Just the Facts…Only the facts.

 General Health Facts.

According the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of three U.S. adults or 31.3% has high blood pressure.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, Diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages 8.3 percent of the U.S. population.

A 2011 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the following:

·      The average male consumes 175 calories a day from drinks containing added sugar (like soda).

·      The average female consumes 94 calories from these drinks

·      About half of the population drinks a sugar-sweetened beverage on any given day.

More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from

23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as one major study, the Minnesota Heart Survey, found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly (Cloud, 2009).

 According to the American Heart Association, by eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits a day, you can reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease by 30%, lose weight, and enhance your immune system.

 According to the International Journal of Obesity (2008), People on average end up overeating by over 250 calories per day when they start a cardio program and end up GAINING weight.  In a 18-month study of 538 students it was found that when kids start to exercise, they end up eating more not just a little more, but an average of 100 calories more than they had just burned.

Childhood Obesity Rates Increase Worldwide-Obesity rates climbed 10% for all United States children and 18% for female children between 2003 and 2007.  A separate study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010) found that the global rate of overweight and obesity in kids under 5 rose from 4.2% in 1990 to 6.7% in 2010 with that trend expected to continue (Halvorson, 2011).

Prevention

Prevent-Hypertension/Diabetes/Obesity/Stroke by doing the following:

Eat a healthy diet. Eating healthfully can help keep your blood pressure down. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, which provide nutrients such as potassium and fiber. Also, eat foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Research shows that high blood pressure can be prevented and lowered by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which includes eating less salt and sodium. The DASH eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. It also contains less salt and sodium; sweets, added sugars, and sugar-containing beverages; fats; and red meats than the typical American diet. This heart healthy way of eating is also lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and rich in nutrients that are associated with lowering blood pressure—mainly potassium, magnesium, and calcium, protein, and fiber. The Dash Diet has also been effective in controlling Diabetes (Azadbakht, 2011).

Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can raise your blood pressure. Losing weight can help you lower your blood pressure.

To find out whether your weight is healthy, doctors often calculate a number called the body mass index.  If you know your weight and height, you can compute your BMI  just go the following link  http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Be physically active. Physical activity can help lower blood pressure. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.

Questions

Ask yourself…..

1. How many minutes to hours per day do I watch TV?

2. How many minutes to hours per day do I surf the web or Iphones?

3. How many minutes to hours per day sit in traffic?

4. How many minutes to hours per day do I sleep?

5. How many minutes to hours per day do I do chat on the telephone?

There are 168 hours in one week.  If you work a 40 hours per week and sleep 8 hours per night, you still have 72 hours in a 7 days. 

How are you using your time to improve your health?     ~Stayfitt

References

Azadbakht, L. Pour Ford, N., Karimi, M., Baghaei, M., Surkan, P. J., Rahimi, M., & 

Willett, W. C. (2011). Effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan on Cardiovascular Risks Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients. Diabetes Care, 34(1), 55-57. doi:10.2337/dc10-0676

Champagne, C. M. (2006). Dietary Interventions on Blood Pressure: The Dietary

Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trials. Nutrition Reviews, 64(2), S53-S56.

Cloud, J. (2009). Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin. Time, 174(6), 42-47.

Farley, T. A., Baker, E. T., Futrell, L., & Rice, J. C. (2010). The Ubiquity of Energy-

Dense Snack Foods: A National Multicity Study. American Journal Of Public Health, 100(2), 306-311.

Halvorson, R. (2011). Childhood Obesity Rates Increase Worldwide. IDEA Fitness

            Journal, 8(2), 13.

A new direction: Food Pyramid yields to PCRM's power plate. (2010). Good

            Medicine, 19(2), 6-8.

National Center for Health Statistics. (2008) Health, United States. Hyattsville, MD:

            National Center for Health Statistics; 2008

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Retrieved on January 17, 2012 form

            www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov

National Institute of Health. Retrieved on January 17, 2012 from

            http://health.nih.gov/topic/HighBloodPressure

Sonneville, K. R., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2008). Total energy intake, adolescent 
            discretionary behaviors and the energy gap. International Journal Of Obesity, 32S19-S27. 
              doi:10.1038/ijo.20