Burnout

Today at the Eating Coach blog, I talked about burnout (as it relates to chronic dieting).  Burnout it a pretty interesting topic because it takes over so much of the person's life and seems, at least sometimes, to be unrelated to objective measures of success (promotions, salary, success in relationships, etc.)

Especially now, as the economy is slow to come back and jobs are still precious, I am running across more people feeling trapped in their current jobs -- unable to move because they fear there is no place to move to.

On top of that, there is a relatively new study that says parental professional burnout is related to their adolescent children becoming burned out in school.  The study only cited the connection, it did not suggest a solution for the situation.  But I think it is worth the reminder (as a new school year starts) that we do bring our work home with us and if you are burning out, your kids are going to be picking up those feelings and learning those behaviors.  Just being aware of the connection might help break that cycle of burnout transference.

Teen sleep linked to food choices???

From ScienceDaily:

A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that teens who slept less than eight hours per weeknight ate higher proportions of fatty foods and snacks than adolescents who slept eight hours or more. The results suggest that short sleep duration may increase obesity risk by causing small changes in eating patterns that cumulatively alter energy balance, especially in girls.

My hope is that we won't just get stuck on the obesity issue here -- the extra weight is a symptom of unhealthy behaviors -- it is not an unhealthy behavior itself.

School is back in session and the sleep that some of our kids were getting in the summer while were went to work is a thing of the past.  But how are we going to educate our kids on the life-long importance of sleep as a recovery time for our bodies (not just a breaktime of lost productivity)?

My Paranoia might not be wholey unfounded???

All this summer I have faced the dilemma of just how necessary 30+ SPF really is.  I am extremely suspicious that it might just be the sunscreen that will do me in in the end (but of course then it wouldn't be skin cancer, right?)  And sure, I don't want tons of wrinkles and to look 147 years old -- but I live in Michigan!  With the exception of the few summer days when the planets perfectly align (I have a day off, the sun is out, it isn't too hot, hot, hot to be outside, and I am actually outside), most of my skin is covered up most of the time.

And without the sunlight hitting skin, bodies don't make Vitamin D.  Many of you know how important this vitamin is to calcium absorption (essential) but you may not know that our bodies are much more efficient at making Vitamin D we can actually use than it is absorbing the Vitamin D that comes from the drug store.

Strong bones are important -- really important!  But this study suggests that strong bones might just be the tip of the iceberg for what Vitamin D does. 

The researchers found 2,776 binding sites for the vitamin D receptor along the length of the genome. These were unusually concentrated near a number of genes associated with susceptibility to autoimmune conditions such as MS, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (or 'lupus') and rheumatoid arthritis, and to cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and colorectal cancer.

It's not a done deal -- these are merely associations right now, so don't run off to a nudest colony in the Bahama's and try to get your HSA to pay for it.  Just give it some thought and keep your eyes and ears open for further research.

Changing your community

The other day, I got into a big discussion with my class about whether I am an advocate of the smoking ban in restaurants and bars (which I am not!).  Now...I will tell you that I am not an advocate of smoking and I do not smoke. But  I feel it is my right as an American to have that choice -- both as a restaurant owner (where I would have the choice of opening a non-smoking or smoking restaurant) and as a patron (where I can choose what kind of environment I would like to eat my meal in). I do not think we need the government making these choices for us.

The flip side of that is others of our community have great influence over us.  If most of our community (macro or micro) do not smoke, there will be much greater pressure on us to choose not to smoke.  This is the avenue of change I like to participate in.

In their book Connected - the surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives, the authors give numerous examples of how the people around us influence our choices to give to charities, make healthier food choices, and to what extent we are active.  By the same token, we are influencing others by all of our choices as well.

Take a look at your behaviors.  Are there some you do not want to see duplicated in the world?  Are there changes you would like to see -- well, start living those changes!  You will make it easier for those you come into contact with to make those changes too.

It is fall.  A perfect time to step outside and go for a walk.  Put more veggies and fruits in your grocery basket (and then actually eat them).  Smile.  Laugh.  Share the positive behaviors in your life with your loved ones.  If you just do that, you will be changing the world!

What are we doing to our children???

I am sure most of you have heard that Type 2 Diabetes (what used to be called Adult Onset Diabetes) is on the rise in children.  (Type 2 is the one where the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin just wear out because they have had to deal with so much sugar).  So...with all of the sugar in the American diet, children are wearing out their pancreas at younger and younger ages.  That is bad enough...

However, a new study suggests children (kids ages 7-11 ... so really! we are talking about young kids) with poor blood sugar regulation have 4-5% less bone mass.  This is the age kids should be building bones!  How are they going to be able to avoid having hip and wrist fractures at 50, let alone 70, if they have weaker bones at 11.

This makes me want to cry and gets me MAD all at once!!!  We are choosing to let our children drink sodas (that contribute to the diabetes)!  We are not encouraging them to drink milk (to provide the calcium and vitamin D necessary to build strong bones)!!  We are not MAKING them go outside and run around (to stimulate bone formation AND to make their bodies more sensitive to insulin in the first place)!!  We are not doing these things for ourselves (not modeling the behavior) and we are not creating an environment where they have to participate in the decisions that will allow them to grow up healthy and strong!!

What is wrong with us?  Are you mad about this?  Are you doing something about it in your own home?  Are you setting a good example for the kids who wouldn't otherwise have one???

Medical Marijuana

Yesterday, Diane Rehm was discussing medical marijuana on her show.  I have heard of the compounds cannibaniods but didn't know there were a number of them.  I knew that THC was a component that would produce the "high" but didn't know there was another cannibanoid that would produce many of the healthful benefits (anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant properties, etc) but didn't make the user high.

This "other" cannibanoid has been breed down in plant where the users and growing were looking to increase the amount of THC in the drug for recreational uses.  There are some grower now however, who are looking to increase the amounts of health producing cannibanoids while decreasing the amount of THC.

What would be the ramifications of this?  Take a listen here and you might get a new perspective! (there is a "listen" button just below the "Home" tab)

Exercising restores sensitivity of neurons that make one feel full

A very, very important study that is close to my heart!!

Exercising restores sensitivity of neurons that make one feel full