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healthy habits
Issue 46
Empowering Consumers with Better Health Care
Are you trendy?
Health care trends provide us with new ways to keep healthy
and fit. With technological advances, even more trends seem
to appear overnight. In this newsletter, we’ve covered the
latest information on:
1. Can you get healthy with your mobile phone?
2. Can you get fit with video games?
3. Is detoxing or colon cleansing necessary?
everything. Apps can’t put your running shoes on for you or
physically push you out the door. If it motivates you, then
do it!
There are thousands of apps for wellness. To find the best
updated list of popular apps, just type in the search engine,
“top free health and wellness apps.”
Don’t have a smart phone? You can still take advantage
of free online wellness tracking sites, including:
Mobile apps for health and wellness
Cell phone use is significant – nearly 89% of the U.S.
population has a cell phone. With that figure, nearly 60%
are smart phone users. Smart phones allow you to make
phone calls, connect to the internet, view videos, access
applications and more. These applications (also known as
apps) are trendy, informative and fun, and allow you to do a
host of things whenever you’re connected. Certain apps can
even encourage healthy habits that help you stay fit.
Some apps are great at keeping track of your weight loss and
exercise goals. Others track calories burned, food intake,
workouts and more. For runners or walkers, there are apps
that can determine how many miles you’ve logged or how
fast you’re going. Walkers can download walking workout
podcasts or program music to match your walking pace.
Another app, GetFitMap, shows examples of strength training
workouts, how to perform them properly and identifies which
muscles are targeted. For less than the cost of a personal
trainer, an app like this may be worth considering.
Do these apps really help you stay fit? For technology buffs
who like to see measurable results and track fitness, it
encourages and prompts you into action. But apps can’t do
Lose It www.loseit.com
Daily Burn www.dailyburn.com
Online Fitness Log www.onlinefitnesslog.com
My Fitness Pal www.myfitnesspal.com
Fit Day www.fitday.com
Stay fit with video games
Video games have entertained players since Mario jumped
his way through different worlds in the popular Nintendo®
game. Today, there are hundreds of interactive online games
that allow people play with different players around the world.
Playing games can be a favorite pastime; however,
it also has the reputation of being a couch potato activity.
So, video game manufacturers created new game platforms,
such as Nintendo's Wii Fit, Zumba Fitness and Microsoft's®
Kinect to get people moving.
When Wii came out, people embraced this new way to
exercise and thought it was fun to play tennis, go bowling
or swing a bat all in the comfort of their living room. The Wii
Balance Board offers a fun and unique way to get in shape.
But can you lose weight and stay physically fit playing
video games?
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Experts from the American Council on Exercise (ACE)
performed several studies on video games to see if
participants actually increased fitness or lost weight.
With Wii Fit, the Balance Board is a key component to the
fitness games. A benefit about the board is that exercising
with it affects your core workout. ACE says that in terms of
skill – balance, coordination and agility are important for our
functional capabilities, but that doesn’t equate to a person’s
actual fitness level.
Experts in favor of detox say that toxins or poisons in your
gastrointestinal tract can cause health problems, such as
allergies, asthmas, headaches, fatigue and chronic disease.
These toxins can adhere to the wall of your intestinal tract
and need to be cleaned out periodically.
Pros of exercise video games
■■ May engage people who normally don’t exercise
■■ Get more exercise than traditional video games
■■ Helps keep your mind sharp and engaged
■■ Can exercise any time in any weather
Cons of exercise video games
■■ Balance board doesn’t indicate if exercising correctly
■■ Doesn’t log how many calories are burned
■■ May not be strenuous enough for seasoned athletes
The ACE study tracked calories burned while playing the
actual sport versus the video game. The table below shows
calories burned per minute for a 150-pound person.
Detoxing, also known as “colon cleansing,” is used to rid
the body of toxins that have built up in the bowel that can’t
be eliminated. Detox usually consists of drinking fluids,
taking laxatives or other pills and eating only raw fruits and
vegetables. Some detox diets restrict certain foods for 10
days, and most advise you to avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar,
fat and preservatives during that time period. Or you can
buy various detox kits in health food stores that often include
vitamins, enemas and other cleansing pills.
Wii Game
Actual Sport
Golfing (driving range)
3.1
3.9
Bowling
3.9
7.2
Baseball
4.5
7.3
Tennis
5.3
8.1
Boxing
7.2
10.2
In a different study, a popular dance game with a dance
pad showed the most similarities in calories burned with the
actual sport itself. Dancing, boxing and aerobics seem to
have the best cardio results of the video games tested.
ACE says that the key to getting a good workout is to mimic
the real movements of the sport as closely as possible.
They also suggest that for best results, people use the hard
or moderate levels, instead of the easy or beginner modes.
Experts who warn against detox say that cleansing the body
is unnecessary because the digestive system, bowel, kidneys
and liver should all naturally eliminate waste and bacteria on
a regular basis during bowel movements.
The greatest health concern of detoxing is dehydration.
Certain diets often call for limited amounts of food. Because
you’re not eating foods that naturally contain water, you may
not get enough fluids. In addition, any sudden weight loss is
usually water weight and can easily be gained back quickly.
If you’re concerned that you’ve been putting too much
artificial waste in your body or if you suffer from frequent
constipation, then it may be beneficial to try the following
diet regimen for at least 10 days to make the transition to
a balanced diet.(1)
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After following this diet, it may just kickstart you into better
health and promote new, healthier eating habits.
Source:
(1)
Is detoxing necessary?
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugar
Avoid processed or artificially-flavored foods
Choose lean proteins
Avoid trans-fatty foods
Drink plenty of fluids, including water
Eat high-fiber foods
Get regular exercise
"The Truth About Detox Diets" WebMD ® accessed on 3/10/14
Many people who live a healthy lifestyle believe that for their
body to perform at their best, they need to periodically clean
out their “system.” Others who want to facilitate a quick
weight loss may think that detoxing their body can jumpstart
weight loss.
® Registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Copyright 2011-2014 Mercer LLC. All rights reserved.
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44
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45
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46
■
47
■
48
■
49
■
50
■
Health Care
Reform
Vitamin D
Benefits
Health Care
Billing
Time
Matters
Arthritis
Basics
Current
Trends
Health Care
Support
Boost Your
Brain
Risk
Assessment
Going
Green