Water, although we take it for granted, is one of the 6 classes of nutrients that we must ingest on a daily basis.  60 to 70 percent of our body is composed of water.  Without it, chemical reactions that occur all the time in the body can’t take place.  Drinking is essential, as we cannot conserve or store water in our body. Yet, most of us are probably only getting about a third of the valuable hydration benefits we need. Water makes up more than 70% of solid body tissue and helps regulate body temperature, carry nutrients and oxygen to cells, remove waste, cushion joints, and protect organs and tissues. Lack of adequate water intake leads to headaches, grogginess and dry, itchy skin. Severe dehydration affects blood pressure, circulation, digestion, kidney function, and nearly all body processes. A healthy body maintains proper hydration by balancing fluid intake and output. You normally lose about 2 ½ quarts (10 cups) of fluid daily through perspiration, urination, respiration and bowel movements. So you need to replace this amount each day. The question is, how much to drink and what beverages should we drink?  It is probably prudent to consume a minimum of 8-10 cups of fluid per day.  This is in addition to the water you get through eating solid foods.  For instance, a baked potato with skin is about 70% water.  Eating fruits and soups is another way to ensure that you are staying hydrated.  Water is certainly the best way to achieve these 10 cups per day.  But since milk and juice are about 90% water, it is also a good source of fluid. Caffeinated beverages not only don’t meet your fluid requirements, but because they act as a diuretic and expel fluid from the body, they can be harmful in terms of staying properly hydrated.  People that are exercising need to exhibit extreme caution in order to maintain a high level of hydration.  According to the guidelines issued by the American Council on Exercise, one should drink two cups of water within an hour before exercising, consume 4 to 8 ounces of fluid every 10 to 15 minutes during the workout, and consume 2 cups of fluid for every half kilogram lost during exercise at the conclusion of the workout.  One should never lose more than 2% of their body weight due to dehydration.  This is dangerous and can effect you performance.  Also, remember that we here in the Middle East, live in a hot and sometimes very dry climate.  We need to be extremely careful in the summer months to drink enough.  How do you know if you are beginning to dehydrate?  Don’t rely on the thirst reflex.  If you are thirsty, you’ve waited to long before drinking. If the color of you urine is a dark, gold color, it means that you are not drinking nearly enough.  One quick tip on how to stay hydrated all the time.  Every time you are ready to eat one of your meals or snacks, drink 2 cups of water before and 2 cups after.  This will ensure that you stay hydrated and healthy.  Drinking a sufficient amount of water is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year, and years to your life.” For previous columns, click

Just a month ago, on Chanukah, a strange feeling overcame me. With 5 of our children now married and out of the house, and our youngest son studying in a Yeshiva out of town, when we lit our menorah on the third night of Chanukah, it stood there all alone. I quickly remembered times when we needed a large table for all of the menorahs, how candle lighting took a long time as each child recited the Brachos (blessings) and we sang Haneiros Hallalu and Maoz Tur afterwards. I realized that even though there was less light being generated from Chanukah Menorahs in my home these days, it is because less was now more. There was only one menorah burning in our home because in the home of my married children there were many more menorahs burning, those of my children and grandchildren. A Rabbi who was a personal training client of mine years ago, once said to me that when he travels back to the United States (he has been in Israel for more than 40 years now) he notices that the word “better” in America seems to go hand and hand with the words “bigger and more.” Success can be translated as more money, more cars, bigger cars, bigger homes, bigger weddings, more food for your money in a restaurant and longer vacations. We strive to build bigger airliners and larger sports stadiums. Yet, it hit me this past Chanukah, that bigger and more are not necessarily really better. Many times, less is indeed more. And then I realized that my entire profession is based on that. We all know and understand that when it comes to weight, more is harmful, and less is best. Less translates into good health and a happy life. As the co-director of the Lose It! Weight Loss Center and Lose It! Online, I spend my days working with people who want more out of life and therefore, need to learn how to do with less in order to achieve their goals. Carrying too much weight causes an array of life threatening health problems such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease. In addition, problems that affect our quality of life such as osteoarthritis, digestive problems, depression and problems of self esteem and self confidence are prevalent in the overweight and obese. However, having seen success after success in my clinic, I also see how less is more. I watch week after week as people come in with new blood tests showing better sugar numbers and lower cholesterol. They ask me to check their blood pressure just to make sure they heard their doctor right, they are shocked that for the first time in years they are not hypertensive. And just as important, the staff of the clinic watches people transform over the three months they are with us in terms of attitude and stress. The same techniques we use to get people to lose weight; a proper food program, proper exercise, and behavioral change, are easily applied in other aspects of their life. Less is indeed more, but it can’t happen in one day or one week. This learning process takes time, months for most people. But the rewards you gain (and the weight you lose!), both in terms of physical health and mental well-being are the more here. For those who succeed, it is

It wasn’t long ago that the standard advice for good health was: eat right, exercise and don’t smoke. However today, health care professionals are adding another very important element to that list—get enough sleep. In today’s world of one big global economy, more and more people are working at jobs that require second and third shifts. They are working out of their time zone. Many watch late night television or surfing at the computer. In addition, worries and problems can all keep us from sleeping enough hours and from sleeping soundly. According to research done at the Mayo clinic, not sleeping enough results in impaired memory, slower reaction times, lack of alertness and grumpiness. Tired people are less productive at work, less patient with others and less interactive in their relationships. And according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 crashes each year are due to drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Needless to say, for those of us who exercise regularly, we all know how unproductive a session can be when we have failed to get a good night’s sleep. Just how much sleep is called “enough?” Even though most evidence shows that the amount of sleep people need is highly individualized, most people require 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one third of Americans are sleeping 6 and one half hours per night or less. Dr. John Shepard Jr. who runs the Mayo Sleep Clinic has the following advice on how to get a better night’s sleep. *Stick to a schedule. That means not sleeping much more on Shabbos or Holidays. Make an effort to go to sleep and wake up about the same time every day. *Don’t eat or drink a lot before bedtime. Try to stop eating about 2 hours before bedtime. And remember that drinking too much before bed will cause you to wake up several times to urinate in the middle of the night. *Avoid Caffeine and Nicotine. Addictive stimulants will keep you awake. Don’t have caffeine at least 7-8 hours before bedtime. *Exercise! Exercise and regular physical activity enhance the quality of sleep. *Keep the room cool. A room that is overheated isn’t good for sleeping. Keeping the room cool mimics your internal body temperature at night. *Sleep at night. Avoid daytime naps and if you do need to nap, do so before 3 o’clock in the afternoon and never sleep for more than one hour. *Keep it quiet. Silence is more conducive to sleep.  Don’t keep the TV or radio on as you fall asleep. Use earplugs or a running fan if need be to eliminate background street noise. *Your bed is for sleep. Make sure you bed is comfortable and only us it for sleeping. Go there when you are tired and turn out the lights. If you can’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, go somewhere else and do something else, like reading until you get tired. Lack of sleep will also disrupt your metabolism and will cause you to secrete more of the hormone cortisol. This will increase your appetite and cause you to crave fatty foods. If you try all of the tips we have suggested here over a period of time and you still can’t sleep, seek professional help from a sleep center or a physician that specializes in sleep disorders. It is interesting to note that before the electric light bulb was invented, people

TLC—when I was growing up that meant tender loving care. In today’s world the initials TLC also stand for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. This TLC is the latest term to describe medically based, structured, supportive programs to help people lower their risk and to reverse life-threatening conditions such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. The purpose of this program is to help people improve eating habits, exercise, manage stress, quit smoking, and learn how to lead an active life style. Unfortunately, due to being inundated with patients and lack of time, the medical profession often ignores TLC. That is something that is very costly to both the patient and to the economy as a whole. It is much cheaper to improve your health without drugs or surgery. Dr. Neil Gordon, M.D., PhD, who is a preventive cardiologist, headed a study published in 2004 in the Journal of Cardiology, reported the effectiveness of a 12-week community- based lifestyle management program.  This particular program was geared toward people with hypertension, abnormal cholesterol, and diabetes.  Dr. Gordon and his team found that many of the patients achieved their goals–without medication.  Specifically: ·67% of people lowered their blood pressure to their stated goals ·39% of people lowered their blood sugar to acceptable levels ·21% of people lowered the LDL Cholesterol to their goal level It is important when beginning a TLC program that you are first evaluated to access your current health status and to see what your risk of disease is.  Then you need to state your outcome goals for the program.  Do you want to lower cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar?  Do you need to quit smoking?  And now how are you going to reach those goals?  You may choose a combination of dietary change along with a well-rounded exercise program.  You may also need to add some behavioral therapy into the equation.  Each program needs to be set up individually, keeping in mind the patient’s abilities to exercise, their daily schedule, and their capacity to stick to a program. It may be easier to prescribe drug therapy for a patient.  If the root cause can be treated and preventative measures can be taken, this should be the first step.  Even if one needs to take medication, those medicines will likely work much better in conjunction with TLC.  TLC doesn’t just treat the symptoms; it treats the underlying problems and works to prevent you from getting unhealthy.  TLC is so effective that 54% of US Corporations have incorporated it into their work place.  The results are more productivity in the workplace as workers take less sick-days, and workers get more tasks accomplished each day. There is no doubt that there are times when drug therapy is the only recourse.  But always ask you doctor if you can try TLC first.  Go and see a lifestyle coach or personal trainer and try it first.  Try the websites for the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org or Medline Plus at http://medlineplus.gov/healthyliving.html for some help and guidance.  Even if it doesn’t work completely, it can lower your drug dosages substantially.   And even if you are perfectly healthy, TLC is the best preventative medicine around.  Using Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes is great way to “add hours to your day, days to your year, and years to your life.” For previous

It doesn’t take millions of research dollars to realize that the obesity and overweight epidemics in much of the civilized world are a result of eating too much. Yes – it’s true that every which way we turn, we are inundated with food. We are constantly invited to simchas, we eat gargantuan Shabbos meals and there are the challenges of the chagim. This is in addition to the proliferation of fast-food establishments, a glut of food promotions through television and other media, and the heavy competition between restaurants over portion size that has victimized us all. Also, our fast-paced society – with every gadget in the world doing our work for us – promotes a very sedentary life style. We don’t expend as many calories as we did before the advent of cars, elevators, computers and television. The bottom line is… We are just eating too much food. How much extra are we eating? Economic Research Service data suggest that average daily calorie intake increased by 24.5%, or about 530 calories per day, between 1970 and 2000. How do we combat these epidemics? The answer is short and sweet… that in addition to incorporate more exercise and activity into our lives, we need to eat less. We can all figure out ways to be more active, but trimming our portion sizes presents a greater challenge because of the multi-faceted role that food plays in our lives. How, then, do we accomplish this? Here are some tips from Jim Gerard of the American Council on Exercise on managing portion size and eating less: · Serve a substantial portion of vegetables and fruit to start off your meal. Then, serve less of the other foods. Research has shown that people who incorporate vegetables and fruit into their meals consume approximately 100 calories less. · Eat soup with your meal – it’s filling. · Keep big bowls of salad or cooked vegetables on the table. · Use smaller plates. · Don’t take seconds. But if you must, take those veggies or fruits! · Never eat from a bag or carton. · Don’t leave platters of food out on the table. · Don’t eat while watching television, or with other distractions. Savoring your meal help keep you satisfied with smaller the portions. And if you go out to eat…. · Ask for half or smaller portions. · Eyeball your portions and ask for a doggie bag for the rest – before you start to eat. · Share your meal with a friend.  Going to a simcha? Let’s add the following: · Eat before you leave the house so you are not starving when you arrive. · Eat the fresh salads and perhaps a first course. Stay away from the oily salads as well as those which are drowning in mayonnaise. · Skip the main course and desert. It’s too many calories, too fatty and usually served too late at night to be eating. · Last but not least, park your car far away from the simcha hall so you can get some exercise before and after the affair. Keeping your portions under control is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.”  For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and

According to an article in the May 1, 2008 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, overweight and obesity are associated with hypertension, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and obstructive sleep apnea. More importantly, obesity is associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease and obesity-related cancers (colon, breast, esophageal, uterine, ovarian, kidney and pancreatic). Rates of diabetes have more than doubled in the last 30 years and fatty liver disease has become increasingly more prevalent.  With well over 65% of us overweight and over 25% obese, weight loss has become the top priority with most people, including medical professionals. According to Business Week Magazine (2007), 40 billion dollars was spent in the United States alone on weight loss programs and products. To add to the confusion, many dieters brag about how successful they were on their various diets, and then, in 98% of cases, within five years, gain it all back, and possibly more. So just how does one lose weight and keep it off? Here in Israel, we consume a daily average of 3,765 calories – far more than we need. For most people, weight gain occurs over an extended period of time. Consuming a mere 50 calories more per day than you need or than you use – which is relatively easy to do – translates into a 5-pound gain per year. Keep that up for a number of years and you will be obese.  Let’s understand some basics about how many calories we need to consume per day in order to maintain our weight, and then see what we need to do to lose some of it. The first step is to determine our basal metabolic rate (BMR). Simply put, BMR is the number of calories our body uses as energy to sustain itself throughout one day, without doing extra activity or exercise. At rest (i.e. while sitting at the computer or reading), the human body burns only about 12 calories per pound of body weight per day (26 calories per kilogram). (This formula is approximate; you can find metabolic calculators on the Internet.) This means that if you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), your body uses only about 150 X 12, or 1,800 calories per day. Therefore, in order to lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you consume per day and use more of the calories you’re consuming; it’s what we call creating a caloric deficit. One kilo is 7,500 calories, so in order to lose a half a kilo per week you would need to consume 500 fewer calories per day, or eat 250 less calories and burn 250 calories per day through exercise and activity. Starvation diets DO NOT WORK, in the long run, and will leave you sorely lacking in nutrients. Additionally, consuming too few calories can slow your metabolic rate. Rapid weight loss crash diets will cause you to lose water and muscle, but not fat weight. It is crucial that you eat in a way that will give you good nutrition and provide sufficient energy for each day.  By being active – walking instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and starting a formal exercise program, you could very easily burn 300-500 calories a day. You would need to cut

The bottom line in achieving weight loss is that you must create a caloric deficit. Simply put, this means that you must expend more energy than you are consuming. So, if you need to lose 5 kilo (11 lbs.), you must create a deficit of 37,500 calories. If through exercise and activity, you expend 500 calories a day more than you are using now, AND you reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, it should take about six weeks to lose the weight. Sounds easy, right? NOT!! Were weight loss were that simple, everyone would be thinner and more importantly, healthier. Instances of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and muscular-skeletal problems would be substantially reduced, and the amount of money saved in medical costs could go a long way to helping to reduce the current financial crises. But as most of us know, it isn’t that simple. However, there is something we can all do that will practically ensure our success in the weight loss department. WRITE IT DOWN! A recent study by Kaiser-Permanente confirmed what weight loss professionals have known for a long time – that those people who commit not only to exercising and eating a healthy and portion-conscious diet, but also to tracking their food intake, can actually double their weight loss. This study, which appeared in the August 2008 edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, confirmed that by employing this honest approach of recording all food intake, 70% of the participants achieved significant health improvements due to weight loss. As most dieters are aware, even if one is being very careful, it is the easiest thing in the world to walk through the kitchen and grab a cookie here and a piece of cake there. Keeping a food diary helps discourage damaging behavior, period. Even more important is that when the diary is reviewed at the end of each day, it helps people see where their extra calories are coming from and helps them determine how to eliminate them. Also, the simple act of writing things down helps discourage you from eating too much, too often. An additional and very important benefit of food tracking is that it helps you ascertain whether you are truly hungry when you eat. Many people eat out of boredom or as an emotional reaction to a particular situation – i.e. being under stress. It is much easier to identify these behaviors when you track your eating habits. Eliminating emotional eating and learning to differentiate between true hunger and a desire to eat for other reasons are essential to keeping your caloric intake under control. Although many individuals simply want to maintain their recommended weight or to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, the bottom line is that keeping your weight in check is good for your health. So be sure to write down what you eat, because it is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs.

Even though the weather is still relatively mild, winter is only a few weeks away. And winter can play havoc with your exercise program if you are not prepared to tackle the problems that come with it. Although some people have various types of aerobic exercise equipment in their homes, most individuals rely on the outdoors for their aerobic workout. When the rain begins to fall, the wind begins to blow and the temperature drops, it it’s easy to “excuse yourself” from your daily aerobic routine. You begin working out less just as you appetite begins to increase from the cold. And as you increase your caloric intake, you will be burning fewer calories, leading to weight gain. So how do we cope? Even if you have no exercise equipment, there is plenty you can do indoors in the way of aerobic exercise. Since most of us live in apartment buildings, we have access to staircases. If you have three or four flights of stairs, try going up the stairs, two at a time if you can, and then walk down slowly for recovery. Do 4-6 sets. Another alternative is running in place for several minutes. Good old-fashioned jumping jacks are fall into the category of aerobics. And if you’re looking for more of a challenge… Try setting yourself in the push-up position but alternate right and left to bring your knees up to your chest. As you return one side, bring up the other. This is called the sliding ski stretch. Ideally, you should work to integrate all of these different types of exercises into a 25-30 minute routine. It is best to couple your aerobic routine with some resistance training. Do abdominal exercises as well as push-ups, dips, and use a simple band to work other muscles. It is advisable to intersperse these exercises within your aerobic routine – something we call circuit training. For instance, you can do 4 sets of stairs, and then do your abs. Then you can run/jog in place for 5 minutes and do your pushups and dips. Follow this with some jumping jacks and sliding ski stretches, and general stretches to cool down after you have finished. This is a quick and easy way to stay in shape no matter what’s happening outside.  If you crave being outdoors and want to brave the cold, it’s important to dress appropriately. Gloves and warm sweat clothes are a good idea. A hood or ski hat will help you retain your body heat. Even though it’s cold outside, be careful to stay well hydrated. If you want to workout in the rain, be sure that your exercise clothing is waterproof.  Don’t let the winter add up to more calories consumed than expended. Be vigilant in your workouts and work diligently to keep your caloric consumption in check. Fresh hot soups and herbal teas can help curb your appetite. And remember – exercising and staying active in the winter is a great way to stay nice and warm.  Staying in good shape during the winter is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of

Carbohydrates are not the root of all evil. In fact, your body relies on carbohydrates as a chief source of energy and nutrition. But what type of carbs should you be eating, and how much?  Refined grains offer very little in the way of nutrition and can cause insulin resistance over time. And eating too many white-flour or refined-sugar products causes your insulin level to spike. In contrast, whole grains digest slowly and therefore, insulin is secreted in a slow and even way. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are necessary to consume for overall good health. Too many years of a poor diet, along with little activity and exercise, will lead to type 2 diabetes – which has become all too common in today’s world. This disease was once known as mature onset diabetes since it occurred later in life. Today this is no longer the case, and it is even being diagnosed in teenagers. Healthy Weight Loss For most people, weight gain happens over a long period of time.  It’s not difficult to consume fifty calories a day more than you need, or than you use. That alone translates into a five-pound gain per year.  Keep that up for a number of years, and you will be obese. If we have determined that the low-carb, high-protein routine is not only ineffectual, but also possibly unsafe, how do we go about this daunting task of losing weight? Naturally, each person has his or her own individual tendencies regarding weight loss.  But the general rule to follow is this: fewer calories in and more calories expended. Let’s take the case of Shira. Shira led a very sedentary lifestyle. At 5’ 2”, she weighed nearly 250 pounds. Driving almost everywhere, opting for the elevator instead of stairs and choosing to stay inside after her long day at work instead of walking, Shira was only burning as many calories per day as her body used for basic functions (resting metabolism).  In addition to these poor habits, she was eating large amounts of food, all dense in calories. Realizing that she was slowly destroying herself, she came to us and began a weight-loss and physical-fitness program. Shira began with a twenty-minute walks each day.  At the same time, she cut her caloric intake and made healthful choices for her meals and snacks.  Her food program was balanced and included mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein choices.  Maintaining this routine, and refining and intensifying it as she became more fit and able to do more, she lost 115 pounds over 18 months. Today Shira’s body mass index – the index most widely used by doctors to measure overweight and obesity – is just within the healthy range.  At the same time, all of her nutritional requirements are met on a daily basis. Hard work? The answer is most definitely yes. But the rewards of good health and longevity are certainly worth it.  Fad diets just don’t work, especially diets that are based on the elimination of entire food groups and obsessively eating only certain foods. Losing weight in a healthy and sensible manner is another way to “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.” For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL

We live in a world of extremes. For those who want to follow the Rambam’s sensible way of living, the middle path – in terms of diet and exercise – seems elusive. In the last few years, we have been treated to low carbs, high protein, low fat, low sugar, no sugar, high carbs, etc. It’s as if the quick fix is the only way to achieve our goals. But the statistics are telling us that most people who are trying these radical approaches to diet are not really achieving anything at all, and certainly, not anything permanent. Let’s look at the facts. Ninety-eight percent of people who are following an organized diet plan based on some kind of book or program, but without making any other lifestyle changes, will fail. Yes, many will lose pounds while on their programs, but a few years down the road, they will either weigh in at close to their starting weight or even more. The Western world is obsessed with weight loss. In the United States alone, individuals and companies are spending more than $30 million per year on weight loss products and programs. Yet the amount of people overweight or obese continues to rise. Remember the low-fat diets with which we were bombarded a few years ago?  Everything on the supermarket shelf was marked in big, bold print “Low Fat” or “No Fat.” Yet Americans continued to get fatter. Dr. Atkins caused a revolution, all right. Everyone stopped eating things that were good for them, lost weight until they could no longer stand the food choices, and ended up eating every carbohydrate in sight – in addition to steaks, eggs, cheese, and burgers. Reverse Results Physical fitness gained great popularity following the 1972 Olympics. By 1978, according to U.S. News and World Report, America was in the midst of “fitness mania.” But it was also around this time that obesity rates began the rise which continues to this day. Yes, there is a genetic predisposition for many, which makes them more prone to being overweight, and some people do have a naturally faster metabolism, but basically, weight gain works like this: if we consume more fuel than we burn, we get fat. Does this happen from the occasional binge, the extra slice of pizza or the extra scoop of ice cream? Not really. Weight gain is actually a slow and gradual process. Let’s say you eat 2,300 calories a day and use only 2,000 (approximately). This means that you are left with 300 extra calories every day that turn into extra pounds every few weeks. Driving instead of walking twenty minutes every day equals a weight gain of five pounds per year. Drinking a single can of Coke every other day will add another four pounds annually. As you see, it’s just a few extra grams a day and a few pounds a year, but that’s enough to create the epidemic which includes a wide range of disease and illness, and that kills 325,000 per year in the United States alone. It is no accident that just about the time that this epidemic started, the low-fat and no-fat phenomena began. People erroneously assumed that just because their food was lower in fat, they could consume as much as they wished. Not true!

When most of us think about preventable diseases, we usually think about coronary heart and artery disease. We also know that when people don’t smoke cigarettes, they are less likely to get lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. However, most people don’t consider cancer to be a preventable disease.  Nevertheless, cancer organizations have been telling us for years that approximately 50% to 66% of cancers are indeed preventable. Two years ago, a landmark study in cancer prevention was released by the World Cancer Research Fund, which brought forth convincing evidence linking body fat to six types of cancer. This report is a compilation of 7,000 separate studies, beginning with the earliest known records on this type of research (the 1960s). All 21 scientists involved are individuals who are considered to be at the top of their respective fields. There were 5 key findings in the report, including: Processed meats increase colorectal cancer. There is a link between red meat and colorectal cancer. Alcohol is a cause of cancer. Mothers should breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months infants in order to prevent breast cancer. Dietary supplementation will not prevent cancer, and of course Keep your weight down to a BMI of 23 or less. Karen Collins, a nutrition advisor at the AICR (American Institute on Cancer Research), considers this report to be very good news. She says, “Watching our weight, working regular physical activity into our daily lives and eating a healthy balance of food could prevent a third of cancers.” Dr. Walter Willet of Harvard Medical School and one of the researchers involved in the study is quoted as saying, “We need to think about cancer as the product of long-term influences, not as something that just happens.” The report makes 8 definitive recommendations for reducing your risks of getting cancer, along with 2 special recommendations. The first 8 (general) recommendations are: Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight. Be physically active as part of everyday life. Limit consumption of energy dense foods and avoid sugary drinks. Eat mostly plant-based foods. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat. Limit alcoholic drinks. Limit the consumption of salt, moldy grains and legumes. Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone without dietary supplements The two special recommendations are: 1. Mothers should breastfeed, children should be breastfed. 2. Cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention. This report provides the most definitive advice to date on cancer preventions. You can view both the summary and the complete 530-page report on the website of the American Institute of Cancer Research http://www.aicr.org/. It pays to take the time to read the summary and to internalize its findings. The advice given will not only increase your odds of not getting cancer, but is helpful for heart disease prevention as well. The diet and exercise component of this report is also highly significant. Exercise helps to reduce weight and prevent obesity, which is very important. Additionally, physical activity and exercise in and of itself reduce the risk of getting cancer. Aim for 30 minutes of activity and exercise each day and as your fitness improves, increase to 60 minutes.  Limit your sedentary activities. And remember that exercising on a daily basis and eating a balanced and calorie-limited diet are ways to contribute to

More Tips for Raising Your Metabolism: Last week, we looked at some tips for raising your metabolism. Here are a few more. 6) Include hot foods. If Mexican and Thai are favorites, you’re in luck. “Spicy food that has hot peppers in it appears to boost metabolism,” says Shari Lieberman, author of Dare to Lose. 7) Drink green tea. “There are unhealthy things that can boost your metabolism, like a really strong cup of coffee or nicotine, but I would never say go have a cigarette!” says Michelle Streif, a personal trainer in Nebraska. Don’t overdo it on caffeine, which also has an undesirable side. Instead, go for green tea, says Lieberman, which is known to stimulate metabolism longer and more effectively than coffee. 8) Don’t forget H2O. Staying well-hydrated is essential to flushing the body of toxic byproducts that are released when fat is burned. Cold water may be best; it gives your metabolism at least a small boost because energy is required to heat the body. 9) Avoid stress. “Stress can actually cause weight gain, particularly around the tummy,” says Lieberman. Why? Because physical and emotional stress activate the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism. 10) Sleep. Research shows that people who don’t sleep for seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain. Additionally, we now know that lean muscle is regenerated in the final hours of sleep each night. The Weight Loss Factor Many people have come to me over the years, particularly people over the age of forty who are already exercising and eating less, but who just can’t lose weight and reach their desired goals. In almost each case, I have found three factors that stand out from among the rest. First, in almost every case, there is not enough exercise time spent on resistance training, either with weights or bands. Second, and this is primarily true of middle-aged women, they are trying to lose weight by consuming too few calories. Besides slowing down their metabolism, it also prevents them from meeting their daily requirements of nutrition. And third is the sleep factor. As mentioned previously, lack of sleep can activate the hormone cortisol, which both slows your metabolism and can cause you to reach for sugary and fatty foods, defeating the whole purpose of the weight loss goal. So as you can clearly see, keeping your resting metabolic rate high is another way to add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life. For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]. (Alan Freishtat – YWN)

Exercise physiologist Rich Weil of the Van Italie Center for Weight Management at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York explains metabolism this way: “Let’s say you have a little Toyota and a large Cadillac idling in the driveway. When you put your foot down and rev the engine, the big Cadillac burns more gasoline because it has a bigger engine.” And so it is with our muscles. The bigger our muscles are, the more energy they burn. That in turn can, over time, raise your metabolic rate. An intense aerobic session, like running, biking or swimming, will also boost your metabolism; however, usually within an hour of your workout, your metabolic state returns to its previous rate. Cardiovascular exercise is important for weight loss because of the amount of calories you use during the session, but it will not raise your RMR for more than a short time. When you build muscle, even though it is a long-term process, as long as you keep your muscle mass at a larger level, the RMR stays higher, even when you are sleeping, resting, sitting at work, or driving your car. In addition to raising your metabolism, keep in mind that being stronger and more functional is also very important. Tips for Raising Your Metabolism 1) Build lean body mass. As mentioned above, metabolism slows as we age. But there is something you can do to counterbalance nature. “Muscle is the single most important predictor of how well you metabolize your food, how well you burn calories and burn body fat,” says Shari Lieberman, author of Dare to Lose. Strength training with dumbbells or resistance bands at least twice a week is essential to boosting your metabolism. And here’s the really good news: your metabolism stays pumped for many hours after you finish your workout. 2) Get moving. You’ve heard it before, but here’s a reminder. At least thirty to sixty minutes of walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or some other form of aerobic exercise a minimum of three times a week is the other half of the exercise equation. “People don’t like to hear it, but you have got to exercise,” says Lieberman. 3) Eat. It may sound crazy to those trying to lose weight by severely restricting their daily caloric intake, but the problem with this school of thought, explains Michigan dietician Julie Beyer, is that it actually slows metabolism. “Every cell of the body is like a flashlight bulb,” she explains. “When our bodies don’t get enough food, or fuel, every cell burns less brightly.” Recent studies show that eating smaller meals every three to four hours aids metabolism and weight loss. 4) Cut down on sugar. Of course, you still have to make good choices about what you eat. “When you eat sugar, you throw your metabolic switch into fat storage mode,” says Lieberman, who suggests a predominately low glycemic index diet, meaning foods that, unlike sugars, are broken down gradually to help maintain an even blood-sugar level. Remember that whole-grain foods are broken down slowly compared to refined grains. 5) Don’t skip breakfast. It’s a fact that people who eat a healthy breakfast are skinnier than people who don’t. And try to think outside the cereal box. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is a great way

I’m sure you’ve probably been to a wedding or bar mitzvah, and stood at the reception watching with amazement as someone who is as skinny as a beanpole downs three pieces of cake. You say to yourself, “If I did that, my clothes wouldn’t fit anymore.” What’s the difference between that person and yourself? It’s your metabolism. Essentially, metabolism is an all-encompassing word that relates to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy. Some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes, while other substances necessary for life are synthesized. In practical terms, the rate at which we are processing our energy source (food) has a great effect on our body mass, and how we feel and look. Although we all know that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, uses calories and helps us to lose weight, it is less well known that certain types of exercises can, over the long term, raise our metabolic rate and help us keep our caloric burn a little higher all the time, even at rest. Your Resting Metabolic Rate Everyone is born with a rate of metabolism. This is known as the resting metabolic rate (RMR) or basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your RMR is the minimum number of calories your body needs to support its basic physiological functions, including breathing, circulating blood, and all of the numerous biochemical reactions required to keep you alive. Your RMR is generally 50 to 60 percent of your total daily caloric expenditure. In addition to this, a second component of energy expenditure is called TEF, or the thermic effect of food. When you have a meal or snack, calories are needed to digest and store the nutrients. This accounts for up to 10 percent of caloric expenditure. The rest of your calories are burned off with activity and exercise. The average person is burning about one calorie per minute at rest. Needless to say, this varies greatly among people, depending on size and build. Imagine adding 0.2 calories per minute to your resting metabolic rate. That could increase the amount of calories you burn by approximately 288 more per day. That is slightly more than 2,000 per week. At 8,000 calories per month, you will be losing an extra 2 pounds (1 kilo) per month or 24 pounds (about 11 kilos) per year. Keep in mind that this is all at rest! Next week, we will look at the ways in which building muscle can help accomplish this feat. For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]. (Alan Freishtat – YWN)

Succos! The holiday of joy and happiness and, not a moment to rest. We need to build our Succah, purchase our Lulav and Esrog, make all of the preparations in the four days after Yom Kippur, and then spend 7 whirlwind days of non-stop Chol HaMoed activities.  So, what is this all about? Let’s look at the Succah itself to find the answer.  When the Almighty took us out of Egypt, he afforded us protection in the wilderness with a Succah, a booth, to protect us from the elements. The Succah is symbolic of the Amud HaAnan, the pillar of cloud that protected the nation of Israel from the time of the exodus from Egypt until they entered the Land of Israel 40 years later. The message of the Succah is that it is Hashem and only Hashem Who offers bottom line protection to us.  With all of the laws and customs associated with this holiday, there is one little moment that can easily get lost. It is a moment that for me personally carries great emotion. On the 6th day of Chol HaMoed (in Eretz Yisroel) Hoshana Rabba, we eat a meal in the early afternoon and say goodbye to the Succah and we say the following, “May it be thy will that just as I have built and dwelt in this Succah, so I should merit in the coming year to dwell in the Succah made from the skin of the Leviathan, next year in Jerusalem.” Then we leave our Succah and say good bye until the next year. And when we leave, there is just a tinge of sadness at the thought that we now will need to be on our own in remembering who our protector is.  And when Simchas Torah is done, we are back to real life. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succos and Simchas Torah are behind us and a long and cold winter is now at our doorstep. And now, we meet the great challenge of us protecting ourselves and our health. In the non-Jewish world, every January 1st, we hear about the secular New Years resolutions. And taking care of our health is usually one of them. Gym memberships soar at the beginning of the New Year, yet by March, the drop out rate at gyms is astonishing.  People who have purchased half-year and full-year memberships are no longer attending. The initial excitement slowly evaporates and we are all back into our mundane rut. So, how can we be different? We have just spent most of the month davening for our health, happiness; in essence, we have been praying for our lives. The Rambam, Maimonedies, in the Laws of Repentance recounts the four essential steps in the Tshuva (repentance) process; admission of guilt, denouncing the sin, regretting the sin, and not repeating the mistake again in the future.  This fourth and most difficult step is relevant when the opportunity to sin resurfaces and this time we make the right choice. So now that the holidays are behind us, let us not fall into familiar traps.  Let’s learn how to make the right choices and foster real change. The first step in this process, is to concentrate on three main areas—exercise, proper eating, and stress reduction. Exercise should consist of a balanced program of aerobics 4-5 times per week, resistance training 2-3 times per week and stretching on a

It’s that time of the year again, the holiday season. Perhaps nothing is more challenging than getting through from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah with your health and weight intact. As daunting and challenging as this may seem, a few little tricks and just a little self-discipline can get you through virtually unscathed. There are essentially three areas where we all tend to get into trouble. One, the amounts of food we consume sitting at our tables for our festive meals. Two, the type of foods we eat. And the third is the general lack of activity and exercise during the Chagim. Let’s first look at the portion control issue. There is a Mitzvah to eat certain foods during the Chagim. There is no mitzvah however, to consume mass quantities of anything. In order to keep a handle on the over-eating problem, try this. Take a reasonable portion on your plate, and if you are truly still hungry after you eat what’s on your plate, then take seconds from a cooked or raw vegetable or whole grain dish. Remember that drinking water may also make you feel full. So, drink up before you start your meal.  As far as the second item, the kinds of food we eat, everyone can make some subtle adjustments in this area as well. Even though meat and chicken dishes are more popular at this time of year, you can trim the fat from your meat and order lean cuts to begin with.  As far as the chicken and turkey goes, skin them, preferably before cooking and keep in mind that the white meat is much less fatty than the dark pieces. Also, keep the emphasis on vegetable and grain dishes. For dessert, go for fresh fruit salads, melons, and sorbets instead of cake and cookies full of sugar and fat. Keep in mind that most pareve ice creams use chemical and high-fat based whips. Item number three—lack of activity. No, don’t go out and do an exercise session during the Chagim. But, don’t sit around either. Nice long, brisk walks, particularly after your meals are a great idea. There is nothing worse than throwing yourself into metabolic rigor mortis by falling asleep immediately after a meal. When you are done with the walk, stretch a little and then you can take your nap.  This time of the year is a time to be joyful and happy and to celebrate together with our families. We need not create more stress in our lives than we already have. So, instead of saying “after the holidays”, say let’s get started with good and healthful habits right now.  Watching your serving sizes, eating healthful choices, and staying as active as possible over the Chagim are other ways to “add hours to your day, days to your year, and years to your life.” For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]. (Alan Freishtat – YWN)

Since the beginning of time, mankind has been in pursuit of a magic pill to achieve good health and long life. The early Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the New World and later discovered what became known as the state of Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth. An exorbitant amount of money is spent annually on research projects worldwide to determine how the human body ages, and how we can increase our chances of a long and healthy life. The “magic pill” for long life has yet to be developed by our pharmaceutical companies and probably never will be, but something very close to it does exist and is accessible to everyone. EXERCISE. Frank Hu, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, states that exercise has strong and universal benefits. According to an article appearing in the New York Times several months ago, consistent exercise lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, peripheral vascular disease, falls, and 12 kinds of cancer.. But what if you already have been affected by one of these maladies? Can exercise help you? According to the book Age Defying Fitness by Professor Marilyn Moffat and Carole B. Lewis, you most certainly can improve, and possibly even cure, your condition with exercise. Exercise will not only extend your life; it will greatly enhance the quality of your life. Additionally, people with joint disorders such as arthritis can, instead of becoming crippled by stiff and deteriorating joints, actually improve their function, balance and range of motion. And when you increase your strength and cardiovascular capacity, you can also reduce pain, depression and anxiety. On the emotional side, releasing those feel-good hormones – serotonin and dopamine – will help prevent you from falling into depression and will make you a more productive and happy person all around. The great news is that you don’t have to become an Olympian to reap the benefits mentioned above. Study after study has concluded that a consistent, moderate-intensity, well-rounded exercise program is an excellent pathway to achieving better health, longer life, better quality of life and a better outlook on life. Many people find that the more you exercise, the more you actually want to exercise. So once you get going, maintaining consistency becomes less of a problem. The same hormones that make you feel good also make you want to keep exercising. Exercise is an extremely powerful tool in and of itself. I personally have witnessed clients who were not yet successful weight controllers, but for whom exercise lowered their blood pressure, their blood sugar and their cholesterol. In fact, one obese client, even before he began losing weight, was able to cure his chronic lower back pain completely through exercise and stretching alone. An exercise program must be tailored to one’s needs and abilities. Rather than starting to exercise on your own, it is advisable to see an exercise specialist or personal trainer who can help develop a program that meets your needs and will therefore yield the best results. And since finding time to exercise can be difficult, strive to make your exercise regiment efficient, balanced and compact. Making the most of your exercise time will help you achieve the

To my loyal YWN readers, Although this column space is used for my weekly columns on health, fitness, and weight loss, I will allow myself the liberty once a year to use this space for a personal message. Hashem granted us the gift of a healthy body and expects us to do our best to take care of it. This requires healthful eating, exercise, the proper amount of sleep and an active lifestyle. All of us are capable of helping ourselves. When we don’t take care of ourselves and watch over our health, the end result is illness and incapacitation resulting in our inability to perform the will of the Ribono Shel Olam. When we are sick, we can’t do Chesed, learn, daven or take care of our own families. Our Nefesh, our soul,  functions best when our Guf, our body is at its best! Many years ago, I was not a fitness trainer; I was anything but fit and healthy. I led a sedentary life style, ate whatever I wanted to in whatever amounts I wanted to and was overweight with slightly high blood pressure that became high blood pressure. As a former musician playing the wedding in circuit in the Greater New York area, eating at the smorgasbord at weddings was an activity I greatly looked forward to every evening. A few years after I relocated to Eretz Yisrael, I was fortunate to meet someone who changed my life around. I went from being sedentary with a poor diet to being active and healthy. I began eating right, walking, doing weights and stretching and after a short while, became a runner/jogger. My blood pressure went down, my old clothes fit again and I felt like a new person. As a personal trainer here in Yerushalayim for the past 12 years, I have been privileged to witness many people who have turned their health around. Even people in desperate straights with all types of health issues have been very successful and no longer have to take medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Their weight is normal, and not only has their physical state of health improved, they feel better about themselves. Rosh Hashana is a time for thanking Hakadosh Baruch Hu for giving us life and health over the past year and also the time for praying that He will give us good health and long life for the upcoming year. At the same time, we must do our Hishtadlus, our effort, in the area of health. Our non-Jewish brothers approach their secular new year with all kinds of resolutions that are never kept. We do Tshuva. We work hard to actualize real change.  And if there is ever a time we CAN change, it is now. A few months ago, I began writing a health column for YeshivaWorld (posted every Monday). I never dreamed I would get the responses I have gotten from all over the world and the amount of inquiries and questions about health topics have been abundant. Baruch Hashem, these columns have been able to help and motivate many people to achieve good health and IY”H, will be able to continue to do so for a long time. After working as a personal trainer for almost 12 years, I have now been able to team up with my associate, Linda Holtz and we have developed a weight

In last week’s column, we discussed the importance of the dieter’s need to make basic behavioral changes in order to achieve long-term success. Today, let’s learn a few tips to help in that endeavor. Portion Control: Portions over the last few decades have tripled in size. It is very easy to allow excess calories to accumulate. Identify proper portion sizes are and stick to them.  Use smaller plates and bowls; it helps!  Go to the website of the AICR and use their serving size finder to see both the traditional serving size or learn how to eyeball your portions.     Don’t allow eating to be PART of an activity. We tend to eat while driving, watching television, reading or doing household tasks. Eating time is a time for enjoying your food, but also, to be aware of your meal.  hen engaged in other activities, you aren’t aware of the amount of food you are eating. Therefore, eating must be its own activity.    Stay away from negative stimuli. If keeping nosh and junk food in your house is a stimulus to eating it, remove it! If reading ads about food, or watching them on TV encourages you to raid the pantry, eliminate that stimulus. Limit your eating to the kitchen and dining room. Replace negative food cues (a dish of candy) with a positive cue (a bowl of fruit). And if you have a cookie jar or junk food cabinet, eliminate it.      Eating Out: Eating out is an inevitable part of our social lives. And while it definitely presents challenges for the dieter, there are ways to keep it under control. Order half portions or share your meal.  Order an appetizer or soup instead of a full meal. Only order items that are broiled or baked (not fried). Ask that the sauces and dressings be put on the side so you can control how much you use, if at all. Finally, just as you should do at home, put your fork down in between bites and remain aware of how much you are eating.    Write it down! If there is one thing upon which all of us in the weight loss field agree, it is that in order to be a successful weight controller, writing down your daily food intake is an absolute MUST. Review your charts every few days and show them to a qualified professional. It will create a tremendous awareness of your food intake and eating habits.  As a personal trainer who specializes in weight loss, I can tell you from extensive first-hand experience that that the most successful “losers” are the ones who can incorporate the behavioral changes we mentioned last week into their lives. No, not everyone will be a successful weight controller, but even partial success is vital to your health. No, not everyone will become an avid exerciser, but incorporating some exercise and activity into your life can and absolutely will only change your health for the better. Certainly, if you can make the effort and incorporate permanent lifestyle changes, your chances for maximum success are increased many times over. And “success” in this case means a better quality of life, longer life, better health and better well-being each day of your life.  Making a concerted effort to transform our ingrained negative behaviors into positive ones, and to inculcate proper behaviors in the realm of diet and exercise, are both excellent ways

When it comes to losing weight, most of us tend to think of dieting and exercising. The weight loss equation is quite simple: use more calories per day than you ingest. Sounds easy enough! But if it is SO easy, then why can’t most of us accomplish it? Why are the rates of overweight and obesity so high? Perhaps we are a little too focused on diet and nutrition, figuring out exactly which piece of exercise equipment to purchase or which clothing to wear on our outdoor workout. As important as all these factors may be, if we can’t change our basic behaviors, then all the best laid plans for proper eating and setting aside adequate time for exercise will most likely fall short. How many times have we started a diet when a new week begins, only to see it last a few days at best?    Most people who are overweight and out of shape have two things in common.  One, they eat whatever they want whenever they want, and two; they usually lead a sedentary lifestyle.  What is even more important to realize is that most poor habits have been in place for many, many years.  They are entrenched within our very being.  Rav Yisrael Salanter once said that it is easier to learn the entire Talmud than to change one character trait.  And indeed, reading about a proper diet or consulting an exercise specialist about a balanced and productive exercise program is actually the easy part.  Executing these plans can be an entirely different story.  It is indeed difficult to inculcate something into your life that may not have been a part of it for 30, 40 or even 50 years.  Yet, these changes certainly can enhance the quality of life, and in some circumstances, can even save your life. In a recent interview with the mental health editor of Medscape, Judith S. Beck, Ph. D., Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research and Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, gave some solid tools for how one should approach weight loss in terms of changing one’s behaviors.  Dr. Beck states, “Dieters need a great deal of education about dieting, food, eating, and maintenance. They have to choose a highly nutritious diet program and learn to plan and self-monitor their intake. They need help in solving problems that would otherwise derail them. They need to find someone to keep them accountable and to support them. Behavioral experiments are important to decrease their fear of hunger and cravings and increase their tolerance for these uncomfortable states. Finally, they need to learn how to identify and respond to dysfunctional thoughts that get in the way of their consistently implementing their diet and exercise programs.” One of the most important points Dr. Beck makes is that people must realize is that real and sustainable weight loss does not happen overnight; it takes time and one must lose slowly.  Losing two pounds per week is a realistic and healthy goal.  So first, you must come to grips with the fact that rapid weight loss is not an option.  It will only result in gaining back the lost weight down the road.  At the beginning of your weight reduction program, make a list of all the advantages of being at a healthy

The Benefits: The previous articles in this series have focused on the benefits of adopting a healthier lifestyle and the changes we can easily make in our daily lives to do so. But getting started can be quite challenging, particularly if you are generally sedentary. You will find this lifestyle change difficult and perhaps even somewhat uncomfortable at the beginning. However, rest assured that you will begin to feel better overall very quickly. Let’s say you decide that at the beginning, you will walk up three flights of stairs per day in your office or apartment building. You have just prevented three to four pounds (1.5 kilograms) of weight gain for the coming year. If five days a week, you begin parking your car five minutes away from your home, park it five minutes away from work and add a ten-minute brisk walk during lunch, you will lose about a pound per month. That is twelve pounds per year. Not only will you lose some weight, but your cardiovascular health will also improve greatly. According to research done by the American College of Sports Medicine, even moderate-intensity exercise – that is, activity that raises your pulse rate to only the very bottom or even slightly under the aerobic range – has enormous benefits for your heart and lungs. According to one study, moderate-intensity exercise and activity can be as effective as vigorous exercise. In other words, the desk-bound executive who regularly jogs may not be much better off than a person who does moderate intensity exercise throughout the day. There have been several studies confirming the vast benefits of increased activity. At the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, a study followed 13,000 men and women over an eight-year period of time. The mortality rate from all causes was significantly lower in those with moderate levels of fitness than the low-level fitness group. A University of Michigan study yielded almost identical results from a study that followed 12,000 middle-aged men. The active group engaged in gardening, yard work, home repairs, dancing, swimming, and home exercise programs. A third study completed at Stanford University concluded that people who engaged in moderate-level activity for eight weeks at thirty minutes per day, whether consecutive or in three ten-minute sessions, experienced significant cardiovascular improvement. In Conclusion: A few years ago, I took on a client whose goal was to improve her overall health and shed a few pounds. She had a very busy schedule and therefore, committing to my full program was not doable. Since she generally ate healthfully, her diet needed only some slight adjustments. Additionally, we worked in a longer route to the bus and had her using the stairs in her building instead of the elevator when she didn’t have heavy packages. In three months’ time, she dropped eight pounds – without a formal exercise program. So, remember that Utopian world we mentioned a few weeks back? The ideal model is for people to set aside time on a daily basis for high-intensity exercise. But when taking people’s busy lifestyles into account, we need to be practical, and to understand that this isn’t always realistic. As we can clearly see, though, the small changes you can make in your daily habits and overall lifestyle can make the biggest difference in your health.

Practical Solutions: Last week, we focused on the documented benefits of adopting a healthier lifestyle. At the same time, we acknowledged the many obstacles which prevent people from making that switch. Today’s column will offer a host of practical solutions we can apply to our daily lives, to help us get fit and stay fit. The two key words to always keep in mind are: prioritize and organize. Use your time efficiently and you will be surprised at what you can accomplish before the end of the day. The most important thing to remember is that doing something is much better than doing nothing. With this in mind, let’s see how, given your busy schedule, you can still include the proper type of exercise in your day. Wake up just five minutes earlier in the morning. After you drink a few glasses of water, do a two-minute simple calisthenics routine. Then, spend another four to five minutes doing some easy stretching. Now, whether you are going to shul, taking the kids to school or on the way to work, walk two bus stops away and get off two bus stops before your destination. If you drive, park far enough away so that you get an eight-to-ten-minute walk to work. Try not to use the elevator to get to your office; use the stairs (this applies to everyone all the time). At your lunch break, take fifteen minutes to eat, then go outside with friends and walk for fifteen to twenty minutes. You’ll feel refreshed when you come back and find you can work more efficiently. Later in your working day, take a five-minute break. After drinking a glass of water, do fifteen push-ups against the wall of your office. Then try squatting and standing up again, eight to twelve times. While sitting at your desk, you can do seated crunches, as follows: sit up tall, with one hand behind your head and the other one holding on to the edge of your chair’s seat. Pull your abdominal muscles inward. Slowly curl down and forward just a few inches. As you do so, pull your abs in even tighter. Hold a moment and then slowly uncurl to a very tall position. This move strengthens your abdominal muscles. Try ten or so. During the course of the day, you can work in some of these basic desk stretches. Stretch your shoulders and neck by gently rolling your shoulders clockwise and counter-clockwise ten times in each direction. Stretch your lower back by draping forward over your lap. To stretch the back of your leg, extend your leg, lean over in your chair, and reach your arms toward your feet. You can increase the effectiveness of this stretch by lifting your toe up in the air. Repeat on both sides. On the way home, make sure you getting another five to ten minutes of brisk walking. Between all those staircases and walking, you’ve probably accumulated about thirty minutes of aerobic exercise for the day. As you can see, every little bit helps. And beyond these tips, it helps to approach every day and every situation as a workout waiting to happen. If you have the time, or can try hard to make the time, there are certainly better and more beneficial ways to work

In the Utopian world about which we fitness professionals dream, everyone sets aside an hour or more a day for a complete workout, including aerobic, resistance and flexibility training. But in today’s society, we all know that’s not likely to happen. So, just how do we make it easier to get fit — and stay fit? No Excuses! Finding all the reasons in the world to not exercise is easy. “I don’t have time.” “I look ridiculous.” “It’s raining.” “It’s too hot.” “It’s too cold.” “I’m too tired.” “I hate exercise.” Couch potatoes have hundreds of excuses which prevent them from exercising. Even those of us who understand the importance of exercise occasionally have difficulty motivating ourselves to do what we know we need to do. And people who belong to a gym or health club may notice the months slipping by (as well as their money) without finding the time to work out. How, then, can we overcome these roadblocks so that we can do what we need to for the sake of our health and well-being? The single most common barrier to exercise is a perceived lack of time. It’s very easy to convince yourself that your morning session can wait until after lunch, then after dinner, then until tomorrow. In today’s fast-paced world, the failure to prioritize and schedule our exercise into our busy day almost guarantees that it will not happen. However, “no time” is a pretty lame excuse. Research has shown that exercise not only improves your health, but that it can increase productivity, so you actually can accomplish more! Another roadblock…. Many people claim that they just don’t like to exercise. The first step, then, is to find an exercise that you do like to do, or can LEARN to like. Try hiking or walking with a friend. Or put on headphones when you are exercising and listen to your favorite music or Torah tape. We are often discouraged from maintaining an exercise routine when we don’t see immediate results from our workouts. The first rule is: stay off the scale! Instead, focus on the progress you have made even if the weight isn’t coming off as quickly as you would like. Can you walk further or faster than when you started? Are you less winded? Can you lift heavier weights or do more repetitions? Do you feel healthier and more energized? Many people have unrealistic expectations, and when those expectations don’t pan out, they are ready to give up. Be keenly aware that exercise is progressive. Have patience and set realistic, short-term goals for yourself. You don’t have to run a marathon to reap the health benefits of exercise. Exercise “Lite” But what if you are one of those people who really don’t have much time? There are several ways to work exercise and activity into your daily routine, and the benefits of doing even the minimum are immense. In 1993, the Centers for Disease Control, in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine, released their “Exercise Lite” recommendations. Based on scientific evidence, these recommendations clearly demonstrated substantial health benefits from moderate-intensity exercise. The basis of “Exercise Lite” is that each adult should accumulate thirty minutes of aerobic activity on most or all days of the week. A two-mile brisk walk will

High protein, low protein; high carb, low carb; good carbs, bad carbs. The glycemic index is valid; the glycemic index is unproven, misused, and misunderstood. The information on weight loss and nutrition is confusing, and sorting it all out is almost impossible. With well over 65% of us overweight, and over 25% obese, weight loss has become the top priority with most people, including medical professionals. To add to the confusion, many dieters brag about how successful they were on their various diets, and then, in 98% of cases, within five years, gain it all back, and possibly more. So just how does one lose weight and keep it off? Here in Israel, we consume a daily average of 3,765 calories – far more than we need. For most people, weight gain occurs over an extended period of time. Consuming a mere 50 calories more per day than you need or than you use – which is relatively easy to do – translates into a 5-pound gain per year. Keep that up for a number of years and you will be obese. Let’s understand some basics about how many calories we need to consume per day in order to maintain our weight, and then see what we need to do to lose some of it. The first step is to determine our basal metabolic rate (BMR). Simply put, BMR is the number of calories our body uses as energy to sustain itself throughout one day, without doing extra activity or exercise. At rest (i.e. while sitting at the computer or reading), the human body burns only about 12 calories per pound of body weight per day (26 calories per kilogram). (This formula is approximate; you can find metabolic calculators on the Internet.) This means that if you weigh 150 pounds (68 kg), your body uses only about 150 X 12, or 1,800 calories per day. Therefore, in order to lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you consume per day. One pound is 3,500 calories, so in order to lose a pound per week, you would need to consume 500 fewer calories per day. 1,000-calorie-a-day-diets DO NOT WORK in the long run and will leave you sorely lacking in nutrients. And a word of caution: consuming too few calories can slow your metabolic rate and cause nutrition deficiencies. Now, since cutting calories can be a difficult task, we need to think not only about calorie consumption, but also about caloric expenditure. By being active – walking instead of driving and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, you could very easily burn 200 calories a day. You would need to cut 300 calories per day to lose one pound per week. If you begin to exercise, you will see the greatest results. You can probably end up losing more than a pound a week if you exercise properly, stay active wherever possible and cut your calories. Aerobic exercise will also greatly improve your cardiovascular health. By doing resistance training, you can actually raise your metabolic rate and keep your muscles and connective tissue in good working order through the aging process. To reiterate, the overwhelming majority of research to date indicates that 98% of people who try these types of weight loss programs are ultimately not successful.

You have been on a successful weight loss program for some time and you have experienced success. Your goal is to lose 25 kilograms of weight (55 lbs.). You are exercising regularly and eating properly, having cut your calories to a level way below what you were once eating. You have succeeded in losing 13 kilograms (more than 28 pounds) and now, you’re stuck. You are following your routine scrupulously, but the scale just won’t go down. You have hit a weight-loss plateau. The question is how do you overcome it? Let’s have a quick look at five possible barriers that are keeping you from losing more weight. 1: Are you tracking your caloric intake as carefully as you need to? Check your weekly average and make sure that if you are trying to lose a pound a week, you are cutting 250 calories a day (the other 250 per day should be expended by exercise and activity).  A net loss of 500 calories a day from food intake reduction and caloric expenditure from exercise and activity will help you lose the pound per week that may be your goal. 2: Do you really need to lose more weight? Perhaps you are at your ideal weight already and you body is shutting down your metabolism. 3: Is your exercise program comprehensive? Don’t get bogged down in one area of exercise. Make sure that you are doing aerobics as well as weights. Also, we very often find that even though people are exercising, their intensity is lacking. 4: How much of your body composition is made up of body fat? Exercise and diet together are very important in lowering your body fat composition. The more muscle you build, the easier it will be to get your dress, or shirt size down. 5: Has your body gotten used to your diet and exercise routine? If so, then it’s time for a change. See a qualified exercise specialist to get some ideas about developing an appropriate program for you and a dietician to help you with the food intake problems you may be having. Here are a few basic tips to help you get through the plateau that you may be experiencing. Aside from the exercise routine you are doing, be active otherwise, don’t use elevators and park the car far away from you intended destination. Add hills and staircases to your routine. Try eating smaller meals more often—5 times per day instead of 3 big meals. Don’t eat late at night and always try to get out for a short walk after meals. Adding a good weight routine to your exercising is very important. And most of all don’t get frustrated or discouraged. Plateaus are common, but with persistence, they can be broken through. For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.A. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]. (Alan Freishtat – YWN)

Lower Back Pain: Lower back pain (LBP) levies a heavy toll upon men and women alike. .  Roughly 70% of all people will experience one bout of lower back pain in their lifetime,  with many experiencing repeated bouts or even chronic back pain.  Although we are all tempted to take anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxants, exercise can both prevent, help or completely cure LBP. LBP typically is located in the lumbar region of the spine, with L4 and L5 being the most commonplace.  Undoubtedly, you have probably heard of slipped, herniated, shattered, protruding and crushed disja – all of which are manifestations of LBP. What brings on these conditions, and how can they be  corrected, and possibly even prevented, in the first place? The main causes of LBP are weak abdominal muscles, tight hamstring muscles, poor posture and stress.  Many times, LBP is the result of a biomechanical dysfunction resulting from flat feet, and often can be corrected with a pair of good, functional orthotics. Also, a simple thing like a worn-out pair of shoes can bring on back discomfort.  Prevention of LBP includes a well-balanced exercise program which encompasses flexibility training (stretching) and abdominal strengthening.  And aerobic exercise is known, amongst its many benefits, to be a great stress-reducer. Being overweight is also a risk factor as is smoking. Many years ago, the common approach to treating LBP was to prescribe bedrest.  There is now strong evidence that this treatment is ineffective.  Studies have shown that bedrest of more than 2-4 days can cause  muscles to begin to weaken,  and can actually delay recovery.  The current thinking is that a person with LBP should be physically active.  Walking, even if it somewhat painful, is considered essential. Osteoporosis: It’s silent, it’s progressive and it can be disabling.  200 million people worldwide have it.  Women develop it four times as often as men do.  And the older you are, the greater the risk of developing it.  We’re talking about osteoporosis. Bone is a complex living tissue.  It provides structural support for muscles, protects vital organs and stores calcium which is essential for bone density and strength.  Bone is constantly “remodeling”, meaning that old bone is broken down and new bone is deposited.  This is a constant and ongoing process.  At about age 45 –50, more old bone is broken down than is replaced.  This process is accelerated in menopausal women as they lose the protection that estrogen had given  them previously.   The earlier a woman experiences  menopause, the greater the risk of osteoporosis. The best strategy for preventing osteoporosis is to build strong bones, especially before the age of 35. This will reduce bone loss later in life. Both strength training (weights) and weight-bearing aerobic exercise (brisk walking, jogging, skipping rope or running) are essential to prevent osteoporosis and help reduce further bone loss in those who already have the disease.  The strength training us essential for the bones in the upper body while the weight-bearing exercises are necessary for the bones in the lower extremities. In Conclusion: We haven’t yet found the magic pill that our society is forever seeking..   But the closest thing we have to it is a good, well-rounded exercise program.  Whether it is to prevent, cure or improve any of the many diseases and illnesses to which

High Blood Pressure: High Blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the “silent killer” since the symptoms sometimes do not appear until it is too late.  Hypertension –  a very treatable condition – is prevalent in more than 20 % of the population. Another significant number of people have what is referred to as “high normal” or “borderline” blood pressure – that is, their readings fall slightly above the normal range and as such, they are now at risk for hypertension. Exercise can prevent or cure high blood pressure. An inactive person has  a 20-50% higher risk of developing high blood pressure than an active person.  This statistic is based on studies performed at both Harvard University and the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research.  Even without weight loss, aerobic exercise can lower blood pressure by up to 10 points.  And one of the great things about exercising to reduce blood pressure is that one usually starts seeing results after only a few short weeks of starting a program.  An added bonus: as exercisers also tend to lose weight and concentrate on diet, results can go far beyond the 10 points mentioned above. High Cholesterol: About 30% of Americans have high cholesterol. Steps you can take which will usually lower your overall cholesterol, lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise your HDL (good cholesterol) include: – exercising – losing weight – eliminating smoking – moderating alcohol consumption – eating a healthful diet which includes fruits and vegetables Even those with hereditary factors can see improvement by adoptiong the practices listed above. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all animal products.  The human body makes cholesterol in the liver and absorbs some of it through the diet.  It is essential for the body and is used to produce hormones, form bile acids for digestion of fats and to build cell membranes.  However, too much cholesterol in the blood can spell trouble in the form of increased risk of coronary heart disease. In a study at Stanford University, male and female runners were found to have higher HDL levels than sedentary controls in the study.  Total cholesterol levels, LDL, and triglycerides were all found to be lower than the sedentary group.  And the greater distance and time the runners ran, the better their results.  As with blood pressure, the results of exercising usually included some weight loss ss well,  which contributes even more to improvement.  In both of these cases, cholesterol and high blood pressure, risk of cardiovascular disease was lowered substantially with exercise. Metabolic Syndrome: Exercising is very helpful in weight reduction and in preventing weight gain. It is also beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight after a successful weight loss program.  therefore, the strongest predictor of successful, permanent weight loss is a well-rounded exercise program. Being overweight is known to bring on many health-related complications, including Metabolic Syndrome, otherwise know and Syndrome X.  Syndrome X has  been called the “deadly quartet”, as well as “insulin resistance syndrome”, and is responsible for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  What is now called Metabolic Syndrome is comprised of a perilous collection of risk factors, or cluster of metabolic disorders which taken as a group or individually, promote the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis.  The root causes of this syndrome are overweight/obesity, physical

In recent years, the incidence of what is know as Type 2, or non-insulin- dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), has been steadily increasing. Specifically, Americans have been developing diabetes at an alarming rate over the past 10 years, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 16 million people in the United States currently have diabetes – about a third more than had the disease in 1990. Only 5 to 10% of these cases are insulin- dependent.  While increases were reported among all adults, the most dramatic increase — a 70% jump — was seen in the 30 to 39 age group. Among those 40 to 49, the rate of diabetes increased by 40%, and it was up 31%  for those 50 to 59.  The increases among the younger age groups are especially troubling, researchers say. The instances of exercise acting to help or cure disease are countless.  Let’s look at Type 2 diabetes, which is frequently  manifesting itself in all age populations and is quickly spinning out of control both in the United States and Israel.  Diabetics are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease 15 years earlier than the general population,  according to a study released this past summer by the Institute of Clinical Evaluation Sciences in Toronto.  Diabetics also are at risk for kidney disease nerve disorder and blindness, and are at  a particularly high risk for limb-threatening infections.  Yet, we see from a study recently published through Medscape in June 2006, that a diabetic who performs 4 moderate aerobic sessions  and does 2-3 resistance training sessions per week, significantly cuts his risk of cardiovascular disease.  A more intense program can reduce their medication or even eliminate it altogether. Exercise may also prevent this illness from developing in the first place.  Active individuals have a 50% lower risk of ever developing diabetes.  If you currently have a borderline glucose reading, you can avoid drugs and possibly insulin by beginning an exercise program now. Just a word to the wise… It is important to consult with your physician prior to beginning any an exercise program. Stay tuned for next week’s column, in which we will look at the ways in which evervise can help lower your blood pressure and cholesteol. (to be the continued) For previous columns, click HERE. Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! along with Linda Holtz M.A. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected]. (Alan Freishtat – YWN)

The dictionary defines a prescription as “a written order, especially by a physician, for the preparation and administration of a medicine or other treatment.” Most of us associate a prescription with a slip of paper that your doctor gives you. You take that slip of paper to your local pharmacy and receive medications from the myriad of drugs that exist today for just about anything that ails you – from the common cold to heart disease. Drugs can eliminate a severe headache, bring relief from seasonal allergies, alleviate symptoms and in some instances, even cure illnesses. However, the word “prescription” is not limited to drugs; it applies to exercise as well. Many physicians are now beginning to prescribe exercise routines in conjunction with or instead of medications for their patients. While exercise is a key ingredient in disease prevention, it has also been proven in recent years that exercise also can play a major role in the treatment of many ailments that have previously been treated with medication alone. How does exercise fit into both overall wellness and curing or controlling various diseases? Dr. Jeremiah Stamler is an epidemiologist and world-renowned expert on cardiovascular disease.. He is a major proponent of using diet and exercise in place of medication.  In an interview with Nutrition Action Magazine last year, Dr. Stamler asserted that the heart disease epidemic in the United States could virtually be ended.  He maintains that following the “DASH” diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), which includes a low sodium intake in conjunction with an adequate exercise program, can significantly lower one’s blood pressure and cholesterol.  Dr. Stamler also maintains that diet, exercise and reduced smoking are enough to cut risk.  He states that for the tens of millions of people on statin (cholesterol- lowering) drugs and blood pressure medications, these medications will not end the epidemic.  They are costly, have side effects and ameliorate but do not cure the underlying problem.  Although these drugs are certainly a necessity in many cases, and outweigh any risk of NOT taking them, drugs alone are not the answer. Their popularity is a result of a society that wants its problems solved by pills.  If your doctor prescribes medication for you, follow his advice, but at the same time, ask him about establishing a comprehensive plan which includes diet AND exercise. Hashem gives us the gift of a healthy body and expects us to do our utmost to maintain our health.   The pasuk in Parshas V’eschanan, “V’nishmartem Meod L’Nafshoseichem”,  clearly states in Chapter 4 that a Jew is obligated to take care of his own body.  The pasuk includes the word “me’od” or “very much.”  The Ohr Tzadikim, in his commentary, says that this word is included because if one doesn’t take care of himself physically and becomes ill, his “nefesh” – his soul and spirit – will become weak, thus hampering his ability to serve Hashem.. We can all exercise and be more active in order to be able to be healthy both physically and spiritually. Exercise (together with good nutrition), is the best way to maintain both your physical health and your spiritual well-being. Next week, we will look at some common ailments and see how exercise can contribute to the prevention, cure or at the very least, lessen the effects of

For the final part of our discussion of Chaim’s comprehensive exercise program, we look at the one aspect of fitness that is probably the most ignored and overlooked ― flexibility training. Flexibility is the joint’s ability to move freely in every direction and through a full and normal range of motion. This range of motion (ROM) is essential for peak performance in both exercise and daily tasks. Imagine dropping your pen and seeing it roll under the kitchen table. You have to reach down under the table in order to retrieve it. If this has become a difficult task for you to do, then you need to work on your flexibility. The way to increase flexibility and ROM is to do extensive stretching exercises. Here are some of the benefits of flexibility training: • Increased physical efficiency and performance • Decreased risk of injury • Increased blood supply and nutrients to joint structures • Increased neuromuscular coordination • Improved balance and posture • Decreased risk of lower back pain • Reduction of overall stress It is important that when you stretch you use static stretching techniques — that is, hold your stretches for a minimum of fifteen seconds each, but preferably for thirty to forty seconds for each stretch. This produces a gradual and controlled elongation of your muscles and connective tissue through a full range of motion. Remember that stretching should never be painful. As long as you feel an easy stretch, you are accomplishing what you need to. It is best to stretch muscles that are warmed up, since stretching cold muscles is not as productive and can lead to overstretching injuries. Therefore, it is advisable to do some mild calisthenics or moderate aerobic exercise for a few minutes before stretching. When stretching, you will probably notice that one side of your body will be more flexible than the other on any given day. This is normal. Also, women are naturally more flexible than men. Most importantly, remember that after age 25, people begin to experience decreased extensibility. So, if you are not stretching on a regular basis, you will begin to feel the effects of a decreased range of motion. So get up and move! Remember that even a moderate intensity exercise routine that combines these three major components of exercise can make a big difference to your health and well-being. As the Rambam writes: “For the body to be healthy and wholesome is among the ways of Hashem… Therefore a person must distance himself from those things that cause his body damage… As long as a person engages in physical activity [i.e., exercise] and works hard…no illness will attack him and his strength will increase” (Hilchos Dei’os 4:1, 14). It is of the utmost importance that you check with your physician before you embark on a new exercise program. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start off slowly and gradually work your way up. Today’s twenty-minute walk can turn into a forty-five-minute jog in a short amount of time, and doing ten pushups today can lead to fifty in a very short time. So have patience! If you need help, don’t hesitate to see a qualified fitness professional. That’s what Chaim did, and today he is thinner, and his blood pressure and cholesterol count

Last installment looked at aerobic exercise as the main component of Chaim’s fitness program. This time we look at the second aspect of an exercise program ― resistance training. When people hear about weight training, they tend to conjure up images of muscle-bound Olympic weight lifters struggling to lift hundreds of pounds of weight on a bar. For most people, this is not an attainable or desirable goal. Strength (resistance) training is simply the process of exercising against progressively heavier resistance, for the purpose of strengthening the musculoskeletal system. Regular training results in increased muscle fiber size, muscle contractile strength, tendon tensile strength, bone strength, and ligament tensile strength. All of these beneficial changes have a profound influence on our physical capacity, appearance, metabolic function, and injury risk. As we grow older, we lose muscle mass. In practical terms, that means that while it is easy to pick up a heavy suitcase at the airport and get it off the luggage carousel when we are in our twenties and thirties, it can become a difficult task in our fifties, sixties, and seventies. This is because after the age of about thirty, we begin losing approximately 10 percent of our muscle mass each decade — unless we do something about it. Greater muscle mass has a higher energy requirement, which increases your metabolism rate. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you are burning all the time. Imagine using more calories while reading the newspaper, driving the car, and even when you sleep! This means that the more muscle you develop, the more calories you burn and more body fat stores are used up. Do strength training a minimum of twice a week, although three days a week is more beneficial. Ideally, one should pick about ten different exercises to do and do eight to twelve repetitions of each exercise. Start by doing one set and try, as you progress, to do two or three sets of each exercise. Wait between one and two minutes between each set. Don’t overdo it! Progress slowly and steadily. The idea is to feel muscle fatigue by the last few repetitions. If you have no previous experience lifting weights, get some instruction from a professional. It is not necessary to use free weights or barbells for strength training. If you don’t have access to exercise equipment, weight training can be done just using your own body weight for resistance. Try pushups, dips, squats, and lunges. You can use full soda cans as free weights. To be continued… Alan Freishtat is an ACE-CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER, LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH and WEIGHT LOSS COUNSELOR with over 10 years of professional experience, whose success rate in weight loss exceeds the industry standard.  He is the director of the Jerusalem-based weight reduction clinic “Lose It!”.  Alan is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs.  He also conducts group lectures, seminars and workshops. Office: 972-2-651-8502 / Cellular: 972-50-555-7175 / email: [email protected]