If a few vanity pounds are getting you down, it shouldn’t be about the ones on your hips. What you should be worrying about is visceral fat, which is the fat that sometimes surrounds the abdominal organs.

More women than men experience an increase in this type of fat, especially in the time following menopause. It is often responsible for the change in a woman’s body to an apple shape. In men, it may manifest itself as a “beer belly.”

Sometimes referred to as abdominal obesity, this fat is more dangerous than the subcutaneous fat that lies just under the skin. Fat cells produce hormones, including ones that can cause insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. Visceral fat is also thought to increase the risk of heart disease, metabolic problems, and high blood pressure. It has also been linked to breast cancer.

It is quite possible for a person with a healthy weight and relatively trim waistline to have significant amounts of visceral fat. It can be hard to see because of where it lies; in some cases it can only be detected with an MRI.

According to the Mayo Clinic, lack of exercise and low metabolism isn’t necessarily the culprit. The problem, they say, may be genetics. If your family has a history of gaining weight around the middle, it may be a challenge for you, too. In women, hormonal changes during menopause also may cause a change in how fat is broken down and stored.

Rather than calculating your BMI, Mayo Clinic suggests simply measuring your waistline. A waist measurement of 35 inches or more, the clinic says, indicates an unhealthy concentration of abdominal fat.

One of the best things you can do for your body is exercise regularly, and, luckily, visceral fat responds well to working out. Daily moderate exercise along with strength training may be your best bet to battling the bulge.

Here’s a new tip for people who want to lose weight: work out in the morning and eat a good breakfast to lose more weight.

People who work out in the morning reap a ton of benefits. Many report better moods, more energy throughout the day and greater alertness. Thy also appear to have better, longer workouts.

A study from the U.K. found that morning exercisers work out harder. Translation? They burn more calories, which means they’re more likely to lose more weight.

Another study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that exercisers who ate breakfast were more satisfied by this meal. Some reported lower appetite throughout the day. Researchers asked 58 obese men and women to expend 500 calories daily and eat a regular breakfast of toast, tea and cereal to shed pounds.

“The effect of exercise on appetite regulation involves at least two processes,” authors write, “an increase in the overall drive to eat, and a concomitant increase in the satiating efficiency of a fixed meal.” Authors say it is the strength of this effect that determines weight loss.

All 58 participants reported being hungrier after exercise, but those who lost less weight reported feeling less satisfied by other meals.  Although they were satisfied by breakfast, they actually remained hungrier throughout the day. Their counterparts had less of an appetite.

“These data confirm that exercise has the capacity to alter the sensitivity of the appetite regulatory system via the compensatory response to consumed foods or preloads,” authors explain.

Despite the differences, all participants lost some weight. Researchers attribute differences in the amount of weight lost may be due to the lack of regulation for other meals. In any case, eating a regular breakfast appears to increase morning meal satisfaction.

“The exercise regimen apparently raised the sensitivity of the physiologic signaling system,” authors write, “which allowed the same amount of food to realize a greater suppression of hunger.”

Spending more than a few hours per week on the computer surfing the Internet may be adding inches to your waistline. Adults who spend three or more hours per week online are more likely to be overweight or obese, according to a study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

More than 2,500 adults from Adelaide, Australia, participated in a study correlating leisure-time computer use with body weight. Participants filled out a questionnaire, reporting web usage (excluding work-time computer use) and other low-energy leisure activities.

Participants were divided into sub-groups based on how much time they spent on the Internet—no use, low use (less than 3 hours per week), or high use (greater than 3 hours per week).

“Adults with high leisure-time Internet and computer use were more likely to be overweight or obese even if they were highly active in their leisure time, as compared to participants who did not use the Internet or computer,” study authors write.

The average time spent on the Internet was 125.3 minutes per week. Participants with high use were 1.46 times more likely to be overweight and 2.52 times as likely to be obese. They were also 2.5 times more likely to do other low-energy activities, such as watching television, for five or more hours per day.

“These findings suggest that, apart from nutritional and physical activity interventions, it may also be necessary to decrease time spent in sedentary behaviors, such as leisure-time Internet and computer use, in order to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity,” the authors write.

Although the results of the study are suggestive, study authors explain that there were limitations that may have affected the outcomes.

“The strong associations of leisure-time Internet and computer use with overweight and obesity may in part be explained by the association of leisure-time Internet and computer use with other leisure-time sedentary behaviors."

Further investigation on leisure-time computer use will provide more information on the effects of internet usage on health and weight.

Good news for gamers and parents—playing certain video games could actually count as exercise. New research shows that playing Wii Sports, if used correctly, could be the equivalent of a mild workout.

Sixteen volunteers, ages 20 to 24, took a fitness test to determine a baseline rating of perceived exertion (RPE).  Participants were instructed on proper usage of the game and played various Wii games while researchers monitored oxygen intake, heart rate and RPE.

The study, led by John Porcari, Ph. D., and Alexa Carroll, M.S., focused on six different activities—Free Run, Island Run, Free and Advanced Steps, Super Hula Hoop, and Rhythm Boxing.

Volunteers participated in each of the six activities randomly for 6 minutes. The Free and Island Run exercises required more energy, but neither used enough to meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s standard to affect cardio endurance.  The other activities fell below these health guidelines as well.

All of the activities did, however, burn calories. In 30 minutes, each activity burned the following number of calories:

• Free Step, 99 calories
  
• Advanced Step, 108 calories
• Super Hula Hoop, 111 calories
• Boxing, 114 calories
• Free Run, 165 calories
• Island Run, 165 calories

Although these exertion levels are significantly lower than doing similar exercise without the game, Wii Fit still used twice the calories of other video games. This is enough exertion to be considered a very mild workout.

“I guess anything is better than nothing,” Porcari says, “ but we were a little bit underwhelmed by the intensity of some of the exercises.”

An earlier study showed that certain Wii Sports activities burned more calories.

“You’re better off doing Wii Sports than Wii Fit,” Porcari explains. “In Wii Sports there’s more jumping around, and you’re not constrained by having to stand on the balance pad. I think there’s much more freedom of movement and you get a better workout.”

Thirty minutes each of Wii Sports activities burned the following number of calories:

• Wii Baseball, 84 calories
• Wii Golf, 93 calories
• Bowling, 117 calories
• Tennis, 159 calories
• Boxing, 306 calories

These findings could cut pounds for gamers in the long run, Carroll says, but it’s best not to rely on Wii alone. “Since using the Wii Fit alone may not produce results that meet recommended physical activity guidelines it is important that individuals participate in additional exercises to effectively reach these guidelines,” she says.

Read more about the Wii Fit and Wii Sports studies.

There may be a new ray of hope for glaucoma patients striving to preserve their vision. According to a recent study that appears in August’s online issue of BMC Ophthalmology, just ten minutes daily of aerobic exercise may help prevent further vision loss.

Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Department of Anesthesiology at the "G.Papanikolaou" Regional Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, sought to explore the effects of exercise on medicated patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).

Glaucoma is a disease that causes damage to the optic nerve, often resulting in severe vision loss or blindness. It is an irreversible condition that affects roughly 4 million people in the United States, about half of whom are unaware that they have it. Women, persons with diabetes or stroke, and African American men over 40 are at a greater risk.

Although glaucoma is typically seen in the elderly (persons over 60), everyone is at risk. Glaucoma may develop with or without symptoms, and as many as 10 percent of people receiving proper treatment will still experience vision loss. High intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of its many risk factors.

“Since exercise increases systemic fibrinolytic activity (such as dissolving blood clots), one can speculate that exercise decreases intraocular pressure by facilitating (uveoscleral) outflow,” authors of the study wrote.”

Based on this information, researchers gathered data from 145 individuals—100 healthy and 45 with POAG. Prior to testing researchers checked IMP levels using Goldmann’s applanation tonometry, a method of measuring the amount of pressure needed to flatten the cornea.

IMP was measured again hours after receiving medicated eye drops. Participants were then asked to engage in “moderate to sub-maximal” aerobic exercise (on a bicycle) for 10 minutes, after which IOP data was again measured. All participants experienced lower IOP levels, even in the participants who received no medication.

“Regardless of the antiglaucoma medication instilled, they still benefited from the aerobic exercise since they all had a post-exercise reduction of IOP,” the authors wrote in the study. “It is obvious that these patients should be encouraged to perform aerobic exercise.”

Have more questions? Visit Healia's Glaucoma Community.

Bill Rodgers, the former top-ranked marathon runner in the world, is running next Monday’s 113th Boston Marathon to promote prostate cancer awareness at the age of 61. A four-time winner of the Boston Marathon, Rodgers will be helping Athletes for a Cure, a program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, to raise funds for and build awareness of prostate cancer.

Rodgers was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. “There was no indication of any problem before I was diagnosed,” said Rodgers in a press release. “I’ve always tried to watch my health. Being so physically active, I was completely shocked to learn I had prostate cancer. I was also surprised to find out one out of six American men will also be in this same situation sometime in their lives. Prostate cancer is just that prevalent.”

Risk factors for prostate cancer include being 50 years of age or older; being of African heritage; having a brother, son, or father who had prostate cancer; and eating a high fat diet or drinking alcohol.

The American Cancer Society does not recommend routine prostate cancer screening for all men but recommends that health care professionals “offer testing with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam (DRE) yearly, beginning at age 50, to men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and have at least a 10-year life expectancy.” They also recommend that screening be considered at 40 or 45 if the person has high risk factors such as being of African American heritage and having a family history of prostate cancer at an early age.

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and one of the most prestigious races. In 2008 nearly 22,000 runners completed the course.

For more information, see Healia’s resources about prostate cancer prevention and screening, and cancer organizations and healthcare providers. Or get online support from our online community for prostate cancer.


_{Photo: Paul Keleher, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Swiss researchers reported Monday that any of several types of exercise can benefit people who have recently survived a heart attack. They also found that those benefits disappear when exercise is discontinued.

The researchers assigned more than 200 people who had previously suffered a heart attack to one of four exercise groups: aerobic training, resistance workouts, a combination of the two, or no exercise at all. They found that after four weeks, all three groups who were assigned to some type of exercise showed similar levels of improvement in blood vessel function, while those who did not participate in regular exercise showed no such improvement.

Some of the participants were then asked to stop their exercise regimens. One month later, all the improvements related to exercise were gone: the blood vessels of those who stopped working out had returned to their pre-exercise state.

It is unknown if the improvements in blood vessel function associated with exercise actually translate to better health and longer lives, but the researchers think it is likely. Heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death, while poor blood vessel health is the major cause of heart disease. Any improvement in vessel health is likely to reduce the risk of future heart problems.

To find out more about heart diseases, read the Healia Health Guide to Heart Disease.

^{_{Photo: Mr. T. in DC, Flickr, Creative Commons}}

Walk Score ranks the 40 largest cities in America and the neighborhoods within those cities based on their "walkability." The purpose is to help people find walkable places where it is easy to live a car-free (or car-lite) lifestyle. However, the cities near the bottom of the list are considered not walking-friendly or "car-dependent" meaning there are few destinations that are within walking distance so most trips will require a car or public transportation.

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. and awarding points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. It’s not a perfect rating scale, as it does not include weather, public transit, pedestrian-friendly design, topography, beauty of the surroundings, or man-made and natural impediments to walking; it is purely based on the proximity of amenities. Cities are defined as in the 2000 U.S. Census and neighborhood boundaries come from Zillow.com.

The list below includes the cities with the lowest overall walkability scores out of the 40 largest cities in the nation. The walkability score appears in parentheses after each city.

The top 10 least walking-friendly cities in America are:

1. Jacksonville (36)
2. Nashville (39)
3. Charlotte (39)
4. Indianapolis (42)
5. Oklahoma City (43)
6. Memphis (43)
7. Kansas City (44)
8. Fort Worth (45)
9. San Antonio (45)
10. El Paso (45)

For more information on how regular walking can improve your health, join the Healia Health Community for Exercise and Fitness. 

Related blog post: The Top 10 Most Walking-Friendly Cities in America

_{Source: Walk Score. http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/}

Photo: jmd41280, Flickr, Creative Commons

Walking is an enjoyable, cost saving, and environmentally friendly activity that almost anyone can participate in. Walk Score ranks the 40 largest cities in America and the neighborhoods within those cities based on their "walkability." The purpose is to help people find walkable places where it is easy to live a car-free (or car-lite) lifestyle.

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. and awarding points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. According to studies, the number of nearby amenities is the leading predictor of whether people walk. If the closest amenity in a given category is within ¼ mile, it gets the maximum points. The number of points awarded declines as the distance to the nearest amenity grows and if it is beyond 1 mile, no points are awarded. Each category is weighted equally and the points are summed and normalized to yield a score from 0–100. Scores above 90 are considered "Walker’s Paradise" meaning you can likely get by without needing to own a car. It’s not a perfect rating scale, as it does not include public transit, pedestrian-friendly design, topography, beauty of the surroundings, or man-made and natural impediments to walking; it is purely based on the proximity of amenities. Cities are defined as in the 2000 U.S. Census and neighborhood boundaries come from Zillow.com.

The list below includes the cities with the highest overall walkability scores followed by the three most walking friendly neighborhoods within each city. The walkalitily score appears in parentheses after each city and each individual neighborhood.

The top 10 most walking-friendly cities in America are:

1. San Francisco (score = 86)
   Neighborhoods: Chinatown (99), Financial District (99), Downtown (98)
   
   
2. New York (83)
   Neighborhoods: Tribeca (100) Little Italy (100), Soho (100)
   
   
3. Boston (79)
   Neighborhoods: Back Bay-Beacon Hill (97), South End (97), Fenway-Kenmore (96)
   
   
4. Chicago (76)
   Neighborhoods: Loop (98), Near North Side (97), Lincoln Park (94)
   
   
5. Philadelphia (74)
   Neighborhoods: City Center East (98), City Center West (98), Riverfront (92)
   
   
6. Seattle (72)
   Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square (99), Downtown (97), First Hill (96)
   
   
7. Washington D.C. (70)
   Neighborhoods: Dupont Circle (99), Logan Circle (98), Downtown (97)
   
   
8. Long Beach (69)
   Neighborhoods: Downtown (87), Belmont Shore (83), Belmont Heights (82)
   
   
9. Los Angeles (67)
   Neighborhoods: Mid City West (92), Downtown (90), Hollywood (89)
   
   
10. Portland (66)
    Neighborhoods: Pearl District (99), Old Town-Chinatown (98), Downtown (96)

For more information on how regular walking can improve your health, join the Healia Health Community for Exercise and Fitness.

_{Source: Walk Score. http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/} 

_{Photo: Benjamin Rossen, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Many common winter holiday activities can help you burn off the extra calories you consume by eating big meals and holiday treats. Below is a list of winter holiday activities and the number of calories you will burn if you engage in them for one hour. The number of calories burned is based on a person weighing 150 lbs. If you weigh more, you will burn more calories, and if you weigh less you will burn fewer calories.

 

Cross-country skiing	612 calories
Snowshoeing	544 calories
Ice skating	476 calories
Sledding	476 calories
Shoveling snow	408 calories
Splitting firewood	408 calories
Dancing	306 calories
Decking the halls and tree	247 calories
Building a snowman	238 calories
Baking cookies	170 calories
Holiday shopping	157 calories
Caroling	129 calories
Writing holiday cards	123 calories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about physical activity, join the Healia Health Community on Exercise and Fitness.

_{Source: Indiana State Department of Health www.in.gov/isdh/}

_{Photo: Derek Faulkner, Flickr, Creative Commons}