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Focus on Fitness: Plant-based ‘meat’ is trendy, but is it healthy?

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

Some environmentalists claim it’ll save the planet. Some vegans believe it’ll help end animal cruelty. Some people think it’s healthier than meat. I’m referring to a recent addition to the Canadian food industry, a product marketed as “plant-based meat.” Is this meat alternative really a healthy source of protein, or just an over-hyped Frankenburger?

Television and radio advertisements for A&W and Tim Hortons recently caught my attention. I was intrigued by A&W’s “Beyond Meat Burger,” as well as both chains’ plant-based ‘sausage’ patties.

Red meat consumption is associated with increased risk of some cancers and other chronic diseases. Eating less red meat in favour of alternative proteins is recommended in the 2019 edition of “Canada’s Food Guide.” [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Things women want and deserve from their health and fitness sources

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

Historically, most medical studies have been conducted using male subjects. Women are significantly underrepresented in research on some of the top killers of women, such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. https://tinyurl.com/y8qpsu8q

Trials that exclude women are potentially hazardous to women’s health. Ignoring biological sex differences and adjusting the prescribed dosages or making other modifications to account for women’s generally smaller stature is often inadequate. Women want and deserve to be included in studies and have the medical research gender gap closed. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: How your body changes when you stop exercising

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

There are times when sticking to an exercise routine becomes difficult and you may be unable to exercise for a few days or a week. Sometimes circumstances prevent you from getting in your strength training or cardio workouts for an extended period of time, such as a few weeks or months. You may have an injury or illness, a hectic schedule, or simply a lack of motivation. Maybe you’re away on vacation. Unfortunately, you can’t bank exercise. Most of the physiological benefits of exercise start to wane just a few weeks after you become inactive. You may know from experience that when you don’t exercise, you get weaker, slower and fatter; but what actually happens to your body when you take an extended break from exercise?

The level of decline you experience when you stop exercising is based on factors such as your age, gender, genetics and fitness level. One of the first things you’ll notice is a decrease in your physical endurance. You may get out of breath more easily. This is because your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) decreases. VO2 max measures the difference between the oxygen concentration in the blood leaving the heart and returning to the heart. Regular endurance exercise leads to improvements in your heart, blood vessels, capillaries and mitochondria; therefore, your body more efficiently uses oxygen and nutrients. After refraining from cardio exercise (e.g., High Intensity Interval Training, running, aerobics classes, swimming, cycling, brisk walking) for just two weeks, your VO2 max can decrease by 10 per cent and in three months by 20 per cent. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: World record powerlifter and Jewish teenager Naomi Kutin

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

If you’re looking for a positive young role model for your daughter or granddaughter, 17-year-old Jewish American powerlifting champion and multiple record holder Naomi Kutin of New Jersey fits the bill.  Naomi – nicknamed Supergirl – began powerlifting at age eight. When she was nine and weighed 88 pounds, Naomi broke the world record for her weight class by squatting 205 pounds. With lots of determination, hard work and the support of her parents and four siblings, Naomi has continued to break regional and U.S. records as well as achieve new personal bests.

Naomi sees herself as a trailblazer in more ways than one. As well as shattering stereotypes by being a female in a male-dominated sport, she says that at some competitions she’s been the first Jew that people ever met. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Dogs can improve your health and quality of life

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

When I was a child, my parents didn’t allow us to have a dog because they thought it would trigger my allergies. What they didn’t know then, which studies have since shown, is that children who grow up with a dog in the home have a reduced risk of allergies and may also have a boosted immune system. https://tinyurl.com/yaxlsd4r

Whether it’s a pet, a trained service dog or a visiting therapy dog, dogs provide many mental and physical health benefits. Dogs have a calming effect. So do cats and other pets. However, if you have a dog, you probably get more exercise than if you have a cat, a bird or no pet; this contributes to lower blood pressure. Dog owners tend to cope better with stress; they experience less reactivity when under stress; their heart rate and blood pressure go up less and return to normal more quickly than people who do not have dogs. https://tinyurl.com/ybxgu2p3 [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Sometimes a snack is just what you need

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

Snacking: So many of us do it. Snacking means eating food between regular meals. Snacking often gets a bad rap. Growing up, many of us were ingrained with the idea that snacking would ruin our appetite at meal time.

Some people eat three square meals and don’t feel the need to snack in between. Everyone has different nutritional needs and habits. The problem is when you’re snacking frequently and consuming more calories than you need, or if your snacks typically include unhealthy foods. The results of such habits can be unwanted weight gain or damaging effects on your health such as high blood pressure. Avoiding unnecessary evening snacking due to boredom or stress, especially during the winter months, can be a challenge. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Is your current lifestyle the best predictor of your health?

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

A healthy lifestyle generally includes regular exercise, a balanced diet, stress management, not smoking or using illicit drugs, minimal alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight and regularly getting a good night’s sleep. A healthy lifestyle can improve the quality of your life and possibly extend it. There are many determinants of your health besides your current lifestyle habits; genetic predisposition for certain diseases, for example, though a healthy lifestyle can help prevent some genes from being expressed.

Before you were even born, and early into your life, certain variables were at play that may have impacted your health in adulthood. The age and health of your mother when she became pregnant impacted your fetal development, as did her smoking, drug and alcohol habits, and her diet and activity level before and during pregnancy. For example, if your mother was obese during pregnancy, it put you at greater risk for obesity during adulthood. If your mother smoked or had inadequate nutrition during pregnancy resulting in you having a low birth weight, your risk increased for various issues such as schizophrenia and respiratory problems. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Get a solid workout with four tried-and-true exercises

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

If you want to improve your strength but you don’t have access to a fitness centre or exercise equipment, you can follow my back-to-basics workout. Whether you’re a beginner or an athlete, these traditional exercises will challenge you and develop your muscles. If you have health issues, consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program. There are many variations of these exercises as well as thousands of other exercises that can give you similar results. You may benefit from working with a personal trainer who can modify the exercises based on your individual health issues and goals.

Begin with an injury-preventing warm-up of five to 10 minutes. You can do some dynamic stretching such as swinging your arms, shrugging your shoulders and swinging your legs; or you can do light exercise such as walking or jogging on the spot. The warm-up should not be intense and should slightly elevate your heart rate. Once you’re warmed up, you can begin. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Canada’s new dietary guidelines provide food for thought

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

The 2019 version of “Canada’s Dietary Guidelines,” previously known as “Canada’s Food Guide,” was released in January. The nutritional guidelines are intended as a resource for policy makers and health professionals as well as individuals with an interest in making healthy food choices.

The guide was originally published in 1942 to address widespread nutritional deficiencies caused by wartime food rationing. The guide has changed over time to reflect the needs of Canadians and the latest research in nutrition science. Sometimes food industry lobby groups have influenced the content and not always in ways that are in the best interest of Canadians. [Read more…]

Focus on Fitness: Which fitness trends will you adopt in 2019?

By :

Gloria Schwartz

Gloria Schwartz

Each year, major fitness organizations survey their members to predict upcoming fitness-related trends. Fads spread like wildfire but have a relatively short lifespan. Think back to the hula hoop, the ThighMaster, and more recently, the Shake Weight and yoga with baby goats. Fitness trends take root and become longer-term influencers. I reviewed the 2019 survey findings of Canadian Fitness Professionals – https://tinyurl.com/y9sfd55m – (of which I am a member) and the American College of Sports Medicine – https://tinyurl.com/y8kz4egh.

While the main purpose of these surveys is to generate more income for fitness professionals (individuals and health clubs) and the organizations themselves, the findings suggest what consumers can expect to see offered by trainers and health clubs in 2019. [Read more…]