23 Jan, 2012
A little while ago I had a very interesting conversation with Dr. Christopher Scott, an exercise physiologist and expert on metabolism. At present he’s researching ways to measure anaerobic energy consumption–meaning, how many calories a person uses when exercising at high intensity. It’s a surprisingly difficult question to solve, he says, because all standard measures of energy consumption are based on oxygen uptake. Anaerobic activity, by definition, doesn’t use oxygen, so that method doesn’t work very well. Scott has been trying to solve the problems that fitness nerds like me have been pondering for decades now–how and why does high intensity activity burn so many calories?
EPOC–the “afterburn” effect that supposedly burns boatloads of calories after you’ve stopped working out, doesn’t really seem to account for the caloric burn in the way we used to think.
Read more…
22 Jan, 2012
Diabetes Paula Deen
(Getty Images) By Amanda Gardner
TUESDAY, January 17, 2012 (Health.com) — Celebrity chef Paula Deen, who appeared this morning on the Today show to confirm rumors that she has type 2 diabetes, likely faces an uphill battle in managing her disease, experts say.
With time and effort, many people can control diabetes through diet and lifestyle changes alone, without the aid of drugs. B
Read more…
18 Jan, 2012
As this article indicates, the culture of the financial workplace doesn’t always encourage employees to seek help for stress-related health problems such as insomnia, depression and anxiety. All too often, the underlying message is to “tough it out.” This leads to people denying symptoms even as they worsen, and often to compensating with drugs and alcohol, which only compound the problem.
On the heels of this news about financial workers comes this report on the state of sleep among Britons in general. In a poll of 3,000 adults, which was sponsored by the furniture company (and mattress purveyor) IKEA, Britons reported chronic and widespread sleep deprivation-and cited worries about work and finances at the top of the list of concerns that keep them awake at night. A
Read more…
18 Jan, 2012
Pregnant Pregnant 40
If you have had a baby or are pregnant now, you know that there are many changes that affect your body and your hormones. I sat down with Lisa, a working mom who at the age of 40 just gave birth this summer to her first child, a little girl. We talked about this exciting time in her life.
What were the main reasons you waited to have your first child? Well, the first reason is because Jimmy (my husband) and I didn’t meet until I was 32, and we wanted to spend some time together after we were married before starting a family. Plus, I wanted to focus on my career.
Did you feel that you were ready to have a baby when you turned 40? <
Read more…
14 Jan, 2012
Reason Reason Need
As someone who conducts research and clinical work focusing on the interface between psychological science and religious/spiritual engagement, I’m often frustrated and saddened by the faith and reason debates and conflicts. In my view, they often miss the point.
Usually the argument goes something like how can anyone that respects science believe so many of the supernatural statements in the Bible including a virgin birth, Jesus and others being raised from the dead, the parting of the Red Sea, Moses getting the 10 commandment tablets from G-d, the earth being created in 7 days, miraculous healings, and so forth.
Read more…