SELF

DietsInReview had an opportunity to talk with SELF Features Director, Sara Austin about the survey. You can listen to the interview to hear Sara discuss the relevance of these results and how irrespective of whether you live in Indianapolis or Bethesda, we can all find ways to improve our health.

Looking at facts like the highest rates of diabetes, number of fast-food outlets, access to health clubs, number of STDs, and rates of asthma, the November 2009 issue, which hit newsstands on October 20, looked at 100 U.S. metropolitan areas and analyzed more than 8,000 bits of data to determine each city’s level of healthy living.

SELF magazine’s list of the best and worst cities to live are as follows:

Top five Best Places for Women (2009):

1. Burlington, VT
2. Bethesda, MD
3. Portland, ME
4. Cambridge, MA
5. San Francisco, CA

 Unhealthiest Places for Women (2009):

1. Tulsa, OK
2. Detroit, MI
3. Oklahoma City, OK
4. Indianapolis, IN
5. Toledo, OH

And if you find that your city made the worst list, fret not: The November issue of SELF talked to healthy women in the lowest ranking cities to learn how they manage to keep the weight off, fit in exercise and eat well. Think healthy potluck dinners in lieu of dining out, food co-ops over fast-food meals and a walk-and-talk with friends rather happy hour and fried mozzarella sticks.

You can learn more tips and read the complete article by picking up a copy of SELF.

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Self Magazine’s Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities

Remember, if you are not breaking a sweat, you are not working hard enough!

So, putting exercise aside, being healthy mentally and physically requires a lot more than just getting the heart rate up. Below are 10 simple ways to a healthier you! Each of the following will help increase your energy levels and in turn, better workouts and more productive days will be the result.

1. Rest: Get six to eight hours of sleep a night
2. See the Doctor: Schedule regular doctor/dentist visits
3. Relax: Find time to relax and enjoy life
4. Be More Active: Find ways to get the heart rate up more throughout the day, in addition to exercising
5. Laugh: Find time to laugh
6. Eliminate Stress: Avoid stressful situations and try not to worry as much
7. Help Someone: Giving back has been proven to offer health rewards
8. Get a Hobby: Can help you enjoy life more as well as reduce stress levels
9. Try Something New: Try something new each week or weekend (dancing, hiking, etc.)
10. Smile: Reduces stress and it seems to be contagious

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10 Simple Ways to a Healthier You

The second annual list of America’s fittest cities published by the WellPoint Foundation has been released, and Washington, D.C. has landed itself in the top spot. It made its way up from fourth place in 2008.

The WellPoint Foundation collected data from the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. There is only one other year to compare the statistics, but what the second year allows the researchers is to evaluate the progress or regression of the areas examined.

There was a pretty big rejigging of the rankings from last year. Minneapolis wasn’t even on the list last year, and it’s number two this year (see below). Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York City, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, and Indianapolis were all on the list last year, but not this year.

The purpose of the rankings wasn’t merely to show who is healthiest in the country. The study authors wanted to see where metro areas may have improved or faltered in improving public health. Improving the public health isn’t just about making people live longer and happier lives, but reducing health costs for individuals and the society as a whole.

America’s Fittest Cities:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Minneapolis, Minnesota
3. Denver, Colorado
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. San Francisco, California
6. Seattle, Washington
7. Portland, Oregon
8. San Diego, California
9. Austin, Texas
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia

(via: HealthNews.com)

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Top 10 Fittest Cities in the U.S.

Goal Setting/Evaluating/Tracking
Expressing Gratitude Directly
Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Replaying Happy Days
Keeping a Savoring Album
Envisioning Your Best Possible Self
Nurturing Relationships
and Remembering Acts of Kindness

Some activities require some intention, attention, or time set aside, so it may not be an app that you can use just when you are waiting. Several of the activities require some typing; however, there was not a landscape mode option which can ease typing. The only other issue I had was that once I was typing about a picture I had loaded, I could not easily scroll up to see the picture again or re-read the instructions. It might be nice for there to be an option for push reminders so that you stick with it on a regular basis. These are small details, I would not be surprised if would be altered in the next update.

Live Happy recognizes the importance of health and fitness to happiness and includes it as a part of several activities if one so chooses; Live Happy is a customizable app, so you get to decide what is or is not included for you. There is plenty of instruction to read and videos to watch if you so choose; however, it is not necessary to utilize Live Happy. Quotes and facts on happiness can be seen each time you start the app. The smiley face is a shortcut button that also makes suggestions on what to try next.

The instructions for each activity are worded in a way to break down any barriers or resistance one might have to giving it a try, encouraging more use of the app. The activities were helpful and enjoyable. Even in an overly busy day, I found myself having fun while exploring each area. It is helpful to put these things into words even when you think you have a general idea already. I also like the option to post items to Twitter of Facebook; sharing things with others can make them more real.

The usability and simple, pleasant design make this a good iPhone app. The research base, integration of iPhone features, and various options make this a great app. At $9.99 Live Happy is certainly less expensive than any single session with a therapist.

Try the Live Happy iPhone app for yourself!

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Live Happy iPhone App Keeps You Happy and Healthy

What it takes to be happy may not be a consequent of losing weight or having a pain-free lumbar spine, but rather, making the choice to be a happy person irrespective of weight or pain may determine just how healthy we can be.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Foster, one of the co-authors of Happiness & Health. Rick and fellow author Greg Hicks discuss their breakthrough research and findings on what it takes to find the two things we covet most in life: Happiness and Health. Rick and Greg are also the authors of the bestselling and international sensation How We Choose to Be Happy.

Continue reading to see the interview.

What was your inspiration for writing Happiness & Health?

About 12 years ago we started to research happiness. We presented our model, which is the basis of our book How We Choose to Be Happy, to the American Hospital Association to an audience of doctors and medical professionals. Afterward, many of the doctors came up to us and asked to consider how the behaviors of happy people are connected to their healthfulness. Namely, that the model we presented in our book were the behaviors seen in these doctor’s most successful patients.

So we looked at the research from the Mayo Clinic and we began interviewing and talking to people all over the world, including medical professionals about the connection between happiness and health.

In your book, you debunk the idea that health precedes happiness. Can you talk a bit about the research and findings that led you to develop your theory that happiness actually precedes health?

We looked very closely at the old formula that states if you’re healthy/wealthy/beautiful, you’ll be happy and we found no evidence to support this concept at all. Then recently a large mega study confirmed what we had been observing that if you are happy, you have a far greater chance of being successful, wealthy and healthy.

In all of our work from tribesman in Africa to an East Coaster Lobsterman, we learned that human beings believe that negative emotions generate ill health. It’s the medical community that believes the old formula. We noticed that the things that happy people do actually impact biochemistry. For instance, appreciation causes a blast of oxytocin, improves the strength of the immune system and reduces levels of cortisol.

What is your concept of Brilliant Health?

Brilliant Health is a concept that we came up with to express what it means when you are experiencing a deep sense of vitality. Brilliant Health is also about intellect and using your cognitive skills to develop health and make the decisions and choices that change our biochemistry. Those people who are in a state of Brilliant Health use their higher brain to regulate biochemistry. We are tapping into this concept all the time, whether it’s choosing to eat well or choosing how we treat someone.

What advice do you have for someone who is overweight and feels like they can never be happy nor healthy until they lose weight?

I would encourage them to just for one moment, think that perhaps their happiness comes before whether or not they exercise or eat healthy. One thing that extremely happy people do every day is that they set their intentions and they let these intentions guide their behaviors. Setting intentions translates into health by asking yourself what your intentions are before you engage in any behavior whether it’s eating or exercising.

You lay out nine basic choices that we can make for finding happiness and health, but what are five things that we can do every day to be happier and consequently healthier?

First, we need to appreciate. When we are in a state of appreciation, we are in the moment. Secondly, we need to give. We found that people who are healthy and happy, give a lot without expectation of receiving. Giving has also been associated with longevity. We must tell the truth. When we lie, negative effects occur biochemically and these are the same effects that also make us more inclined to overeat. Lastly, we must live out our passions. 

How does all of this translate into the changes that we are experiencing now on a global scale?

What we are learning is that what is good for the individual is also good for the world. We are all living by the same rules and we know deep in our hearts what are the right behaviors and choices to make in order to sustain and evolve our species.

Here is the complete review of Happiness & Health.

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Interview with Nine Steps to Happiness and Health Authors

Putting your best foot forward to others can be a positive thing. It can make someone else feel special and make you feel good about yourself and how you treat others. However, I want to challenge you to treat yourself like an honored guest. Keep your environment tidy and your mind will feel more ordered. Think about using the best ingredients and healthiest foods as providing premium fuel for your body. Exercise to improve your health, energy, outlook, and confidence, not just because you want to impress someone else.

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Pamper Yourself to Good Health

Lead researchers of the study call this “severe brain degeneration” a great risk for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, in addition to other diseases that affect the brain.

Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more and overweight is classified as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9.

Sixty-six percent of Americans are either overweight or obese according to the latest statistics by the Centers for Disease Control.

These startling findings are just one additional reason that greatly underscores the importance of following a healthy lifestyle in order to live a healthy and bright life.

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Obesity Leads to Fewer Brain Cells

New research about the benefits of exercise is running counter to the conventional health wisdom we have been taught thus far. While exercise burns calories, which is necessary for weight loss, it also makes us hungry. And what do we do when we are hungry? We eat. And if we know we just clocked a few miles on the treadmill, what do we do then? We give ourselves free license to devour a plate of pasta or chicken quesadillas, and maybe even a piece of tiramisu for those extra crunches we kicked out. The problem is not that we’re eating, but rather the hunger that comes from exercise may be leading us to consume more calories than what we just burned off. This therefore negates our good intentions of creating a calorie deficit in order to lose weight.

The question that health researchers are now asking is, “Is exercise really needed for weight loss?”

The answer may surprise you.

The author of the recent Time magazine cover story, John Cloud, cites a breakthrough study in which women who needed to lose weight were assigned to four different exercise groups, three of which engaged in exercise, one of which did not. The results were eye-opening: The women who exercised for six months with a personal trainer did not lose significantly more weight than those women who did not exercise.

Other researchers have drawn similar conclusions. Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, put forth a similar argument citing additional studies. Namely, that in order to lose weight, exercise may not be the magic pill as once thought. But in order to maintain a healthy weight and body, some form of moderate exercise every day, even if it’s just moving more by walking to do errands or biking to work, might fare better at keeping us lean than hitting the gym a few times a week.

According to the Time magazine article, we need to look to our ancestors for the answers. They kept moving consistently throughout the day, not at heart-thumping rates, but steady movements such as walking, laboring  and performing daily chores. In fact, as Cloud points out, researchers have shown that rather than sitting on our bums all day at work behind our computers and then trudging to the gym to sweat it out on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes may not be working to our advantage. Instead, engaging in regular bouts of physical activity distributed throughout the day might be a more effective strategy for keeping weight off.

This rather surprising news that exercise may not be so mandatory in the quest to lose weight comes with perils. Information like this can quickly be misconstrued and misinterpreted, by the general public. With 34 percent of the population obese and 32 percent overweight, Americans surely do not need to be told to exercise less in order to improve their health. Exercise has very clear and well-documented benefits. From improving mood to supporting lean muscle mass and to enhancing the quality of sleep, the benefits of exercise cannot, nor should not, be underestimated.

Therefore, public health and medical professionals need to be very vocal about informing the public about the benefits of regular physical activity as a mainstay component of a healthy lifestyle.

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Exercise Fuels Hunger, Not Weight Loss

Researchers in the U.S., including Dr. Lena Napolitano of the University of Michigan Medical Center, studied 10 patients admitted to the university’s intensive care unit with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by infection with H1N1.

“Of the 10 patients, nine were obese (body mass index more than 30), including seven who were extremely obese (BMI more than 40),” the experts wrote in the report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly report on death and disease.

The study wasn’t actually put fourth to examine swine flu and its relationship to obesity. But to the surprise of the researchers, seven of the 10 patients were extremely obese.

Nine of the patients had multiple organ failure, five had blood clots in the lungs, and three have died. None of them have fully recovered from their illness.

The H1N1 swine flu virus first emerged in Mexico last March and is responsible for more than 700 deaths across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. There have been 263 swine flu deaths here in the U.S., according to a report by the Associated Press.

(via: Yahoo)

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Obese at Higher Risk for Swine Flu

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and there’s no end in sight to this dangerous trend. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2007 25.6 percent of Americans were obese. But in 2008, it crept up to 26.1 percent.

There are six states that can dubiously boast the fact that over 30 percent of their citizens are obese: Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Colorado is the only state in which less than 20 percent of its citizens are not obese.

“If this trend continues we will likely see increases in health care costs for obesity-related diseases,” said the CDC’s Liping Pan, who headed the study.

Well, yeah, that’s pretty much stating the obvious.

The most fascinating part of this phenomenon to me is, where is the breaking point? It’s certainly not sustainable. So where does it get to that point? Is it half of our population obese? More? Let’s hope we don’t have to test those boundaries.

(via: Yahoo)

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Americans Still Getting Heavier