Older people have special exercise needs.That’s why Maggie Rappaport developed a Senior Cardio Mix class 13 years ago - to help seniors improve their strength, flexibility and balance.

Rappaport is a personal trainer and co-owner of The Training Zone, 7020 E. Broadway.

Where younger people who hire a personal trainer look at goals in terms of pounds and inches, Rappaport said, it’s different for the older age group.

Goals for older fitness enthusiasts might include having the stamina to play with their grandchildren or great-grandchildren, being able to park farther from the grocery store and walk the longer distance or simply not needing to take as many naps because of increased energy.

Rappaport has also started a new class called Osteoporosis Boot Camp, which is designed for people who have been diagnosed with osteopenia or have a recent diagnosis of osteoporosis. It features exercises to build overall bone density.

The class meets at 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Contact photographer Mamta Popat at mpopat@azstarnet.com or 573- 4155.

More info

Online: www.trainingzonetucson.com/grouptraining.htm

Phone: 991-5622

Originally published by MAMTA POPAT, ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2010 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

More questions from readers in honor of National Nutrition Month “Nutrition from the ground up”:”Dear Barbara, I just read your wonderful article on the benefits of chocolate in today’s Florida Times-Union and I wonder about the caffeine content in chocolate. I have always heard that chocolate contains caffeine, and I know one of the benefits you cite is the relaxation of blood vessels in the head. Would you please comment? –Julie M, Jacksonville, Fla.

Dear Julie,

I wrote that “natural substances contained in cocoa powder help arteries relax and thus lower blood pressure.” These substances appear to be the antioxidant “polyphenols” in cocoa, not the caffeine.

According to the National Institutes of Health, caffeine does not relax blood vessels; it causes them to constrict. That is why caffeine sometimes helps control pounding migraine headaches.

Chocolate is actually fairly low in caffeine content. One ounce of dark chocolate contains about 20 milligrams of caffeine; 1 ounce of milk chocolate contains about 6 milligrams. By comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has 100-200 milligrams of caffeine, depending on how strong you like it.

So, it’s not the caffeine, but the polyphenols in cocoa beans that have been shown to relax arteries (and maybe contribute to headaches in folks who are sensitive.) Coffee beans contain these substances, too, which may explain a new study that found coffee drinking lowered the risk for stroke…even if people drank decaffeinated coffee.

“Dear Barbara, I hope you have time to give some details about the correct amount of calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium for women over 70 years of age.

There are so many choices on the pharmacy shelves: Citracal, calcium carbonate, those with vitamin D, magnesium, big ones that choke you and small ones that mean you need a handful. I stand there and read labels, and then wonder if I have made the right choice. My doctor just says be sure and take calcium, but not too much vitamin D. Thanking you in advance. –Carolyn S.

Dear Carolyn,

Confused? Join the club… For adults over 70, the current dietary reference intake for vitamin D is 400 IU (International Units) but that amount is expected to be increased soon based on new vitamin D research. Up to 2000 IU of vitamin D daily is now considered the safe “upper tolerable limit” without a doctor’s recommendation.

Calcium needs for those over 70 is 1200 to 1500 milligrams per day…no more than 2500 milligrams (from food and supplements combined). For magnesium, the requirement is 350 milligrams a day.

Remember that these recommendations are called DIETARY reference intakes for good reason. Our DIET is the first place to look for these nutrients. Supplements are meant to supplement what we don’t get in food. (Three cups of milk provide more than 900 milligrams of calcium, 300 IU vitamin D and 80 milligrams magnesium, for example.)

That said, many experts recommend calcium citrate as the supplement of choice for those over the age of 70. (Citracal is the common brand.) This “citrate” form contains less calcium per pill, which is why you have to take more (or bigger) pills. You can pop calcium citrate anytime and it appears to be well absorbed.

Calcium “carbonate” is the least expensive and most condensed form of calcium. But to best absorb it, you need to take it with or right after meals while your digestive enzymes are active. Most important adjunct to a calcium supplement is vitamin D, which is difficult to get in even the best diet. Added magnesium also helps, especially if you are prone to constipation…

Keep those nutrition questions coming in March…National Nutrition Month!

___

(Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. E-mail her at bquinn@chomp.org.)

___

(c) 2010, The Monterey County Herald (Monterey, Calif.).

Visit the Monterey County Herald’s World Wide Web site at http://www.montereyherald.com/

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Health officials start campaign to get us to slash sodium intakeIn a campaign they hope will save at least 1,000 Arizona lives every year, state health officials are urging residents to cut their salt intake.

The aim is slashing rates of strokes, heart attacks and coronary artery disease.

Most Arizonans are eating much more sodium than they should, said Will Humble, interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

A majority of Americans consume more than 3,400 milligrams per day.

The recommended daily allowance is 2,300 mg, which drops to 1,500 for those over 40, blacks and people with hypertension, Humble said.

For some perspective, 2,300 mg of sodium is about equal to a teaspoon of table salt.

The “Be a Champion for Change - Eat Less Salt” campaign is part of a national effort led by the New York City Health Department.

Arizona aims to lower the amount of salt eaten by its residents by 20 percent over the next five years.

“This is one of those public-health interventions where we can get so much benefit from such a small decision,” Humble said. “We’re pretty good at looking for saturated fat and sugar on labels, but the vast majority of us blow off the sodium line.”

Some questions and answers:

Are salt and sodium the same?

No. Salt is sodium chloride. About 40 percent of table salt is made up of sodium. Only a small amount of sodium occurs naturally in foods. Most is added during processing.

What is the campaign costing Arizona taxpayers?

So far, nothing extra. The state is using existing resources to get the word out on its Web site, azdhs.gov/salt, which invites people to sign up and change their salt intake. Officials hope the material gets people talking and making changes.

What’s the message?

Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and read ingredient labels because many packaged foods can vary greatly in sodium content depending on the brand.

Why target sodium?

On average, the higher an individual’s salt intake, the higher the blood pressure. Sodium can affect weight and heart disease, so there are many benefits from getting sodium levels down, said Adrienne Udarbe, a registered dietitian for the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Also, a New England Journal of Medicine study published last month underscored the importance of targeting salt, Humble said. The study concluded modest reductions in dietary salt could result in up to $24 billion in health-care cost savings annually.

Name some high-sodium foods

Fast food. Processed foods, including frozen pizza, canned vegetables and canned soup. Breakfast cereals, bread and salad dressing can have deceptively high levels. Humble urges people to ask restaurants for sodium content and for low-sodium menu items.

Any other changes that can prevent or delay high blood pressure?

Increasing potassium intake, losing excess body weight, increasing physical activity and eating a healthful diet.

Does someone taking blood pressure medication need to lower their sodium intake?

Yes. Not doing so could negate the effects of ACE inhibitors commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, said Taben M. Hale, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine-Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University.

Clinical research shows that combining a low-sodium diet with ACE inhibitor drugs produces better control of high blood pressure, she said.

Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at sinnes@azstarnet.com or 573- 4134.

On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/ news/science for more articles about science, technology and health.

How much is in your food?

Only a small amount of sodium occurs naturally in foods. Most sodium is added during processing. The table below gives examples of sodium in some foods. The recommended daily allowance of sodium is 2,300 milligrams

Food group Sodium (milligrams)

Bread, all types, 1-ounce serving (one slice) 95-210

Frozen pizza, plain, cheese, 4 ounces (slice) 450-1,200

Frozen vegetables, all types, 1/2 cup 2-160

Salad dressing, regular fat, all types, 2 tablespoons 110-505

Salsa, 2 tablespoons 150-240

Soup (tomato), reconstituted, 1 cup 700-1,260

Tomato juice, 1 cup 340-1,040

Potato chips, 1 ounce (20 chips) 120-180

Tortilla chips, 1 ounce (six large chips) 105-160

Pretzels, 1 ounce (20 mini-pretzels) 290-560

SOURCES: Arizona Department of Health Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Originally published by STEPHANIE INNES, ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2010 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Diet not working? Blame your genes. That’s the pitch behind a new test that claims to show whether people will do better on a low-fat or a low-carb weight loss plan.We’re all hard-wired with DNA that controls how we burn and store calories from various foods, and the test claims to sort out this machinery. A study this week found that women on diets well-matched to their genes, as defined by the test, lost roughly five times more weight than those on mismatched diets.

“We were able to explain why some people were successful” and others were not, even though they ate the same way, said Mindy Dopler Nelson, a nutritional biologist at Stanford University who led the study but has no financial ties to the maker of the test.

Some scientists find this hard to swallow. It’s another test being peddled without enough research to show it really works, they say.

“I’m afraid this may be another attempt to lure the public into purchasing genetic tests that provide little value for those struggling with their weight,” said Raymond Rodriguez, director of the National Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics at the University of California, Davis.

The research shows “nothing that should move the American public out to get their genome tested,” said Dr. Robert Eckel, a former American Heart Association president and cardiologist at the University of Colorado-Denver.

But it sure has appeal.

Gene testing originally was aimed at finding risk for things like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Lately, genes have been linked to things you might not suspect, such as stuttering or compulsive leg-jiggling.

The latest trend is to connect genes to lifestyle counseling, determining what type of diet or exercise is best. That’s what the maker of the new diet test hopes to do.

The company, Waltham, Mass.-based Interleukin Genetics Inc., looked at studies on hundreds of genes and chose three genes that show a pattern for metabolizing fats and carbohydrates, said its chief scientific officer, Ken Korman.

The company then hired Stanford researchers to do a validation study of its $149 test, using people who took part in diet research that was published in 2007. That study tested four diets — Atkins (ultra-low-carb), the Zone (low-carb), Ornish (very low-fat) or a low-fat diet following the federal Food Pyramid.

About one-third of the original participants, 138 women, sent cheek swabs with their DNA to Interleukin, which tagged them as “low- carb appropriate” or “low-fat appropriate.”

Looking back at the original study’s results, researchers saw that women whose diets matched their genetic makeup lost more than 13 pounds over a year compared to less than 3 pounds for women on mismatched diets, Nelson reported at a heart association conference this week.

One of the study participants, Jacqueline Gardner, 55, of Evergreen, Calif., went from 200 pounds at the start of the study to 185, but was back to 200 pounds two years later.

“I now know why I gained it back,” she said — the gene test showed she does not metabolize carbohydrates well. More recently, she has been on a high-protein diet and weighs 180.

“I wish I had had a DNA test 10 years ago,” she said.

Originally published by MARILYNN MARCHIONE Associated Press.

(c) 2010 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Getting into better physical shape can be easier with a little help from your friends.That’s what staff at the San Juan College Human Health and Performance Center have identified as a tool to get people to stick out a three-month program to improve their physical fitness, nutrition and stress levels.

The college fitness center is planning a 12-week Fit Club beginning March 15 where teams of at least four participants of any age will work together during weekly training sessions to show the best improvement as a team.

“The challenge begins with a full assessment to determine contestants’ body age, body composition and overall fitness level,” said Josh Stratman, the HHPC director. “Over 12 weeks, contestants put exercise and proper nutrition into practice for a healthier lifestyle.”

Class sessions will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, and will include 30-minute lifestyle improvement lessons and hour-long workouts.

The program emphasizes a model of teamwork, hoping the encouragement of a friend could help someone stick out the challenge and achieve his or her goal to get in shape, said Jason Curtis, coordinator of fitness and intermural sports at the college fitness center.

“Most of the research I find really shows that when people do things from an individual basis, especially when it comes to positive lifestyle changes, you have a higher failure rate than people who join together with a spouse or close friend or someone who is going

to help keep them accountable,” Curtis said.

The program sponsored by the college fitness center is a spin-off of the competition format seen on the popular TV show, “The Biggest Loser,” but Curtis said the Fit Club will emphasis lifestyle improvements designed to be maintained by participants long after the conclusion of the 12-week program.

“The goal of our competition is through this, they’re going to get a lot of coaching and a lot of education, and hopefully get a lot of tools they need to make a lifestyle change and hopefully continue the lifestyle change,” Curtis said.

A fitness assessment at the end of the 12-week program will determine team winners in a variety of categories, including highest percentage of body fat lost, most improved body age, best overall body age and best weekly attendance.

“I think people will have to be motivated,” Stratman said of the three-month program. “That was our thought behind having the teams, because the teams can motivate each other, the team members can push each other to stay involved, and really try to make a change.”

The fitness center is hoping to enroll at least 10 teams of four members each in the program, but there is no limit on how many groups can join. The cost to participate in the Fit Club is $20 for members of the college fitness center, and $80 for nonmembers. To register, contact the San Juan College Human Health and Performance Center at (505) 566-3115.

James Monteleone: jmonteleone@daily-times.com

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Linda Bahr of Grosse Pointe Woods, a 52-year-old mother of three boys — ages 25, 24 and 12 — and market event planner for Pricewaterhouse Coopers, finds time to work out almost every day of the week. Here’s what she says about her regimen:QUESTION: What’s your typical workout like?

ANSWER: I’m a workout fanatic. … From the time I was 20, I started working out and got into habit. Morning seems to work for me, since I work full time and then with all the events the kids have in the evening. So my day starts at 5 a.m. I go to gym about four days of the week. Some days I do weights and strength training, some days I do intense cardio. I started last year doing yoga twice a week for flexibility and I do a Pilates class about once a week. I’m also a runner, so I do the treadmill in the winter. I’m at the gym by 5:30 a.m. and home by 7.

Q: Do you also have a home gym?

A: I have a treadmill, a weight-machine and lots of exercise tapes.

Q: How do you stay motivated?

A: It’s just become a part of my life. I love it. I’m not the type of person who will miss a workout and go crazy, but I don’t really miss many.

Q: Do you take any days off?

A: Tuesdays are my Pilates day — that’s my easy day. It’s a 55-minute mat class.

Q: Do you work out alone?

A: I have a buddy I’ve been working out with for five years. We have a couple of routines. We do a boot camp on Mondays and Thursdays. We always try to mix it up every six weeks.

Q: Do you have any common obstacle that you must overcome to stick to your workouts?

A: Some days when the alarm goes off, you go, “Oh, my bed.” But you learn that you feel better after you do your workout, and you do. Some days are easier than others.

Want to be featured in The Fit: How I Stay Active? Suggest yourself or someone you know by e-mailing kjahnke@Freepress.com

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Copyright (c) 2010, Detroit Free Press

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says more than half of U.S. consumers say they often read food labels when buying a product for the first time.That finding was just released from the FDA’s 2008 Health and Diet Survey, which suggests nutritional knowledge is increasing.

Among other things, the survey showed:

– More U.S. consumers know of the relationship between diet and heart disease. Ninety-one percent knew of that link, up 8 percent from the 2002 survey.

– Sixty-two percent of consumers know fats are a factor related to heart disease, compared with 53 percent in 2002.

– People’s awareness that trans fats might raise the risk of heart disease nearly doubled, from 32 percent in 2004 to 62 percent.

But the survey found differing degrees of trust about food label claims, with 41 percent of consumers believing all or most claims such as “low fat” or “high fiber” are accurate, while 56 percent said some or none are true.

The survey also found 54 percent of people eat breakfast daily, while 8 percent said they skip the meal. In contrast, 86 percent said they eat dinner daily, while 1 percent said they always skip it.

The telephone survey of more than 2,500 U.S. adults — the 10th such survey since 1982 — had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

The report is available at http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/ResearchAreas/ConsumerResearch/ucm193895.htm.

Cutting the amount of salt U.S. residents eat could hugely boost health, saving at least $10 billion a year and preventing up to a million strokes and heart attacks, scientists estimate.But eating less sodium isn’t as easy as it might seem. Even if you never put another grain of salt on your food, chances are you’d still consume far more than the recommended healthy level.

Doctors recommend 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day — the latter roughly equals the sodium in one teaspoon of table salt. But the average U.S. adult eats about 3,400 milligrams daily. Just 375 milligrams are added during cooking or eating, the Mayo Clinic estimates, which would put average adults above safe salt levels even if they threw away their salt shakers.

Most sodium in the average U.S. diet — more than three-quarters of the salt consumed — is stirred, baked or packaged into foods we buy. And foods that taste salty, such as potato chips, aren’t necessarily the biggest sources of sodium. Plenty of foods pack in salt for reasons that have little to do with taste.

“It’s in all our processed foods,” said Laura Condit, a registered dietitian with Kaiser Permanente in Portland. “They’re using it not only as a flavoring but as a preservative.”

For instance, a medium bagel has about 550 milligrams of sodium. A box of Lean Cuisine Baked Chicken has 670 milligrams. A can of Campbell’s classic condensed tomato soup has 1,200 milligrams.

Cutting salt from those prepared foods is one path to improving heart health. One estimate, published in Tuesday’s Annals of Internal Medicine, says food makers cutting sodium by 10 percent would prevent almost a million strokes or heart attacks over the lifetimes of people ages 40 to 85. The estimated savings from that health boost topped $32 billion.

While food makers may not all agree to cut the salt, Condit said we all can take steps to limit our sodium intake:

– Check food labels to see how much sodium a serving contains. Condit says to aim for entrees with less than 600 milligrams of sodium.

– Check the serving size. Some containers that may seem like one meal hold several servings of food and salt.

– By law, foods labeled “low sodium” have at most 140 milligrams per serving.

– Be wary of soups, sauces, gravy, salad dressings and fried foods, which often contain lots of sodium.

– When eating out, ask if you can have your meal made with no added salt.

– Consider flavoring your food with commercial salt substitutes or herbs and spices instead of salt.

Sodium and fat content

Sodium isn’t always where you’d expect it (although sometimes it is, too). Health officials advise the average, healthy adult to eat 2,000 calories a day with no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 65 grams of fat.

Sodium (mg) Calories Fat (grams) McDonald’s french fries, small 160 230 11 McDonald’s chocolate shake, 16 oz. 250 580 14 Swanson chicken pot pie, 7 ounce 770 380 22 Tombstone frozen pepperoni pizza, 1/4 pizza 890 390 20 Subway ham sandwich, 6-inch 1,200 290 4.5 Red Robin Asian Chicken Salad 1,945 600 15 Taco Del Mar beef enchilada 3,210 1,030 37 Ivar’s White Clam Chowder Bread Bowl 3,723 1,360 41–

–Saturated fat. Ivar’s does not provide total fat amount, which would be higher.

– Andy Dworkin

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A U.S. food scientist warns humidity — storing vitamins in the bathroom or kitchen — may eliminate the benefits of some vitamins.Lisa Mauer of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., says subjecting some vitamins to humidity can chemically change their composition — even if the lids are on tight.

“Opening and closing a package will change the atmosphere in it,” Mauer says in statement. “If you open and close a package in a bathroom, you add a little bit of humidity and moisture each time.”

Mauer said crystalline substances — including vitamin C, some forms of vitamin B and other dietary supplements — may undergo deliquescence, a process in which humidity causes the water-soluble solid to dissolve similar to how sugar cakes in the summer.

Once humidity or temperature is brought back down, the product will solidify, Mauer says, but the damage has been done. Depending on how long a person takes for a shower, the humidity of the bathroom can go as high as 98 percent, Mauer says.

Mauer’s findings were published in the early online version of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

With the holidays far behind us and the chocolate-drizzled haze of Valentine’s Day only a memory, healthy eating has become a priority for many.That’s one reason the American Dietetic Association has designated March as National Nutrition Month, with a special focus on “Nutrition From the Ground Up.”

Monica Nyman, a registered dietitian with the Decatur Memorial Hospital Wellness Center, offered some tips from the dietetic association.

For people who are working to develop a healthy eating plan, Nyman encouraged starting with the basics. Emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and nuts, and work to cut out saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

Try to eat a variety of foods. Fruits and veggies can come from a variety of sources such as the produce section, canned food aisle and freezer shelves. Be sure to rotate fish, beans and peas into your protein selections, Nyman advised, and aim for at least three servings of whole grains each day.

“Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated,” she wrote in an e-mail.

Look for nutrient-rich options to get the most out of the calories you consume by looking for lower-calorie foods laden with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Remember to keep track of portion sizes, Nyman advised.

She suggested that people institute a regular family meal time to help model healthy eating behaviors and teach children about nutrition.

Also important to maintaining a healthy diet is being physically active. Nyman advised those working toward developing a healthy eating plan to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

There are a variety of tools available on the association’s National Nutrition Month Web page, www.eatright.org/nnm, such as event ideas for families, schools, offices and other venues; quizzes and games; and even a fad diet timeline including such off-the-wall weight-loss suggestions as vinegar and water, whale blubber, hay and heavy sedation.

agetsinger@herald-review.com 421-6968

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