Yeshiva World News

TLC. When I was growing up, that meant “tender loving care”.  Today, the acronym  TLC also stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, and is the latest term used to describe medically based, structured, supportive programs to help people lower their risk of and to reverse life-threatening conditions such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. The purpose of this program is to help people improve eating habits, exercise, manage stress, quit smoking  and learn how to lead an active life style.  Unfortunately, due to heavy patient loads and a lack of time, the medical profession often ignores TLC, which ends up being very costly to both the patient and to the economy as a whole.  It is much more cost-efficient to improve your health without drugs or surgery.  

Dr. Neil Gordon, M.D., PhD, who is a preventive cardiologist, headed a study published in 2004 in the Journal of Cardiology which  reported the effectiveness of a 12-week community- based lifestyle management program.  This particular program was geared towards  people with hypertension, abnormal cholesterol and diabetes.  Dr. Gordon and his team found that many of the patients achieved their goals – without medication. Specifically:

• 67% of the participants lowered their blood pressure to their stated goals.
• 39% of the participants lowered their blood sugar to acceptable levels.
• 21% of the participants lowered their LDL cholesterol to their goal level.

It is important when beginning a TLC program that you are first evaluated to access your current health status, and to determine your risk of disease.  Then, you need to state your desired  goals.  Do you want to lower cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar?  Do you need to quit smoking?  And finally,  how are you going to reach those goals?  You may choose a combination of dietary change along with a well-rounded exercise program.  You may also need to add some behavioral therapy into the equation.  Each program needs to be set up individually, keeping in mind the patient’s abilities to exercise, his daily schedule, and his capacity to stick to a program.  

It may be easier to prescribe drug therapy for a patient.  But if the root cause can be treated and preventative measures can be taken, TLC  should be the first step.  Even if one needs to take medication, those medicines will likely work much better in conjunction with TLC.  TLC not only treat the symptoms; it treats the underlying problems and works to prevent you from becoming unhealthy.  TLC has been found to be so effective that 54% of US corporations have made it part of their corporate culture.  The result is greater productivity in the workplace, as workers accomplish more tasks each day, and take less sick days.  

There is no doubt that there are times when drug therapy is the only recourse.  But always ask you doctor if you can try TLC first.  Invest the time in visiting a lifestyle coach or personal trainer, and try it first.  Check out the the websites for the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org or Medline Plus at http://medlineplus.gov/healthyliving.html for some help and guidance.  Even if it doesn’t work completely, it can lower your drug dosages substantially.   And even if you are perfectly healthy, TLC is the best preventive medicine around.  Using Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes is great way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.”  

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E.* CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 15 years of professional experience. He is the Co-Director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M. Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  Check out the Lose It! web site – www.loseit.co.il.  US Line: 516-568-5027.

Get ready, get set, quit! Thursday marks the annual Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, which urges all smokers to lay off the habit for at least 24 hours.

There have been dramatic changes in attitudes about smoking and a large decrease in smoking rates since the Smokeout was first held in 1977.

The annual event includes local and nationwide events meant to encourage smokers to quit for at least one day in the hope that they may decide to permanently kick the habit.

The Smokeout has helped focus attention on the dangers of tobacco use and contributed to a “cultural revolution” in tobacco control, says the American Cancer Society.

Between 1978 and 2009, the percentage of adults who smoke in the United States fell from 34 percent to 21 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Smoking is now banned in many public places and work areas. As of Oct. 1, 2010, Medicare programs must cover tobacco-dependence treatments for pregnant women. Beginning in 2011, coverage for smoking cessation treatment will be provided to all federal employees, retirees, and their spouses and dependents.

But, even though progress is being made, 46.6 million U.S. adults still smoke, 40 percent of nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke, and smoking and secondhand smoke causes 443,000 deaths each year, according to the CDC.

That’s why the Great American Smokeout is still important. Thousands of volunteers visit schools, malls and workplaces to distribute information about quitting and to publicize events. The volunteers also enlist nonsmokers to “adopt” smokers for the day and support them with advice and snacks.

Smokers who take part are asked to quit smoking for 24 hours. Even if they don’t quit permanently, they learn that they can kick the habit for a day and that they have plenty of support if they decide to quit in the future, according to the American Cancer Society.

The day includes events such as parades, rallies, athletic activities and ceremonial cigarette burials and bonfires. Some unique events from previous years include:

• A national sandwich shop handed out free “cold turkey” sandwiches and cookies to smokers who traded in at least a half pack of cigarettes.
• A hospital gave newborns free T-shirts that said “I’m a Born Nonsmoker.”
• A Houston event used the slogan “Don’t Let Smoking Be an Obstacle” for an activity in which smokers ran an obstacle course that included oversized cigarette packs, matches and ashtrays.

(Source: HealthFinder)

Even though the weather outside is still relatively warm, winter is only a few weeks away. And winter can play havoc with your exercise program if you are not prepared to tackle the problems that come with it.

Although some people have aerobic exercise equipment in their homes, most rely on the outdoors for their aerobic workouts. When the rain begins to fall, the wind begins to blow and the temperatures drop, it becomes easy to excuse yourself from your daily aerobic routine. You begin working out less, just as you appetite begins to increase from the cold. As you increase your caloric intake, you will be burning fewer calories, leading to weight gain.

So how are we to cope?  Even if you have no exercise equipment, there is plenty you can do in the way of indoors aerobic exercise. Since most of us here in Israel live in apartment buildings, we have access to staircases. If you have three or four flights of stairs, try going up the stairs, two at a time if you can, and then walk down slowly for recovery. Do four to six sets. Another alternative is running in place for several minutes. Good old simple Jumping Jacks are also aerobic. Or try sitting yourself in the push-up position but alternate right and left to bring your knees up to your chest. As you return one side, bring up the other. This is called the sliding ski stretch. It is desirable to integrate all of these different types of exercises into a 25-30 minute routine.

In addition to the aerobics, couple your aerobic routine with some resistance training.  Do abdominal exercises as well as push-ups and dips, and use a simple band to work other muscles.  It is good to intersperse these exercises within your aerobic routine – something we call circuit training.  For instance, you can do 4 sets of stairs, and then do your abs.  Then you can run/jog in place for 5 minutes and do your push-ups and dips.  Follow this with some jumping jacks and sliding ski stretches, and general stretches after you have finished.  This is a quick and easy way to stay in shape no matter what the weather is outside. 

And as far as the outside goes, if you want to brave the cold, dress appropriately.  Gloves and warm sweat clothes are a good idea.  Either a hood or ski hat will help you retain your body heat, which escapes through your head.  Be careful to stay hydrated even though it’s cold.  If you want to workout in the rain, be sure to wear waterproof exercise wear. 

Don’t let the winter add up to more calories consumed and less expended.  Be vigilant in your workout and try to keep your caloric consumption in check.  Fresh hot soups and herbal teas can help curb your appetite.  And remember – exercising and staying active in the winter are great ways to stay nice and warm. 

Staying in good shape during the winter is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your yea, and years to your life.” 

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E.* CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 14 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  Check out the Lose It! web site – www.loseit.co.il.  US Line: 516-568-5027.

* American Council on Exercise

Over time, we tend to create habits and patterns in our eating.   And like any other habits or behaviors, they can be very difficult to break.  One of the most common and frequently used techniques for improving nutrition and aiding weight loss is to substitute on a food-by-food basis.   This simply means that you take a particular food which you eat on a regular basis that may be calorie-dense and/or unhealthy, and find a healthier and leaner alternative.  For instance, if you like alcoholic beverages, try a glass of dry red wine, which has much less carbohydrates than mixed drinks.  If you love that crunch in your soup or salad and have been using croutons, you can swap out this high-calorie, high fat, fried food for  walnuts or almonds, which are full of mono-unsaturated fats and  can help bring down your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol.   For your main course, instead of beef dishes, choose lean chicken or turkey breast, grilled.  And if you still using high-fat dressings on a perfectly healthy vegetable salad,  try changing to lemon juice with just a bit of olive oil instead.

And how about those snacks?  Some of the snacks that we tend to think of as being healthy just might have a better alternative.  Let’s look at some common snacks and see what we can be doing better. 

Snack Bars
Snack Bars are also know as breakfast bars, granola bars, low-carb bars etc. Frequently made from refined flours, most brands are also riddled with fat (hydrogenated oils) and sugar (in its many forms). For a real energy boost, look for snack bars made from complex carbohydrates such as oats, and minimal or no fat and sugar.

Bagels
Refined white carbs are not OK, despite what you might have been told about their fat-free properties. One bagel is roughly equal to six slices of white bread. Go for whole grain products and consume only half of what you’re used to. Save the other half for tomorrow.

Muffins
Surely a muffin is innocent, right? Only if you want to consume 600 to 900 calories every time you eat one! Margarine – lots of it – is what makes muffins moist. Reap the benefits of healthy fats by eating an avocado or a handful of walnuts, both of which are rich in omega-3 oils.

Rice Cakes
Yes, they’re low in calories. That’s because they’re puffed rice – no vitamins or minerals, mostly air! Try some whole grain crackers instead (make sure they don’t contain trans fats!) where for the same calories, you get some good nutrition.

Popcorn
It is almost always doused in unhealthy, hydrogenated oils.  Try some protein-packed seeds and nuts or at least use the hot-air variety.

Fruit
Of course, fruit is good for you, but watch out for the calories.  Have three or four servings a day – tops,  and try to include some berries as well – they are very high in antioxidants and phytonutrients. 

Learning to make the right choices is definitely a challenge.   But these small changes can make a big difference in both your nutrition and your weight loss.  Start with one or two substitutions and build from there.  Making healthier food choices can “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” 

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 12 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il

(YWN Desk – NYC)

With all the improvements we’ve seen over the last few years in health care, whether through treatment or preventive medicine, heart disease remains the number one preventable cause of death in the western world.  And according to Canadian researchers, whether you are talking about Montana or Malaysia, the same risk factors – smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure – cause 90% of all heart attacks.

In the past, it was believed that these particular risk factors could account for just about half of all heart attacks, but in a paper presented last year to the European Society of Cardiology by Dr. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, nine in ten heart attacks might be prevented with proper control of these 4 risk factors.

The impressive sample presented in this study, which is one reason for its credibility, included 14,820 healthy subjects, and 15,152 people who had suffered first heart attacks.  They included participants from Europe, Latin America, China, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa.  In addition the broad spectrum of the study, two new approaches were used to measure the risk of heart attack.  First: waist circumference, which is a direct gauge of abdominal fat, was used rather than Body Mass Index (BMI).  Second, a simple blood test that measures the ratio of small and large cholesterol molecules was used in place of a standard blood cholesterol test.  This provided an instant ratio between HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol).  The results were quite intriguing.  Persons with the highest risk ratio suffered a 54% increased risk of heart attack.  Smoking increased the risk by 36%, but when combined with a poor cholesterol ratio, the two factors account for 66% of all heart attacks.  And even a little puff here and there is dangerous.  Five cigarettes per day increase your chance of heart attack by 40% compared to a non-smoker.

Rounding out the list of risk factors were diabetes, high blood pressure, sedentary life style and a diet that does not include generous portions of vegetables and fruits.  On the positive side, a good diet, regular exercise and very moderate alcohol intake reduced you the risk of heart attack regardless of your ethnicity.

What we see from this is that the potential for real health benefits, without medication or surgery, exists.  We health professionals may say it hundreds of times, but it works:  Eat right, exercise, stay active and keep your stress under control.  We all have relatives and close friends.  It’s simply not fair to them for us to risk our lives with poor habits and uncontrolled desires for and harmful food and cigarettes, and   sedentary lifestyles.

Bottom line: Our health is in our own hands. There is no better way than taking our health seriously and creating good health habit to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.”

Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E.* CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 14 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss and stress reduction center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.Sc. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@loseit.co.il  Check out the Lose It! web site – www.loseit.co.il.  US Line: 516-568-5027.

* American Council on Exercise