Weight Loss Max

Children who live in densely populated urban areas may be less likely to be overweight if they have parks and lawns in their neighborhoods, a U.S. study suggests.

This is probably because children are more active if they have access to green spaces that make physical activity more enjoyable, said lead author Dr. Gilbert Liu, of the Children’s Health Services Research Program at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The study, in the March/April issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, included 7,334 children, ages 3 to 18, in Marion County, Ind. The researchers used body mass index to determine which children were overweight and also looked at the amount of green space and the number of food outlets (fast food restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores) around each child’s home.

Children who lived in neighborhoods with fewer green spaces were more likely to be overweight, the study authors said.

One expert said it’s difficult to directly link green space and children’s weight.

“We may say that green spaces are associated with kids’ activity level, but we really don’t know for sure,” said Thomas Glass, of the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health in Baltimore.

“People who live in green spaces areas versus not might be different in a lot of ways that have nothing to do with the presence of green space. There are a lot of parks in Baltimore, for example, but you can point to a lot of factors, such as crime, to explain why you find these parks empty of kids playing,” Glass added.

For many women struggling to keep slim, dieting can seem to last a lifetime.

Or to be more precise, 31 years.

For researchers have found that is how long the average woman spends on a diet over the course of her life.

According to a new report, British women spend an average of six months a year counting the calories and more than a fifth are on a permanent diet throughout their lifetime in a seemingly never-ending quest for the perfect figure.

But they aren’t the only ones waging a constant fight against the flab.

The average adult male spends 28 years slimming, the poll has revealed.

It found that over a tenth of the UK population is currently dieting in a bid to shed the pounds after feasting on festive treats over the Christmas period.

But despite best intentions, three quarters of those who began their New Year with the firm resolution to lose weight will give up by the end of the week.

The average diet lasts 5.5 weeks, with the post-Christmas fast being even shorter at just three weeks.

Half of slimmers throw in the towel due to lack of willpower, while a quarter of respondents said that they give up because their strict diet regime leaves them moody or depressed.

The most determined of dieters are aged between 45 and 64, with almost a quarter spending up to a year slimming.

In comparison, those aged between 18 and 24 are more likely to be yo-yo dieters, with a fifth giving up within a month.

The survey of 1,446 of men and women revealed that nearly two thirds of the UK population are unhappy with their body and feel that being thinner would make them happier.

For women, looks are more important, with over half reporting that they diet to wear fashionable clothes and a third of those surveyed said they watched their weight in a bid to feel more attractive.

But in comparison, men are more focused on their long-term well-being, with over a third saying they wanted to lose weight to be more healthy.

Almost a quarter of the UK population has been on a weight loss diet at one time, with half shedding up to a stone.

But despite the recent catwalk trend for size zero models, most adult British women don’t aspire to be super skinny.

Most crave a hour-glass shape, with Marilyn Monroe’s curves and the voluptuous figure of singer Charlotte Church being among the most desired body shapes.

British men, meanwhile, are more interested in a sporting physique, with 40 per cent citing footballer David Beckham’s body as their ideal, just ahead of film star Brad Pitt.

The report has been welcomed by experts.

Leading dietician Sian Porter said: “Thirty one years is a lot of time dieting when you tot it up, but it shows that people are realising that they must live a more healthy lifestyle.

“It is encouraging that women are being realistic.

“They are not aspiring to be a size zero, but they are looking up to someone more curvy like Kelly Brook or Nigella Lawson.

“But what we need to do is not dieting, but more healthy eating.”

Whilst the majority of those surveyed diet sensibly by eating smaller portions, almost a quarter of respondents said they would consider taking diet pills or only eating salad, and almost one in ten have considered a liquid diet or surgery.

For those watching their waistline, chocolate is the most craved sin, followed by cheese, according to the Ipsos Mori report commissioned by Laughing Cow Extra Light Diet.

Originally posted on the UK’s Daily Mail.

A REVOLUTION in weight loss is about to hit Sydney after scientists devised a workout that burns three times the amount of fat.

They found their specific brand of interval training prompts the body to click into a metabolic response that allows more fat to be burned under the skin and within the muscles.

Researchers at the University of NSW and the Garvan Institute studied 45 overweight women over 15 weeks, putting them through a 20 minute cycling regime in which they sprinted on a stationary bike for eight seconds followed by 12 seconds of cycling lightly.

“They lost three times more weight as other women who exercised at a continuous, regular pace for 40 minutes,” UNSW Associate Professor Steve Boutcher said.

Their success was due to higher amounts of chemical compounds called catecholamines that are produced in increasing amounts when linked to interval sprinting; the resulting chemical reaction drives greater weight loss.

The scientists believe the regime would also be applicable to swimming, walking, running and rowing.

Professor Boutcher said other types of interval training use longer interludes which are not as effective for overweight people and said the current government recommendations for exercise are largely ineffectual.

“Walking for 60 minutes, seven times a week does not result in much fat loss, usually 1.15kg over 15 weeks – for a lot of overweight people this is going to be a revolution,” he said.

The scientists found their method could “spot reduce” troublesome areas such as legs and buttocks.

The system will be useful to diabetics, as “insulin resistance was dragged down by about 32 per cent”.

The findings were welcomed by Bondi local Kim Broderick, 21.

“I try to run or walk but if this system works better it’s great.”

The scientists are now ready for the next phase of the study which controls food and exercise plans.

“We hope to find even more loss in fat,” Professor Boutcher said.

The trial will put participants through the interval training while placing them on a Mediterranean diet of fresh food as well as daily fish oil capsules, which helps burn fat more efficiently.

originally posted on news.com.au

One of the latest videos being passed around the internet, dubbed “These glutes are made for walking”

I didn’t know butts could move like that! That’s not the original audio, but it is a clip from a Bellydancing fitness video by Suhaila Salimpour.

If you think it’s something you want to try grab the video, Bellydance for Beginners with Suhaila: Fitness Fusion Buns or if you are feeling really ambitious get it in the box set, Bellydance for Beginners with Suhaila: Fitness Fusion - 4 Volume Gift Set (Buns, Jazz, Pilates, Yoga) You’ll either really excite your significant other or freak him the heck out. Either way, no one will be able to say your buns aren’t in shape!

Thought I would share this funny video. It’s a Japanese made tv show that gives native speakers a body AND mind workout by teaching quirky english phrases along with some equally quirky aerobic moves.