Farris

It’s that time of year again: gyms are packed, and motivation is high. ‘Tis the season for change! But between classes, work and everything else that takes time and energy, it can be easy to let those resolutions for a healthier you slip away. Here are some tips to help you achieve your health goals, which can be ever so elusive for many:

1. Have a goal, not a resolution. Let’s be real; “I want to get in shape,” is not a goal. It’s boring, non-specific and not going to get you anywhere. When you start saving money for a new car, do you say, “I want to save money?” No! You have the exact make, model and color picked out. Health and fitness goals should be the same. Be it specific. If losing weight is your aim, set incremental goals. Give yourself a deadline. Start small to build confidence and then start swinging for the fences.

2. Form a plan. Have a workout routine in place. You’re much more likely to skip out on gym time when you’re winging it than if you know exactly what you need to do. Something as small as a 12-week program including resistance training and cardio workouts can be a great motivator and takes away the guesswork. (Men’s Health is a great resource to find quick, effective, workouts, regardless your level of fitness, such as the “The Busy Man’s Workout,” a fully body dumbbell routine.)

3. Make it fun. There are literally hundreds of different ways to exercise and improve your diet. If you don’t enjoy running, don’t run. If you’re a beginner, don’t be afraid to try new things. We have an array of classes available for free at the recreation center on campus. I’ll never forget the first time I tried yoga; I thought it was strange going in, but now it’s part of my weekly routine. Also, find a workout buddy to provide accountability and motivation.

4. Pump your brakes. It’s important to understand that results will not come overnight. A diet “cleanse” or excessive exercise is going to be inferior to long-term adherence. Start out slow. Make exercise a habit, then increase intensity. Don’t attempt to cut out all vices of your diet at once. Ditch soda for a few weeks, increase your vegetable intake for a few weeks, and, before you know it, in a few months you’ll have a completely new and healthy diet.

5. Just stick to it. It’s time for some honesty. Improving one’s health isn’t easy, but it isn’t walking-up-the-Plumb-Hall-stairs hard, either. There will be days when you want skip a workout or eat an endless amount of Oreos, but take it one day at a time. Understanding every workout and diet change is one step closer to your goal. Incorporating change each day makes the successive day easier.

If you see me around campus this year, don’t be afraid to flag me down and ask a question or share your success. Let’s do this!

Farris

In our efforts to fight off weight gain, we often go to extreme measures, trying just about anything. Certainly everyone has heard about organic foods, and all too often organic is synonymous with healthy, which isn’t always the case.

But what does organic really mean?

“Organic foods are agricultural products – produced by farmers who recognize and emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. The use of natural plant nutrition and traditional cultivation methods, such as crop rotation, lets farmers work to maintain biological diversity of crops and replenish soil fertility naturally,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This definition is vague and heavily open to interpretation. One common claim made by pro-organic groups is that organic food is more nutritious and safer for the consumer.

But contrary to popular belief, organic farmers use natural pesticides and fertilizers, while conventional farmers use synthetic or chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It’s true that organic fruits and vegetables typically contain fewer amounts of chemicals, but this is often taken out of context since the difference is so small, and both types of farming yield chemical levels well below the acceptable limits, and the health risk of pesticides is very rare. Imagine a speed limit of 75 mph. One person travels 65 mph and another 55 mph. They’re both under the limit, but this is an example of how lower doesn’t always mean better. The differences seem to be miniscule.

A review by Christine Williams, pro-vice chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University of Reading, and her colleagues concluded that data does not support organic food being superior or inferior to conventionally-grown food, overall differing little in micronutrients. One of the only significant findings was a slightly higher concentration of vitamin C in leafy green vegetables. Last time I checked, most people don’t acquire the bulk of their vitamin C from vegetables.

In their scientific status summary of organic foods, The Institute of Food Technologists concluded, “While many studies demonstrate these qualitative differences between organic and conventional foods, it is premature to conclude that either food system is superior to the other with respect to safety or nutritional composition.”

Lastly, and I believe most importantly, Faidon Magkos, a researcher in the Department of Home Economics and Ecology at Harokopio University, and his colleagues concluded their review of organic foods by stating, “a well-balanced diet can equally improve health, regardless of whether it’s organic or conventional”

Another factor to consider is cost. While it varies with each individual food, a 2011 review showed that organic food averaged 68 percent higher costs for yogurt. For peanut butter, organic costs were over 100 percent higher than other foods.

While it ultimately comes down to a personal choice, considering the lack of scientific data and the limited amount of funds for most Americans, organic food is most likely hurting your wallet more than helping your health.

Farris

h.D., M.D, MS, BS. What do all of these acronyms have in common? They all represent qualifications stating that an individual has mastered, in various levels of degree, some topic. In other words, people should respect their opinions on that given topic. Psychology actually has a name for this, appeal to authority.

So person A has a Ph.D. in economics and makes a statement regarding the unemployment rate; therefore, whatever they said must be true. Not so fast.

In searching for the truth in nutrition, we must access scientific studies to look at certain claims. This is incredibly helpful because we consume dozens of different foods daily, and it’s nearly impossible to single out one and to see possible health benefits or risks.

Most nutrition studies fall under two categories – observational studies or randomized controlled trails (RCT’s.) An observational study is just what it sounds like; scientists observe the eating habits of a given population and then gather data. RCT’s are more controlled; scientists will typically study two groups, attempting to minimalize the differences between them other than a single given topic. Observational research is mostly hypothesis generating for RCT’s, which are considered the gold standard.

With this in mind, it’s important to respect the science. If 100 studies come out and say that a certain food additive is safe for consumption, but one nutritionist says its carcinogenic, yet has no evidence to back it up, well, decide for yourself. These people are often emphatic about their statements as well, claiming to know everything about anything and completely shut down to other possibilities.

I always appeal to science, not to a given individual. What is true and false isn’t dependent on who has sold the most books.

But research isn’t without its flaws. A quick search in PubMed and you’ll find many studies are funded by a potentially biased source. Of course those studies come out with favorable effects. Oh really, the athlete sponsored by Cliff said that Cliff bars are the secret to his 400-pound bench press? Shocker. Who wants to put thousands of dollars into a study to say something doesn’t work the way they thought it did?

Many researchers also tend to overreach their data. Again, who wants to spend several months working to conclude that their experiment told them nothing? When looking at research or hearing the opinion of a qualified individual you should determine if they serve to gain a monetary advantage for what they’re saying. It’s typically smart to look at the bulk of the research and hear many different opinions.

It was Socrates who said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Odds are, if you run into someone who claims to know everything about a certain topic, making outrageous claims that clearly aren’t backed by science, it would be wise to find another source, despite their framed credentials.

Farris

Our rights as Americans include freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom to eat whatever we want. O.K., maybe that last one isn’t directly in the constitution, but it’s definitely true.

It’s no secret that over the past few decades the average weight of Americans has increased about 20 pounds since 1990, according to the Center for Disease Control. With this weight gain has come an increasing amount of obesity-related issues such as heart disease and type two diabetes.

While these problems are nothing new, what has become alarming is the rate at which children are developing these same problems. The CDC stated that in 2003, about 3,700 children were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and while that figure may not seem too problematic, it has surely grown in the past decade. This goes beyond being bullied for being overweight and enters the stratosphere of serious health problems.

So, what are the causes? Children become obese for the same reasons that adults do – too much food and not enough activity.

But, most often, children are not in control of their diet. They simply eat what they’re given. Parents have the responsibility of being a good role model and providing a healthy atmosphere for their children. It’s the responsibility of the parents to feed their children properly, not only for their immediate health, but also for developing good dietary habits.

We often develop most habits, good and bad, during our youth. Diet is no different. It’s hard to blame the overweight 10-year-old when his mother is feeding him McDonald’s and TV dinners every day for years. Many parents just don’t understand how important it is, and until they do, I don’t see the childhood obesity problem turning around.

Although I do think parents are the main culprit and have the best opportunity to turn things around, there are a few other factors worth noting. School lunches now give students options like pizza and burgers for lunch, and these are usually the first pick for most children. This goes back to parenting and educating children on proper nutrition so they can make better choices when given this freedom.

Speaking of education, there is a lack of simple nutrition classes in elementary schools and throughout. This is often overlooked just as physical activity. Every individual in America eats food, yet nutrition is a rarity in most teaching plans.

Finally, parents and schools both have to fight against advertising. It’s not hard to notice the ratio of fast food to fruit commercials. We are constantly bombarded with food and, typically, with the ones we should be consuming the least.

There are a dozen other factors I could mention, but at the end of the day, it comes back to parents’ understanding while, yes, they have the freedom to eat. However they choose, they shouldn’t forget the old adage, “Monkey see, monkey do.”