Climb the toughest of bike trails without bonking – and descend with total control. We chatted to Todd Wells, an Olympic mountain biker and member of the SRAM/TLD Factory Racing team, to get the down low on getting down and dirty.
1. Fine-tune your ride
Set your tyre pressure to 20 000 pascals, which gives your tyres enough flexibility to grip the trail during ascents without bottoming out onto the rim during descents. Lube the chain and make sure both wheels’ quick releases are tightly closed. (Don’t laugh – it happens.)
Beginners default to the lowest gear on ascents. But for a stronger climb, you want to pedal at the same rate the whole time, saving a few low gears just in case. Shift to maintain your cadence. Resist the urge to stand – this takes weight off the back tyre. You need that weight to maintain traction.
As you approach rocks or logs, centre your weight over the back tyre to prevent slipping. Lean slightly over the handlebar so your front end doesn’t lift. Raise the bar just enough to initiate a climb over the obstacle. Avoid bunny hops, which kill momentum.
In sections with rocks or roots, don’t pedal. Keep your eyes locked in front of your tyre. Your speed is right if you feel in control and can scan the terrain for obstacles in your peripheral vision. Keep your feet level so your weight stays transferable. Check your speed by feathering the front brake with small pumps. If you need to slow down during a turn, use the back brake so your front wheel is solely devoted to steering.
This article was originally published onwww.mh.co.za
Countless people have experienced the benefits that come with strength training as adults as a way to break from their sedentary routines to get fit – but for many, the introduction to weight lifting and conditioning came in their teenage years as a way to train for sports.
Most high school athletic programs have some sort of strength training component, but club and travel sports have ramped up the stakes in kids’ athletics at an even earlier stage. Parents and concerned coaches aren’t wrong, then, to question what age is actually safe for kids to hit the weights. Is it only after the onset of puberty? Or will a strength program stunt growth, like some old wives tales would have you believe?
To answer these questions, it might be better to understand the reasons why an adolescent strength-training plan would even be necessary.
Let the kids grow
Kids used to be able to get in shape by playing on their own terms and by their own rules. They could develop an interest in organised or recreational sports, or they might just have been interested in having fun. Fun is described as the balance between success and challenge, being with peers, and learning new things, and unsurprisingly, it’s the number one reason children play sports.
Many adults, however, have been sold the notion that the only way to sporting success is to earn an athletic scholarship. The only way to find success in that mode of thinking is to have their aspiring professional athlete specialise in one sport, attend as many elite performance camps as possible, and completely pack out a youth athlete’s calendar, with little room for anything but that one sport.
Counterintuitively, this has led to reduced levels of strength and fitness, lack of motor skill development and sports skills, and declining interest in sports and fitness among children.
Luckily, the pendulum is swinging back to a child-focused longer-term approach, called long-term athletic development (LTAD), which creates the framework for kids in motor skill development, multi-sport sampling, and a focus on general health and wellbeing. LTAD helps develop physical, mental, and psychosocial wellbeing for kids, adults, and families across the life course as a cradle-to-grave model.
LTAD helps adults fix five fallacies in youth physical development:
Strength training will stunt growth
Good performance early in sports and resistance training tells us who has athletic talent
Use the programs the pros use
To be successful in sport, kids should specialise early
Just moving is enough
Strength training is key to motor skill development and athleticism. Contrary to what you might have heard, introducing a strength protocol to young athletes will not stunt their growth. This doesn’t mean that kids should be lifting heavy weights on principle, however – but they should be getting familiar with different types of resistance, like bodyweight (pushups, planks and changing direction), free weights, bands and tubes and other implements.
Kids can begin resistance training around the same age they become interested in sports – usually between six- and eight-years-old. Moving with proper form requires adequate muscular strength, after all, so resistance training of some kind should be a prerequisite for sports participation. The expression “get in shape to play, not play to get in shape” holds true.
All that said, you should be cautious of programs that prescribe being able to do bodyweight exercises before exercise with weights. Children who are overweight or obese need to exercise and should experience the success of lifting an external weight rather than trying to move their bodyweight. The key is to find the exercise, sport, or activity your child enjoys and build on the success of that.
Just because a child is stronger than his or her peers or is better at a sport (or several sports) does not mean that this child is the next prodigy. Many youngsters change their interest and need to try several types of activities, exercises and sports. Those kids that outperform their young peers may have physically developed early and need to be watched to be sure they are not overworked and overplayed. Those that are late bloomers (this can be measured by a process called peak height velocity that factors parents’ heights and the child’s height and age) need extra attention to be sure they get adequate time to participate.
Let the kids play
Kids do not need to specialise in just one sport. Much has been written that shows that early sports specialisation, in most cases, does not enhance the chance of success in sports. In fact, early sports specialisation often leads to overuse injury, burnout and stress.
Giving kids the opportunity to try different sports as they grow up gives them the opportunity to pursue the one they like best, should they choose one at all. They will develop a wide variety of movement skills and abilities, which can then transfer to enjoying pursuit of being physically active throughout their lives, a concept known as physical literacy.
Being physically literate means that kids (and adults) can move confidently and competently in a variety of settings, whether that be on a field, track, ice rink or in the water. The concept shouldn’t be shoved onto kids (or adults, for that matter) in a one-size-fits-all model, either – we don’t expect all kids to ace Advanced Placement Math, for example.
Fitness programs, like sports training protocols, need to be individualised, which means they should be adjusted to fit each person. The program should be based on a child’s level of development and level of interest. In that sense, using a college program for high school athletes is inappropriate. We can understand the type of work that can be done in the weight room based on the level of experience of the lifter.
Think about it like this: We would never allow kids to drive without learning the technique, rules and the progressions of safety, yet too often we see youth athletes undertaking exercise programs for which they are not ready.
This is especially true for the “run them ‘til they puke” mindset. Anybody can make a kid tired, but that doesn’t mean mindless drilling provides any value for their fitness and conditioning. In fact, this is a key indicator of overworking, which easily leads to overtraining.
Just moving isn’t enough
Without a solid understanding of programming for sports and fitness for youth, adults may be discouraged and follow the saying that just moving is enough.
That’s wrong.
Just moving is not enough for a developing young athlete – but it is part of the equation. More important than movement is fostering the ability to kids to actually play. They’re not going to thrive without some sense of fun.
There are three types of play, which are determined by the level of adult involvement. Structured play is sports participation where adults make all the rules. That’s part of the reason youth sports are in trouble, since we tried to make kids miniature adults. Semi-structured play has guidance by adults, but input from the kids. Recess, which is often eliminated in schools, is a prime example. The final is free play, in which kids make all the rules, set the boundaries, and figure out how to resolve conflicts.
All three types of play are important and help youth learn how to play by rules, be part of something bigger than they are, and develop positive healthy habits for lifetime of exercise.
What adults can do
Look for and help advocate for youth sports and fitness programs that include:
A long-term approach that focuses on the health and wellbeing of every participant
Development of physical literacy at each participant’s current level (the proximal zone of development tells us to work in the area just outside the comfort zone)
Resistance training and motor skill development across childhood and adolescence
Time for kids to be kids by balancing the three types of play
Interact with kids through all stages of development and set a good example
This article was originally published onwww.mh.co.za
Kids are spending more time than ever in front of screens, making it more likely they’ll become overweight or obese, a new review claims. The average 8- to 18-year-old spends more than seven hours a day fixated on a screen, whether it’s a computer, smartphone, tablet, video game or TV, the latest evidence shows.
Two hours a day max
Teenagers who exceed two hours daily of recreational screen time are nearly twice as likely to be overweight or obese, the review showed. Excess weight increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.
“Total media use increased by about 20% from 1999 to 2009, with most of that jump happening since 2004, and driven mainly by increases in computer use,” said study lead author Tracie Barnett. She’s a researcher at the INRS-Institut Armand Frappier and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center in Montreal.
This and other evidence supports the American Heart Association’s longstanding recommendation that children and teens get no more than two hours a day of recreational screen time, Barnett and her colleagues concluded.
‘Square eyes’
“The more time you spent on these screen-based devices, the greater the odds of being overweight or obese,” Barnett said.
The percentage of obese kids in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s to include nearly one in five school-age children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the TV is no longer the main creator of childhood couch potatoes.
Traditional television viewing has decreased over the past 10 years, while time spent with other screen-based devices has surged, the researchers found.
“Although kids seem to be spending less time watching television, they’re still viewing TV content. They’re just doing it on these new devices,” Barnett explained. “It means they are still sedentary with these other types of screen-based recreational devices.”
Kids are being exposed to screens at an incredibly young age, the researchers discovered. One recent study found that average daily television time among children under two ranged from a half-hour to more than three hours.
“That’s shocking to me,” said Dr Martha Gulati, cardiology division chief for the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. “I don’t know if the screen had become their babysitter, but I don’t think that is what children are really meant to interact with.”
Couch potatoes
Further, there’s still a link between time spent on a screen and the likelihood of excess weight.
The percentage of kids who spend more than two hours a day with a screen has increased by about a third in recent years, Barnett said – from about 16.4% in 2003 to 21.7% in 2007.
It makes sense that screen time will be sedentary, said Gulati, who is editor-in-chief of CardioSmart.org, the American College of Cardiology’s patient information website.
“If they’re texting their friends, most of the time they’re sitting down to text. If they’re on Instagram or Snapchat or whatever, they’re usually sitting,” she said.
But Barnett and Gulati both admit that limiting screen time to two hours will be tough for most parents.
“Two hours is a great goal,” Gulati said. “I don’t think people should be sitting for so much of their time, either children or adults. Realistically, I think that’s going to be a very hard goal for parents to hold their children to.”
Limiting screen time
Barnett suggested that parents who want to limit their kids’ screen time might do better to focus on other things that the children could be doing.
“Getting face-to-face time, getting time outdoors, making sure there are pursuits that are free of devices – I think that will necessarily reduce and control screen time,” Barnett said.
Gulati added that parents can also help by setting a good example and limiting their own use of screen devices. The review was published online in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
The heart association recommends banning screen devices from the dinner table and from bedrooms. Other possible ideas include:
Setting aside time for physical activity as a family, preferably on a daily basis.
Planning TV watching in advance, picking select shows you want to watch and avoiding channel-surfing.
Avoiding use of TV or devices as a reward or a punishment for good or bad behaviour.
Researchers have discovered a link between three degenerative eye diseases and Alzheimer’s disease.
They say their findings could lead to new ways to identify people at high risk for Alzheimer’s.
“We don’t mean people with these eye conditions will get Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead researcher Cecilia Lee, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Alzheimer’s expected to increase
“The main message from this study is that ophthalmologists should be more aware of the risks of developing dementia for people with these eye conditions and primary care doctors seeing patients with these eye conditions might be more careful on checking on possible dementia or memory loss,” Lee explained in a university news release.
The study involved 3 877 randomly selected patients, aged 65 and older. They were tracked over the course of five years, during which time 792 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Patients with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma had a 40% to 50% greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease than those without the eye conditions, the researchers said.
“What we found was not subtle,” said Paul Crane, a professor of medicine at the university. “This study solidifies that there are mechanistic things we can learn from the brain by looking at the eye.”
The study was published August eight in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which affects more than 46 million people worldwide. That number is expected to rise to 131.5 million by 2050, the researchers estimate.
According to South Africa’s 2011 census, there are approximately 2.2 million people in South Africa with some form of dementia.
Every year, you are at risk of catching the flu virus, which can see you man down for days. Although we’ve seen many advancements with the flu vaccination, there might still be things you didn’t know about the flu – we’ve found eight interesting facts.
1. You can pass the flu on before you know you’re sick
Yes, that’s right – you’re contagious before you even realise you’re sick. The flu virus can incubate in your body for one to four days before you show any symptoms, which means you may be contagious before you start to feel sick.
What can you do to protect yourself? Wash your hands properly, dry them (germs can spread easily on wet hands), cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, and throw away snotty tissues.
2. Vitamin C won’t necessarily protect you
Linda Drummond, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, previously told Health24 that although vitamin C does play an important role in boosting your immune system, research shows that supplementing with vitamin C won’t actually protect you from catching a cold or flu. “Studies have found that in some, but not all cases, vitamin C, as an isolated strategy, may help to reduce the duration of the illness, but not protect you from it,” she said.
The claim that vitamin C will protect you from flu started in the 1970s when American chemist Linus Pauling said it could prevent and alleviate colds. However, a 2010 Cochrane Collaboration review states that vitamin C supplements will not prevent colds or flu, “except perhaps in people exposed to severe physical stress, such as marathon runners”. The University of California Health department adds, “If there were a significant benefit, it wouldn’t be so hard to prove.”
3. Breathing is enough to spread the virus
Sneezing and coughing are not the only ways you can spread the flu virus. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says simply breathing is enough to pass it on.
“We found that flu cases contaminated the air around them with infectious virus just by breathing, without coughing or sneezing,” said Dr Donald Milton, professor of environmental health in the University of Maryland School of Public Health and lead researcher of the study. “People with flu generate infectious aerosols (tiny droplets that stay suspended in the air for a long time) even when they are not coughing, and especially during the first days of illness. So when someone is coming down with influenza, they should go home and not remain in the workplace and infect others.”
“The study findings suggest that keeping surfaces clean, washing our hands all the time, and avoiding people who are coughing does not provide complete protection from getting the flu,” added Sheryl Ehrman, Don Beall Dean of the Charles W Davidson College of Engineering at San José State University. “Staying home and out of public spaces could make a difference in the spread of the influenza virus.”
4. Your pets can get the flu but you can’t catch it from them
Just like humans, animals can also catch the flu – they may have similar symptoms, too, such as sneezing or coughing. However, because cold and flu viruses are generally species-specific, you cannot catch it from them – and you cannot pass your strain on to them.
“The common cold virus that affects humans is specific to humans. And different animal species have different strains of influenza virus that affect them. A pet’s coat could transiently harbour organisms that cause disease, but this is probably not very important. So don’t worry if your pet sneezes,” said Dr John Swartzberg, infectious disease specialist and the chair of the Editorial Board of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter and Berkeleywellness.com.
5. The flu vaccine might not protect you
Time reports that the flu vaccine only reduces the risk of illness by between 40 and 60% during flu season.
According to an article on CNN, how effectively it will protect you depends on how old you are, how healthy you are and how well the “match” of the vaccine is to the strain that is doing the rounds.
Dr Bill Schaffner, chairman of the preventative medicine department at Vanderbilt University, told CNN that the vaccine usually works best for young, healthy people. But, if you do get the flu, the vaccine can offer you some protection against the more dangerous complications, such as pneumonia.
Don’t forget, too, that the vaccine doesn’t offer immediate protection – it takes your body about two weeks to develop antibodies that will protect you from the virus.
6. The flu virus can live on surfaces
If you’re contagious, you can spread the flu virus up to 1.8m every time you cough or sneeze. Accidentally sneezed all over your desk? Wipe it down immediately – the flu virus can live for up to 48 hours on hard and nonporous surfaces.
And those tissues collecting in your pocket or handbag? The flu virus can live on tissues and clothing for up to 12 hours.
7. You become more social when infected
When you’re man down with the flu, it’s a good idea to stay home and recover without infecting anyone around you – and not just because you’re contagious. Research shows that your behaviour changes when you have been exposed to the flu virus, making you more social.
A study published in the Annals of Epidemiology says, “Human social behavior does, indeed, change with exposure. Compared to the 48 hours pre-exposure, participants interacted with significantly more people, and in significantly larger groups, during the 48 hours immediately post-exposure.”
8. A mask won’t protect you from getting the flu
Although covering your mouth with a mask might seem like a good preventative measure, it’s not effective. “If you’re sick with the flu and coughing and sputtering, those masks do prevent you from spraying those bugs everywhere,” said Dr M Lindsay Grayson, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne and co-author of a study called A Quantitative Assessment of the Efficacy of Surgical and N95 Masks to Filter Influenza Virus in Patients with Acute Influenza Infection.
“Surgical masks are designed to trap respiratory secretions (including bacteria and viruses) expelled by the wearer and prevent disease transmission to others,” the study authors add. “Surgical masks are not designed to prevent inhalation of airborne particles.”
Popeye is notorious for showing off his massive biceps. His secret? Spinach. But that isn’t your only ticket to the gun show.
According to Rosanne Rust, many vegetables provide you with two grams of protein per cup raw, or per half cup cooked. (So anything with two or more grams per serving can be considered a high-protein vegetable.)
It sounds underwhelming when you compare it to, say, the 31g of protein in a chicken breast. But the smaller amounts of protein in veggies can significantly contribute to your recommended daily intake if you aim for the recommended five to 10 servings a day.
However, there is a catch. “Plant proteins are ‘incomplete’ proteins, meaning they aren’t made up of all the essential amino acids,” Rust says. She says it’s important to make sure to “eat the rainbow” of veggies and grains to ensure you’re getting a variety of amino acids. (Translation: Don’t just eat tons of broccoli and call it a day.)
On your next supermarket run, scan the produce aisle for these lean, green muscle machines.
1. Peas
These literal pea-sized gems pack more than meets the eye. “Peas are loaded with vitamin A, a good source of potassium and fibre, and 4g of protein per half cup,” says Rust. “Steam them and toss them into pasta, rice or salads.”
Per 1/2-cup serving: 246kJ, 0.3g fat (0g saturated), 10g carbs, 4g sugar, 4mg sodium, 4g fibre, 4g protein
Loaded with vitamin C, folic acid and other B vitamins, spinach provides a substantial amount of protein when cooked, says Rust.
Per 1/2-cup serving: 87kJ, 0g fat (0g saturated), 3g carbs, 0g sugar, 63mg sodium, 2g fibre, 3g protein
3. Baked potato
You’ll throw praise-hands emojis up at Mother Nature for this one: A medium-sized baked potato contains 3g of protein, tons of vitamin C, potassium and some filling fibre, says Rust.
Per medium potato: 606kJ, 0g fat (0g saturated), 34g carbs, 3g sugar, 8mg sodium, 2g fibre, 3g protein
Your parents were onto something when they forced you to eat your broccoli as a kid. Now, you’ll want it all on your own – Rust says this cruciferous veggie isn’t only packed with essential nutrients, fibre and protein, it’s also great for maintaining proper gut health.
Per 1-cup serving: 129kJ, 0.3g fat (0g saturated), 6g carbs, 2g sugar, 30mg sodium, 2g fibre, 3g protein
5. Brussels sprouts
These little green guys used to get a bad rap, but now they’re cropping up on gourmet menus everywhere. Like broccoli, Rust says these cruciferous veggies are a great source of potassium, vitamin A, vitamin K and fibre. Steal her simple sprout tip: Halve them, place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and roast them for 25 to 35 minutes at 180 degrees, tossing once halfway through.
Per 1/2-cup serving: 117kJ, 4g fat (0g saturated), 6g carbs, 1g sugar, 16mg sodium, 2g fibre, 2g protein
Rust predicts this leafy green with broccoli-like buds (also known as “rapini”) will be the next “it” vegetable, and for good reason: It boasts a surprising amount of protein, vitamin A and vitamin K.
Per 85 g serving: 87kJ, 0g fat (0g saturated), 3g carbs, 1g sugar, 48mg sodium, 2 fibre, 3g protein
7. Corn
While field corn (fed to livestock animals) is considered a grain, the sweet corn we enjoy on the braai doused in butter is considered a vegetable, says Rust. And a surprisingly protein-loaded one, at that.
Per medium ear: 368kJ, 1.4g fat (0g saturated), 19g carbs, 6g sugar, 15mg sodium, 2g fibre, 3g protein
This fungi is packed with almost as much protein as an egg. Rust says it’s also high in fibre and loaded with antioxidants. “You can grill, chop and sauté them using olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking. You can also add them to a vegetable skewer to boost the protein,” Rust says.
Per 1-cup serving: 146kJ, 1g fat (0g saturated), 5g carbs, 3g sugar, 13mg sodium, 2.7g fibre, 4g protein
9. Lima beans
The combination of high fibre and high protein make these legumes (in this case, a veggie, too, says Rust) a satiating nutrient-filled powerhouse. To make a healthy homemade dip, Rust says to cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and cool, then transfer to a food processor, adding a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of lemon juice, two teaspoons of cumin and pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and serve with raw veggies or pita chips.
Per 1/2-cup serving: 439kJ, 0g fat (0g saturated), 20g carbs, 1g sugar, 13mg sodium, 5g fibre, 6g protein
In my opinion there are two types of morning people: Those who are all “no talkie before coffee” and those who are ready to go at the crack of dawn. I fall into the former and, therefore, getting hot and heavy in the am isn’t exactly the first thing on my radar when I wake up.
Well, apparently I’m not the only one, because more than 63% of women never have morning sex, according to a recent survey by Mattress Advisor. (Yeah, like, ever.)
Of the nearly 1 000 people surveyed, 56% were female and 43% male with an average age of 36. All participants were in a relationship and living with their partner.
They were asked about their morning sex frequency, and then separated into two groups based on their answers: Those who reported having morning sex (even rarely), and those who reported never having morning sex (63% of women, and 37% of men).
Also interesting? Participants who identified as straight had morning sex less frequently per month compared to those who identified as bisexual or gay.
Among the women who skipped their morning session, 50.7% said it was because they were “not in the mood”. While 35.6% of women reported they didn’t have enough time, 34.2% said they didn’t like morning sex, and 32.9% didn’t have enough energy.
In that same group, 51% of men said they’d like to have regular morning sex, while only 20% of women said the same.
Participants said morning sex took them about 26 minutes, on average.
That’s honestly a shame, because of the 37% of women who were all about that morning sex session, more than 45% said it boosts their daily productivity. Fifty-three percent of men in the survey reported the same.
In fact, on average, those women would even sacrifice 31 minutes of sleep for morning action, while men were willing to fork over 42 minutes.
Among the morning sex group, more men reported it as being a regular part of their agenda than women (4.2 times a week vs. 3.1). Of course, even in this group, time was also a big factor – participants noted morning sex took them about 26 minutes on average – so the majority of respondents said Saturday and Sunday were their prime days for getting busy with the sunrise.
And among all participants, those who said they were satisfied with their relationship reported having more morning sex than those who said they were dissatisfied. Of course, there’s no saying which came first, the happiness or the morning sex – but it’s interesting food for thought, nevertheless.
So could kicking off your day with sex be the answer to productivity and joy? Perhaps, but it really all comes personal preference. I mean, a solid day planner has a way of making a girl feel productive too, am I right?
Researchers may have developed a more reliable way to predict the risk of heart attack and stroke in astronauts, and the technique may eventually help gauge the same danger for regular folks on Earth, too.
NASA astronauts currently undergo a special screening method that scans coronary arteries for a buildup of calcified plaque. This calcium scan, which is not routinely done in clinical practice, is a powerful tool in assessing cardiovascular risk. Yet scientists have had trouble integrating the results from these scans with traditional risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and family history of heart attack.
But researchers have developed a new equation that combines the calcium scan scores with those well-established risk factors. The result is a more accurate way to predict a person’s risk for having a stroke or developing heart disease within the next 10 years, according to findings published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
‘Catastrophic for the person and the mission’
“The application for NASA is incredibly important. You can imagine if someone had a heart attack in space, it would be catastrophic for the person and the mission,” said Dr Amit Khera, a cardiologist and the lead author of the study.
“But we were kind of serving two masters in this project. Obviously for NASA, it’s a tool they need to help in decision-making for astronauts in their missions,” said Dr Khera, a professor of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “But for terrestrial medicine as well, it has lots of potential applications in terms of helping us predict better who’s at risk for heart attack and stroke, and who might need more intensive treatments.”
The new risk scoring system is the first to help predict both heart disease and stroke, said Dr Michael Blaha, a cardiologist not involved in the new study. It also looked at a younger age group than a similar heart disease risk calculator developed several years ago that also incorporated calcium scan results. That calculator, which Dr Blaha helped develop, was based on patients at an average age of 65. In the new study, the average age was 51.
“It’s been clear within the last several years that the calcium score by far adds the most risk-predictive value on top of traditional risk factors, and this study helps confirm that,” said Dr Blaha, director of clinical research for the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore.
Better cardiovascular risk calculators
“I like this new risk score. The only thing I’m not certain of is where it will fit in and what the clinical impact will be,” he said. “I don’t know how unique will it be in the space of risk prediction tools, which is already crowded.”
For astronauts and other professions that come with a high level of danger, better cardiovascular risk calculators can be crucial. But having such tools available for the general population could help improve medical efficiency, Dr Khera said.
Doctors already rely on certain risk factors to help gauge the need for prescriptions such as cholesterol-reducing statins or whether they should suggest a daily aspirin regimen for patients, he said. A new risk calculator could help medical professionals refine those assessments.
“Hopefully, we can eventually apply this tool in office-based practices to… communicate better with patients about their risk and do that with more accuracy, so we can determine what might be the best treatment for them,” Dr Khera said.
Performing endless abdominal crunches isn’t the only – or even the best – way to sculpt a rock-solid core. Multi-muscle exercises, such as the braced squat, build a stronger foundation for your body and more muscular legs, says strength and conditioning coach Alwyn Cosgrove.
The braced squat looks like a lower-body exercise, doesn’t it? But the primary goal is to overload your core, says Cosgrove. The movement helps you develop a stronger midsection, which improves stability, performance and strength. A strong core will pay off on the court or in the field.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a 10kg plate in front of your body at shoulder height with your arms outstretched. Keeping your arms straight, squat as low as possible. Hold the position for four seconds. Return to the starting position by pressing through your heels.
Make sure that the only changes in your centre of gravity come from the lowering and raising of your body, not any backward or forward movement. Aim for one to two sets of 10 to 12 slow reps, with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
Work your arms by doing a curl at the top of each rep: Stand with arms outstretched and curl the plate towards your upper shoulders. Extend your arms as you lower your body.
This article was originally published onwww.mh.co.za
Every year thousands of South Africans sustain burn injuries from fire, steam, boiling water and chemicals. Many victims are left dejected and feel they have no hope of living a normal life.
However, 32-year-old Nombulelo Maqutywa of Qoboqobo close to King William’s Town, says there is life beyond the scars. She was only 18 when she suffered burns in a vehicle fire.
Rejected by some people
“I was in a taxi which broke down. The driver asked the men in the taxi to help push but it burst into flames. We managed to get out through the emergency exit and I was rushed to the hospital. I suffered burns in my face, hands and feet. I dropped out of school and lost my friends and boyfriend.”
Maqutywa visited Johannesburg and joined a support group for people who had sustained burns. “That helped me regain my confidence. I have never heard of such support groups in the Eastern Cape. I wish I could counsel other people, especially young people, who have sustained burn injuries and make them realise that it is not the end of their life, that they can live a normal life,” she said.
Maqutywa said life was difficult after the incident because she was rejected by some people she considered close friends, but she also found comfort in the love and support she received from her family.
Support to burn victims
Jason Subramoney of the Department of Public Safety in the O.R Tambo District Municipality urged people to be extra vigilant during winter.
“People should be extra vigilant when using paraffin stoves. Children should not be allowed to operate paraffin stoves and shouldn’t be left unattended near fires,” he said.
The National Burns Association of South Africa offers support to burn victims.
“We support burns survivors through a WhatsApp group and if anyone has special needs we communicate privately and offer assistance,” said the organisation’s Colin Lee.
