Rich’s Three for Thursday – Great Health Reads

young pitcher exercises baudry therapyHere’s one for all of those little league parents, and young throwers. This article talks about some of the facts and myths about throwing injuries.

I also thought this article from the NY Times gave a great account of the latest science behind diets and weight loss. Give it a look and I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s more than just counting calories.

And if you’ve ever wished for a great resource to help you make better diet decisions for you and your family… I think you’ll like ChooseMyPlate — from the USDA… it’s full of helpful diet tips, suggestions and interactive tools.

But as an nutritionist will tell you, diet is only half the battle. You have to combine a good diet with a good exercise program. Everyone’s needs for exercise are not the same, nor are all exercises equal. So I think you’ll find this link from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) helpful.

And that concludes this week’s edition of Three for Thursday. As I said last week, this is a new series here, and I’d love to hear what you think about it, ways to make it more valuable to you or maybe just your thoughts on today’s posts.

-Rich

Why do we gain weight?

Top 3 reasons why we gain weight:

1) Lack of exercise. We were designed for movement so exercise is necessary, not only to avoid weight gain but to keep the body healthy and able to continue to be able to move correctly. As we age, we tend to become more sedentary.

2) We eat more calories than we expend. Our demanding lifestyle has creates an environment for “grab and go” eating. This promotes poor food choices which typically leads to over consumption of carbohydrates.

3) Insulin resistance. As we continue to make poor food choices and consume more and more carbohydrates, our body becomes insulin resistant. The pancreas begins to secrete more insulin than we need to lower blood sugar and then the excess insulin causes the body to store fat.

In order to loose weigh all three of these issues must be addressed. Successful weight loss can be addressed by following a diet high in protein and low in carbs combined with a well planned fitness regimen.