That's Fit

Martha recently posted about how exercise can help stroke patients recover. A new virtual reality program that is undergoing clinical trials in the UK and in Canada helps the recovery process a little more.

A researcher at Portsmouth University in the UK created a treadmill that's linked to a virtual reality system. The system helps people recovering from strokes, traumatic falls, and those living with osteoarthritis to build up their endurance, increase their range of motion, and improve their gate.

The system displays scenes -- cityscapes, forest trails, mountains, etc. As the patient is walking on the treadmill, the scenery changes. The system gives them the motivation to walk -- and it also encourages them to virtually pick up objects which aids in balance. In addition, the motion of the scenery is adjusted so the patients walk faster and more smoothly, almost without realizing it.

If you aren't much into calorie restriction in your pursuit of a long life, there are other practices you can adopt. Mark Liponis, M.D., says in his book Ultralongevity that the best way to live a long and healthy life is to have a healthy immune system. Translation: You want a quiet, peaceful immune system, not an overactive one. In the spirit of longevity, then, here are seven steps for soothing your system.

• Breathe. Yes, if you're reading this, you are in fact breathing. But are you doing it right? The goal is to calm your breathing to two breaths per minute or less. Learn how to master this step here.
  
  

• Eat. Eating is stressful to our immune systems. Germs, parasites, toxins, poisons, and other dangerous stuff gain access to our bodies when we eat. Grazing on healthy foods is the preferred eating pattern. More here.

Peanut allergies may soon be a thing of the past, says Dr. Wesley Burks, a food allergy expert at Duke University Medical Center.

"I think there's some type of immunotherapy that will be available in five years," reports Burks who says ideally, this therapy would change a person's immune system response to peanuts from an allergic one to a nonallergic one.

This would be great stuff, given that peanut allergies are growing more and more common. And while many kids grow out of other food allergies -- milk and eggs, for example -- only 20 percent ever lose their peanut allergy, which often appears in the first three years of life and manifests itself in range of symptoms, from minor irritation to the whole-body allergic response called anaphylaxis.

Stay tuned for more on peanut immunotherapy. And be on the lookout for news on the genetic engineering front. Burks says genetics may one day produce an allergen-free peanut.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz! I am 29 year old male and I am thinking about starting a workout routine. However, I don't know where to begin. I have a treadmill and that's it. I am 5'11 and about 160lbs. I don't have a lot of muscle, have a low self esteem towards my body shape and would like to change it. Something simple I can do at home with or without the treadmill would be OK. Any suggestions? Jared

A. Sweet Jared. So sorry you're feeling down in the dumps. Hard to know exactly what is causing it all, but getting yourself in shape can certainly be a grand opportunity to increase your physical fitness, confidence and self esteem. It's proven to help people live better and longer. I can help you with your physical goals. If you feel like there may be something else adding to your low self-esteem, please don't feel shy to talk to your medical doctor or a counselor.

Having said that, it sounds like you are long and lean. What a lucky place to start! Let's get you going with a very simple routine which should get you on your way towards the athletic body you so desire. Make that treadmill your home for at least thirty minutes a day, five days a week. Jog for as long as you can, take a two minute walking break, and then repeat. Continue this jogging/walking training until you can jog for 30 minutes straight. Once you get there....increase your time, distance, speed or all three. Up to you! When you feel like you have bricks in your shoes, just walk! It's OK to have some slower days here and there.

A new trend is hitting California, the home of all thing chic and urban when it comes to food. It has to do with marketing the food at restaurants. Entrees are boasting certain markings on the menu which claim they help boost immune systems for people consuming the food.

Many people in the region are flocking to do whatever they can to boost their immune systems. Ever heard of Jamba Juice? Those guys helped spur on the movement a while back. Now, restaurants are taking on the charge by marketing certain foods over others as being better for your immunity. Some establishments even take a crack at cancer by loading up dinners with minerals and phytochemicals.

Even certain alcoholic beverages boast healthy benefits (antioxidants from goji berries, for example). Does this make it a marketing fad? Perhaps not, but a professor at Harvard contests the claims by saying there's no proof that any single food can boost people's immune system. At least you'll know which items are healthier than the others on the menu!

Got a sensitive digestive system? I sometimes do. Mostly, my trouble comes in the form bloating and I never really know exactly why it happens. I've stumbled upon a few possible reasons, though. Here they are.

Maybe I'm not eating enough fiber. The recommended intake for adults is 25 to 35 grams a day but the average American gets only half of that. Slowly adding fiber to my diet and keeping my intake consistently high should minimize bloating, and cramping too.

Perhaps I'm lactose intolerant, which tends to happen at midlife. I'm 37. Antibiotics could be the culprit -- except that I'm not taking any at this time and haven't for a while now. Maybe I need a probiotic to replenish bacteria in my tummy. It could also be water -- I know I need more of this staple in my diet.

In order to pinpoint my exact problem, I'd be wise to keep a diet and symptom diary -- I'm already toying with a food journal for calorie counting purposes so I suppose I could blend the two -- to help me detect exactly when my problems arise. I might see some connections between bloating and eating this way.

Is bloating a bother for you? If so, what ever do you do?

You might think you need to be more and more gentle with your body as it ages. Consider the heart, for example. As it ages, it gets smaller, muscle cells decrease and degenerate, valves thicken and narrow, arteries thicken and become less pliable, and the electrical system that causes the heart to beat may change. Overall, our hearts become weaker and pump less blood as we age. Clearly, you might think you need to baby that body of yours as it gets older and older. But then you'd be wrong.

Certain natural changes take place in the heart as we age, but the prescription for good heart health remains the same: Eat well and exercise regularly, regardless of how old you are. If you're inactive and happen to be older than 65, see your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

Not only is exercise good for the heart at any age, it might also fight off some of the age-related changes in the cardiovascular system. A study in the journal Circulation found that athletes in their 60s had blood vessels that functioned as well as those as those in their 20s. The bottom line: Long-term exercise protects the inner lining of the blood vessels and causes them to behave more like those of a young person.

Walking more than 1.5 miles a day can reduce heart disease risk in older individuals. So get on that treadmill. Or head outdoors and hit that pavement. Your heart will thank you.

The Food and Nutrition Department here in my area has adopted a Wellness Policy for the county, a policy that extends into the public school system. This is good news for me since my oldest child is in first grade at one of our city's elementary schools. So what exactly does this Wellness Policy do for Joey and his public school counterparts? Among other things, it influences the way these kids eat while at school. Here's how.

Fryers have been removed from all schools. All food items are now baked. And a strict standard has been implemented for all snack items. Snack calories have been limited to 250, fat will be kept to 35 percent of total calories -- except for nuts and seeds -- and each snack will have a max of 35 percent of its weight from sugars, excluding fruits and veggies. Trans fats will be eliminated, and beverages will include only bottled water, eight-ounce servings of milk and 100-percent fruit juice, and low-fat and non-fat regular and flavored milk. Juices will have no added sweeteners and can only contain 120 calories per each eight-ounce serving.

I consider this a step in the right direction for sure. How about your local school system? Any similar changes taking place?

To read more about this one school system's healthy practices, click here.

My six-year-old ran with me yesterday in a two-mile race. He ran ahead of me, actually, and I never did catch him until after we'd both crossed the finish line.

I never expected Joey could conquer two miles. We ran once together not long ago, and he fizzled on me before we even made it to the end of our street. Today, though, he made up his mind he would run. And he did it. It may have been the excitement of the crowd that inspired him, or the number he got to pin on his shirt, or the parade onlookers who cheered as we passed them by -- this race, the Gator Gallop, was the kick-off event to the University of Florida Homecoming Parade. Regardless, my little boy kicked butt. I am so proud of him. He is so proud of himself.

Joey taught me a valuable lesson today by running his little heart out. He taught me that the human spirit, the human body, and an enthusiastic support system are powerful forces. Put them together, and phenomenal things happen.

Right now, I consider myself one lucky mommy because yesterday, I got to witness a phenomenal thing.

I'm so excited. My husband and I just purchased the Smart Cycle as a Christmas gifts for our kids, ages two and four. The Fisher-Price Smart Cycle Learning Game System is a cool little stationary bike that hooks up to a television and allows children to pedal through learning adventures. Kind of like a spinning class for three year olds, who can learn their ABC's while working out.

My husband and I purposely seek out toys that will encourage our children to be active. Along with the bounce house we keep in the unfurnished dining room and the scooters they zoom around the house on, this Smart Cycle will fit in quite nicely in our playroom.

The Fisher-Price Smart Cycle Learning Game System Cycle retails for $99, but we bought ours for $89 at Sam's Club. I'll look forward to December 25th, when Parker and Ginger can jump on this thing and go for a ride. Of course we do a lot of bike riding outside, but this thing will make rainy days a lot more fun. Hopefully the two of them will take turns nicely.

Have you ever measure the level of industrial chemicals circulating or at rest in your system? If you live nearby a chemical plant or are in a smog-ridden city, you probably have high levels of some chemicals inside your body.

Scientists have been increasing the testing for industrial chemicals in newer techniques that were developed less than 10 years ago, and some have found the results very shocking. Could you imagine an 18 month-old having toxic substances in his body that would lead to a heavy potential for sickness if found in an adult? This new "biomonitoring" is telling the tale for some parents.

Even household chemicals and shampoos are generally nasty, unless they use biodegradable and organic ingredients. Problem is, many don't. Research methylparaben (in shampoos and lotions) and the items used to make dyes (like FD&C Red 40), and prepare to be shocked.

New research out of Britain this week as researchers there stated that they have identified immune system proteins that may end up becoming early warning indicators of impending lung cancer.

Prevention and testing are generally keys to surviving any ailment, but those two terms are especially important in cancer cases. The ability to have an operable tumor or body-wide cancer spreading are in two completely difference universes -- and early detection is a large key in many cases.

The research centered on the detection of several 'autoantibodies,' which are used by the immune system as a precursor to certain bodily ailments. Researchers found that very high levels of at least one autoantibody were found in nearly 80 percent of the blood samples from lung cancer patients who participated in the study.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I once sat in a job interview just after college and listened to two young employees talk about their boss. She has great balance, they said about the woman I might work for. A great supervisor, a super mom, a valued member of her profession, this woman had it all together. What I heard was compelling. It made me want the same. Now, 13 years later, I still want the same thing. Sometimes, I think I have it. Sometimes, the balls I'm juggling seem to be tumbling down around me.

Perhaps it's not so much about balancing everything all at once. Maybe it's more about working on one item at time. Building a solid foundation is necessary for any structure that follows to have stability, right? First things first. Take the human body. If we wish to have successful jobs, happy families, and rewarding lives, our immune systems must be in good working order. So before you try to keep your balls in the air, consider laying your own solid foundation. Here's how:

• Breathe. Learn to breathe properly for a healthy immune system.
• Eat. But only small, frequent meals.
• Sleep. Studies show women who sleep only six hours or less per night are 20 percent more likely to suffer heart problems.
• Dance. Rhythmic exercise is more beneficial to the immune system than other kinds of exercise.
• Love. It's the antidote for negative emotions. Find ways to cultivate love in your life.
• Relax. A calm environment is soothing for your immune system. Listening to music can modulate immune system response.
• Enhance.Take vitamins and supplements appropriate for you. Vitamin D is a good one -- it promotes immune-system health.

I never did get that job. But I got something from the interview that's kept me thinking for a long time now. For that, I am grateful.

Now more than ever, we know that certain diseases can be stalled, even prevented, by a healthy lifestyle. There was a time when a cancer diagnosis, for example, could be traced to nothing concrete. Today, women who drink as little as one drink per day increase the odds they'll develop breast cancer. That's pretty concrete.

Times have changed. And now that we're in the know, we really must know how to live life so our future days are more of a guarantee. So here's a little cancer butt-kicking know-how for you, compliments of Men's Health magazine.

1. Drink Pomegranate Juice. It contains polyphenols, isoflavones, and ellagic acid. If this means nothing to you, that's OK. All you need to know is that this juice -- try 16 ounces per day -- bolsters your body's defenses and has been shown to inhibit cancer growth.

Coronary artery disease sufferers possessed nearly double the amount of colorectal tumors and cancers compared to those without the artery ailment, according to a new study out of Hong Kong.

It's interesting here to see how cancer of the colon relates to heart disease. Researchers on the study indicated that both conditions were probably related to chronic inflammation more than any specific link between artery disease and cancer tumors.

Still, the risk factors for both diseases are very similar, according to the researchers. The list sounds like a broken record to many of us: high-fat diet, a high-protein diet, a sedentary lifestyle. Although a high-protein diet may sound odd to some, it's right up there. This is why you'll see the word 'balanced' in front of diet in many cases. Too little or too much both can be problems in striving to maintain a state of good health.