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Show r 4B Lakeside Review South, Wednesday, June 20, 1984 Mofc SHARON NAUTA STEELE has been proven to contribute to Special to the Lakeside Review Jack Sprat could eat no fat; his We could eat no lean! Assuming that the Sprats were on some kind of weight control program, one might guess that Jack, judging himself to be a lit tie on the stout side, was trying to decrease his daily calorie in : take. On the other hand, Mrs. Sprat, who reportedly could eat no lean, must have felt a need to re shape her body with the addition of a few extra pounds. Whether or not the Sprats actually needed to alter their dietary habits is not resolved in the childhood nursery rhyme. The couple, like many Americans, may have been confused as to just what constitutes an optimum body weight. .. Throughout history, different have been idealized body types for various reasons. More than 25,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic era, each extra pound of reserve energy that a person carried in the form of stored fat greatly enhanced his ability to survive hostile climatic conditions and uncertain food supplies. Thus gross obesity was held in high esteem. Egyp-- . 7, Five thousand-year-ol- d tian statuary also link corpulence with high esteem. Merchants of that period usually wore their success around their middles. Even in this century, we can, by comparing film footage from the early days of the movie industry to the present, see a marked contrast between ured idols of the War II years and today's ultra thin actresses. Although the question of body ;.fat composition has long been an issue of status and appearance, the importance of weight control has more recently become as much a matter of good health as good looks. Doctor Edwin Bayrd, who wrote The Thin Game, Newsweek Books, 1978, says The dangers of obesity are legion and many are genuinely life threaten-in- i " , . , full-fi- g- pre-Wor- ld . g. . the Same as Overtat, Say Doctors Where it does not kill, obesity innumerable incapacitating problems. In addition, treatment of obese individuals who have appendicitis, cirrhosis, diabetes, and diseases of the heart and blood vessels, especially coronary heart disease, is less likely to succeed. While most scientists and medical personnel agree on the harmful effect of obesity, there is great discrepancy in the methods they use to determine who is overweight. Doctors, who in the past routinely referred their patients to height and weight charts devised by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, are now becoming emphatic that overweight not be confused with overfat. "Take a look at the Green Bay Packers, says Polly Bolian in Growing Up Slim, American Heritage Press, 1971. Now theres a hard-roc- k wall of finely honed athletes. But nearly all of them would qualify by height and weight comparison as being overweight." Indeed, the entire Packers team of 1941 was rejected to a man when they tried to enlist in the armed forces one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The reason? They were overweight. In Your Body, Its Anatomy and Nutrition, C.S. Hammond and Company, 1962, medical writers Doctor S. William Kalb and Christian A. Hovde explain that there is a vital difference between the terms overweight and obese. A person is overweight when he has an increased amount of muscle tissue. While a person is considered obese when he has a normal amount of muscle tissue but an excessive amount of fat. Such distinctions are important in a culture such as ours that is weight conscious to a degree without precedent in human history. According to Greg Shreeve, director of total fitness for the Stu- art Rehabilitation Center, McKayDee Hospital in Og- den, an individual can even be overfat and underweight at the same time. Such faulty body composition with its implications for severe health problems is generally attributed to lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Shreeve defines the obesity level for men at 25 percent or more body fat. Women with levels over 30 percent body-fare considered obese. Many tests have been devised to calculate the configurations of bone, fat and muscle in the human body. For women, Doctor Neil Solomon author of Dr. Solomons k Diet, Coward, Easy, McCann and Geoghegan, Inc., 1974, says Let your wrist be your guide: A womans ankle should measure Vh times her wrist. The calf should measure twice the wrist, and the thigh three times the wrist. The waist should be four times the wrist, with hips and bust six times the VL". i h-- . ' ,"4f at No-Ris- W n wrist. However, other scientists caution that such calculations have v& merit only so far as allowances are made for congenital body types. For instance, an individual with a thick waist and thin extremities might be within a normal total fat percentage when measured by more precise means. Another popular method of asd sessing obesity is the test. Photo by Robert Regan If you can pinch an inch, ovA IS THERE DIFFERENCE between when determining the amount of body youre overfat, has become a ' are and erfat and the scales fat you have. overweight, popular notion. not always the best "measure to use Still, as Greg Shreeve points d tests are of value out, only when calculated on meaTwo Ogden hospitals offer surements taken from multiple its a good bet you are, in fact, water immersion test. hydro-stati- c similar Covert testing proFat floats, explains sites, usually the thigh, arm, overfat. cedures. Fit or in Houghton Fat, Bailey 3. ussomeone Have waist, and help you, d test described by ing a tape measure or a ruler-you- ll Mifflin, 1978. In contrast to fat, One At St. Benedicts Hospital, the lean muscle and bone do not service costs $10 and takes Vi be more accurate. Polly Bolian in Growing Up 4. Do the same test on a fold float. Slim is recommended by the hour. In addition, counseling a At 25 percent fat, people float National Research Council: of skin just below your shoulder more comprehensive two-da- y 3 percent fat 1. With your arm hanging blade, several inches to the right easily. At health test with follo(healthy for a woman) one can w-up down in a relaxed position, find or left of your spine. education is available. 5. The relationship of d usually float while breathing the exact midpoint between the Inquiries should be addressed to 5 percent fat (low the Physical Therapy Departtop of your shoulder and your thickness to body fat, at these shallowly. At elbow, on the backside of the two spots, in independent of for a woman, healthy for a man) ment at one will usually sink very slowly arm (the triceps muscle). height or build. even with a full chest of air. At The Stuart Rehabilitation Cen2. Now, gently pinch up a fold By far the most reliable methHospital, offers of skin and fat tissue. Dont pick od of comparing the ratio of 13 percent fat, one will sink ter, McKay-De- e a full chest of the hydrostatic test and multiple with even fat readily muscle the it. lean muscle stored with If to up body your tests for a total of $10. d skin fold is over an inch thick. mass is the hydrostatic or under air, even in salty ocean water. skin-fol- ' . skin-fol- , sub-scapul- a. skin-fol- 22-2- high-lev- el skin-fol- 1 479-248- 4. skin-fol- Avoid Injuries With Caution and Good Preparation LYNDIA GRAHAM Review Correspondent Most people get involved with sports and exercise programs to increase their strength, endurance and general physical health. But unless care is taken, what starts out to help the body can actually injure and harm it. This time of the year, when more people are begining sports participation, injuries and painful episodes of overdoing increase proportionally. But with a little common sense and few precautions most injuries could be avoided. Dr. Gerold Gardner, family physician at the Fairfield Medical Center and academic appointee at the University of Utahs department of family and community medicine, said people who are not in good physical shape are the best targets for an ; A' y, . injury during a sports event or exercising program. The single greatest contribu- tor to injuries in adults is their lack of conditioning, he said. Many people are busy with demanding jobs, and dont allow personal time for body conditioning. He said that a major share of the injuries from sports that he treats are with people who have been rather sedentary through the winter and then when the weather becomes good go out and do things that they are not used to doing, The results are mostly sprains and strains but they are painful and can cause some very real problems. Conditioning is the key word, according to Dr. Gardner, and once a good level of conditioning is achieved staying that way 4-- V' ' "S' is the best way to go, both for the sake of the body and to keep injuries from sports and exercise to a minimum. Conditioning is a two edged sword, he said. Proper conditioning makes you less prone to injuries, especially in sports, and also facilitates development of better muscle tone, helps avoid heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and can help with weight loss or maintenance by lowering the bodys fat thermostat. We see a lot of summer sports injuries on people who havent done much through the winter and then go out and play on a (LDS) ward team and wind up getting hurt. It could be avoided with proper conditioning, he said. People in their fifth decade, between 35 and 40 are especially prone to damaging their bodies if they suddenly begin a sports or exercise program according to Dr. Gardner. But regardless of age a few simple steps can get you started on the right track to safe and effective exercise and sports activities. The first step according to Dr. Gardner is to visit with your doctor and let him make sure that there are no underlying problems with the heart or lungs and that you are in good enough health to begin whatever pro- gram you are thinking about. Get some advice and counseling on what type of exercise you would most benefit from, he said. Aerobic type exercises and sports will strengthen the heart and increase endurance, according to Dr. Gardner, while other types will increase body strength. For endurance and cardiac health Dr. Gardner recommended that time be spent dur- Photo by Robert Regan MOST PEOPLE become involved in sports to enhance their physical appearance, but jumping into a sport before youre ready can lead to injuries. ing four days each week doing aerobic type exercising. During this time the body would need to work hard enough to get the heart rate up to 70 percent of its maximum achievable heart rate. To get an idea of what that amount is, take the number 220 and subtract your age. Then take 70 percent of that number to arrive at the heart rate per minute that you would need to maintain for 30 or 40 minutes four times a week for ideal aerobic training. But a person who isnt used to exercising shouldnt expect to maintain their ideal maximum heart rate when they first begin. Neither can a person who has been sedentary expect to begin a .1 I body strengthing program such as weight lifting or an active sport without building up to it. Dr. Gardner said that for either type of program a good way to begin is with brisk walking. It can be started at a moderate pace for a short distance and then, as the body becomes conditioned, both the speed and distance can be increased., Jogging, aerobic dancing, exercising, swimming and cycling, are all good ways to begin a conditioning program if moderation is used to start, according to Dr. Gardner. People with arthritis might find that swimming will benefit them the most, Garnder said, because swimming is the least stressful form of exercise on joints. He added that the most important factor for arthritic people is to stay in condition. Whether swimming, walking, jogging, or Cycling is chosen to begin the conditioning program dont push too hard or expect too much too soon, Gardner ; said. It takes some time to get into the fix were in, he said. We need to expect that it will take time to get shaped up-- too. After the body is is condition for summer activities and exercise there are some things that can be done to help ward off injuries. The first, regardless of the sport, is to warm up a little before you begin. Cold muscles tend to be those that are the most easily damaged. Before the golf game do some stretches and some side to side swings. Stretch the leg muscles out before jogging or hiking. Dont go to a once a week baseball game and expect your body to not protest at the t swinging and running unless you have gently warmed it up a little. Racket sports can be very hazardous in some instances, Dr. Garnder said, and extra precautions can help to prevent injuries while participating. Pay close attention to the eyes, he cautioned. We see a lot of blow out fractures, with damage to the lower part of the eye from impact with a ball. He suggested that protective eye wear always be worn during racket sports such as tennis or raquetball. When playing doubles make it a rule to never look back at your partner or a ball can be hit directly into the eye and cause anterior chamber bleeding and - , , Gardner suggested that a cool down time would be appropri- other damage, he said. For children involved in gymnastics he suggested that they remember not to try some movements without a spotter to help them to avoid neck and ate. He said that even though the old thought if you dont cool down your will get cramps is now considered erroneous, the cool down is important. When the body is moving fast it is experiencing hemodynamics, a high cardiac output. If you stop suddenly there will be a reduction of blood to the brain that can cause light headedness, he said. He suggested that increasingly slower movements be used until you can stop without experiencThis ing any also helps the muscles to cool , back injuries. He said that unsupervised use of the trampoline causes most of the injuries because children begin to use it improperly. : He also urged parents to make sure that, their home playground sets are set in a base of sand to e minimize the chance of a when1 they fall. The sand tends to cushion the fall somewhat. When the body has been moving fast and its time to stop Dr. frac-tur- off. . . H, ..,y,: Dr. Burns accepts group, union, auto and industrial insurance. Professions! Therapy Can Help Millions of Headache Sufferers. Every morning you wake up with a pounding headache. You have been to your family doctor, a neurosurgeon and a psychiatrist. They've run out of ideas, and you are still suffering. . Headaches are the most common health complaint in America today. And it should not be assumed that chronic or recurring headaches are normal. If you have headaches, call Dr. Burns for an immediate examination. Dr. Burns accepts group, union, auto and industrial insurance. Specializing in headache problems. Dr. Drian Burns CHIROPRACTIC 544-433- PHYSICIAN 3 220 No. Main, Kaysville h 19S3 1 |