Weigh The FAQS

Whenever my fitness routine becomes a little, well, too routine, I query my friends for their preferred method of exercise. I have found that everybody has their own way of keeping in shape, whether it’s kickboxing, jogging, or, just lifting weights for hours on end. Not all of them work for me, but there’s no harm in trying something new. To that end, I decided to accompany my friend to a Bikram yoga class.

For those who don’t know, Bikram yoga is a heavily franchised form of yoga that is practiced in a room heated to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit with 40% humidity. Pioneered, and ferociously copyrighted, by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970’s, the practice consists of 26 unvarying poses or asanas that are repeated twice over a 90-minute session. Though I have taken a yoga class before, I’d never ventured into the specialized Bikram studio and frankly, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to contort themselves into impossible positions while being stuck in conditions better suited to tropical islands than the gym. Yoga is difficult enough as it is without the added detriment of sweat and dehydration.

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Hello everyone! Jane here with just a quick post this week about something I thought you all might find as interesting as I did.

A recent study published in Neurology magazine found that putting on weight after age 40 make your three times as likely to be diagnosed with dementia. The study followed over 6,000 forty-somethings in Northern California well into their 70s. After an average of 36 years, 16% of the participants had developed dementia. However, those with the highest abdominal fat measurements were three times as likely to develop dementia as their slimmer counterparts. More alarming is the fact that these findings were consistent regardless of whether the participant’s weight was normal, overweight or obese. That means, even if you fall within the normal range of weight but have a high measurement of belly fat, you still fall within that three times more likely statistic.

In other words, you and me both have yet another good reason to lose the pounds and keep them OFF! As though hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer weren’t enough to convince us, here’s just another reason to get slim and stay slim.

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When it comes to losing weight, it’s better to change your lifestyle than your stomach…

Seven percent of the American population suffers from diabetes, and the numbers are rising thanks to type 2 diabetes’ connection to obesity. The good news is that obesity-related diabetes has been proven completely reversible - with weight loss and diet management. But that means that more and more people are turning to extreme weight loss measures in their battle against type 2 diabetes, including bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery limits the amount of food a patient can eat and digest. While the most common is gastric bypass (commonly known as stomach stapling), the lap band is growing in popularity because it’s a simpler procedure and has a lower complication rate. Basically, it’s an inflatable band that partitions the stomach into two parts allowing a tiny channel between the two sections; the very small top section becomes the patient’s “new” smaller stomach. The lap band can be adjusted or surgically removed.

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Ok ok, it wasn’t my job’s fault that I was fat, but I swear it wasn’t helping! I have had this conversation with my friends and coworkers over and over. It seems many people have trouble controlling their weight while working desk jobs… and why not?

Donuts in the break room. Vending machines downstairs. The candy jar by the front desk. The work place can be a veritable obstacle course on your path to weight loss. In a study of 5,600 workers worldwide, 28 percent reported a weight gain of more than 10 pounds and 13 percent said they gained more than 20 while working desk jobs. But earning cash doesn’t have to mean increasing inches - here are some surefire ways to keep work weight off, and even help you on your way to a leaner you.

Don’t eat at your desk. When you eat at your desk you are more likely to eat mindlessly and not pick up on your body’s “full” signal. Even if you don’t have time to take a proper lunch, go sit in the break room or on a bench outside and take a good ten minutes to really enjoy your food, and a much needed break from work.

Have an alternative plan. While you can’t force your coworkers to stop bringing in donuts or other unhealthy foods for everyone, you can make sure that you have other choices. Stock your company cupboards with healthier snack alternatives such as nuts, and dried wasabi peas. If your office has a fridge, keep yogurts, string cheese, fruits (tangerines and apple slices are my favorite) and veggies (apple slices) in there.

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