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Children at risk of obesity who live close to parks tend to be more physically active. The study recently submitted to American Heart Association’s conference in Florida is monitoring children with potential risk problems in the future up to ten years or until the subject turns eighteen. They are monitoring the environment effect on obesity. The likelihood of walking to school increases double for girls and leisure walking for boys increases by 60 percent for every park in close proximity to home. This definitely is a positive possibility that people will be more physically active by walking more instead of depending on auto transportation.

Source: Medical News Today

Turkey season is here once again and everyone is excited to gather family together for the big feast. What is it about the big feast that makes it so enjoyable? Maybe the kinds of food consumed or maybe it’s the fact that it’s one time out of the year where the whole family sits together and just eat? After all that food, we tend to feel lethargic and fatigue, and the myth states that turkey causes this feeling. Is it true? Does turkey really make one tire and sleepy?

Let’s not blame it all on the turkey, because it’s not the only one factor that causes lethargy. Turkey does excrete L-tryptophan that is sent to the brain to produce melatonin and serotonin which  has the effect of calming a person down. However, for this effect to occur, L-tryptophan must be consumed by itself on an empty stomach. Since a turkey has so many other amino acids within its composition, it is unlikely the effect of L-tryptophan.

This fatigue feeling is actually the effect of the amount of carbohydrates being consumed. The amount of carbohydrates and fats consumed requires more effort for digestion; therefore, the blood flow is more concentrated near the stomach leaving the rest of the body tire.

Also, the relaxing atmosphere after a thanksgiving dinner can contribute to this factor. It’s nice to feel tire and accomplished after the big meal so that we can relax after a stressful year. However, if you prefer to stay alert and active after this feast, it’s recommended that you should only eat what you can consume.

• Eat in moderation and avoid junk food on the day of thanksgiving.
• Try not to starve yourself the whole day before the big feast.
• Once you’re full, get up and take a little walk to help with the digestion.
• Avoid fights with your family!

Dry Hair:

1. Wash your hair every two or three days.
2. Use “hydrating” or “moisturizing” hair care products.
3. Avoid using hair straightener or hair dryer on high heat setting. The less use the better or just set the heat setting lower.
4. Avoid harsh chemicals in hair color such as bleaches and peroxides.
5. Use plain apple-cider vinegar and water and then use conditioner.
6. Avoid the sun such as wearing a hat during summer.
7. Try to remove chlorine from your hair after swimming with specialized shampoo or put on conditioner before going into the pool. Wear a swim cap if necessary.

Oily Hair:

1. Wash when needed and lather twice if necessary. Try leaving shampoo on for more than five minutes before rinsing and condition the tip of your hair only.
2. Try a dab of talcum powder to the roots of your hair.
3. Avoid products that “shines” hair.

Hair Thinning:

1.  Reduce having hairstyles such as pony tails that puts pressure on the hair.
2. Naturally dry your hair without using a blower or towel.
3. Use wide tooth comb to untangle hair instead of brushes. Avoid using brushes when hair is wet.

Split ends:

1. Avoid heat.
2. Brush less.
3. Use more conditioner.
4. Avoid extreme temperature.

Tangles:

1. Reduce amount of hair chemicals.
2. De-tangle hair before shower.
3. Start from the end and work your way up.
4. Slowly and gently remove tangle with your fingers. Do not rush.
5. Use a good conditioner.

Others:

1. Keep your hair in its natural state.
2. Let hair dry naturally.
3. Trim your hair every two months.
4. Only use products that you need such as shampoo and conditioner.
5. Eat a well-balanced diet with proper amount of protein.
6. Reduce the use of brushes.

1. Protect from the sun

• Avoid sun rays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Wear protective clothing when going outside
• Use sunscreen with spf 15 or more. Apply 20 minutes before going outside and every 2 hours.

2. Don’t smoke - skin wrinkles tend increases with smoking.
3. Wash skin

• Use warm water not too hot and not too long to keep in the oil.
• Avoid strong soaps - can strip oil from skin making it dry
• Avoid irritating additives - perfumes or dye
• Remove eye makeup carefully
• Pat dry and use skin oil or cream.

4. Moisturize regularly
5. Shave carefully

• Warm or wet the area
• Use lubrication such as lotion or skin oil
• Clean razor
• Shave in direction of hair growth
• Rinse.

6. Eat right - fruits and vegetables and keep hydrated.
7. Exercise!
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Obesity refers to an excessive amount of fat; overweight refers to excessive amount of weight including muscle, bone, fat, and water. Keep in mind that women have more fat than men; men with 25% more fat is considered obese while women with 30% more fat would be considered obese. Women tends to accumulate fat in their waist (where most obesity related health problems occur) and their buttocks giving them a pear shape while men tends to accumulate fat in the belly area giving them an apple shape. Those who are obese tend to have a likelier chance of increasing health risks; therefore, Obesity is a condition that everyone should be informed about, we need to know how to measure it, how it is caused and how to prevent or treat obesity.

Sometimes it’s harder to know if one person is obese or not. Maybe the method of being weighted underwater or in a chamber that uses air displacement to measure body volume sounds eccentric, but it is the most accurate way to measure a body mass. Luckily, modern day found a technique regarding the Body Mass Index (BMI) where the measurement is based on the thickness of the fat under the skin. Heed in mind the BMI is not always correct because muscle weights more than fat; therefore, a person could be muscular but diagnosed as obese.

It’s obvious that obesity derives from the fat contained in the amount of food consumed. However, there could be a small genetic factor involve. Keep in mind that those who lived with their family tend to have the same lifestyle as the family so there could be the factor of environment. In modern day, technology became a major part of the daily life causing people to be lazier and make lazy choices. We tend to eat out more for the “taste” of the food not for the nutrition, and we prefer to drive to places rather than walking. Exercise doesn’t become a normal daily routine which is necessary for a healthier lifestyle. It is also believed that obesity could be caused by an adenovirus AD-36 which causes the rapid growth of fat cells.

It’s not difficult to treat obesity; it just takes a lot of time and commitment to achieve a goal. Frequent exercising can be very useful along with a healthy diet (diet doesn’t necessarily mean starving yourself which is the worse way to go about dieting). More plant-based food such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains should be included within your diet as a way to treat obesity. Remember to take it slowly and not completely jump into a dietary plan; slowly deviate away from food containing too much fat. Physical treatment isn’t the only way to treat obesity, having a mentally stable mind is also very helpful with reducing obesity. Have a plan so you would have a goal to work toward. Make sure it’s a realistic goal; losing 20 pounds in one week is not realistic, rather break it down to 1 or 2 pounds a week and keep working toward it. Your plan should include how much you should be exercising and how much food you should be consuming. Eat only when hungry not when it is time to eat, that way you know you’ve already finished digesting your food and you’re ready for the next meal. Try not to eat just because something looks or smell good, eat when it is necessary. Keep a record of everything you do and if you have reached your goal by the end of the week. This would help keep you organize and seeing these changes would make you more proud of what you have achieved. There are also medicines available for weight loss but make sure you talk to your doctor about it. Your doctor can go over how much calorie you should consume and what kinds of drug are available that is safe to take.

Think wisely, make healthy choices, and release those stored energy!