Check it out:

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A New Weight Loss Plan: Getting Paid to Shed Pounds

Financial incentives are the latest wellness craze, inspiring at least some of the nearly two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese to try to ditch their potato chips. A few years ago, in an effort to cut overall health care costs, companies started dangling gift cards, free cruises, and even cash prizes to employees who shed excess pounds. Now, an independent web site is offering to pay anyone who drops a certain amount of weight over the course of a year. 

Since HealthyWage.com launched in October, Sisson and some 5,000 other hopefuls have signed up for the site, which gets corporate sponsors to give a cash reward to obese users who during a specified time period move from an unhealthy to a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI). (This typically translates into a weight loss of between 30 to 80 lbs.) Members can either sign up for free — according to a company rep, the final deadline to enter the next 12-month challenge is Jan. 20 — and win $100 or “super-size” their weight-loss incentives by putting as much as $300 of their own money on the line in order to up the stakes to $1,000.

“Sure, I’d like to look and feel better,” Sisson says, “but it is so subjective. Money is a better motivator because it is tangible. You can hold it in your hand.” Read the rest here.

Now THAT will motivate me!

Check out this news feature I found on CNN.

I personally think extreme diets are BAD. Especially if you aren’t taking a multivitamin to supplement for all the nutrients you lack because you are not eating enough! I also think that you should create small caloric deficits in your diet to help build better habits and a realistic lifestyle.

One of the BIG reasons why diets don’t work is because you do something for a SHORT amount of time, then you get to your goal…and you go back to your old habits of eating poorly. You ALSO binge after starving your body, which is not good.

Check out the article below!

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Extreme diets: Life on 800 calories a day

By Caitlin Hagan, CNN

(CNN) — Her death made headlines around the world: Samantha Clowe, a 34-year-old British woman, died suddenly this fall from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. At the time of her death, Clowe was following a plan called LighterLife, a very low-calorie diet designed to help obese and severely obese patients lose weight.

She was consuming 530 calories a day.

“Samantha came to LighterLife with a BMI of 37, weighing more than 17 stone [238 pounds],” says a spokesperson for the company. “Although she managed to lose 3 stone [42 pounds], her health may have already been compromised.” An inquest determined that Clowe most likely died from cardiac arrhythmia but could not determine what role, if any, Clowe’s diet played in the development of her condition, only that her death “may be related to her low calorie diet and weight loss.”

Very low-calorie diets have been used to help obese and severely obese patients lose weight for more than two decades. “Next to bariatric surgery, nothing is more effective for weight loss than a VLCD, including pills and other diets,” says Dr. John Hernried, medical director for OTC Medical Weight Loss Group, a weight-loss clinic in California.

But the diet “is not indicated for someone who wants to lose 10 pounds.” Most programs screen potential participants to ensure they are psychologically and medically stable enough to begin the process.

Gordon Heitman, 46, a California man, lost 233 pounds in just over a year on a VLCD that allowed him to eat an average of 800 calories a day. Read the rest here.

starvation can make you CRAZY!

Apparently, students at Lincoln University need to start watching their weight. If they test high on their BMI (body mass index) they will be required to take 3 fitness classes before graduating.

VERY INTERESTING.

Some people think this is too paternalistic and may have legal issues – other people (like myself) think its about time we became more involved in the health of our students both BODY and mind.

The kids may not like doing the classes, but they will surely appreciate it later on in life. My only criticism is that I think EVERYONE should be a part of the program. Fitness cannot be tested by BMI alone. Your health is indicated by blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat, etc.

Read on:
College’s too-fat-to-graduate rule under fire
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
(CNN) — Most college students expect to receive their diplomas on the basis of grades, but at a Pennsylvania school, physical fitness matters too.

Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate.

Calculate your body mass index

Now that the first class to have this requirement imposed is nearing graduation day — students who entered in the fall of 2006 — the school faces criticism from both students and outsiders about the fitness class policy.

One of those students is Tiana Lawson, 21, whose recent editorial in the student paper has drawn national attention to the issue. Lawson wrote in The Lincolnian that she would be more understanding if the requirement applied to everyone. She thinks all students, not just those with a high BMI, should have to take the class. read more here

Exercise your mind and BODY!

Brought to you by…..Lady’s Footlocker!

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New York, New York, November 23, 2009— With the holidays approaching, one
can anticipate a few extra treats…and possibly a few extra inches and
pounds.  Lady Foot Locker recommends shoppers take advantage of the “black
Friday” haul, and let the mall do the work.  With the right footwear, it
can do exactly that.

Toning footwear like Reebok’s EasyTone and Skechers’ Shape Ups, can
transform the mall into a personal gym.  Burn calories, and tone your
glutes and thighs while you shop.

Fitness expert for Lady Foot Locker, Cathy Lang, offers these easy steps to
get the most out of your Holiday sprawl.

• Park as far away from the mall as possible.
Who enjoys driving around in circles looking for a place to park? Occupy
one of those empty spaces in the back of the parking lot and easily add 1/2
a mile walk or more going to and from your car.

• Buy the heaviest items first.
Rather than saving the trip to the computer or appliance store for the end
of your shopping day, grab that laptop or smoothie maker first.  You could
end up carrying 5-10 lbs of items and that will pump up the calories you
burn as well as your arms.

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator while holiday
shopping.
Walking up a set of stairs can burn 5 to 10 calories, depending on your
weight and the number of stairs. Going down stairs typically expends
one-third as much energy. Concentrate on driving through your front leg and
lift through your glute to simulate lunges.

• Choose your shoes wisely.
You wouldn’t power walk in your stilettos so why would you do the Mall Haul
in them?!?  Choose an athletic shoe that is comfortable for your foot.
Have an associate measure your size and maybe even consider one of the
popular shoes that destabilizes you and fires up the toning factor in your
lower body.  If you are using your time at the mall to reach a 10,000
step/day goal, get the gear to do it right.

• Apply any or all of these tips to the rest of the year as well.
Remember, Santa Claus didn’t get as big as he is just by overeating during
the holidays!

Will you be out Friday morning???? I will!

Where does your state measure up???

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The Healthiest and Unhealthiest States

By Rebecca Ruiz

States in New England top a new set of rankings, while the South still lags.

If you want to be healthy, live in Vermont–or at least act like you do. It is the healthiest state in the country, according to a new report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation.

The annual ranking looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths. (The foundation is funded by the insurer UnitedHealth Group.)

Vermont ranked first this year thanks in part to its low rate of obesity, high number of doctors and a low rate of child poverty. New England in general sets a benchmark for the country, the report found: All six New England states are in the top 10. These states have favorable demographics and an excellent public health infrastructure, including a large number of doctors per capita.

Eight of the 10 bottom-ranked states are from the south, with Mississippi coming in dead last for the ninth consecutive year. Mississippi has a sky-high death rate from heart disease and high infant mortality. In general, residents of these states are more likely to be smokers or to be obese, the report found. They also have worse health insurance coverage, fewer physicians per capita and live in areas with high violent crime and more child poverty.

UnitedHealth Group Executive Vice President Dr. Reed Tuckson says the report is meant to draw attention to public health issues, particularly the twin challenges of smoking and obesity. While the smoking rate has decreased in the past 20 years, nearly one in five Americans still smoke. More than one-quarter of American adults suffer from obesity, a condition that the report estimated will cost $344 billion in annual health care costs by 2018. “We are about to deliver a tsunami of preventable chronic illness that will come pouring into the medical care delivery system,” says Reed.

The Results
Scores for each state are determined by gathering data from a variety of government and nongovernmental databases and then calculating how much each state is better or worse than the national average for each measure. The scores take into account a broad variety of health measures, including rates of infectious diseases, number of preventable hospitalizations and even levels of air pollution.

Christine Finley, the state’s deputy commissioner for public health, says Vermont’s performance in the rankings reflects its demographics. The state is 96% Caucasian, and research has shown that health outcomes can be worse for racial and ethnic populations as well as those with lower incomes and education levels. It also helps that every pediatrician in Vermont accepts Medicaid and the benefits extend to families who earn up to 300% of the poverty line. read the rest here.

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