Working out when under the weather

With cold and flu season fast approaching, the active lifestyle many of us enjoyed during the summer may be waning. When the inevitable winter sniffles arrive, many of us naturally prefer to hide under the duvet than dedicate ourselves to exercise, but staying active can often help shorten the duration of common colds and in the long run, findings show that exercise helps your immune system fight simple infections.

How do you decide whether you should be getting physical when feeling under the weather? Here's what Dr. Edward R. Laskowski at the Mayo Clinic advises:

• Mild to moderate physical activity is usually ok if you have a garden-variety cold and no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by opening your nasal passages and temporarily relieving nasal congestion.
• Exercise is usually OK if your signs and symptoms are all "above the neck" — symptoms you may have with a common cold, such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or minor sore throat. Consider reducing the intensity and length of your workout, though, or you may feel worse. Instead of going for a run, take a walk, for example.
• Don't exercise if your signs and symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.
• Don't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches.
• Let your body be your guide. If you have a cold and feel miserable, take a break. Scaling back or taking a few days off from exercise when you're sick shouldn't affect your performance. Remember if you do choose to exercise when you're sick, reduce the intensity and length of your workout. If you attempt to exercise at your normal intensity when you have more than a simple cold, you could risk more serious injury or illness.

And when you feel better? Keep exercising in the winter months to avoid illness. Some findings report that moderate intensity exercise - daily 20 to 30 minute walks, going to the gym every other day, or biking with kids a few times a week - may reduce the number of colds you get. In one study reported in the American Journal of Medicine, women who walked for a half-hour every day for one year had half the number of colds as women who did not exercise. In this study, researchers associated regular walking with increasing levels of infection-fighting white blood cells. In another study, researchers found that the number of T-cells - a specific type of white blood cell - in 65-year-olds who exercised regularly was as high as those of people in their 30s.

Walking and life expectancy

Walking is one of the simplest, least expensive, and most effective things you can do for your health. It strengthens bones, tunes up the cardiovascular system, and, psychologically, can clear a cluttered mind. Hundreds of studies have documented its benefits, and now, researchers say that later in life, walking becomes as much an indicator of health as a promoter of it.

As we get older, the stroll that was once a walk in the park may get difficult for any number of reasons: angina, arthritis, bad balance, failing vision. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have shown that after about age 65, how fast we walk may predict how long we have to live.

Walking, or gait, speed has long been recognized as a proxy for overall health and vitality and has been measured in many research projects. The University of Pittsburgh researchers didn't conduct a new study, but used some sophisticated statistical techniques to pool the results of nine that had already been done. They standardized the disparate ways gait speed had been measured in those studies — no small feat — and then did some further analysis to see how gait speed correlated with how long people lived.

What they found was a remarkably consistent association between faster gait speed and longer life that was true for both men and women ages 65 and older. More precisely, each increase of 0.1 meter per second in gait speed was associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of dying during a study's follow-up period. They also calculated that people with gait speeds of 1 meter per second or faster lived longer than would be expected given their age or gender. (One meter per second is equivalent to 2.2 miles per hour and just a bit slower than the speed needed to cross the street at most timed traffic lights.)

When the researchers factored in body mass index, blood pressure, prior hospitalization, and several other factors, the relationship between gait speed and longevity didn't change much. In other words, walking speed seemed to be independently associated with life expectancy, not just a marker for other conditions that would affect it.

More number crunching produced interesting correlations between gait speed and five- and 10-year survival rates that make some easy comparisons possible. For example, just 15% of the men ages 75 to 84 with a very slow gait speed of less than 0.4 meters per second (imagine someone shuffling) lived for another 10 years. In contrast, half of those with a speedier gait of 1.2 meters per second or faster lived at least 10 years. Women live longer than men, so the survival rates were longer at both slow and fast speeds for them, but the pattern was the same: faster walkers had much better five- and 10-year survival rates than slower ones.

So does this mean that if you're older and you work on improving your walking speed, you'll live longer? No, you can't draw that kind of a cause-and-effect conclusion from this study, which is based on statistical associations in observational studies. On the other hand, countless other studies have shown associations between physical activity and better health and longer life. For the vast majority of people at any age, regular walking improves health.

The University of Pittsburgh re searchers envision a day when standardized measures of gait speed, along with other information, might be a low-tech way for doctors and other clinicians to assess the overall health and life expectancy of their patients. In fact, you could do it yourself at home. All that's needed is a reliable watch that keeps track of seconds and some tape to mark off four meters in a hallway or large room. A slow gait could trigger action to improve modifiable risk factors or, in a very old person, to avoid certain interventions — say, certain types of surgery — because life expectancy is too short. Clinicians would also be a position to give their fast-walking patients the good news about their health and life expectancy prospects.

Exercise: The male-female divide

While we know exercise is good for us, many researchers continue to investigate exactly how it affects our nervous system. One of the moest interesting studies conducted recently includes a look at the patterns between the sexes, which is revealing how differences affect blood flow and oxygen delivery to skeletal muscles.

Led by Emma Hart, Ph.D., a research fellow under Dr. Michael Joyner at the Mayo clinic, the research team’s study reveals a difference in how nerve traffic (nerve pulses per minute) influences the way men and women regulate blood pressureT

The findings may have important implications for understanding how hypertension and other disorders of blood pressure regulation occur in men and women. “We took some young men with variable nerve traffic and showed that people with very high nerve traffic had constricted blood vessels but a lower cardiac output, and that was one of the factors that kept them from having high blood pressure,” says Dr. Joyner. In young women this relationship was absent. “It’s an indication that the women’s blood vessels and cardiovascular systems responded to nerve impulses differently.”

In young women, the team suspects that reproductive hormones, known to be protective against cardiovascular disease, may prevent the blood vessels from becoming constricted when nerve traffic is high.

“We've known for many years that men and women are different in terms of blood pressure regulation,” says Dr. Charkoudian, who is working on the project. “We know that young women have a lower risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure) compared to young men. In this study, we focused on the importance of the sympathetic nervous system and its control of blood vessels as determinants of long-term blood pressure. Our data suggest that one of the ways women are ‘protected’ is by an influence of female hormones to alter this nerve-blood vessel interaction.”

The Joyner lab recruits a wide range of people for their studies including the occasional elite or master athlete, active and sedentary people, and those with medical conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, diseases of the autonomic nervous system and, especially people who have problems with blood pressure regulation.

Apple-picking your way to active health!

It's apple-picking season, and if you're lucky enough to live in a region with orchards, then there are so many good reasons to get out amongst the trees. Aside from the exercise and fresh air, experts now agree on the wide-ranging health benefits of this unassuming fruit.

With more than 7,500 varieties worldwide, apples pack a powerful nutritional punch, containing vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Apples are free of saturated and trans fats, and a medium-to-large-sized portion has only about 100 calories.

Research also suggests that apples may reduce the risk of certain cancers, specifically colon and prostate. Apples may protect the lungs of adults by reducing the risk of asthma and lung cancer. The fiber content is helpful for optimal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

And don't forget to eat the peel: it's ripe with pectin, a type of fiber, and polyphenols, powerful antioxidants, which can reduce cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. A study at Florida State University in Tallahassee published last spring confirmed these heart-healthy findings. There is also some evidence that eating apples helps regulate blood sugar and helps control your appetite.

Last year, the Iowa Women's Health Study reported that, among the 34,000-plus women it's been tracking for nearly 20 years, apples were associated with a lower risk of death from both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Some years earlier, Finnish researchers studying dietary data collected over 28 years from 9,208 men and women found that frequent apple eaters had the lowest risk of suffering strokes compared with non-apple eaters.

Experts attribute the heart-healthy benefits to antioxidant compounds found in apples, which help prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and inhibit inflammation. Plus, the soluble fiber in apples has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels. On top of that, Eating an apple before you work out may boost your exercise endurance. Apples deliver an antioxidant called quercetin, which aids endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs. One study showed that quercetin - when taken in supplement form - helped people bike longer

Apples are considered a "slow food" because you must take the time to chew them, giving your body time to feel full before you eat too much. The natural sweeteners in apples enter the bloodstream more slowly, keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels steady so that you feel full longer.  Another study found that apples might enhance your memory and keep your brain healthy as you age.

So make the most of the next few weeks - it's peak apple-picking time and this is a great way to sneak a little extra activity into your weekend!

Better food choices start at home

Can a cozy dining table and nice music prompt people to reach for the greens and go light on dessert? 

So suggests a new study probing why people tend to eat more-nutritious meals at home than away from home. The findings, based on data from 160 women who reported their emotional states before and after meals, add to mounting evidence that psychological factors may help override humans’ wired-in preference for high-fat, sugary foods.

“Over the course of evolution in a world of food scarcity, humans and animals alike have been biologically programmed to elicit more powerful food reward responses to high-caloric foods” than to less-fattening fare, the study notes. Given those hard-wired urges, it may not be enough to understand that broccoli is better for the waistline than French fries. Home is known to be where people feel most content, and the positive emotions often associated with home-cooked meals may be part of the recipe for a healthy diet, the researchers indicate.

The findings, published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that people who are in a good mood at home tend to prepare healthier meals – and feel more emotionally rewarded after eating them. That cycle of positive reinforcement was more pronounced at home than elsewhere.

  

The report, by Prof. Ji Lu of Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Catherine Huet, and Prof.. Laurette Dubé of McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, concludes that “the home is a privileged environment that nurtures healthy eating and in which healthier food choices trigger and are triggered by more positive emotions.”

This pattern may help explain why people make better choices at home than when eating out, says Prof. Dubé, senior author of the study and scientific director of the McGill World Platform for Health and Economic Convergence.

One limitation of the study is that all 160 participants were non-obese, white English-speaking women. Samples that vary in sex and culture, as well as samples that include children and obese populations, will be needed to demonstrate the extent to which the results can be generalized, the authors caution.

Even so, the findings provide insights that point toward novel strategies to encourage healthy eating, they conclude. Such strategies could rely on factors such as “interpersonal communications, home design and atmospheric cues” including “music, dining landscape, and kitchen equipment, which have all been found to induce positive emotions in both everyday and laboratory contexts.”

Top five (scientifically proven) reasons to get active

We're committed to keeping you up-to-date on the latest research in the field of active health, weight-loss strategies, nutrition and well-being - but let's take a minute this week to get back to basics. There are many, many reasons it's important to get active, but these five should be enough to convince you it's time to get moving:

1. Weight Control: This one is obvious. Even moderate exercise burns calories, calories which, unused, will turn into fat. There's no way around it, our body stores fat until it is needed as extra energy. When we get active, these fat stores are burned by the body. To maintain a healthy weight, American government guidelines advise 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week

2. Brain Power: It is now a generally accepted fact that exercise can improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, and thinking. Even gentle activities such as Tai Chi, which can be performed at any age, have been found to keep the mind sharp and protect against decline in brain function as we age. One study at the the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at the University of Pittsburgh found that older adults using relatively high amounts of energy in their daily activities have a significantly lower risk of becoming cognitively impaired compared to those who spend less energy. Similar studies in Toronto and Paris confirmed these findings.

3. Avoiding Ill-Health: Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce instances of many chronic diseases. Obesity is only the tip of the iceberg; physical activity has now been shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and high blood pressure. Regular exercise has also been shown to ease the pain of arthritis and aid those suffering from high stress levels and associated ill-health. A study published this month by leading medical journal The Lancet concluded that 15 minutes of physical activity per day reduces risk of death by 14% - that's almost one in six deaths postponed thanks to the minimum requirement for physical activity.

4. Emotional Well-being: Exercise is a key contributor when it comes to mental heath, offering not only the benefits of higher self esteem and body-image, but reducing risk of depression and anxiety. The feelings of achievement and success often felt after exercising are extremely positive, bolstered by the release of endorphins - the 'feel good hormones'. Regular exercise has also been found to improve sleep quality, which has a direct impact on mental and emotional clarity.

5. Speedy Recovery: Regular exercise and healthy living makes it much easier for your body to repair itself in the event of  injury or surgery. Physical activity increases muscle tissue and white blood cells, which help the body to reduce inflammation.

Active lifestyle important for cancer recovery

Patients receiving or recovering from cancer treatment often believe it's best to take it easy, but new research shows that being active is key in returning to full health.

According to a recent report by Macmillan Cancer Support, being advised to rest during treatment is an outdated view, and patients should be aiming to get at least two and a half hours of exercise per week. The UK report estimates that the vast majority of cancer patients are not active enough, and says that moderate exercise can combat common side-effects of treatment, including weight-gain and fatigue.

Exercise can also have a great impact on long-term health for cancer survivors, and previous research has shown that it could reduce the risk of recurrence (up to 40% for breast cancer).

The American Cancer Society concurs with these findings, and for many years have recommended exercise as a vital tool to keeping health on track during grueling cancer treatments, which can go on for months, even years. Moderate activity is what's being recommended - things like walking, gardening and swimming.