Energy Drink Consumption

Q:

Is regular consumption of energy drinks bad?

A:

The drinks are promoted as a way to boost performance, alertness, and stamina.  Studies have found that 80% of athletes, 53% of military members, and 30% of college students frequently consume the drinks.

The drinks are classified as dietary supplements or food/beverages by the U.S. FDA. The primary ingredients in most drinks are high concentrations of caffeine / caffeine like stimulants.  The FDA classification allows loopholes for manufactures to have leeway on the exact contents of the drinks and the dietary labeling of the drinks.

Most healthy adults can consume a single energy drink.  However, multiple energy drinks are being consumed in one sitting or throughout the day.  The large amounts of caffeine consumed leads to caffeine toxicity in the body.  Symptoms include vomiting, tachycardia, hypotension, and excess sweating.  More severe adverse events include hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and heart attack.

From Oct 2010 to Sept 2011, 4,854 calls were logged by the US Poison Control concerning energy drink ingestion.  3,192 were related to energy drinks with adders (alcohol).  Of the remaining cases, 51% involved children under six years of age and 61% were males.

Energy drinks should not be……

•         Consumed by children/adolescents/pregnant women

•         Used for hydration before, during, or after activity

•         Used before, during, or after strenuous activity

•         Consumed before bed

•         Consumed with alcohol

The following website and article were referenced in answering the question:

https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2018/05000/STIMULANT_CONTAINING_ENERGY_DRINKS__What_You_Need.7.aspx#pdf-link

National Women's Health Week

May 12-18 is National Women's Health Week! Find out more about how strength training is a great step to take to find your health today.

National Women's Health Week Resources

Importance of Strength Training for Women

Be Stronger For Your Journey!

How Can I Stop Restless Sleeping?

Q:

What should I do if I wake up tossing and turning in the middle of the night?

A:

1. Get out of bed.  If you are not asleep within 20 to 30 minutes, get out of bed.  Go into a different room and do a relaxing activity (listen to relaxing music, knit, draw, or read). Don't do anything that could stimulate your senses (exercise or screen time).
2. Once sleepy, go back in bed.  Sleep should occur in your bed and not in a chair or couch, but don't go back to bed too soon.  It is better to wait until you're sleepy and get a few hours of restorative sleep versus going to bed early and getting additional bad sleep.
3. Do a mind dump.  If you're anxious and your mind is racing, clear your mind by listing those worries and concerns on a piece of paper.  Then leave the list and do something relaxing.
4. Don’t have a late night snack.  Avoid eating as eating is your stomach’s alarm clock and may prolong the tossing and turning.
5. Adopt good sleep behaviors

•         Keep regular sleep hours each day

•         Keep your bedroom cool

•         Go to bed when your sleepy

•         Minimize napping or sleeping in on the weekend.

•         Avoid lights an hour before bed

•         Avoid stimulus a couple hours before bed (exercise, eating, and drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages)

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/how-stop-tossing-and-turning-all-night-long

https://www.bustle.com/p/11-things-to-avoid-doing-when-you-cant-sleep-according-to-experts-9875002

National Heart Awareness Month

Q:

February is national heart awareness month.  How can strength training help heart disease?

A:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.  One in four deaths is caused by heart disease.  Per last month’s stump the staff, heart disease is also a key factor that influences life expectancy.

How can strength training help heart disease?

Traditionally, aerobic exercises such as walking, running, or swimming have been prescribed to prevent/manage heart disease.  A recent study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that strength training might reduce the risk of heart disease and provides the same benefits as aerobic exercise.

The study reviewed 12,500 subject checkup records which included detailed questionnaires about their exercise habits and medical history.  The subjects were categorized according to their reported strength training frequency (ranging from never, once, twice, or three or more times a week) and duration (strength trained for more or less than an hour each week.)  The subjects were also categorized based on whether they met the standard recommendation of 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise.  This exercise data was then crosschecked against heart attacks, strokes, and deaths during the 11 years or so after each subject’s last clinic visit.

The results:  the risk of experiencing heart attack, stroke, and death was 50 percent lower for those that strength trained occasionally compared with those who never did or those who met the aerobic exercise recommendations.  Subjects who strength trained twice a week for about an hour had the greatest declines in risk.

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://healthfinder.gov/NHO/FebruaryToolkit.aspx

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/well/move/even-a-little-weight-training-may-cut-the-risk-of-heart-attack-and-stroke.html

Tips for the Holiday Season

Q:

I have heard that American’s put on anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds during the holiday season.  Is that true and what are some tips to prevent the weight gain?

A:

Recent research by Cornell University found the average weight gain by Americans during the holiday season to be 1.3 pounds.  This amount may not seem significant, but here are some things to keep in mind:

•         The 1.3 pounds is not muscle gain.  It is fat.

•         1.3 is the average.  Some gain less and others gained more weight.  The higher gains usually occur in Americans that are already overweight.

•         It took four weeks to add the weight, but it can take up to six months to burn off

•         As you enter midlife, you naturally lose muscle mass and gain weight.  This potentially means the 1.3 pounds per holiday season are never burned off.  The combination of muscle loss and weight gain can easily result in 20 additional pounds of fat in a decade.

What are some tips to prevent the weight gain?

•         Eat breakfast.  Breakfast jumps starts your metabolism and prevents overeating at holiday parties.

•         Keep you regular routine:  eating, sleeping and daily activities.

•         Don’t increase your consumption of high calorie drinks (alcohol, eggnog, etc.)

•         Avoid high calorie holiday favorites (gravy, pecan pie, etc.)

•         Don’t forget about exercise.

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/weight-loss/holiday-weight-gain

https://www.today.com/food/12-tips-avoiding-weight-gain-during-holidays-t59616

https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/eat-healthy-during-holidays?slide=5406#5406

Tech Neck

Q:

What is Tech Neck and how can you combat it?

A:

Tech Neck is the overuse of the muscles that support the head, neck and shoulders due looking forward and downward at any hand held device (i.e. phone, video game unit) or computer.  Tech neck started to be an issue with the introduction of computers, but with the greater use and prolonged use of hand held devices it has become a greater issue for all.  Today, it is also referred to as Text Neck.

As of 2014, Americans spend on average 3 hours and 17 minutes a day on non-voice activities on hand held devices.  When the neck is at a 45 degree angle, the combination of the angle and the weight of your head results in the neck muscles being under a 50 lb load.  As you can guess, this stress can lead to headaches, neck pain, shoulder or arm pain, and potential long term spinal cord issues.

How can you combat Tech Neck?

1. Limit the amount of time and frequency looking at the hand held device or computer.
2. If you can’t limit your time, take breaks to relieve the stress.
3. Practice good posture.  Configure your work station to support good posture when looking at a computer or hold the hand held device at eye level.
4. Strength train the whole body to help your body mange the stress and load placed on muscles of the head, neck, and shoulders.

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://healthmatters.nyp.org/how-to-prevent-tech-neck/

https://www.spine-health.com/blog/5-simple-steps-prevent-tech-neck

Additional Information on Strength Training and Bone Health

Q:

The Fitness First staff has commented that strength training improves bone mass/density.  Please explain.

A:

To start, the primary purpose of bones is to provide a structural frame for the body, to work with muscle, ligaments, tendons, and joints to provide movement, to protect vital organs, and to produce blood cells and calcium for the entire body.

Bones are a dynamic tissue that are continuously being broken down and restructured in a process called remodeling.  During remodeling, bones cells called osteoclasts break down and absorb existing bone and other bone cells called osteoblasts deposit new bone.  Peak bone mass is generally reached between the ages of 25 and 30.  Bone mass starts to diminish around the age of 40.

Due to the critical nature of bone, maximizing peak bone mass, maintaining bone mass, and minimizing bone loss during aging are important.  One of the best ways to achieve these goals is through strength training.  Strength training increases the physical stresses on bone. These stresses activate the osteoblasts to deposit new bone in the stressed area.

Similar to muscle, bones respond to progressive overloads.  Progressive overloading means safely and systematically applying higher levels of stress to the bone.  Properly applying the overload leads to greater increases in bone mass or minimizes bone loss due to aging.

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/bonemass.html

 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livestrong.com/amp/article/133645-how-does-exercise-increase-bone-density/