or too little is unhealthy and excess fat mass is really just useless weight which you have to carry around with you. The Omron BF-500 body composition analysis scales provide a cost-effective, accurate way of measuring your body composition – click here to find out more.
Watch your waist!
Keeping an eye on your waist measurement is a good way to monitor your weight-related health risks without the need for any specialist equipment. High waist measurements are linked to an increased risk of certain conditions and can quadruple your risk of diabetes and heart disease. In addition to this, new research shows that women with waists over 35" (90cm) are twice as likely to die from cancer than those with waist measurements of less than 28" (70cm).
As a general rule, men with a waist measurement over 40" (100cm) and women with a measurement of over 35" (90cm) are classified as ‘high risk’. BlueSkies BMI tape measures will help you to track your waist measurement and are colour coded to identify your current health risks – click here to find out more.
Apple or pear?
Did you know that your body shape can tell you quite a lot too? Apple shaped people are those who carry fat around their stomach whereas pears carry it around their hips and buttocks and this difference is indicative of health risks. Apples are more likely to suffer from a range of medical conditions and are up to 4x more likely to suffer from a heart attack. Your shape can be assessed by your waist to hip ratio (WHR) – waist measurement divided by hip measurement – normal is <0.8 for women and <0.95 for men.
Why bother?
So, why the obsession with body composition and weight? It’s fairly simple really – health! We know that excess body mass is linked to many conditions including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers. It is also a known factor in increasing injury risk during activity and will worsen conditions such as arthritis. Carrying excess fat is proven to shorten life expectancy – so it’s worth knowing about it!
If you do need to lose body fat, the good news is that you are in the right place! Combining regular exercise and a healthy diet is the best way to change your body composition and BlueSkies can advise you on how best to do this! For more information on BlueSkies weight management programmes, either e-mail us or click here.
Activity Of The Month - Kite Flying
Has it been a while since you ran around a field holding a piece of string and desperately trying to get a coloured piece of cloth to stay in the air? The evenings are getting brighter and longer and with April historically being a dry month if you want to have some active outdoors family fun without the boredom factor of a long bike ride or run then grab yourself a kite and get out there!
The more adventurous among you may even want to give powerkiting, kite surfing or even kite landboarding a go. Visit www.thekitesociety.org.uk for info and events or www.kiteworld.co.uk to buy kites of all shapes and sizes.
Living & Exercising With Asthma
6th May 2008 is World Asthma Day and this year it is focusing on controlling your asthma. Approximately 5.2 million people in the UK are currently receiving treatment for asthma and it is estimated that a person affected by asthma lives in 1 out of 5 households. Asthma is an extremely common condition but, when well-controlled, it doesn't need to detriment the sufferers lifestyle. The better controlled your asthma, the better your quality of life.
Is your asthma well-controlled?
Asthma UK have devised the following three questions to help you identify whether your asthma is under control - in the last month.....
- Have you had difficulty sleeping because of your asthma?
- Have you had your usual asthma symptoms during the day?
- Has your asthma interfered with your usual activities?
- Waking at night coughing, wheezing, short of breath or with a tight chest
- Having to take time off work because of your asthma
- Finding it difficult to breathe, and taking short, shallow breaths
- Needing more and more reliever treatment
- Finding that your reliever does not seem to be working
- Having to take your reliever more frequently than every four hours
- Feeling that you cannot keep up with your usual level of activity or exercise
Exercising with asthma
Well-controlled asthma shouldn't prevent you from benefitting from regular exercise or physical activity - the same applies to children. There are no reasons why asthmatics should place any restriction on their activity levels as long as they have their asthma under control.
However, 4 out of 10 people with asthma say that it stops them exercising despite the fact that research shows that active people can control their asthma more effectively and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Paula Radcliffe, Paul Scholes, Adrian Moorhouse and Ian Botham all have asthma and just look at what they have achieved!
All forms of exercise are suitable for individuals with asthma but remember to always keep your inhaler to hand just in case. Also, if you are just starting-out, you should introduce yourself to exercise gradually, just as non-asthmatics should. The following exercise may be of particular benefit:
- Yoga - some asthmatics find that the breathing techniques taught in yoga classes are beneficial for their asthma.
- Swimming - the warm, humid environment is less likely to trigger asthma attacks so swimming has long been a favoured activity for asthmatics. However, some asthmatics find that the chemicals in the pool can trigger attacks.
Remember, you should always consult your GP or asthma nurse if you are considering starting an exercise programme and try to follow these tips:
- Always carry your reliever with you when exercising
- Try to ensure that people around you know that you are asthmatic and that they are aware of where you keep your reliever
- Avoid asthma triggers such as pollen when exercising
- Warm up and cool down properly as this will help you to avoid developing asthma symptoms
For more information, why not visit www.asthma.org.uk?
Exercise Of The Month - Single leg squat
If you've mastered basic squats and lunges and need more progression with your leg training without having to load up on heavy weights then look no further. Single leg squats are challenging and will not only improve leg strength and tone but joint stability, balance and coordination too.
- Stand with one foot elevated on a step, bench or other stable surface and the other dangling in mid air next to it
- Keeping good posture and using hands to help with balance if needed, slowly lower hips down and back into a half squat position
- Push through the heel of the working leg to return to standing, keeping a slightly soft bend in the knee
- Repeat until good technique can no longer be maintained
- Remember throughout the exercise - Keep knees tracking in line with toes, keep hips level, only lower through a range of motion you can control
Fatal Fats?!
Unless you’ve been living underground, you’ll be aware of hydrogenated fat. But do you know what it is and why you should try to avoid it? Here’s the information that you need to know and the steps that you can take to avoid consuming too much of this ‘nasty fat’!
Hydrogenated fat is an artificially created fat that is formed when unsaturated vegetable oil is cooked at very high temperature, under very high pressure. During this process, hydrogen gas is pumped into the oil turning it into a solid, or semi-solid, saturated fat hence turning a ‘good fat’ into a ‘bad fat’. Our bodies don’t recognise artificially saturated fat making it difficult to digest and meaning that it can stay in the body for a long time causing weight gain and digestive problems.
Additionally, when hydrogenated fat is produced, trans-fats may also be formed meaning that food containing hydrogenated fat may also contain trans-fats which are known to increase the level of ‘bad cholesterol’ in the blood.
Authorities such as the Harvard Medical School estimate that up to 100,000 premature deaths in the US are attributable to hydrogenated and/or trans-fats each year. It is also thought that hydrogenated fat is responsible for the huge increase in heart disease seen since its introduction after World War 1. So, err on the side of caution and try the following tips to reduce your intake of these ‘fatal fats’:
- Hydrogenated fats are added to prolong the shelf-life of a food so try to choose fresh products instead of processed ones with a long shelf-life.
- Try to avoid processed foods such as cakes and biscuits that are likely to contain hydrogenated fats.
- Choose supermarket-own brands as many of the large retailers have vowed to remove trans-fats from their products. Asda, Boots, Co-Op, Iceland, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose have all taken this step.
- Check out the labels of the foods that you buy – manufacturers are now labelling foods that are free from hydrogenated and trans-fats.
- If a food does not have a ‘free-from’ label, read the ingredients list before adding it to your trolley.
- Avoid fast-food which is likely to contain these ‘bad’ forms of fat.
- When you’re eating out, try to choose freshly prepared meals that are not fried to limit your intake of hydrogenated and trans-fats.
Food Of The Month - Spinach
Spinach is often called a ‘super-food’ and with good reason! Calorie for calorie, spinach has more nutrients than any other food – it is literally packed full of vitamins and minerals and is particularly rich in Vitamins A, C & K, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid and fibre. In terms of health, the nutrients in spinach can help you maintain healthy bones, help ward off certain cancers, protect against heart disease and protect your eyesight and memory! What better excuse to eat a lovely, rich Spinach and Ricotta cannelloni?!
Control Your Cholesterol!
Most of us are aware of the dangers of having too much cholesterol. In fact, we are so aware of it that ‘cholesterol-lowering’ products such as spreads, yoghurts, cereals and supplements are some of the best selling ‘health foods’ but do we need these products or are there other measures we can take to safeguard our health?
The basics!
Cholesterol is essential for good health as it is found in every cell in the human body. Only ~30% of cholesterol in the body is from dietary sources, the rest is made by the liver. It has many roles within the body such as aiding in vitamin D production which is essential for bone health and in the production of bile salts which are needed for fat digestion.
Cholesterol also helps insulate nerve fibres ensuring that nerve signals travel properly and it is the material that the body uses to make essential hormones too. Cholesterol is transported around the body in the blood bound to proteins resulting in substances called lipoproteins. There are two main types of lipoproteins:
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Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) which have the greatest affinity for artery cell walls meaning that they are more likely to contribute to the narrowing of arteries. A high LDL level means a greater risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and, for this reason, LDLs are known as 'bad cholesterol'.
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High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs) are often referred to as ‘good cholesterol’ as they ‘mop up’ excess LDL cholesterol and transport it to the liver for disposal therefore exerting a protective effect against CHD.
Story of two halves!
To find out your cholesterol level, you will need a blood test which can be carried out by a health professional. It is important to know your numbers as there are no obvious outward signs of high cholesterol. BlueSkies provide a cholesterol testing service to groups or corporate clients either as part of a Health MOT or as a stand alone assessment – click here to find out more.
Due to the fact that we have good and bad cholesterol, measuring total cholesterol doesn’t always tell us the whole story. If your total cholesterol is measured as >5.2mmol/L, it is recommended that you visit your GP to find out how much of your cholesterol is HDL and how much is LDL? Ideally, LDLs should be <4mmol/L and HDLs should make up >1.0mmol/L of total cholesterol.
Prevention rather than cure!
Cholesterol concentration is directly linked to the risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and diseases of arteries elsewhere in the body. However, high cholesterol is largely preventable through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and diet. For people with high cholesterol, a 1% fall in cholesterol reduces the risk of heart attack by 2% - simple dietary changes may reduce total cholesterol by 5% - 10%!
This may not apply to those individuals who have Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) which is a genetic condition that causes the liver to produce too much cholesterol. FH is often passed down through families, so if your relatives have high cholesterol it is important that you are screened. People with FH often struggle to bring their cholesterol levels down through diet and healthy lifestyle. Very often, drug therapy is advised for individuals with FH.
Diet design!
It is important to understand the effect of diet on cholesterol levels. By decreasing your intake of foods that are high in cholesterol such as eggs, prawns, shellfish, liver and organ meat, you can lower your cholesterol but this is only part of the story.
Just as there is good and bad cholesterol, there is also good and bad fat! Saturated fat is the baddie and an excess in your diet will raise your cholesterol level more than dietary cholesterol. So, it makes sense to cut back on saturated fat. Foods such as lard, dripping, butter, cheese, cream, whole milk, fatty meat, sausages, burgers, paté, suet, creamy soups/sauces, cheese sauces, oily bread, pastry, croissants, fudge, chocolate, coconut oil and palm oil are all high in saturated fat.
Eggs are often shunned in an attempt to reduce cholesterol. Although they do contain cholesterol, including up to 3 per week in your diet should not overly affect your cholesterol levels.
The good fats, as far as cholesterol is concerned are your monounsaturated fats as these may help to reduce your LDL cholesterol. They will not cause any decrease in your HDL cholesterol – in fact, some sources believe that they will boost your HDL cholesterol. Good sources of monounsaturated fat include olive oil/spread, seeds, nuts, seed & nut oils/spreads and avocado. Polyunsaturated fats, such as those from oily fish, may lower your LDL cholesterol but also appear to lower your HDL cholesterol.
Tips to control cholesterol
Here are some more dietary tips to help control cholesterol:
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A high fibre diet can help control cholesterol – oats are particularly good.
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Include garlic in your diet – it contains allicin which inhibits the retention of LDL in the blood vessels.
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Eat plenty of fruit & veg – they are high in antioxidants which may prevent LDL from sticking to artery walls as well as being high in fibre.
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Consume sugar in moderation – it raises the natural level of cholesterol.
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Drink alcohol in moderation as it appears to increase HDL cholesterol production.
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Soya protein is an excellent substitute for meat and it may help to lower cholesterol levels.
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Drink plenty of water as it encourages the fibre in food to swell and stimulates the liver to produce HDL.
Other beneficial habits!
It’s not all about diet though – here are some other key factors which will help you to control cholesterol:
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Regular exercise can improve HDL levels but will not directly affect LDL levels. This highlights the need to combine a good diet with regular physical activity.
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Smoking is linked with high cholesterol, therefore if you smoke you should try to give up or at least cut down. It is believed that smoking depresses HDL levels.
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Stress causes an overproduction of LDL cholesterol.
For more information on cholesterol and how to improve your cholesterol profile, click here.
Reader Offer - £25 of Tesco clothing vouchers for free!
Tesco's clothing ranges are proving extremely popular with shoppers and fashionistas alike! If you have not sampled them for yourself or, if you are a regular shopper, Tesco are giving you the chance to get £25 worth of clothing vouchers for free! All you need to do is click on the banner below and register on the Fashion at Tesco website. This offer is open for a limited time only so get a wiggle on and claim your free vouchers today!
Product Of The Month - Reebok Rebounder
The Reebok Rebounder or mini trampoline will help you to improve your strength, agility, balance, stamina and general fitness, whether you're bouncing, jogging or dancing! It's club quality with a solid spring system, a stable 6 leg design and is convenient to store as the legs unscrew. Rebounding has been quoted by NASA to be "the most efficient and effective exercise yet devised by man" . The Reebok Rebounder comes complete with a full workout program. For more information or to purchase, click on the link to Totally Fitness below.
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
Good posture at work is vitally important as this is where you spend the majority of your time. Correct workstation ergonomics which includes the way that your desk is set up and the chair that you use can help to prevent problems ranging from repetitive strain injury in the wrist to neck pain.
Here are some tips for correct workstation set-up:
Adjust your chair's lumbar support so that it does it's job and supports your lower spine. - Adjust your chair height to ensure that you have a 90 degree bend in your elbows when using your mouse and keyboard - if this raises your feet off the floor, use a foot rest to bring your knees back to 90 degrees.
- If you use a hot-desk, always adjust the chair before starting work.
- If you spend a lot of time on the phone, use a headset so that you avoid having to strain your neck when taking calls.
- The top of your computer screen should be in-line with your eyes so that you don't have to move your head up or down to read it.
- Your screen and keyboard should be directly in front of you so that you do not have to twist to use them.
- If your work between two screens or between a screen and a client, swivel your whole body around on your chair keeping your hips and knees facing forward rather than rotating from your lower spine - this will help you avoid nasty lower back injuries.
- Avoid using laptops on your lap!
- If you use a laptop, try to get a docking station so that your screen and keyboard are at the right height.
- If it is not possibleto get a docking station, try raising the back of your laptop up to raise the screen height. Physio Supplies Ltd, one of the UK's leading suppliers of physio equipment, are now stocking a brand new product - the Cool Laptop Stand. This is a portable, award winning, lightweight, laptop stand that will help to improve your posture. It works by bringing your laptop screen to the correct height reducing the strain placed on your eyes, neck and back. For more information, click on the banner below to visit Physio Supplies Ltd.
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