Ξ October 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
By Jane Elliott
Health reporter, BBC News
Gerald hopes his wound has finally healed Gerald Bryan has spent the last 67 years worrying about a leg wound he sustained during WWII.
His ulcerated leg has flared up regularly, causing him years of intense pain.
The former commando was recently told the infection had finally got so bad that he might have to lose his one remaining leg.
But he is now celebrating what he hopes is a cure after treatment at the Wound Healing Centre, in Eastbourne, Sussex.
War veteran
Gerald, aged 87, from Berkshire was shot in both ankles in 1941, fighting the Vichy French in Syria, and had to lose his right leg.
“I was shot through both legs with what was, I think, a very heavy calibre machine gun bullet.
“It entered my left leg, made a neat hole through the middle of the tibia, came out of that leg with a very much bigger exit wound and when it hit my right leg it really mashed the bone.
“I was taken prisoner by the Vichy French and my right leg was amputated, but they did a great job on my left leg and managed to save it,” said Gerald.
But the wound was unstable and has caused him a number of problems over the years.
Repeated problems
Shortly before the end of the war Gerald was accepted for a post in the Colonial Service, which ran the British colonies and protectorates, the doctor there warned him that he faced a life-time of problems.
“He said - ‘the treatment for that is bandage-and-a-damn’.
“When I asked what he meant he said: “Bandage the wound every day and curse it every evening!”
Gerald suffered a number of wound infections over the following years, but the most serious was a bone infection in 2004, when there were fears he could lose his leg.
Regular treatments help the wound to heal
“To avoid surgery I had 14 days of intravenous injections and then I stayed on antibiotics for months.
“Doctors said the bone infection appeared to be dealt with, but there was a 30% risk it would start up again within two years.
“They said I needed was an orthopaedic surgeon to open up the wound and scrape all the dead bone away, and then a plastic surgeon to take a chunk out of my thigh and stick that onto the wound.”
Gerald was told doctors could only do this twice, but that if that failed he would have to lose the leg.
“I said but ‘I have only got one leg and I can’t spare that’ and I was able to persuade the physician to give me antibiotics instead,” he said.
Although the bone infection healed, the wound remained a problem and Gerald got into a pattern of needing two dressings a week and antibiotics once a month.
‘Miracle worker’
Then Gerald was referred to wound specialist Sylvie Hampton at Eastbourne’s Wound Healing Clinic, for regular injections of collagen, a protein which binds tissue.
“The wound started immediately to get better, and within two weeks had gone down to half the original size,” he said.
And although Gerald did have a set-back he now hopes the wound is finally closed.
Gerald lost a leg in WW2
“I have to thank Sylvie for being in better shape than I have been for a long time.
“When the thing is open you can’t swim, you can’t have a bath - altogether it is not a happy time.”
Ms Hampton is managing director of the Tissue Viability Consultancy Services (TVCS) which runs the Eastbourne clinic, set up with the help of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
It has been carrying out trials into new ways of treating wounds, as well as helping NHS patients.
Ms Hampton said: “Everyone who works in the centre has a speciality in wound care. Generally, you do not get that.
“We have a lot of specialist knowledge, and also we have all the equipment we need to be able to diagnose and treat.
“And we can use whatever dressings we think are appropriate. Within the health service you can not always do that.”
She added: “If you had a heart attack you would go and see a heart specialist, and people should be at dealing with wounds in the same way.”
The clinic has treated 220 people in the eight months it has been open.
Ms Hampton is now hoping she will be able to set up more wound healing centres throughout the UK and overseas.
Dedication
Dr David Becker, of University College London, who has carried out research in the area of wound healing said he believed it was not the treatments being offered that were the key, but the fact that they were able to offer a dedicated service.
“A common feature of clinical trials for treatments of chronic wounds is that you find that if the wounds get looked after to a very high standard every day.
“They often tend to heal in the control groups as well as the experimental treated groups.
“For most chronic wound patients, the wounds would not be treated so often and to such a high standard of care as they seem to be getting from TVCS.
“What I think we have here is not a miracle but a high standard of care with daily treatments - and as their stats show many people respond.”
Ξ October 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
Male pattern baldness affects around 40% of men
Genes that may increase by seven-fold the risk of early baldness amongst men have been uncovered by a team of international researchers.
Analysis of the DNA from 5,000 volunteers with and without male-pattern baldness found two stretches of the genome linked with the condition.
One in seven men have both genetic variants, Nature Genetics reported.
Being able to predict hair loss early could boost development of preventive treatments, the researchers said.
An initial study in more than 500 men with early onset hair loss and 500 men without the condition highlighted the two genetic regions which substantially increased the risk of baldness.
One was the androgen receptor gene and has already been linked to male-pattern baldness.
The other region is on chromosome 20 and is nowhere near any known gene.
Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, was already k nown to be hereditary and partly caused by male sex hormones.
More work is needed to work out how this influences risk of baldness, the researchers said.
Their findings were confirmed by the researchers in other groups of people with androgenic alopecia - including women in which they found a weaker association - in the UK, Iceland and the Netherlands.
Inheritance
A second study also published in Nature Genetics found a similar link between hair loss and chromosome 20.
The German researchers said the androgen gene which until now had been the only gene identified with baldness was on the X chromosome which is inherited from the mother.
But chromosome 20 is inherited from both mother and father and may provide an explanation for similarities in hair loss between father and sons, they said.
Dr Tim Spector, from Kings College London, said they found around 14% of men carry both genetic variants.
“At the moment we have a fairly good diagnostic tool for people who might want to know whether they will lose their hair before they are 50.
“There probably won’t be many people who want to use that at the moment because there aren’t any preventive treatments.”
He added he hoped it would stimulate pharmaceutical companies to develop creams, gels or pills to prevent hair loss before it starts.
“The other thing is understanding how these genes actually work - it’s likely to provide use with new targets for gene therapy which is actually quite easy to deliver to the hair follicle.”
Professor Val Randall, from the Centre for Skin Sciences at the University of Bradford said the work was very exciting, although it was debatable whether men would benefit from finding out about their hair loss risk.
However she added: “It is always easier to prevent than replace hair growth.
“Male pattern baldness has a strong inherited aspect and understanding that may well lead to better treatments and novel approaches.”
Ξ October 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
Increasingly bacteria are resistant to drugs such as vancomycin
UK researchers are using microscopic “nanoprobes” to find new drugs to tackle antibiotic resistance.
The tiny ultra-sensitive probes can measure how well a drug binds to bacteria and its ability to weaken and destroy the bug.
The researchers tested the silicon-based technology on vancomycin, one of the few remaining antibiotics against infections such as MRSA
The initial results are published in Nature Nanotechnology.
It is the first time this type of nanotechnology has been used in screening for new drugs.
The probes are no wider than a human hair - which may seem big by nanotechnology standards - but they are able to detect minute changes at the molecular level.
Antibiotics such as vancomycin bind to the bacterial cell wall, disrupting it and causing the bacteria to break down.
When bacteria become resistant, small changes occur in the structure of their cell wall making it far harder for the antibiotic to latch on and weaken the structure of the cell.
‘Surface stress’
The researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology coated a series of the nanoprobes with the proteins that make up bacterial cell walls.
Like a tiny row of diving boards, the probes bend in response to the “surface stress” that occurs when the antibiotic binds to the cell.
The system was able to detect that it is 1,000 times harder for vancomycin to attach to resistant bacteria than to non-resistant bacteria.
They are now screening other potential antibiotics with the goal of finding a drug that is able to bind strongly to resistant bacteria and cause substantial structural weaknesses to the cell wall.
Study leader Dr Rachel McKendry said: “There has been an alarming growth in antibiotic-resistant hospital ’superbugs’ such as MRSA and vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE).
“This a major global health problem and is driving the development of new technologies to investigate antibiotics and how they work.”
She added that different drugs caused different structural weaknesses in the cell wall - some of which were more effective than others - and the nanotechnology they were using could help to pinpoint those that were likely to cause the most destruction.
Professor Jeff Errington, director of the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences at the University of Newcastle said the technology was very interesting and obviously highly sensitive.
But he said it did not solve the problem of finding new antibiotics to test in the first place.
“The bottleneck is in finding new molecules that kill bacteria by novel pathways,” he said.
Ξ October 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
Sugary drinks should be removed from vending machines
Hospitals and GP surgeries should follow the lead of schools and ban sugary drinks and snacks, say experts.
The British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) called on the NHS to fill its vending machines with water, fruit juices and healthy snacks.
They also called for hospital canteens to follow suit, saying it was essential for teeth and general health.
The government said the NHS and the rest of the public sector should “lead by example” and promote healthy food.
The BDHF says many schools have already banned junk food from their vending machines and canteens. In comparison, however, the NHS has been much slower to act.
One exception is NHS Tayside in Scotland which has recently banned sugary drinks in vending machines at some of its hospitals.
Chief executive Nigel Carter said: “The foundation not only backs the NHS Tayside decision, but calls for a UK-side ban on sugar drinks and snacks in hospitals, surgeries and health centres.
“Sugary products taken between meals are the main cause of tooth decay, which can lead to fillings and extractions.”
Conditions
He said banning unhealthy food and drink was important in protecting against a range of other health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
The Scottish Government has already backed NHS Tayside’s move and urged others to follow suit, while the Department of Health also said it wanted similar moves.
A Department of Health spokesman said : “We have stated in the new obesity strategy that we expect the public sector to lead by example.
“The NHS is responsible for promoting and procuring healthy and nutritious food for staff, patients and visitors.”
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which produces guidance for the health service in England and Wales, has also recommended the promotion of healthier food in surgeries and hospitals.
Ξ October 13th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
A fibre in fruit and vegetables may play a role in fighting cancer
A fibre found in most fruit and vegetables may help ward off cancer, experts believe.
An ongoing study by the Institute of Food Research suggested pectin, a fibre found in everything from potato to plums, helped to fight the disease.
Lead researcher Professor Vic Morris said the likely effect of the fibre meant there was no need for people to rely on so-called superfoods.
Foods such as blueberries and spinach have been linked to a host of benefits.
But Professor Morris said it was probably better to eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables.
He has been leading research on pectin with lab work using hi-tech microscopes suggesting the fibre inhibits a cancer-causing protein called Gal3.
He is still carrying out more research into this area, but said there was enough evidence to point to cancer-protecting properties in many types of fruit and vegetables.
The amount of pectin in fruit and vegetables varies with apples and oranges having particularly high amounts and strawberries and grapes low.
But Professor Morris said: “We hear so much about ’superfoods’ like blueberries, but for a combination of different effects it may be better to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
“I am not saying don’t eat superfoods, but just make sure you eat others as well.”
‘Boom in sales’
It comes after a boom in sales of superfoods in recent years.
Data collected by market analyst AC Nielsen found that sales of blueberries rose by 132% in the past two years.
A spokeswoman for the British Nutrition Foundation said: “It is very hard to know just what the effect of superfoods is as the evidence is not really available.
“But certainly we should not be focussing on these types and ignoring other fruit and vegetables. There are still not enough people getting their five-a-day intake.”
Ξ October 11th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
Does even the thought of packing up the whole family for a flight have you dreading the holidays, even though they’re still a couple of months away?
Family travel doesn’t have to be a nightmare and, on The Saturday Early Show, Laura Begley, deputy editor of Travel + Leisure magazine, shared some ideas for lightening the stress load when flying with the kids ar holiday time.
Begley says it’s not too late to get a good deal on holiday flights. Bookings have been down due to the poor economy, so there are more open seats available then usual. To find a good deal, try SmarterTravel.com. It has lots of good prices and great package deals.
Six Commandments for Flying with Kids:
Book early morning flights
Travel on Saturday
Fly non-stop
Check airline baggage policy (on set carry-on diaper bag)
Keep the kids entertained (on set products, coloring books, kid camera, portable DVD player)
Hang on to your stroller (stroller with detachable car seat)
Travel + Leisure Show-and-Tell Items for Family Air Travel
SkipHop Duo Diaper Bag $54 www.skiphop.com
Toshiba Portable DVD Player - SPD71S $129.99 www.toshiba.com
Fisher-Price Kid Tough Digital Camera $50 www.fisher-price.com
Range of activity books/crayons
Maclaren Easy Traveler $75 www.maclarenbaby.com
Book early morning flights: Basically, early morning flights are the least likely to be delayed. And when you’re traveling with kids, you don’t want them to be tired or cranky. Because cranky kids = stressed-out moms and dads.
Travel on Saturdays: According to our research, Saturday is a much quieter day at the airport. Most people leave for weekend trips on Friday, and there are no business travelers on a Saturday, so the airport is relatively empty and easy to navigate.
Fly non-stop: For families, the most stressful time is getting on and off the plane. If you fly non-stop, you have fewer headaches to deal with. You also have to deal with all the stuff, bags, carriages, toys, kids going to the bathroom, etc - it’s just easier to do it once. I think it’s worth the extra money. First, you’ll get there faster, have less hassle and, most importantly, the possibility of delays is lessened. And long delays and kids are a terrible mix. Also, a lot of airlines are eliminating (United, for instance) pre-boarding for families - so boarding with the kids will be that much harder.
Check airline baggage policy: You really want to do this. A lot of people don’t realize that many carriers don’t count the stroller as a checked item, so you won’t be charged if you bring it along. But you must check with the airlines. Also, it’s good to note - if you have a kid with a ticket, your child can bring one carry-on item, a personal item, and have a checked bag. So, even your one month-old can actually carry-on an adult-sized suitcase!
And speaking of carry-on bags, we like to recommend the SkipHop Duo Diaper Bag - it’s a great big diaper/overnight bag that’s stylish, light, and very functional. It retails for $54. Makes a great gift for Mom.
Keep the kids entertained : This is probably the most important commandment. Once kids get bored, they get cranky, start crying, and even try to run around the cabin. I recommend several products to help them pass the time:
a) Good old fashioned coloring books, drawing paper, crayons, etc.
b) A portable DVD player (Toshiba $130) - fits right on the tray table and can play all your child’s favorite movies and TV shows.
c) A children’s camera (Fisher Price $50) - enables your kids to document the trip. It will keep them busy and be a lot of fun at the same time.
d) Also that old standby - let them set in the window seat!
Hang onto your stroller: This just makes it easier for you to get around the airport. A stroller makes more sense than carrying or dragging around your young child, especially when you’re also carrying your own luggage. So, you want to hang onto that stroller to make your life easier. Gate-check the stroller when you’re about to board the plane, and they’ll have it for you just as you depart the aircraft. It’s the only way to travel.
We also have a great stroller that should help make your trip easier: Maclaren’s Easy Traveler (rightstart.com; $75). It’s a stroller and a car seat all in one. It’s perfect for when you arrive at your destination and need a baby seat for your rental car.
Ξ October 11th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
You probably struggle to find your kids just the right cereal for breakfast.
You don’t want a lot of sugar or salt, but you do want lots of nutrition.
“Consumer Reports” has taken some of the guesswork out, by rating 27 popular cereals aimed at kids, and you might be surprised by some of those that got higher scores for nutritional value.
Gayle Williams, deputy health editor of Cosumer Reports, worked on the study, and told co-anchor Chris Wragge about it, on The Saturday Early Show.
She says CR looked at commercials on kids’ networks, such as Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network, to see which cereals were most heavily marketed to kids. That’s why you don’t see cereals such as Raisin Bran or Special K on the list. CR only wanted to consider cereals marketed directly to children.
None of the cereals is considered bad. They were rated very good, good, and fair.
None of them is poisonous; none would make you ill. CR considered sugar, sodium fiber, calcium and iron content.
The ones dubbed fair have some nutritional value; CR isn’t saying not to eat them, but don’t make them your everyday cereal. They may be high in sugar, but some are also high in iron.
The top-rated cereal was Cheerios. It has, Williams said, “very little sugar, and was good in sodium, and did well in fiber as well. It’s a good source of a lot of things that has iron and calcium in it as well, and it’s good cereal for you.”
Also rated “very good”: Kix which, Williams said, “is a little bit more fun for kids, and also did well in terms of sodium and sugar and fiber. So that rated well.”
Lucky Charms and Frosted Mini-Wheats were rated “good.”
Rice Krispies didn’t do as well as many at home might think. “After all,” Williams pointed out, “it’s puffed rice, but basically, it has no fiber in it. It didn’t have a lot of sugar, but it also has a lot of sodium in it, so if you’re watching your sodium, this is not a good choice.”
Amolng those that didn’t rate well were Corn Pops, Honey Smacks and Golden Crisps. They are, Williams said, “high in sugar, and you can make better choices than those.”
Some others that did pretty well included Cocoa Pebbles and Chocolate Crisps. “When you look at the lower sodium and the more fiber in it, that’s what made those pretty good choices,” Williams expalined.
SOME OF CONSUMER REPORTS’ RATINGS
Ranks are in parentheses next to the cereal’s name.
Very Good
Cheerios (1)
Fiber: 3 grams
Sugar: 1 gram
Kix (2)
Fiber: 3 grams
Sugar: 3 grams
Frosted Mini-Wheats (5)
Fiber: 6 grams
Sugar: 12 grams
Lucky Charms (9)
Fiber: 1 gram
Sugar: 11 grams
– — – — – — – -
Rating: Good
Fiber Sugar
Cookie Crisp (7) 1 grams 11 grams
Cocoa Puffs (10) 1 grams 12 grams
Trix (12) 1 grams 13 grams
Cocoa Pebbles (14) 3 grams 11 grams
– — – — – — – —
Rice Krispies (22)
Sugar: 4 grams
Sodium: 220 mgs
– — – — – — – —
Rating: Fair
Sugar Sodium
Froot Loops (24) 12 grams 135 mgs
Golden Crisp (25) 14 grams 25 mgs
Honey Smacks (26) 15 grams 50 mgs
Corn Pops (27) 12 grams 110 mgs
Ξ October 11th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
About 450 people have fallen ill in southern China after drinking contaminated water, the Xinhua state news agency says.
Four of the sick, in two villages in Guangxi province, have arsenic poisoning. Industrial waste from a metal company has been blamed.
Residents began to show symptoms of facial swelling, vomiting and blurred vision on 3 October.
Last month, tainted milk left more than 50,000 children sick.
Plant closed
Ge Xianmin, head of the Guangxi regional occupational disease prevention and control institute, told Xinhua: “The villagers were slightly poisoned. They can be cured in nine to 15 days with timely treatment.”
Health officials said 23 children under the age of seven and 32 people aged over 60 had been kept in hospital for observation, while others were receiving outpatient treatment.
According to local government officials, torrential rain caused waste water containing arsenic from the Jinhai Metallurgy Chemical company to overflow and pollute nearby ponds and wells.
The company - a branch of the state-owned Liuzhou China Tin Company - was closed after the contamination was discovered.
Xinhua said the local government and the company had agreed to share the medical costs of the villagers.
Last month, four children died and more than 50,000 were sickened after they were fed on baby milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine.
The scandal resulted in a recall of many Chinese milk products.
Ξ October 11th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
By Jane Elliott
Health reporter, BBC News
The 3D machine allows students to practise
In a lecture theatre at Kingston University the students don their 3D goggles.
“It’s a bit like going to the Imax cinema,” quips one student.
But the sophisticated equipment, costing 300,000, has a much more serious purpose - to train radiotherapy students to treat cancer.
It is a 3D simulation of radiotherapy treatment in which students are able to use a remote control to “give” the right dose in the right place on the image of a cancer patient’s body, which beamed onto a large screen.
Seeing inside the body
The intricate machinery produces three-dimensional images of both the patient and the machine.
Geraldine Francis, head of Kingston’s school of radiography, said the equipment would allow students to make mistakes without endangering patients.
“They need to make mistakes because they will learn more effectively: they wouldn’t be allowed to make a mistake in a department, ” she said.
“They can do what they need to in a safe environment.
“They can make mistakes, crash the machine, take as long as they need to practise, because you cannot practise on a patient.
Gaining experience
Mrs Francis said using the technique should mean students can work with real patients much sooner.
“The overall period of training will not change, but they will be able to help in clinics and relieve pressures sooner.
“Before, putting across concepts has been difficult because it is difficult to visualise what we do.
“Now they can see where doses are being given within the body, and can see structures like the kidney and the spinal cord, which are meant to be avoided.
“They can also see how we can adapt the procedures to make sure patients get the right amount of radiation in a safe and accurate way.”
Students can see which parts of the body to target
The equipment has been paid for by the Department of Health as part of a 5m programme across England to improve radiotherapy training.
By 2016, the number of radiotherapy treatments required by patients will almost double.
The system is getting a good response from the students who have had a chance to use it.
Getting skilled
Sophie Main, a third-year student said: “I think it is fabulous and I definitely think it will benefit first year students .I do feel the benefits.
“It allows us to see into the patient so we can see where the beams are being directed and what each beam is doing.
Users have to wear 3D goggles
“It also allows us to have a go and practise, meaning that we don’t have to take up too much of the radiologists’ time or leave the patient feeling uncomfortable on the bed while we set up.”
Third year student Anne Lewis agreed.
“When you are in the first year, before you go into the units, it is difficult to visualise. But with this you can see inside the patient.
“It’s like being at the Imax. It is really clever,” she said.
Superintendent radiographer at the Royal Marsden Hospital Sarah Armstrong said the training would help increase confidence.
“In the past, it could be quite daunting for undergraduates furthering their training at the Royal Marsden to find themselves handling a 2 million piece of equipment for the first time, but now they will have some knowledge of the apparatus before they arrive,” she said.
Ξ October 10th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ News |
During the free-form days of summer, vacations, picnics and carefree attitudes can all get in the way of healthy eating and weight control.
January may be the traditional time to start a weight loss program, but with kids back in school and routines becoming more structured, fall is the perfect time to launch a diet and fitness regimen.
Even the fall weather can serve as an inspiration to be active and eat more healthfully. It’s the perfect time of year to hit the hiking trail, or bite into a crisp, delicious apple. Just breathing the fresh fall air makes you feel healthier.
In fact, in a survey of 1,500 moms conducted by the National Dairy Council’s “3-A-Day of Dairy” program, participants said fall is the ideal season to jump-start healthy eating and exercise programs.
The moms said they look forward to getting back to their regular routines (53%) and having more time to focus on themselves (41%) when their kids go back to school. They ranked summer second (behind the winter holidays) as the time of year when they tended to put on the most weight.
“Routines are ideal for helping people, especially moms, find time to fit in fitness, prepare healthier meals and make sure they take care of their own personal health needs,” says Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman.
“The combination of more free time, regular routines, and the beautiful fall weather is an inspiration to eat better and be more active outdoors.”
A Bounty Of Fall Foods
Sass suggests seeking out farmers’ markets to select from the nutritious bounty of fall produce.
“Eating foods in season tastes best because of the peak flavors,” she says. “Find a new recipe, or use a food in a different way than before.”
For example, pumpkin is great for far more than pie. How about pumpkin soup, toasted pumpkin seeds, or even a pumpkin smoothie?
“Toss some pumpkin, skim milk, and pumpkin pie spices into a blender for a nutritious breakfast or snack loaded with protein and lots of nutrients,” suggests Sass.
More suggestions: Stir apples into garden or chicken salads. Or make a mock cobbler by mixing cut-up apples (leave the peel on for more fiber), a teaspoon of brown sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of cinnamon into the microwave for 5 minutes - it makes a delicious treat or oatmeal topping.
Also, hearty soups are a terrific vehicle for all sorts of nutritious and delicious fall vegetables.
“Soups are super-filling, easy to make and freeze well,” says Ellie Krieger, RD, host of the Food Network’s “Healthy Appetite.” “Make them with lots of vegetables and broth, instead of cream, for satisfying meals the whole family will enjoy.”
7 Ways To Jump-Start Weight Loss
If you need help getting started, here are seven expert tips to help you jump-start your weight loss this fall:
- Control your cravings. In the 3-A-Day survey, 52% of the moms said cravings were their biggest challenge in losing weight. Eating every few hours will prevent hunger, keep your blood sugar stable, and reduce cravings, says Sass. “Moms are so busy they tend to go too long without eating, then end up eating too fast, or the wrong kind of foods,” she says. One trick is to plan ahead: Bring along a baggie full of unsalted nuts and dried fruit for when hunger strikes. If sweet cravings are your downfall, Sass recommends chocolate - a few small pieces, that is. Let it melt slowly in your mouth so you can really savor the taste. Don’t avoid the foods you crave; just eat them in small portions.
- Lace up your sneakers. Half the surveyed moms wanted to lose more than 20 pounds but 72% said they had 30 minutes or less to devote to exercise each day. “Something is better than nothing even if it is 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night,” says Sass. “It does not need to be formal; just find ways to add more steps into your day.” If you make exercise social (such as walking with a neighbor), it’s more fun, less of a chore, and more likely to become routine. Owning a dog is another great way to get more exercise, as they need to be taken on walks regularly.
- Don’t fail to plan. Write down your master plan for how you’ll fit in fitness and eat healthier and factor it in as you plan schedules for the new school year. “It is not enough to say you are going to exercise daily; you need to be more specific, such as going to the gym on the way to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” says Elisa Zied, RD, author of “So What Can I Eat?” And don’t forget to include snacks in your planning: “If you think of them as random eating, they are less likely to be healthy,” says Krieger. She suggests buying portable snacks such as fruit, nuts, single-serving yogurts, and low-fat cheese so they’ll always be handy. Snacks high in fiber and lean protein will keep you feeling full between meals.
- Stock your kitchen with healthy choices. Having nutritious foods readily available makes it easier to work them into your diet. Always have cut-up fruits and vegetables on hand; pair them with low-fat yogurt dip for an instant snack or side dish. “Make it a rule to have some fruit or vegetables before you have a treat, like chocolate, and this way you are less likely to overdo the treat,” suggests Zied.
- Start each day with breakfast. “Having breakfast gets your engine started during those critical morning hours when you are busy at school or work,” says Zied. “Skipping breakfast is an invitation for over-consumption of less nutritious foods later in the day.” Try to work fiber, lean protein, and fruits or vegetables into your breakfast. If you’re not a breakfast person, you don’t have to have much: A low-fat yogurt and a piece of fruit is enough to get your day started and control your appetite.
- Strive for progress, not perfection. If you follow healthy food and fitness guidelines 80% of the time, the new habits will become a part of your life without overwhelming you. “Many people think in terms of black and white when they think about eating and fitness habits,” says Zied. “In reality, we should get comfortable living in gray, somewhere in between. Doing even 20 minutes of exercise, cutting portions by even a few bites, and switching from 2% milk to 1% milk - these small things can have a big impact on your health and on your life.”
- Don’t forget portion control. As you get back into a more structured routine, it is a great time to get more detail-oriented. “Just like sharpening your pencils to get ready for school, break out the measuring cups and see how much food you have been putting on your plate,” says Krieger. “Portions have a tendency to get larger, so keep portion sizes in check by measuring the quantity once in a while.”
Next Page »
