COGNITIVE FUNCTION

In a recent study, 155 women (aged 65 to 75) were randomly assigned to three groups: one group did resistance training once per week, a second group did resistance training twice per week and a third group did “balance and tone training” twice per week.

After 12 months, the researchers found that resistance training significantly improved cognitive function in comparison to balance and tone training. In fact, the two groups that did resistance training improved their cognitive function by 12.6% and 10.9% while the group that did balance and tone training actually worsened their cognitive function by 0.5%.

With spring and summer (and bathing suits!) just around the corner, many of us could use a change to liven up a monotonous fitness routine. If you’re looking for something new to mix up your workout regimen, look no farther than the Group and Instructional Fitness classes offered in Dillon! Classes are in full swing, including ZUMBA, Body Attack, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning and more!

You can register for classes online at www.princeton.edu/campusrec. Speaking of Spinning, have you ever wanted to try it but haven’t found your way to a class? Well, we’ll be placing one of our Schwinn Spin bikes in the Cardio Annex so you can replicate an in-class workout. Check it out!
For more information about Group and Instructional Fitness Programs, contact SusanCrane at 258-2634 or sc6@princeton.edu.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine

Empire State Building Run Up

The 33rd annual Empire State Building Run-up was held on February 2. For the fifth year in a row, the male winner was Thomas Dold, 25, of Germany who ran up the 86 floors (1,576 steps) of the world-famous skyscraper from the lobby to the observation deck (994 vertical feet) in 10:16 (one tick faster than last year).

The female winner was Melissa Moon, 40, of New Zealand with a time of 13:13. It was the first time that she competed in the event. The top Americans were Matt Byrne of Philadelphia (third with 11:29) and Gretchen Grindle Hurlbutt of New York City (second in 13:53). Record holders are Paul Crake (9:33 in 2003) and Andrea Mayr (11:23 in 2006).

This year’s event had 206 finishers.

Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast

For the second consecutive year, Denny’s aired a commercial during the Super Bowl that offered every American a free Grand Slam

breakfast from 6am to 2pm on February 9. But they’re not exactly doing us a favor when it comes to healthy eating.

A Grand Slam consists of 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 strips of bacon and 2 sausage links. The meal has 763 calories of which 423 (about 55.4%) are from fat (including 14 grams of saturated fat) along with 1,750 milligrams of sodium and 475 milligrams of cholesterol.

Those numbers increase with butter or syrup that might be added by the customer. Not enough? The company is also giving out a

free hamburger and fries to the first 500,000 people who register for Denny’s Rewards Program. Their classic burger (sans cheese) and fries have 1,215 calories of which 567 (about 46.7%) are from fat (including 18 grams of saturated fat) along with 1,105 milligrams of sodium and 166 milligrams of cholesterol. What kind of “reward” is that?

SPEAKING OF THE SUPER BOWL . . . According to the Calorie Control Council and Snack Food Association, Americans ate 30 million pounds of snacks on Super Bowl Sunday. That breaks down to 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. The average person consumed 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat just from eating snacks. The potato chips are thought to account for 27 billion calories which is the equivalent of about 7.7 million pounds of fat!

High Fructose Syrup

High fructose corn syrup is a synthetic sweetener that was created in the late 1960s.

The manufacturing process starts out with kernels of corn and ends up with a concoction of fructose and glucose.  It’s found in numerous foods and beverages, ranging from the fairly obvious (yogurt and sweetened beverages) to the totally unexpected (bread and tomato soup).

One study showed that from 1970-1999, consumption rates of high fructose corn syrup have closely paralleled obesity rates in the United States.  This has led to the conclusion that high fructose corn syrup causes obesity.

By all accounts, the rate of obesity in America has continued to climb steadily since 1999.  Yet according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup has dropped from a peak of 45.4 pounds per year in 1999 to 42.2 pounds per year in 2005.

Obesity results from eating too much and exercising too little.  High fructose corn syrup has no nutritional value but in terms of being the cause of obesity, it’s a miscast villain.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Walking vs. Running

How many times have you heard that walking a mile uses the same number of calories as running a mile?  Does this notion have any scientific basis?

Based upon equations from the American College of Sports Medicine, a 176- pound man who walks one mile in 20 minutes on a level surface will use roughly 4.62 calories per minute (cal/min).  Over the course of his 20-minute walk, his total caloric usage would be about 92.4 calories [4.62 cal/min x 20 min].  If that same individual ran one mile in 10 minutes on a level surface, he’d use about 14.27 cal/min.  During his 10-minute effort, then, he’d use about 142.7 total calories [14.27 cal/min x 10 min].

So, running a mile utilized significantly more calories than walking a mile [142.7 cal versus 92.4 cal].  This is true despite the fact that the duration of walking was twice as long as that of running [20 min compared to 10 min].

This isn’t to say that walking is bad, of course.  Just be aware that walking a certain distance doesn’t use the same amount of calories as running it.

DID YA KNOW?

Too much exercise can lead to overtraining.

Classic signs of overtraining include decreased

performance, prolonged recovery, loss of

appetite and an elevated resting heart rate.

What type of Aerobic exercise do you find the most beneficial for you? Share with us.

A package that proclaims a product to be “99% fat free” means that it’s 99% fat free by weight, not by calories.  How critical is this distinction?  Very.  Placing one gram of fat into 99 grams of water forms a product that – in terms of weight – is “99% fat free.”  But since water has no calories, this particular “99% fat free” product would actually be – in terms of calories – 100% fat.

Although this example is hypothetical, the fact is that this discrepancy actually occurs on thepackaging of many products.  For example, a can of College Inn Chicken Broth (H. J. Heinz Co.) states that it’s “99% fat free.”  One serving of this product (240 mL; 8.12 oz) has 13 calories of which 9 are from fat – meaning that it’s 69.23% fat.  (Each serving has 1 gram of fat and 1 gram of protein.)

Bottom line: If you’re looking to eat healthier and reduce your calories from fat, always read the nutrition facts panel.

Do you have a question about Nutrition? Let us know by commenting , and we will do our best to answer it.

OXYGENATED WATER

Another one of the countless products that’s purported to improve performance is oxygenated water. Since oxygen is so critical to the muscles, having access to more of it would be highly beneficial.  But can the body do anything with the additional oxygen?

In one study, 20 subjects were randomized into two groups that did an exhaustive test on a stationary bicycle.  Group A drank 1.5 liters of oxygenated water and Group B drank 1.5 liters of untreated water every day for two weeks then did a second exhaustive test.

Following a two-week “washout period” in which no experimental water was consumed, both groups did a third exhaustive test.  This time around, Group A drank 1.5 liters of untreated water and Group B drank 1.5 liters of oxygenated water every day for two weeks then did a fourth exhaustive test.

The researchers found that oxygenated water had no effect on aerobic working capacity.  Incidentally, researchers in another study noted that “a single breath of air contains more oxygen than a bottle of oxygenated water.”

Bottom line: The belief that oxygenated water enhances performance is full of leaks.

Have you ever tried Oxygenated water? Did you feel a difference

Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine

Much ado was made about a recent study that involved a random sample of 5,000 men who were incarcerated over a 30-year period.  The researchers concluded that the vast majority of violent offenses were perpetrated by those with muscular physiques.

But the study had several weaknesses.  For one thing, the authors used body mass index (BMI) to define the physiques of the prisoners (which is a poor indicator of physique).  Plus, the data were collected at the time that the prisoners began their sentences, not when they committed the crimes.

At any rate, a column in The New York Times grossly misinterpreted the study.  The headline of the column fanned the flames by announcing that a “link is seen between crime and fitness.”  Yet, the study had nothing to do with “fitness.”  In fact, the word “fitness” didn’t even appear in the study.

Bottom line: There’s no scientific proof that any connection exists between crime and fitness (or physique).  So keep lifting.

Source: The Social Science Journal

Last year, Sports Illustrated ran a brief feature on Jesse Chatman who, at the time, was a running back in the National Football League.  In 2006, at a height of 5’8”, his weight was as high as 283 pounds.  According to the magazine, the player got down to 223 pounds and then arranged a weigh-in with the trainer for the San Diego Chargers.  He weighed 221 pounds “after chugging pickle juice en route to the team’s facility (vinegar burns fat).”

Let’s assume that the two- pound loss of weight came entirely from fat (especially since it’s pointed out to us that “vinegar burns fat”).  At rest – or nearly at rest such as driving a car – an individual who weighs 223 pounds uses about 1.77 calories a minute.  One pound of fat has 3,500 calories.  Under resting conditions, then, a 223-pound individual would “burn” two pounds of fat in roughly 3,946 minutes or about two days, 17 hours and 46 minutes.  So unless he drove to San Diego non-stop at an average speed of 60 miles per hour from somewhere like Fairbanks, Alaska, or another place that’s about 3,642 miles away, it’s simply impossible to “burn” two pounds of fat while driving a car.

For the record, there’s absolutely nothing in vinegar that can “burn” fat.