Latest Article by Dr. Barry on HE'S BACKING US UP

This is a sneak preview of the article.... CLICK HERE to read the full article in

"He's Backing Us Up"

Situation : Our government is concerned

Diabetics.... rising numbers

We do not normally highlight articles in our blog... but the important ones will get our attention.

Diabetics has not become a serious problem for Malaysia and as Team Perfect Fit originates from Malaysia.... this article is certainly close to home.

Here's an excerpt from the article... “There has been an 80 per cent hike in diabetic cases over a period of 10 years (1996-2006) based on the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey last conducted in 2006. Now, Malaysia has the fourth highest number of diabetics in Asia."


Click HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE.

KNOW WHAT IS VISCERAL FAT???

Here is a great video explaining exactly what visceral fat is and how do you guage what your own levels of visceral fat is.....

An interview with Dr. Alvina Nam on Channel News Asia.....

Team Perfect Fit uses that same scale that was used in the interview.... speak to any of our coaches or click here to get in touch with us for a free screening ( we are nice... aren't we?) of what your visceral fat levels are today. All the best!

Extra! Extra!.... Read all about it !

The naked truth:-

• Obesity is a disease (yes, it’s actually a medical disease)
• The world is getting heavier
• Obesity caused by automation
• Automation of chores among reasons for obesity
• Overweight, obesity and cancer
• Fast track to obesity
• Obesity, tobacco major killers in Asia-Pacific
• Less pain without obesity
• Exercise alone will not prevent obesity in young
• Cutting up fat
• Shape up!
• Cancer risk in diet pills

Do we really need breakfast??

The Importance of Breakfast

Breakfast has often been described as the most important meal of the day; both children preparing for a hard day at school and busy parents going to work and looking after the kids need to start the day with the right ‘fuel’ to keep them going.

Breakfast literally means “Breaking the Fast” from the last meal or snack from the day before. For most people this will be at least 8-10 hours, and for children who eat earlier in the evening, it can be as long as 16hrs! Energy levels are therefore low in the mornings, and your body needs an energy boost, in the form of food, to kick start the day.

A number of studies have shown that eating breakfast regularly leads to improved mood and better memory. Breakfast eaters also tend to be less stressed and feel calmer. Adults perform better in mental tasks after eating breakfast, and children who eat breakfast perform better in school.

Breakfast should ideally provide around one quarter (25%) of your daily nutritional requirements. Skipping breakfast, whether due to lack of time or trying to lose weight, can mean missing out on essential nutrients, and studies have shown that breakfast skippers are unlikely to make up for these losses later in the day. This can have a negative effect on both short and long term health.

extracted from:www.eparenting.co.uk/food/the_importance_of_breakfast.shtml


Myths and Facts about Eating Breakfast

Myth: It is okay to skip breakfast, because it is not an important meal of the day.
Fact: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Myth: Eating breakfast will make you tired during the day.
Fact: Breakfast provides the energy needed to start the day off right!

Myth: Children who eat breakfast tend to have poor performance in school.
Fact: Children who eat a good breakfast perform better in school, pay more attention, are more creative, think better, score higher on tests

Myth: Children who eat breakfast tend to be overweight.
Fact: Children who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight.


extracted from: coldwaterchartwells.tripod.com/id27.html

Killer snores

Extract from HEALTH AT LARGE/Fit4life/Malaysian Sunday Star newspaper 1/2/2009

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) [wah.... sounds ominously close to the "Official Secrets Act"] is defined as being "a clinical condition in which the upper airway collapses intermittently and repeatedly during sleep".

Being overweight or obese greatly increases one's risk of developing OSA. A person with OSA could bear the following inherent risks:

1. seven times increased risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident (reduced alertness/daytime sleepiness)
2. 23 times increased risk of having a heart attack
3. Increased risk of getting a stroke
4. Increased risk of developing hypertension
5. Increased risk of developing PERSONALITY DISORDERS !!!! (oh oh!)
6. Impaired congnitive function
7. Impaired sexual performance (whoa!!!!!)

Common features of OSA... typically a person with OSA will have loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, feeling of choking or shortness of breathe at night, restless sleep, un-refreshing sleep, changes in personality (impaired concerntration, anxiety, irritability, depression, forgetfullness) and nocturia (waking up to pass urine at night).

Oh mi gosh!

THE OSA -OBESITY CYCLE!

Obesity and OSA is closely interlinked and many are caught up in this vicious cycle.

When one has OSA, they are fatigued the next day and this may cause a phenomenon called "eating for stimulation". A tired and sleepless (unfulfilled sleep) OSA patient eat more to get energy because they feel tired regardless of whether they have had even 10 hours or more of sleep.

They also hardly or never exercise because they are already in a tired state from their OSA.

In time, because of the lack of exercise and increased eating, they put on more weight and their OSA worsens and the cycle turns around and around. So.... an overweight person may not be greedy when it comes to eating... they need more energy and they may not be lazy when they don't exercise. Often, they are victims of this OSA-Obesity vicious cycle.

note: Will appreciate feedback from anyone who suffers or thinks they are suffering from OSA. Is what's stated above accurate?

How much water do you need a day?

Water is an important structural component of skin cartilage, tissues and organs. For human beings, every part of the body is dependent on water. Our body comprises about 75% water: the brain has 85%, blood is 90%, muscles are 75%, kidney is 82% and bones are 22% water. The functions of our glands and organs will eventually deteriorate if they are not nourished with good, clean water.

The average adult loses about 2.5 litres water daily through perspiration, breathing and elimination. Symptoms of the body's deterioration begins to appear when the body loses 5% of its total water volume. In a healthy adult, this is seen as fatigue and general discomfort, whereas for an infant, it can be dehydrating. In an elderly person, a 5% water loss causes the body chemistry to become abnormal, especially if the percentage of electrolytes is overbalanced with sodium.One can usually see symptoms of aging, such as wrinkles, lethargy and even disorientation. Continuous water loss over time will speed up aging as well as increase risks of diseases.

If your body is not sufficiently hydrated, the cells will draw water from your bloodstream, which will make your heart work harder. At the same time, the kidneys cannot purify blood effectively. When this happens, some of the kidney's workload is passed on to the liver and other organs, which may cause them to be severely stressed. Additionally, you may develop a number of minor health conditions such as constipation, dry and itchy skin, acne, nosebleeds, urinary tract infection, coughs, sneezing, sinus pressure, and headaches.

So, how much water is enough for you? The minimum amount of water you need depends on your body weight. A more accurate calculation, is to drink an ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.

Latest survey ....

Could this be down to ignorance of the parents on what constitute a healhty lifestle?

How Body Fat Scales Work And Why It's Important

Body fat scales use a technique called Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis... or BIA for short. Very simply...

A small and completely harmless electrical current is passed through your body. The electrical current passes more quickly through fat free tissue like muscle than it does through fat or bone tissue. So...

The amount of resistance to the electrical current relates to how much fat-free mass a person has and their body density.

Here's the first challenge...
Like all body fat tests, body fat scales don't actually measure your body fat percentage. They
determine your body density. The examiner (or the scales) then uses a formula to calculate body fat percentage based on body density.

Here's the key...
These formulas just predict your body fat. Unfortunately there is no one formula that accurately predicts body fat for the whole population. Differences in age, gender, ethnicity, body size, and
fitness level all have a significant affect on the results.

Most scales can account for some of the basic differences such as age and gender, but take the actual body fat percentage they give you with a pinch of salt.

What does this all mean for you?
Well, whether body fat scales measure your "true" body fat percentage or not doesn't matter! As long as they can accurately monitor changes in your body composition over time, that's all you need.

Your body position, the amount of water in your body, your food intake, skin temperature and recent physical activity can all adversely affect the results of body fat scales. So...

To achieve accurate, consistent results, you must standardise the way you perform each test. That simply means making each test with your scales as similar as possible.

The great thing about body fat scales is...
Standardising each test is easy to do.

Check out Tips on using body fat scales to get the most from your body fat scales.

Are body fat scales any better than plain old weighing scales?
Absolutely!

One of the biggest mistakes people on a weight management program make is gauging their progress by weight alone. Using a body fat scale provides another form of checking mechanism.


*note: reproduced from an article written in Sports Fitness Advisor website.

Hypothalamus??? What's that got to do with my weight?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hypothalamus


The hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (hypophysis).

The hypothalamus, (from Greek ὑποθαλαμος = under the thalamus) is located below the thalamus, just above the brain stem. In the terminology of neuroanatomy, it forms the ventral part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is roughly the size of an almond.

The hypothalamus is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the Autonomic Nervous System. It synthesizes and secretes neurohormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue and circadian cycles.

A fun way to learn... click on the video below:-

what are you? An apple or a pear?

Very often, if one is not in the best of shape... the body takes on either an apple shape or a pear shape...

You are an apple shape if you carry more weight around your waist. Apple shaped persons have a greater risk of lifestlye related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes and are also more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. An apple shaped woman can also experience menstrual irregularities and fertility problems.

If you carry more weight around your hips and thighs, you are considered pear shape and have less health risk than those who are apple shaped. However, you will be susceptible to problems like osteoporosis, varicose veins, and cellulite.

That was the bad news..... and what's the good news????? There is always Healthpointe with the Perfect Fit Team!!!!! hahahahahaha....

Attention divers!

MORE WEIGHT = EXCESS BAGGAGE = LOUSY DIVES

We all know that carrying excess body weight can reduce your fun in diving. Extra weight often means reduced levels of fitness, more exertion in the water and air running out sooner than is necessary. It also leads to raised blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which add unnecessary health risks when diving, as well as making you more prone to DCS (“decompression sickness”).


*Extracted from www.divernet.com

p.s : Lose that buldge and you will look good in a dive suit too !!!

An apple a day......

So many say they want to trim down and get healthy.... but those who actually get it done are, without exception, those who are willing to be coached and be taught.

Hint to Perfect Fit students!!!! Listen to your coaches!!!!!

This blur picture was taken with a shaky hand using a handphone from a bulletin board of a music school. Life's simple lessons found a wall.

Shoe shopping basics

Here are some tips that everyone should follow when buying walking shoes:

1. The sole of a walking shoe should be flexible with more bend in the toe than a running shoe. You will be more likely to get blisters if the shoe is too stiff. Make sure you can bend and twist the toe area of your walking shoe.

2. Breathable shoes are more comfortable. Mesh fabrics are better than leather, and they're lighter, too.

3. Shoes should always feel comfortable right away—there's no "breaking in" period. Don't buy shoes if seams or stitching can be felt. This can cause blisters, calluses or other injuries.

4. Feet swell during the day so get fitted for walking shoes at the end of the day when your foot is its largest.

5. Wear the socks you normally wear when walking. Synthetic socks made of polypropylene or other synthetics are better than cotton because they don't compress, they dry quickly, they wick moisture away from the foot, they prevent blisters, and the heel is padded. Ask at your shoe store for walking socks.

6. Allow one-half inch between the end of your longest toe and the shoe's end, with wiggle room for all toes.

7. The shoe should be as wide as possible across the forefoot without allowing heel slippage. Experiment with the lacing to get a proper fit if necessary.

8. Always try on both shoes before making purchase. Buy the larger size if one foot is larger than the other.

9. Replace your walking shoes when they no longer support your feet. You'll know your current shoe is worn down if you take them to the shoe store and feel the difference when you compare them to a new pair.

10. Find a reputable shoe store in your area to buy your shoes.

*extracted from medicinenet.com website

Is walking really a workout?

Is walking really a workout?

You may be surprised to learn that brisk walking can be almost as challenging as jogging. Here's why. When you walk at speeds faster than 3.1 mph, your stride length naturally increases (you don't necessarily want it to for efficiency but inevitably it happens). Lengthening your stride is inefficient because it requires additional energy to move your legs forward, which in turn requires more arm and torso movement, which leads to increased torso and hip rotation, which amounts to higher aerobic demands and more calorie-burning. This has been confirmed in the laboratory. The research shows that at maximal levels of exertion, oxygen consumption (the bottom line to cardiorespiratory fitness) is only slightly lower for racewalkers than it is for runners, and at submaximal or moderate-intense levels of exercise, oxygen consumption levels between race walkers and runners are almost equal. Racewalkers can reach speeds as high as 9 mph!

*extracted from medicinenet.com website

Top 10 reasons to walk

What are the top 10 reasons to walk?


1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. Walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.

2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.

3. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. Women who walk three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.

4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.

7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

*extracted from medicinet.com website

Tips on using body fat scales

1. Use them to measure your progress only. Don't compare your body fat percentage to tables or to your friends score. It is probably inaccurate no matter what the manufacturers say.

2. Choose body fat scales that have the right profile for you. If your children are going to use them make sure they can be calibrated for children. If you're an athlete (+10 hrs of strenuous exercise a week) same thing applies. This is important. It makes a big difference.

3. Measure out some water one hour before you test yourself. Make sure you always drink the same amount of water one hour before you test yourself.

4. Measure yourself at the same time of day for each test.

5. Your skin temperature affects the electrical current used by the scales. It's difficult but try to test yourself in a similar room temperature each time.

6. Don't test yourself after exercising. When you exercise you sweat and when you sweat you lose water. This affects your hydration levels and hence... the results.

7. Thoroughly clean the foot pads, preferably with alcohol and then dry them off each time you test.

8. Buy the most expensive body fat scales you can afford. Accuracy will almost certainly increase with price.


*note: reproduced from an article written in the Sports Fitness Advisor website