The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:36 PM PST Push-ups are great for working multiple body parts simultaneously. I HATE doing push-ups. It's one exercise I try to cheat on whenever possible because I just cannot do many no matter how hard I try. There, I've shamelessly confessed. Attempting stunts on the trapeze have caused injuries to my overly flexible shoulder, so whenever I do one too many push-ups, I start feeling strain on the joint. Not wanting to aggravate the ageing joint, I gleefully stop. Of course, I frequently use this as an excuse, though I suspect some people already know my secret. But, when I'm teaching class, I'll take my students through a punishing regime of doing push-ups in various styles. It's good for them! I'll wow them with two or three with proper postural alignment (because honestly, any more and I'll fall flat, crush my face and bruise my ego), then monitor them doing the rest. If my boobs start to droop, it'll be entirely my fault. When I'm consumed with guilt and feel my pectorals becoming spongy, I'll head to the gym and diligently do some bench presses. It's easier and works similar muscles. Push-ups using bodyweight works multiple parts of the body simultaneously and everyone, from newbies to middle-aged uncles and professional atheletes, can derive benefits. The major muscle groups that produce the motion of a push-up are the chest and triceps. The narower the base, the more your triceps will engage. If you look at the form your body takes during the push-up, you're suspended from your toes all the way to your neck, so in reality, every muscle between your shoulders and your toes is engaged. According to freelance personal trainer Raphael Glenn Mak, push-ups build strength in your forearms, wrists, upper arms, shoulders, core, legs and naturally, your chest. "Doing push-ups requires every bit of your muscle strength and when it is done correctly, it becomes effortless. It also increases your metabolism, which helps you burn more calories. When you use only your body as weight, it can be done anywhere, anytime," he says. Men have the unfair advantage of having more muscle fibres and build bulk faster, so they parade around with rippling pectorals. For women, the breasts get in the way, so we sometimes have to be content with the jiggles. The breast consists mostly of fat tissue, which is supported by the pectoral muscles. It is impossible to strengthen or enlarge the actual breast with exercise due to the lack of muscle fibres, but chest exercises will assist in supporting breasts that are oversized or sagging. However, depending on your genetic make-up, some women will find doing push-ups reduces the size of the chest because of the reduction in fatty tissue. When the fat is replaced with muscles, the chest is toned, hence, the boobs appear smaller, although there is actually no change in cup size. For women, a push-up is considered a resistance exercise, so in addition to muscle strengthening, you also get bone-building effects. It can be as effective as working out with weights, and in the long run, helps prevent osteoporosis. There is still a lot of misconception among women who avoid training the upper body for fear of developing bulk. Let me stress that we do not have enough testosterone to hulk up. Upper body training gives a woman better posture, poise and confidence. You wouldn't want gorgeous, toned legs with a hunched upper body, right? If you're starting out and find it difficult to get into the push-up position, Mak suggests doing the plank (with elbows on the floor) for 30 seconds, progressing on to the palms. Once you get stronger, bend your knees and try doing five to 10 push-ups, twice a week. Another option that also helps to reduce joint strain is wall push-ups, which are performed in a standing position While push-ups provide an all-round exercise, Mak recommends doing bench presses with heavier weights to gain faster results and definition. He explains: "As long as you're able to keep you back flat on the bench, you can increase the weights. If your back starts to arch, you're at risk of injury, so reduce the weights. Also, by keeping your legs up on the bench or pointed to the ceiling, you have more support, and this position forces your core to engage. By keeping your legs on the floor, you tend to use the legs as anchor." Both bench presses and pushups target the same muscles, but push-ups are better for improving the muscle tone in your stomach, quadriceps and glutes. Because you are in the plank position during the entire exercise, you are required to tighten your abdominal, butt and leg muscles to maintain the correct position. Contrary to what trainers tell you, do not let your chest touch the floor when you come down. Depending on your range of motion, keep your elbows at a 90º angle. Put something underneath you, like a rolled mat or towel or book, so when you touch it, go back up. Also remember that turning the palms inwards or outward increases stress to the wrists and elbows. To work with good form, use slow, controlled movements and maintain alignment by keeping your ears, shoulders, hips and knees in line. Avoid compensating with momentum and avoid "hanging" from your shoulder blades. Perform the exercise smoothly and avoid sagging through the back and avoid hyper-extending the elbow on the way up. Contract your stomach and tighten your glutes all the time. Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down. Do not look up as this stresses the cervical vertebrae. A simple tip: As you lower yourself to the ground, the first body part that should arrive at the floor is your chest. If your hips or legs come down first, you're doing it wrong. The moment you lose your form, it's pointless to go on as you're probably too fatigued. Stop and continue two days later. For fitter folks or if you want a greater challenge, there are many advanced push-up variations you can do. Here are a few suggested by Marc Perry, creator of the BuiltLean programme and editor-in-chief and producer of the BuiltLean blog and videos. Wide-grip This is a classic push-up that is harder than the standard push-up because you have less leverage to push yourself up. Start out with the wide-grip push up, then bring your hands closer in as you go along. In addition, be sure to keep your hands below the plane of your shoulders, and make sure your elbows do not flare out past 90º. This will help keep the stimulation on your chest, shoulders, and triceps, as opposed to mostly your shoulders. Front clap This is the basic military type of push-up where you forcefully push your body off the ground and clap your hand in front of your body, then go back to the push-up position. Or if you'd like variety, instead of clapping, do the push-up on your knuckles but be sure to put a mat underneath as support. Single arm The trick to doing one-arm push-ups is to keep your legs as wide as possible for a stable base. Make sure your shoulders are thoroughly warmed up before trying this push-up as it puts a lot of strain on your shoulders and elbows T push-ups Get into push-up position, do one push up, then twist to the right (side plank). Repeat the other side. This works the core muscles like crazy. When I do this, my obliques get more defined than my pecs! Staggered The right hand is placed a few inches higher than the left. The lower hand is forced to work harder than the higher hand, which is taken out of the equation. You will still feel a burn in your chest and shoulders. I make my students perform five slow wide-grip push-ups, then crawl swiftly like a spider – sideways, forward or backward – till they complete two sets. The whole exercise is then repeated with the palms closer to the body and elbows pointing towards the feet as they lower themselves to the floor. Okay, I usually join them on this one for motivation. It's a fun race to see who collapses first! For an increased challenge and twist on the traditional push-up, try elevating your legs on a bench with one leg raised or perhaps consider incorporating a portable piece of equipment, such as a stability ball, medicine ball or TRX. The writer is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battles gravity and continues to dance, but longs for some bulk and flesh in the right places. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:35 PM PST DEPRESSION is a mental disorder where extreme feelings of sadness persist for many months or years. It is different from the feelings of sadness that we all feel from time to time. People who are depressed feel perpetually low and have low self-esteem. They lose interest in activities they once enjoyed and tend to withdraw from others, unable to shake their feelings of hopelessness and despair. A number of studies have reported some connection between vitamin D levels and the risk of depression. Low vitamin D levels may be related to depression, rather than contributing to the disorder. Therefore if you are depressed, ensure you have sufficient amounts of vitamin D in your body. However, when we go out into the sun, most of us tend to slab on sunscreen to protect against skin cancer and other forms of skin damages that can interfere with the skin's production of vitamin D. A mere SPF-8 sunscreen cuts vitamin D3 production by about 90%, while an SPF-30 cuts off a whopping 99%. What would be advisable is to wear a wide brimmed hat and a pair of sunglasses to cover your face while exposing as much of your body parts as possible to the sun for at least 20-30 minutes between 10am and 2pm to ensure maximum production of vitamin D3. If you are unable to do this, it is then advisable to take a vitamin D3 supplement. Risk factors for depression Although the precise cause of depression isn't known, researchers have identified certain factors that seem to increase the risk of developing or triggering depression, including:
There are no reported studies showing that vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of depression. However, given the evidence, it is possible that vitamin D could have a positive effect on those who suffer from depression. Overcoming vitamin D deficiency According to a recent review, treating vitamin D deficiency in people with depression or other mental disorders may result in improvement in both long-term health and quality of life. Reports confirm that vitamin D has a positive effect on depression:
The connection between vitamin D and depression is not new. In 2006, scientists evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 elderly patients and found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses. In a current study, researchers found that intake of more than 400 IU of vitamin D from food sources was associated with a 20% lower risk of depressive symptoms compared with intake of less than 100 IU. This was a significant benefit from a very small amount of vitamin D as 400 IU is far too low to benefit most people. It's likely that vitamin D fights depression via several pathways, not only directly in your brain, but also via inflammation. Vitamin D receptors have been identified throughout the human body, and that includes the brain. Sufficient vitamin D is also vital for proper functioning of the immune system to combat inflammation, and other research has discovered that depressed people tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their brains. Affecting serotonin levels People who don't have enough vitamin D tend to become more depressed in winter, when sunlight, which stimulates the body to produce the vitamin, is limited. This condition is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This may occur because vitamin D is needed to maintain adequate serotonin levels in the brain, according to some researchers. Many antidepressant drugs work the same way! Vitamin D can be found in fish and eggs and is generally added to breakfast cereals, milk and milk products, but many doctors still recommend taking a vitamin D supplement. In November 2010, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) proposed that the current RDA for vitamin D3 be increased from 400I.U. to 600I.U. Even this amount is way too low, according to the IOS (International Orthomolecular Society) in Canada, an organisation that specialises in researching nutritional medicine. They reported that vitamin D level recommendations by the US government are way too low to prevent some basic health problems. The organisation, made up of medical doctors, is one of the most credible sources for information on nutritional medicine. The Canadian Paediatric Society's 2007 guidelines dosage recommendation is 2,000 I.U. a day. The safety limit is much higher than commonly believed. Based on the latest evidence, it is determined that 10,000 I.U. a day is non-toxic. After all, your body can easily make 20,000 I.U. after 30 minutes at the beach between 10am and 2pm by exposing as much skin as possible (without sunscreen). Published cases of toxicity, for which serum levels and dose are known, all involve intake of more than 40,000 I.U. (1000 mcg) per day. Many health experts recommend 1,000 I.U. to 2,000 I.U. of vitamin D3 supplement a day for the prevention of many heart-related conditions. Hence, people are at far greater risk of vitamin D deficiency than they are of vitamin D toxicity. When taking a vitamin D supplement, try to choose a supplement made with natural vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D3 (400 i.u.) tablets can be bought at all leading chain and independent pharmacies nationwide. Apart from optimising your vitamin D3 levels to overcome depression, everyone with depression should also be exercising regularly. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric". That feeling, known as a "runner's high", can be accompanied by a positive and energising outlook on life. References: 1. Vitamin D Council October 4, 2011 3. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition October 2011; 94(4):1104-12 4. McCann, J. C. Ames, B. N. Is there convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction?. FASEB J. 2008 Apr; 22 (4): 982-1001. 5. Levitan, R. D. The chronobiology and neurobiology of winter seasonal affective disorder. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2007; 9 (3): 315-24. 6. Spoletini, I. Gianni, W. Repetto, L. Bria, P. Caltagirone, C. Bossu, P. Spalletta, G. Depression and cancer: an unexplored and unresolved emergent issue in elderly patients. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2008 Feb; 65 (2): 143-55. 7. Sher, Y. Lolak, S. Maldonado, J. R. The impact of depression in heart disease. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2010 Jun; 12 (3): 255-64. 8. Paparrigopoulos, T. Ferentinos, P. Kouzoupis, A. Koutsis, G. Papadimitriou, G. N. The neuropsychiatry of multiple sclerosis: focus on disorders of mood, affect and behaviour. International review of psychiatry. 2010; 22 (1): 14-21. 9. Maletic, V. Raison, C. L. Neurobiology of depression, fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. Front Biosci. 2009; 145291-338. 10. Dowlati, Y. Herrmann, N. Swardfager, W. Liu, H. Sham, L. Reim, E. K. Lanctot, K. L. A meta-analysis of cytokines in major depression. Biological psychiatry. 2010 Mar 1; 67 (5): 446-57. 11. Leonard, B. E. The concept of depression as a dysfunction of the immune system. Current immunology reviews. 2010 Aug; 6 (3): 205-212. 12. Smolders, J. Thewissen, M. Peelen, E. Menheere, P. Tervaert, J. W. Damoiseaux, J. Hupperts, R. Vitamin D status is positively correlated with regulatory T cell function in patients with multiple sclerosis. PLoS One. 2009; 4 (8): e6635. 13. Guillot, X. Semerano, L. Saidenberg-Kermanac'h, N. Falgarone, G. Boissier, M. C. Vitamin D and inflammation. Joint, bone, spine : revue du rhumatisme. 2010 Dec; 77 (6): 552-7. 14. Zittermann, A. Frisch, S. Berthold, H. K. Gotting, C. Kuhn, J. Kleesiek, K. Stehle, P. Koertke, H. Koerfer, R. Vitamin D supplementation enhances the beneficial effects of weight loss on cardiovascular disease risk markers. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May; 89 (5): 1321-7. 15. Humble, M. B. Vitamin D, light and mental health. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2010 Nov 3; 101 (2): 142-9. 16. Humble, M. B. Gustafsson, S. Bejerot, S. Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) among psychiatric out-patients in Sweden: relations with season, age, ethnic origin and psychiatric diagnosis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Jul; 121 (1-2): 467-70. 17. Shipowick, C. D. Moore, C. B. Corbett, C. Bindler, R. Vitamin D and depressive symptoms in women during the winter: a pilot study. Appl Nurs Res. 2009 Aug; 22 (3): 221-5. 18. Jorde, R. Sneve, M. Figenschau, Y. Svartberg, J. Waterloo, K. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on symptoms of depression in overweight and obese subjects: randomized double blind trial. J Intern Med. 2008 Dec; 264 (6): 599-609. 19. Penckofer, S. Kouba, J. Byrn, M. Estwing Ferrans, C. Vitamin D and depression: where is all the sunshine?. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2010 Jun; 31 (6): 385-93. This article is courtesy of Live-well Nutraceuticals, for more information, please consult your pharmacist or call Live-well INFOline: 03-6142 6570 or e-mail info@livewell2u.com. For more information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Many Malaysians are still unaware of the dangers signified by uneven heartbeats. ATRIAL fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of irregular heartbeat, or cardiac arrhythmia. It occurs as a result of a glitch in the heart's electrical "wiring". The electrical impulses that control the pumping motion of the heart are out of sync. Instead of rhythmically relaxing and contracting, the heart quivers as it works to pump blood, and as a result, the heart's job is not carried out efficiently. This leads to blood pooling in the heart's chambers, which often results in blood clots forming. Your chances of a stroke are increased by as much as five times, and if that isn't bad enough, you also face the risk of heart failure. Patients with AF represent a large population who are at high risk of stroke, and in particular, severe stroke. There are three types of AF, and it can change from one type to another over time. Often, the symptoms associated with AF can be vague or non-specific, and sometimes, there are no symptoms at all. This makes it difficult to identify early, and the easiest way to identify AF is the detection of an irregular pulse. There may be times when AF presents with obvious symptoms such as:
It is important to keep in mind that you may not experience any of the symptoms listed above, as many patients with AF do not have obvious symptoms. Often, AF is undetected until patients see a doctor for other complications like ischaemic stroke, blood clots in the leg, or heart failure. You can use a simple DIY pulse test method to check your pulse rate, which lets you know how fast your heart beats. To do the DIY pulse test, hold one hand out with your palm upwards. Place the middle and index fingers of your other hand on the wrist, at the point just under the thumb. This is the point where your radial artery is located. Start counting the number of pulses (beats) that occur in one minute. A normal heart beat should be strong and regular, with a pulse rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If you find that you have an irregular pulse, or if it is too fast (more than 100 beats in a minute), then it would be best to see a doctor to confirm whether you have AF. You can also use arteries located in the crook of your elbow (brachial artery) or at the side of your throat (carotid artery) for this purpose. The use of this method is much more reliable as a screening method to determine whether or not you might have AF than going for an ECG test for it; this is simply because AF can, and often does, happen intermittently, thus the ECG test may show nothing wrong. Doing a DIY pulse test will only cost you a few minutes of your time, and can easily be done at your own convenience. While it cannot tell you conclusively whether you have AF or not, it will prove invaluable as a simple screening test to pre-alert you. The bottom-line is – having AF is not only a possibility, it is a deadly one! Try taking steps to minimise your chances of developing AF by adopting the same healthy habits that protect against heart disease. They include having a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, controlling your blood pressure, avoiding smoking, and limiting your caffeine intake. If you have AF, you should see a cardiologist to prevent the complications of thromboembolic stroke and heart failure. Current advances in medicine can revert AF back to a normal sinus rhythm. If your AF cannot be reverted, then your heart rate can still be controlled to relieve the symptoms of palpitations. Blood thinners can reduce the possibility of stroke. New oral anticoagulants such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apioxaban can be used. Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin is the director of the National Heart Foundation (Yayasan Jantung Malaysia, YJM), and a consultant cardiologist. This article is courtesy of YJM's Public Health Initiative. As part of YJM's continuing community service, a booklet on the topic of Atrial Fibrillation is scheduled for release by the end of 2012. Please visit www.yjm.org.my, or call 03-2693 4709 to get your free copy. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. |
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