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Daily Archives: 21/09/2017
Health24.com | This 4-minute workout will burn fat like crazy
Tabata training is the hipster of the fitness world. Pioneered by Dr Izumi Tabata, it had athletes doing high-intensity intervals long before they were cool. How it works is simple: You do 20 seconds of all-out effort, then rest for 10 seconds. You repeat this pattern eight times, which takes you to four minutes. Then you find a quiet corner to curl up and cry because it is that intense.
Burn fat like a furnace
Since Izumi Tabata first published his findings back in the mid-90s, numerous studies have confirmed that Tabata’s super-short, intense workouts improve cardio fitness and help you burn fat by revving your metabolism for hours after you leave the gym. In fact, test subjects following the Tabata Protocol consistently get better cardio fitness gains than control groups doing steady-state cardio. But don’t try and train like this every day – your body needs time to recover from working so intensely, so two or three times a week max.
Read more: Find your weight-loss personality and keep weight off for good.
How it works
While the treadmill or stationary bike are obvious choices, you can use Tabata Protocol with any exercise that lends itself to intense repetitions. The trick is you have to go all out for those 20 seconds – no holding back. “This is HIT, high-intensity training – there’s no second ‘I’ in there, you don’t get rest intervals,” says Ceri Hannan, national product development manager at Virgin Active. We tested this Tabata bodyweight circuit as part of Virgin Active’s Grid Test class. The exercises are based on the seven primal movement patterns for humans, so you’re not only getting a killer cardio workout, you’re also getting full-body muscle activation.
Read more: Exactly how to blast more fat on the treadmill
Do it
You’ll need: A timer, a TRX suspension trainer or low bar, a box, a grid marked out on the floor (about 2m x 1.5m). Set up all your equipment in advance, so you can move between stations quickly.
Do the exercises in order. For each exercise, do as many reps as you can for 20 seconds. You then have 10 seconds to get to the next station and in position. Once you’ve completed all exercises, you’re done – literally and figuratively! Count your reps and try to do more next time.
Your moves
1 Bodyweight Row
Hold the bar or handles of the TRX with an overhand grip, palms down, arms extended. Tighten your tummy and bum cheeks to keep your body in a straight line and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull your chest to your hands. That’s one rep. TIP: Use a rowing machine instead and count calories burnt as your score.
2 Hand Release Push-Ups
Get in the top of a push-up position, hands in line with your shoulders, tummy and bum cheeks tight. Lower your chest all the way to the floor and briefly lift your hands. Push back up to start, keeping that body straight. That’s one rep.
3 Grid Corners
Starting in one corner of your grid, sprint to the diagonally opposite corner and touch the ground. That’s one rep. Continue sprinting between corners.
4 Box Jumps
Stand in front of a box that’s about knee height. Lower into a half squat and swing your arms for momentum as you jump, landing with both feet simultaneously on the box. Drop into a squat as you land, then immediately stand up in a full extension. Step back to start.
5 Hand-Release Burpees
From standing, squat down and put your hands on the floor, then jump or step your feet back into push-up position. Lower your chest to the floor, briefly release your hands, then reverse the movement back to start. That’s one rep. Aim for a fluid, continuous movement.
6 Grid Sprints
Standing on one line of your grid, sprint across the opposite line, then jog backwards across the line you started on. That’s one rep.
7 Split Squats
With hands on your hips or holding weights at your sides, take a big step forward with one leg. Keeping your tummy tight and torso upright, bend your knees to lower your body until your back knee touches the ground. Push back to start. That’s one rep. After 10 seconds, swap legs.
8 180-Degree Jumps
Straddle one line of your grid. Jump up, twisting in the air so you land facing backwards. That’s one rep. Reverse the movement back to start.
This article was originally published on www.womenshealthsa.co.za
Image credit: iStock
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Health24.com | Possible causes of sensitivity: crown or enamel issues
Tooth sensitivity affects a large proportion of the population and can vary from mild to severe. Sometimes it may only involve one or two of your teeth, other times your entire mouth can be affected.
It might be an intermittent problem but, in some cases, the problem is constant and can make eating and drinking a real problem.
We take a look at what might be causing tooth sensitivity and how to manage it in the best way possible.
How teeth work
Your teeth are able to feel heat and cold, sweet and sour because each tooth has a nerve and blood vessels that are housed within the root canal and pulp chamber.
The bulk of your tooth is made up of dentine. This dentine consists of millions of little tubes that contain a fluid, which moves when stimulated by temperature and/or chemical changes.
The movement of this fluid is what stimulates the nerve and provides feeling to your tooth.
When all is well, your root dentine should be tucked away below gum level or within the bone, while the crown dentine should be covered by a thick layer of enamel, which is the hardest substance in the human body.
If this is the case, you will feel heat and cold, but you won’t usually have sensitivity issues.
However, if you suffer from tooth sensitivity, whether mild or severe, it usually results from a problem with one or more of the structures that keep the dentine insulated from the heat, cold, sweet and sour. Sometimes it can also be caused by a problem with the nerve.
When it’s a crown or enamel issue
Your tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and covers the crown of your tooth, which reaches down to the normal, healthy gum line. It has no nerve or blood supply and cannot heal or repair like dentine and bone.
Enamel is formed, along with the rest of your tooth, when the tooth started to develop in your jawbone when you still had baby teeth.
When your enamel becomes damaged, it does not insulate the dentine tubes properly. The result? You may experience tooth sensitivity.
Common causes of enamel damage
There are a number of causes of enamel damage – here are four common ones:
1. Abrasion
This is usually caused when you brush your teeth too hard, especially if you use a hard brush and/or an abrasive toothpaste.
2. Erosion
Erosion is often caused by frequent or continuous exposure to acidic substances. These include fizzy drinks (even sugar-free ones and sparkling water), certain fruit (especially citrus) and fruit juices, sports drinks, and food or drinks that contain a lot of sugar. Some medications, especially aspirin, are acidic – people sometimes apply aspirin to their teeth and gums to treat toothache and sensitivity issues. Stomach acid can also have a detrimental affect your enamel. If you suffer from reflux or vomit frequently (pregnant women or chemotherapy patients, for example), the hardness and/or thickness of the enamel can be damaged.
3. Attrition
Another common cause of enamel damage, attrition occurs from grinding your teeth (bruxism).
This is an extreme example of enamel damage due to grinding – the yellow areas are exposed dentine.
4. Tooth decay and cavities
Not only painful, tooth decay can also damage your enamel. Sometimes these cavities are so small or between teeth that they can only be seen on an X-ray. It is imperative to visit your dentist regularly so that they can X-ray your teeth to make sure you don’t have any cavities forming between your teeth or under existing fillings and crowns.
This dental xray shows some metal fillings, which appear white on the film and some decay (the dark areas) between two of the top teeth – these cavities would not be visible during a routine checkup and can often be the cause of sensitivity.
Factors we can’t control
Some people are lucky to be born with really hard enamel. This is largely due to their diet and the fluoride content of the water they drank as youngsters.
Untreated ground water in some rural areas may contain high levels of fluoride and other minerals, which results in harder, more resistant enamel. This in turn results in less enamel damage in later years and a lower risk of developing tooth decay and/or sensitivity.
Image credits: iStock, Wikicommons
Health24.com | A new way to diagnose food allergies
Diagnosing a food allergy isn’t always simple, but the best way to do it is through an oral food challenge, according to a new study.
“It’s important to have an accurate diagnosis of food allergy so an allergist can make a clear recommendation as to what foods you need to keep out of your diet,” said study senior author and allergist Dr Carla Davis.
“And if no allergy exists, that clears the way to reintroduce foods you may have thought were off-limits,” said Davis, an associate professor of paediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
What is an oral food challenge?
During an oral food challenge, patients are asked to eat a very small amount of a suspected allergen while under the close supervision of a specially trained doctor, called an allergist. This doctor will evaluate the person for signs of an allergic reaction.
Researchers who analysed more than 6 300 oral food challenges found these tests were safe and caused very few people to have a serious allergic reaction. Most of these tests involved children and teens younger than 18.
Of these cases, 14% resulted in a mild to moderate reaction that involved just one part of the body, such as a skin rash. The researchers noted that 2% resulted in very severe reactions that affected multiple body systems (anaphylaxis).
The results were published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Safer than prior studies
“Oral food challenges are a very important tool for anyone who wants to know if they have a food allergy,” said study lead author Dr Kwei Akuete, an allergist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. “Our study showed [oral food challenges] are safer than prior studies estimated, and should be routinely used to help determine if a food allergy exists.”
Making a food allergy diagnosis is very important for people’s health and quality of life, the study authors said.
“Food challenges improve the quality of life for people with food allergies, even if they are positive,” Davis said in a journal news release. Delaying a diagnosis can lead to increased health costs to the patient and raise the risk for nutrition problems, especially for children, she added.
Understanding food allergies
According to Health24, the most common allergies in South Africa are eggs, peanuts, cow’s milk, tree nuts like hazelnuts and soya. Symptoms can vary from immediate reactions to reactions that can even occur days later. Symptoms also vary:
1. Skin rashes and itching
Food allergies can cause swelling, hives, red itchy eyes, an itchy mouth, sneezing or coughing.
2. Digestive symptoms
Some food allergies can cause digestive symptoms such as colicky stomach cramps, diarrhoea, severe reflux, vomiting or nausea.
3. Anaphylactic shock
An allergic reaction in its worst form is anaphylaxis, which can lead to cardiovascular symptoms, drop in blood pressure, coma and even death.
Image credits: iStock
