For years, we’ve heard that the way to lose weight, get healthy, and basically improve every area of your life, is through cardio and aerobic exercises like jogging, biking, and the elliptical machine.  But, conventional wisdom may be starting to change.  It appears that weight training may be more important to weight and fat loss than we think.  

Consider this study, mentioned in a recent Men’s Health article.  Dr. Jeff Volek divide a group of overweight people into three groups.  With all groups on the same diet, one did no exercise, one did aerobic exercise 3x a week, and one did both the aerobics and weight training.  The groups all lost about the same amount of weight over 12 weeks.  However, the weight training group had the most success in losing fat and retaining muscle.  This result has been confirmed in other studies.

It seems that the more we study, the more we realize that weight training may be the ultimate missing link.  There’s a lot more to say on this topic, particularly, we’ll review what the father of the so-called American kettlebell movement has to say about the results of weight training and also look at what Dr. Al Sears has to say about cardio in the next couple of posts.

Have you ever considered that basically, from Halloween through Valentine’s Day, we as Americans engage in one feast after another for fully 1/3 of the year?  When you look at it that way, it’s no wonder why we are overweight.  Just think, starting with Halloween candy and ending with Sweetheart chocolate, we are going for one treat after another.   Don’t forget the Super Bowl parties and New Year’s celebrations.  Then, of course, there are the major feast events like Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Thanksgiving is basically a holiday centered around gorging yourself silly and watching football.  It’s an amazing world.

So, what can we do about it all?  Of course, there is our weight loss supplements that many swear by this time of year.  But here are a few other coping mechanisms, courtesy of Medicinenet.com’s Holiday Weight Management section.

1.  Awareness– we really do need to learn to slow down and be aware of what we are eating.  Keep in mind that this is a tough time of year– be realistic and admit you are going to have those treats, and then reign in the horses and get back on track.  Take the extra walk during the day and use the smaller plates– save the 13 inch monster platter for serving, not eating.

2.  Manage Stress and Emotions– We all know that emotions trigger a desire to eat.  It’s such a bit coping mechanism for many of us.  try to lighten the schedule– there is no need to serve day upon day of massive meals.  Use potlucks and buffet style meals to make it easier on yourself.  If you can, embrace the fact that exercise is a stress reducer– just do it.

3.  Planning– what are you going to eat?  Have a healthy snack before going to the big party.  Stay away from the office treats.  Decide if a party is lunch or dinner.  That is, don’t just fatten up at the holiday party at work and then move on to a full fledged dinner.  If the party at the office was dinner, plan on, and implement, a smaller supper at home.

Count your blessings, remember the reason for the holidays and celebrations, and food can become just a part of the season instead of the primary focus.

One of the top health and wellness stories on Christmas Eve came from USA Today.  Entitled “New Year’s resolutions from the experts themselves“, several top fitness experts talked about their personal resolutions.

Some of them were pretty typical– enjoy meals by going slower, teaching and practicing healthy eating habits, etc.  But one in particular caught our eye–
“I have resolved to take out my tai chi tapes and to become really proficient in it. Tai chi is great for balance and for core strength and can be done anywhere with no special equipment or clothing. Plus, it’s really cool. I’m 64 on Dec 26. It is not a time to take up triathlon training; it’s time to set in place the behaviors that will make for my healthy aging…

First of all, none of us at My Natural Supplements are medical experts of any kind and these are only our personal opinions.  That said, I have a real problem with this statement.  Healthy Aging?  It seems like this particular expert is saying that the downhill road has begun, time to start practicing “old folks” exercise.  Now, I’m barely half this person’s age, so I may be wrong, but I hope this isn’t what I’ll be thinking at that age. 

We’ve learned so much over the last few years about just what the human body is capable of.  We do have triathletes at 64 and older– just watch the next Ironman on TV (we just had an Ford Ironman finisher who credits some of his success to our ProXtreme and Sure to Endure Sports Supplements).  Avon sponsors 60 mile 3-day walks and many of those cancer survivors have such a different attitude then suggested by this quote.  I can find nothing helpful in thinking that when you reach a certain age, it’s time to think about health aging…  That attitude even feeds on itself and I wonder in a few years, after health aging, this expert will be talking about healthy dying?

Well, personally, I can’t rely on this excuse, but it turns out that for some kids, being overweight may be something they really cannot control.  USA Today reported that for some children, a missing part of their DNA makeup makes them extremely likely to be obese.

Study: Missing DNA can promote childhood obesity

The British study looked at kids who were very overweight and determined that they are missing part of chromosome 16, which caused them to be unresponsive to the hormone leptin.  Leptin controls the appetite.  So, for these little ones, they always wanted to eat and were always hungry. 

Also reported in the study was how this discovery lead to parenting behavior being reconsidered in at least 4 cases that had drawn the attention of the child welfare authorities