NOVA ran a segment on one of their shows about caloric restriction and the science of longevity as well.

The basic idea is that if you cut the amount of calories you eat each day to the absolute bare minimum, your lifespan will go up. Researchers have discovered that it works in mice and worms, so why not humans?

A group calling themself the CRONies (Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition) decided to try it out on themselves. The closest thing to human research had been an ad hoc experiment done when scientists in the Biosphere discovered that they didn’t have nearly as much food as they expected. Deciding to just gut it out, they were discovered healthier after they came out than before they’d gone in.

Figuring out if human lifespans can be extended 50% or more through eating (a lot) less has become a significant area of scientific study. Figuring out if it works, how it works, and whether there is a way to boil it down into a pill could make some company very, very wealthy.

For the first time, a study found a difference between the effects of calorie restrictions in rats and humans. In rats and other animals, low calorie diets cause a reduction in a growth factor called IGF-1. In humans that following similar very-low calorie diets, IGF-1 levels were similar to sedentary individuals.

IGF-1 levels are proportionate to the amount of protein eaten and low levels are thought to be one of the main reasons for the longer lives of calorie deprived animals.

When scientists asked CRONies to lower their protein intake, they discovered that IGF-1 levels dropped. They also found that strict vegans had similarly low IGF-1 levels. Does that mean that vegans have already found the secret to longer lives? Not really - vegans may or may not live longer than your average meat-eating human (or, maybe not) but there’s no evidence that vegan living extends the maximum lifespan.

There’s plenty of evidence that eating less (while maintaining good nutrition) will improve your health, which undoubtedly which increases your chances at a long, healthy life. But, the jury is still out on whether that alone will help people set new longevity records.

In fact a study conducted at the University of Michigan says that fear of weight gain is the number one reason why most women do not quit smoking. The study also investigated why women might be smoking in the first place.

Not surprisingly the number one reason was that they heard that it could cause them to lose weight. The study also suggested that a way out of this type of thinking is to remind women about the other adverse effects of smoking on their appearance such as wrinkled skin, yellow teeth and bad breath.

For instance at California’s In-N-Out Burger all you need to do is drop the phrase “Protein style” and the staff will know that you want the bun dropped from the burger and would like it wrapped in lettuce instead.  This is good to know if you are on a high protein diet like Atkins or trying to stay in the Zone. Apparently asking for a McBruschetta at McDonald’s will get you a burger without the meat and only the tomatoes, onion and the bun.  Asking for a Naked Chicken at Popeye’s will get you the meat but without the coating of breadcrumbs. 

These catch phrases are good to know if you are trying to stick to a high protein or low carb diet or are just a vegetarian.

“We use our bodies to physically tense up against pain or negative experiences,” says Karol Ward, a therapist in private practice in New York City.

“Then someone is in a movement class doing downward dog and that emotion can come to the surface,” she says.

(Source)

The military-style program — a circuit of drills ranging from running and jumping jacks to push-ups, squats and sit-ups — appeals to people with busy schedules who need to pack a hard workout into a quick hour.

Gyms are increasingly offering the program as boot camp sessions gain national exposure on makeover television shows. Many boot camps in Southern California are taught at parks and beaches by former soldiers.

(CNN)

…women participated in three 55-minute hatha classes a week; the others were barred from any form of intentional exercise. The yoga group showed improvements in strength, endurance, balance and flexibility but burned only 144 calories in a session, similar to the energy consumption of a slow walk.

ACE said in a statement that its study was the first to examine the aerobic potential of hatha yoga. Research published last summer linked regular yoga practice with successful weight control, but those findings were based on subjects’ self-reported behavior — a notoriously unreliable method — and did not consider whether respondents engaged in other exercise.

Some experts contend that yoga can provide an aerobic workout, provided the poses are done quickly, repetitively and linked together.

“The key questions,” he said, “are: What postures did they do? How fast? How long did they hold them? How did they link them together?” Hatha beginners cannot expect significant aerobic benefit, Schumacher said, because it takes time to learn how to do the poses correctly before increasing intensity. In fact, Porcari led a companion study of 15 people that showed that power yoga, in which participants move rapidly through hatha poses, burned about 237 calories in 50 minutes and boosted heart rates to 62 percent of maximum on average — a light aerobic workout.

But, Porcari cautions, the more aerobic the yoga practice, the less benefit practitioners derive in flexibility and relaxation. “By moving quickly through the poses, you will not get the same [muscle and tissue] stretch as you would in slower poses.

Stability balls, which are durable vinyl spheres, are now a serious part of fitness and exercise programs in gyms and fitness clubs nationwide. They are used in Pilates classes, in aerobics classes, in weight training, and by personal trainers for a host of exercises - from stretching to relaxation to strenuous all-around workouts.

The stability ball didn’t move beyond the realm of physical rehabilitation and enter the fitness scene until the late 1980s, and then only on a limited basis. Mike Morris, president of the Resist-A-Ball, Inc. was one of the first to use stability balls as a fitness tool in the United States. He rolled out his Resist-A-Ball at fitness trade show in 1993.

Experts say that the balls are an excellent, low-impact way to improve existing workouts. The balls are found health clubs and are small and sturdy enough to be used at home.

Stability balls ranging from 21 to 24 inches in diameter are suitable for most people, although people more than 5-feet-7 inches tall might choose a larger diameter ball.

When a person does a basic sit-up on the ball, his or her back is pushing into the ball and forcing the exerciser to work harder. It’s a big improvement over a floor sit-up, when a person’s back naturally tends to rise up off the floor.

(Quoted material from The Monitor.)

Michaels’ team won the reality show weight loss competition with a collective 450 pounds shed in three months.

Manhattan, N.Y.: Are you ever concerned that someone might lose weight too quickly just to help the team on the television show? How do you monitor that people are losing weight properly?

Jillian Michaels: Hey there,

Good question. I love this one because it allows me to dispel dieting myths which is one of my favorite things. I dedicate an entire chapter to explaining questions like this in my book.

We’ve all heard that saying, “losing 1-2 lbs a week is healthy”. Not so… it’s REALISTIC. That’s the difference.

Losing weight quickly when done through exercise and not starvation is not dangerous at all. In fact there is no true scientific evidence to suggest otherwise. The only complication that could occur are gallstones, however if the person is taking in plenty of fiber, exercising, and staying hydrated the chance of a gallstone is next to none.

In fact, I think the evidence has shown quite the opposite. If you look at our contestants on the show they come in with all kinds of afflictions: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc. When they leave the show they are in better shape then me and off of all their various medications.

Researchers were curious why.

In the understated language of The New England Journal of Medicine, “emotional stress may precipitate cardiac events in people who are predisposed to such events.” To put it simply, they were scared to death.

Its been long been common knowledge that fright or stress can precipitate heart attacks (e.g. as Fred Sanfords heart clutching running gag on the 1970’s sitcom Sanford and Son illustrates) but never really understood why.

What researchers are learning is that psychological effects have a far greater impact on heart health than previously believed.

Take depression. It at least doubles an otherwise healthy person’s heart-attack risk, says Dr. Michael Frenneaux, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Birmingham in England. And for people who have suffered a heart attack in the past, depression quadruples or even quintuples the risk of a second one. Hostility is an increasingly important risk factor, too. High hostility levels, as measured by a standard test, increased the chances of dying from heart disease by 29 percent in a large study of patients at Duke—and by more than 50 percent in people 60 and younger.

Just as depression and anxiety increases heart risk, optimism and happiness decrease it.

Even laughter is starting to look like a cardiac elixir. In one recent study, Dr. Michael Miller of the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that watching a funny movie for 15 minutes relaxed people’s peripheral arteries and increased blood flow for as long as 45 minutes afterward—comparable to the effect of aerobic exercise. He now recommends 15 minutes of hearty laughter daily—chuckling, giggling and smiling haven’t been studied yet—as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Laughter and good thoughts probably won’t replace traditional pharmacological remedies anytime soon, but future treatments may very well include a prescription good dose of laughter.

Read the original article on Newsweek…

As much as businessman as health fanatic, Jake turned his reputation as a personal trainer into the wildly successful “Body by Jake” franchise.

Steinfeld established a successful business in Los Angeles as a personal trainer with celebrity clients like Priscilla Presley and Steven Spielberg. He went on to found the hugely successful exercise and fitness company Body by Jake. In 1993, Steinfeld launched FitTV, the first 24-hour fitness network, then sold it to Fox Broadcasting four years later for $500 million. He helped found the country’s first professional lacrosse league, now in its fifth season. His Exercise TV!, a fitness video-on-demand channel, will make its debut in January.

Now Jake has a new book out, called I’ve Seen a Lot of Famous People Naked, and They’ve Got Nothing On You!: Business Secrets From The Ultimate Street-Smart Entrepreneur.

Newsweek caught up with Jake recently regarding his thoughts on fitness and health in America.