BODY BALANCE CHRISTAMS LAUNCH CLASS

Body Balance 59 instructor training today left a beautiful 

calm place in my heart.

 I hope you can share this with me at our  

Christmas Class Launch 

Saturday 15th December 

10.40am Warehouse Fitness Centre 

Hampton Rd South Fremantle
www.warehousefitness.com.au/

LATEST FITNESS RESEARCH

 NOVEMBER FITNESS NEWS

 (INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY Member Gymbag at www.fitnessnetwork.com.au)

Lose fat, gain sleep
A recent study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has reinforced previously held suppositions that people who lose weight will also benefit from improved sleep.
The sleep benefits were recorded in individuals who lost weight both through diet, and through diet combined with exercise. Good quality sleep is linked to better physical and mental wellbeing.
Senior study author, Kerry Stewart, a professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of clinical and research exercise physiology, said ‘We found that improvement in sleep quality was significantly associated with overall weight loss, especially belly fat’.
Over a six-month period, 55 overweight or obese study participants with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes took part in either dieting to achieve weight loss, or diet and exercise. They also responded to a survey on sleep habits and behaviours, both prior to and following the study.
Participants in both groups reduced their belly fat percentage by around 15 per cent, and lost an average 6.8kg. Additionally, both groups self-reported improved sleep quality of around 20 per cent by the study’s conclusion.
Commenting on the findings, Stewart said ‘The key ingredient for improved sleep quality from our study was a reduction in overall body fat, and, in particular belly fat, which was true no matter the age or gender of the participants or whether the weight loss came from diet alone or diet plus exercise’.
Source: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Activity boosts performance in kids
Research has found that even a few minutes per day of physical activity can lead to improved academic performance in children, including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
For the small study, 40 children aged 8 to 10 years – 20 of them with ADHD and 20 without – either walked briskly on a treadmill for 20 minutes or sat down to read a book. Following this, all of the children completed reading and maths tests and played a computer game that gauged their ability to focus on something without distraction.
The exercising groups – of both ADHD and non-ADHD children – performed better than the non-exercising groups.
Study leader and assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University, Matthew Pontifex, said ‘This provides some very early evidence that exercise might be a tool in our non-pharmaceutical treatment of ADHD. Maybe our first course of action that we would recommend to developmental psychologists would be to increase children's physical activity.’
Source: Journal of Pediatrics

Hypnosis may reduce hot flushes
Recent US research has found that hypnosis may help to significantly alleviate hot flushes in menopausal women.
Researchers led by Gary Elkins, director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University in Texas, found that hypnosis could reduce the frequency of hot flushes by up to 74 per cent.
For the study 187 women who reported having a minimum of seven hot flushes a day were allocated to either five weekly sessions of clinical hypnosis with at-home practice, or a five-week course of ‘structured attention’ treatment, which involved positive thinking and provision of information.
Twelve weeks after the treatment, the frequency of hot flushes was gauged via self-reporting and via measurement with a skin conductance monitor. The hypnosis group reported 74 per cent fewer hot flashes, and the comparison group 17 per cent fewer than prior to the treatment.
‘Our results indicated both a reduction in perceived hot flashes and physiologically verified reduction in hot flashes over three months’ said Elkins.
Source: Menopause


Go Home On Time Day encourages work/life balance
Wednesday 21 November this year's national Go Home On Time Day – the day Australians are encouraged to say 'no' to last-minute meetings, avoid out-of-hours emails and calls, and claim back some work/life balance.
Now in its fourth year, Go Home On Time Day was conceived by The Australia Institute, a public policy think tank, as a light-hearted way to start a serious conversation about the impact of poor work/life balance on our health, relationships and workplaces.
The Australia Institute's executive director Dr Richard Denniss said for many Australians leaving work on time is actually harder than it seems; ‘Whether it's not knowing what time you're supposed to finish work, or feeling guilty if you're the first to leave the office, getting out the door can be a daily battle for many Australians. National Go Home On Time Day provides at least one day of the year on which people can achieve a better work and life balance’ said Denniss.
This year the Australia Institute is working with beyondblue: the national depression and anxiety initiative to highlight the social and economic costs of job-related stress, which can lead to depression and anxiety. beyondblue is developing a range of new workplace resources to help managers discuss these issues with employees.
The Australia Institute reports that:

• Each year, Australians work more than two billion hours of unpaid overtime
• One in two Australians reports spending less time with family than they would like to because of work, as well as doing less physical activity
• Work prevents one in three of us from eating healthy meals

For information and resources go to www.gohomeontimeday.org.au or www.facebook.com/gohomeontimeday
Source: The Australia Institute

Fruit and vegies help kidney patients
Preliminary research from the US has found that increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet may improve the health of some kidney disease patients.
Taking their cue from alkaline therapy, which is used to treat kidney disease patients with too much acid in their bodies (severe metabolic acidosis), researchers examined if there was any benefit to be gained by adding fruit and vegetables (highly alkaline) to the diets of kidney disease patients with less severe metabolic acidosis.
For the study 108 kidney disease patients were divided into one of three groups: the first received extra fruit and vegetables in their diets; the second an oral alkaline medication; and the third, control group, received nothing. After three years, the study participants who consumed the increased quantities of fruits and vegetables or took the oral medication displayed a reduced marker of metabolic acidosis and preserved kidney function.
Study author Dr Nimrit Goraya, of Texas A&M College of Medicine, said ‘Our findings suggest that an apple a day keeps the nephrologist away’.
Source: American Society of Nephrology

Multivitamins no effect on heart
A new study has found that multivitamins – taken daily by millions of people worldwide – have no discernible effect on stroke, heart disease or heart attack.
The study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston monitored the cardiovascular health of around 15,000 older male doctors over a period of more than 10 years (the Physicians Health Study II). Over this time no benefit was perceived to be gained from taking multivitamins when compared to those who took a placebo. The study did find a link between cancer prevention and taking multivitamins, however – a reduction of about 8 per cent.
Lead study author Howard Sesso, said ‘I think that people take for granted the idea that, 'You take a supplement, it must be good for you somehow'. In fact, unless you do trials like this, that's really the only definitive way to provide evidence-based medicine to make the right decisions for patients.’
Commenting on the findings, Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said ‘The danger of taking multivitamins is that it will lead you to think that you don't need to do the other lifestyle things that are important. I think that for many patients, they take a multivitamin or other supplements – and it's a multibillion dollar industry – as a means to improve their health as a quick fix. That can actually be dangerous and have negative effects, because they are not going to be doing the things related to their diet and physical activity or smoking.’
Sesso concurred, saying ‘For many people, they take vitamin supplements as a crutch, and you want to avoid that scenario. Multivitamins and vitamin supplements represent a quick fix if you will, and we know that there are some benefits that can be seen from multivitamins, like cancer, but for cardiovascular disease we did not see the benefit.’
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association

 

MANDODESIGNS / NEXT GENERATION SOUTH HOLISTIC DAY NOV 4th

 

MANDODESIGNS METAPHYSICAL JEWELLERY

will be available for purchase as part of a

SPECIAL EVENT HOLISTIC DAY

 to be held at

NEXT GENERATION HEALTH AND RACQUET CLUB SOUTH

23 Port Kembla Drive Bibra Lake WA 6163

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4th

Come along and take time to attend a yoga, pilates, or meditation class, bring the family down for some fun,check out the facilities the club has to offer or learn about metaphysics and purchase your favourite MANDODESIGNS METAPHYSICAL 

bracelet or necklace.

Hope to see you there. 

NAMASTE

Marg Anderson

PERTH YOGA RETREAT

Immerse yourself in the totality of 

YOGA 

with this wonderful weekend retreat in the 

Perth Hills at the Serpentine Retreat Centre 

9 - 11th November 2012
Contact Next Generation South 
1800 077 177

BODY BALANCE LAUNCH SEPT 29th

Image: sakhorn38 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BODY BALANCE 58 WILL BE LAUNCHED AT THE 

WAREHOUSE FITNESS CENTRE 

HAMPTON RD SOUTH FREMANTLE  

SATURDAY 29th SEPTEMBER 10.40am

Whether you are a regular or just want to try something new, increase your flexibility, increase core strength, or create some inner calm why not come on down and give it a try.

Hope to see you there :)

Marg

SPRING FITNESS NEWS

Meditation weapon against loneliness

Unpleasant though it may be, feeling lonely does not just affect a person’s state of mind – it can also manifest itself physically, and has been linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and depression.

Recently a research team from the University of California, Los Angeles, reported that an eight-week mindfulness-based meditation program decreased loneliness in older people, a group in whom the problem of loneliness is particularly prevalent. They also discovered that the meditation process decreased expression of inflammatory genes which can stimulate disease.

Study author Steve Cole, a UCLA professor of medicine and psychiatry and a member of the Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, said ‘Our work presents the first evidence showing that a psychological intervention that decreases loneliness also reduces pro-inflammatory gene expression. If this is borne out by further research, MBSR could be a valuable tool to improve the quality of life for many elderly.’

Source: Brain, Behavior and Immunity

 

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Working out eases depression in heart patients

A year-long study by US researchers has found that exercise has the power to partially alleviate feelings of depression in people suffering chronic heart failure, a condition caused by poor blood flow which can lead to breathlessness, fatigue and fluid build-up in the lungs. Patients suffering this condition also have high levels of depression, of around 40 per cent.

The team, led by James Blumenthal of Duke University Medical Center, placed 2,300 patients into one of two groups. The first group received education and the usual care for their condition for the duration of the study. The second group participated in supervised aerobic physical activity for 90 minutes per week for the initial three months, followed by 120 minutes per week of exercise in their own homes for the following nine months.

Although the overall reduction in depression among the exercise group was small, the researchers noted that those study participants who adhered most strictly to the workout regime exhibited the greatest reduction in depressive symptoms.

A higher level of depression in heart failure patients was also linked by the study team to a more than 20 per cent increased risk of all-cause death and hospitalisation.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Association

-->Red wine good for balance?

It sounds counterintuitive, but new research from the US has found that red wine – or rather resveratrol, a compound found in red wine – may have the power to improve mobility in older people.

Study leader Jane Cavanaugh, PhD, and her colleagues from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh fed the compound – which has previously been linked to lowered cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers, reduced inflammation and anti-ageing – to young and old mice for an eight-week period. Throughout the study the mice were tested for their balance skills. By week eight the older mice, which had initially exhibited a higher percentage of errors, displayed balance skills on a par with the younger mice.

Cavanaugh said ‘Our study suggests that a natural compound like resveratrol, which can be obtained either through dietary supplementation or diet itself, could actually decrease some of the motor deficiencies that are seen in our ageing population. And that would, therefore, increase an ageing person's quality of life and decrease their risk of hospitalisation due to slips and falls.’

A problem, however, is that due to its poor absorption by the body, a person would have to drink several hundred glasses of red wine each day in order to obtain any health benefits. The researchers theorised that a man-made compound that mimics the effects of resveratrol but which is more bioavailable (easily absorbed by the body) could potentially be used to create a medication to help older people decrease their risk of injury through falls.

Source: Medical News Today

Weights may decrease risk of diabetes

While a link between aerobic exercise and lowered risk of type 2 diabetes has been long established, recent research has found that resistance training may also achieve the same health benefit.

In the study of over 30,000 men by teams from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Southern Denmark, men who weight trained daily for half an hour reduced their potential diabetes risk by up to 34 per cent. By combining resistance training with aerobic exercise, this reduction of risk increased to 59 per cent.

Lead author Anders Grøntved noted the importance of the finding for those who struggle to muster the enthusiasm for participating in group exercise. Attributing the findings to the increased muscle mass and improved insulin sensitivity brought about through resistance training, senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH, said ‘This study provides clear evidence that weight training has beneficial effects on diabetes risk over and above aerobic exercise.’

‘To achieve the best results for diabetes prevention, resistance training can be incorporated with aerobic exercise’ Hu concluded.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine

INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY Member Gymbag at www.fitnessnetwork.com.au
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net  

 

SUGAR FREE SEPTEMBER

Sugar Free September an initiative of the muesli.

What better way to start your Spring Fitness Plan than with a sensible, healthy, eating plan.
Join in the Sugar Free September Challenge http://themuesli.com.au/the-muesli-news
Read the article below and log on for more info on how to get in shape, eat fresh and get some great new shopping and meal tips.
You could also win some of their fabulous 97% sugar free muesli which I can personally recommend as delicious!

This is not about sponsors, medical research or charity. 
This is all about YOU.

Here's to a more healthy, happy September
Marg Anderson

There’s one certainty in all this and that is, it’s impossible to live completely ‘Sugar Free’!  After all, glucose is the basic building block to all human energy!

But it’s so easy to make a dramatic reduction to your sugar intake and that’s what Sugar Free September is all about.  What is also a certainty is that you’ll feel a lot better and probably lose weight.

Our mission is to help educate and enlighten people, who are justifiably concerned and confused about their diet, especially now that they are more aware of the issue of sugar.

At the muesli our key premise is very simple. There is already enough sugar occurring naturally in whole raw fruits, vegetables & dairy to count as ‘moderation’ in a balanced diet.

So, any sugar – added to, or in, any packaged or bottled food or drink – is what we must avoid.

On average Australians are eating (or drinking), more than 1kg of sugar a week and most don’t even realise it. The science is showing that this sugar is doing us harm in many more ways than just making us fat!

The Challenge - just try it!  See how much excess sugar you can cut out, simply by looking for it on packaged food & drink?

We want you to make a decision, to be actively involved in realising for yourself, that sugar is the main cause of weight gain.

the muesli – SFS One Line Rule – It’s simple, for the month of September, make it your mission to read just one line on the nutrition panel of any packaged food or drink that you are considering buying or eating – Sugars.

Under the - per 100g column – if the figure is more than 5g – don’t have it!  (Dairy contains lactose not fructose – lactose is also a sugar – but is not the one doing the damage, so in dairy products keep it natural – unflavoured – and the Sugars below 8g.)

                                      

GET READY FOR SEPTEMBER 1ST

Check your pantries & fridges for packaged foods with more than 5% sugar (5g/100g) and put them aside
Stock up with fresh whole foods, and check just one line on any nutrition panel – the Sugars line – more than 5% leave it alone

Sugar Free Tips

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - a serve of the muesli will fill you up for longer, and take you right through to lunchtime
Avoid all juices – eat whole
Avoid ‘fat free’ - often includes added sugar
Be careful of all sauces & dressings
Pack some nibbles for the office – slices of pear with cheddar, raw nuts & seeds, carrot or cucumber fingers
Add flavour to salads and cooked meals with fresh herbs and spices
Give salads some zing with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of nuts, some grilled prosciutto, or crumbled marinated goats cheese
Stick at it, the withdrawal symptoms will pass!

Make sure to Like or Follow on Facebook and Twitter for daily tips and weekly competitions.

See www.themuesli.com.au for weekly updates.
 
(Article written by the muesli)