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DON’T TRUST THE EXPERTS

 With nearly 67,000 members, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1917 by a group of women dedicated to helping the government conserve food and improve the public’s health and nutrition during World War I, the organization’s mission is “leading the future of dietetics.”

ADA members serve the public as “the most valued source” of good advice about food and nutrition, with a commitment “to helping people enjoy healthier lives.” Forty-six states currently have laws concerning professional regulation of dietitians and nutritionists, according to the ADA’s website. The group’s rationale for protecting these titles is simple: the public deserves to know which individuals are qualified by education, experience and examination to provide nutrition care services.

The history of these laws began in 1987, when the Ohio state legislature passed a law, creating the Ohio Board of Dietetics, which prevented anyone from giving advice on nutrition except members of the ADA. This law seems in line with public interest by restricting unqualified people from giving nutritional advice. However, the law was passed not to protect the public from poor nutrition advice, but to protect its own dietitians from competition.

The Board asserts that only dietitians have permission to use the term “nutritionist” in their job title. Other professionals with master’s degrees or Ph.D.s in nutrition, who are not members of the ADA, are not allowed to use “nutrition” in their titles in Ohio. In addition, only dietitians are able to give advice, provide education and develop policies on nutrition.

The Board put the issue into the national agenda, pushing for state-by-state legislation to exclude everyone other than certified dietitians from giving nutritional advice. During a six-year period, beginning in 1996, the board went after 795 people with lawsuits, but made a serious tactical error when it turned its guns on Dr. Pamela Popper, a well-known nutritionist with two Ph.D.s, who had designed an education program for an Ohio hospital, but was not a member of the ADA.

The Board came after Popper, threatening criminal prosecution. She not only fought the Board and the ADA, but also vigorously campaigned to expose their practices, such as putting qualified professionals out of business, using heavy-handed investigation techniques, prohibiting the public to obtain unbiased nutrition information and failure to show that anyone had been harmed by nutrition advice given by someone who was not a member of the ADA. 

Popper made people aware that dietetics is only a small part of nutrition theory, and publicized the fact that the ADA is heavily funded by the food industry, receiving millions of dollars a year from agricultural organizations and corporations that manufacture food and food additives.

The ADA’s website contains a series of fact sheets about various food and health concerns, sponsored by the same corporations that make them. Information on “Balancing Calories and Optimizing Fat” is sponsored by Hellmans  maker of the best-selling mayonnaise in the country. Wendy’s sponsors another fact sheet called “What’s a Mom to Do? Healthy Eating Tips for Families.”

“You can’t take $50,000 a year from the sugar association and say bad things about sugar,” Popper writes. “This organization controls the educational programming and registration of the thousands of dietitians in the  United States. It is my personal opinion that the influences of industry on the practice of dietitians is one of the reasons why nutrition in institutions such as hospitals, schools and nursing homes continues to be abominable.”

The story of the ADA is just part of the long history of commerce in America. Each interest group tries to destroy the opposition in order to create a monopoly for itself, thereby acquiring more power, status and profits. If we cannot trust any of these groups, including many dietitians, to give us good advice about health and nutrition, whom can we trust?

From:  Integrative Nutrition

INEXPENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE

The Fitness Ball

It is easy to use for stretching and it will support and cushion your body. It will certainly help to increase your flexibility, strength and endurance. You will tone muscles and improve your functionality. Initially it will challenge your body to improve alignment and balance via strengthening your stabilizing muscle. You may target your abdominal and lower back muscles thus stabilizing your spine.

Let’s look at some simple yet effective exercises you may do with an exercise ball.

·         Warm up

o   While sitting on top of the ball relax your arms on your thighs. Place your thighs approximately 90 degrees to you lower legs. Place your feet firmly on the floor and begin to shift your weight up and down, bouncing gently on the ball. Do this for 60 seconds or more if you are seeking an aerobic workout.

o   8-12 reps

·         Legs

o   Leg curls:

§   Lay on the floor with your legs out stretched and your feet and calves on the ball. Place your hands on the floor next to your body.

§  With your heels press down firmly into the ball. Bend your knees and roll the ball in towards your until your feet are flat on the ball.

§  8-12 reps

o   Outer Thighs:

§  Laying sideways place your body sideways on the ball. Extend your leg out to the side with your foot on the floor.

§  Balance your body with both hands on the front of the ball and your lower leg bent on the floor.

§  Lift your top leg until it is parallel to the floor. Hold and return to start

§  Do not let your hips roll and keep your lower leg bent.

§  8-12 reps

o   Inner Thigh:

§  Lay on the floor on your side, lower you arm under your head using your upper arm for stability.

§  Bend your lower leg 90 degrees and extend your upper leg with your ankle resting on the ball.

§  Begin lifting your lower leg off the floor s few inches touching the upper leg if you are able. Hold and lower to the floor.

§  Keep your hips exactly over each and do not roll forward or back.

§  8=12 reps

o   Inner Thigh 2:

§  Lay on your back on the floor grab the middle of the ball in between your  bent knees.

§  Place your feet flat on the floor with your arms extended by your side palms down.

§  Squeeze the ball between your knees.

§  8-12 reps

o   Upper Thighs:

§  Stand and press the ball between the wall and your lower back. Bring your feet out about 2 steps and place them firmly on the floor at shoulder width.

§  Bring your arms forward for balance. Bend your knees and squat allowing the ball to roll up your back. Hold when your thighs are parallel to the floor and return to start.

§  Keep your knees over your heels

§  8-12 reps

o   Calves Heel Raises:

§  Sit on top of the ball with your feet on the floor should width apart.

§  Lean you torso forward with your elbows on your knees and lift your ankles while lifting your heel as high as you can. Hold and lower.

§  Keep your weight forward and evenly spread across the balls of your feet.

§  8-12 reps

·         Buttocks

o   Pelvic Tilt:

§  Lie on the ball resting your waist and back on the ball.

§  Place your hands on your thighs keeping your feet flat on the floor at shoulder width apart.

§  Lifting your pelvis raise your hips a few inches then lower your back to the start.

§  Use your abdominal muscles to lift your hips.

§  8-12 reps

o   Leg Raises:

§  Begin with your hips waist and chest on the ball.

§  Extend your left hand and right leg at the same time

§  Repeat and alternate starting sides.

§  Do not arch your back and keep your head still.

§  8-12 reps

o   Hip Extension:

§  Lay on the floor on your back, arms by your side, with your knees bent and on top of the ball.

§  Lift your hips off the floor until your back is straight. Hold and return to the start.

§  Do not arch your back and use your arms to aid your balance.

§  8-12 reps

These are really effective exercises and they can be done at home. No packing a bag and ducking the rain if you do not want. You need very little space to these and the ball can be stored out of the way.

Sp try these let me know how they work for you. Get Up Get Moving Get Well and remember,

“CHIT CHAT WON’T BURN FAT”

SETBACKS HAPPEN TO EVERYONE

How Will You Manage Yours

I ran into a friend recently who I have not seen for some time. This friend has struggled with her weight for many years and has tried many methods to lose weight, recently going as far as having barometric surgery. While she has succeeded in losing well over a hundred pounds over the course of her many attempts to lose weight, in every instance she has gained the weight back.

My friend described her despair and embarrassment about her fluctuating weight gains especially in regards to gaining the weight back after the surgery. Her question was, “how do you deal with setbacks?” I had to give it a great deal of thought and remember my own setbacks. I have been down many times and as I indicated in an earlier blog when I returned to the gym after 7 months of not attending or working out, I was not happy with myself.

I could tell you something cliché like “setbacks are opportunities”-- and they are-- but that does not really answer the question. I am also sure I do not have the answer for everyone but I will give it my best. My setbacks usually are in the areas where I am the weakest. For me it is the cardio vascular segment of my routine. 

This most likely because it is not glamorous but it is tedious and boring. So I neglect it. In the past, I would leave the gym without even thinking about it. If I did think about it, I convinced myself I did not need to do it.

More recently I have consistently performed the cardio segment. In fact I have gone longer and harder on many occasions than the goal set before hand. The results have been great and it motivates me to continue to be consistent with this. My cardio performance and endurance are improving and this also provides additional motivation. I am able to go longer (mileage) and with greater intensity (speed and resistance). It is becoming one of my strengths and I think this may be the answer.

This is where the setbacks usually creep in quietly and interfere with our success-- not just with fitness but other aspects of our lives as well. If I experience a setback and start gaining body fat, it is most likely a lack of enthusiastic, consistent cardio performance. This results in some added girth around my middle because that is where I gain size first. Subsequently it becomes more difficult to do the cardio because I have neglected it and I am less comfortable physically.

So it seems your “setback” will start where you are the weakest. What part of your workout is the weakest? This will likely be the cause of any setback you experience. Since we usually do not like doing anything where we are not proficient, it is easy to leave the difficult portion out of the routine. Our minds are remarkable for their ability to convince us the things we wish to believe are true and that which we do not want to believe is false. As a result we do not do the things we need to do in order to be successful.

The things we avoid doing because they are the hardest for us are probably the things we need to do if we are going to fully become who we want and need to be. As we get older our willingness to experiment with new things or situations that make us uncomfortable seems to diminish. Remember when you wanted to try everything that was new and interesting? Now think about when was the last time you were willing to risk looking silly or clumsy trying something that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

It is no different at the gym, home or other areas of your life. Try to do something a little outside of your comfort zone everyday in life and at the gym. Your will to challenge yourself and grow will eventually conquer any “setbacks” you are struggling with and in fact propel you forward at an even more rapid pace. Do not let your fear of discomfort become a barrier to your success. You are the one giving it power.

You are also the one who can choose not to give it power. Face your fear, accept it and own it then go do it anyway. As I consciously examine the setbacks in my life, this is how I continue to overcome them. Remember, a setback is closely associated with some kind of resistance of our minds and will. 

If we can change the way we view our setbacks and look at them as opportunities for growth rather than blockages, we are more likely to succeed and obtain our desired results—and have a positive outlook while doing it. So if you have a setback, examine what part of your routine, including, eating well and resting, that is being neglected. It is here where you will find the answer as to why.

Once you have the answer, Get Up, Get Moving and remember, “CHIT CHAT WON’T BURN FAT.”

Jay