By Danielle Dellorto
CNN Medical Producer

Last night was the second CNN Fit Nation Solution summit in New York City, a night to offer answers, instead of just placing blame, for the obesity crisis in America. Practicing neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a formula for success: Eat healthy + move more = live healthy.

Rachel Ray, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Jillian Michaels, Eric Shanteau

Gupta moderated a discussion with TV host and cookbook author, Rachael Ray; life coach and fitness trainer from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” Jillian Michaels; and Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau. Together they developed tips on how to motivate America to exercise and eat healthier foods.

Rachael Ray’s Top Tips:
1. Cook with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2. Use whole-wheat pasta
3. Get some fish in you
4. Load your pasta with veggies
5. Have fun!

Jillian Michaels’ Top Tips:
1. Put yourself first
2. Make nutrition a priority
3. Exercise
4. Make mental health a priority
5. Stop and smell the roses

Eric Shanteau’s Top Tips:
1. Exercise with a purpose
2. Try new workouts
3. Get outdoors
4. Have a workout partner
5. Listen to music

Gupta reminds us all that small changes reap big results. Losing just 10 percent of your weight can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Also, regular exercise will reduce type 2 diabetes, keep your bones stronger as you age. But don’t stress if you can’t hike a mountain or go jogging. You will see a difference by just increasing the amount you walk by 30 minutes each day. The key is to eat healthy and get moving. No magic pill needed. This simple formula really does work.

One of the best aspects of the CNN Fit Nation Solution Summit was hearing real life weight-loss success stories from CNN iReporters in the audience. You can read their stories here. They inspired all of us (even gave Rachael Ray “goosebumps”) with their determination and fight to live healthier lives.

Now I want to hear from you! Have you had weight loss success? What motivates you? Share your top tips below!

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Darell Hammond
CEO, KaBOOM!

If I were to list the names of all the individuals who’ve told me that I have the best job in the world, I could fill a book. What do I do, you ask? I build playgrounds.

In 1995, I founded KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that empowers communities across the nation to build great places to play. We work to provide play spaces for children because we understand the great impact that play can have on a child’s life.

Play is on the decline in America. While this statement may not at first seem alarming, it reflects a very negative trend in childhood development. As recess continues to be removed from our nation’s schools and as more parents turn to indoor activities for their children’s pastimes, today’s children are not given the time nor the space that they need to learn and grow as independent, creative and thoughtful individuals. More often than not, they are restrained by structured indoor activities that keep them from developing the skills necessary to succeed as an adult. As our children’s lives become more hectic and overscheduled, they also become filled with stress and anxiety – leading to more serious conditions, such as attention deficit disorder, obesity, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

A recent study conducted by the Tulane University Prevention Research Center noted that the existence of play spaces – playgrounds, sports fields, skate parks – help to curb these negative trends. According to the study, the number of children observed outdoors and physically active on the playground and in the surrounding neighborhood was 84 percent higher than in a neighborhood with no play space. By giving children a safe and fun place to play, it seems we also give them increased access to healthy physical, emotional and intellectual development.

Do you remember those happy, heady days out on the playground or in the playing field with all of your friends? Do you remember the exhilaration and excitement that came from breaking boundaries that you never thought were possible? Do you remember how you felt as you swung higher and higher into the air, hoping that you might reach the sky?

Many of today’s children will never be able to build these memories because of lack of time and space to play.

By providing today’s children with great places to play, we hope to provide brighter, happier and stronger futures for generations of children to come.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

This week, I did a series of pieces about how astronauts stay fit in space. Sure, it was fascinating to be strapped into a system of pulleys and harnesses that effectively simulate weightlessness. It was interesting to be pulled up to a vertical treadmill or eZLS - the enhanced zero gravity locomotion system. And, yes, I got to be an astronaut for a day, experiencing firsthand what it may feel like to exercise in space. (watch video)
 
I learned that exercise in space, especially for those long missions, is essential for astronauts, not something you might do occasionally. It has to be comfortable to do and it cannot interfere with the function of the spacecraft. (read more)  More than that, though, I learned how beneficial gravity is for us on Earth. Doctors call it axial load. You can think of it as a slight tension on our bodies, more importantly our ligaments, tendons and bones. Turns out, this slight pulling of gravity slows down the loss of bone mass, which in space accelerates 10 times faster than a post-menopausal woman.

The message for the rest of us is to embrace gravity. In addition to your aerobic exercise, which you should do most days of the week, add some axial load to your routine. And, this is a message for everyone, especially women in their 40s and 50s who will have to deal with menopause. Pick up some dumbbells, park yourself under a bench press or learn how to use a cable system. It’s good for your health and for your bones.

Are you doing something to make gravity benefit your body?  

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

A few weeks ago, my producer Chris Gajilan and I got on the phone to talk about a series of stories we wanted to do on space medicine. I was really excited because since I was a kid, I have always been interested in space and had dreams one day of going there. Life, though, does sometimes take you in different directions, and I opted for the brain surgery job, instead of the rocket scientist…ba dum. I’ll be here all week…

Seriously, though, when I heard NASA scientists had come up with a model of weightlessness here on Earth, I jumped at the chance to investigate. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. In order to re-create the fluid shifts that are seen with prolonged space travel, scientists decided to put a group of patients at bed rest… for 3 months. Head down about 6 degrees, feet up, and absolutely no getting out of bed. As I learned, while extremely cumbersome, it is a pretty good model.

Over time, lots of things start to happen to your body, things that can be devastating. Turns out, as human beings, we like a little gravity. It keeps just enough pressure on our joints and bones to keep them strong. Without the usual gravitational force, our bones start to wither away. And, the calcium that starts seeping out of the bones finds its way into our bloodstream and can cause painful and sometimes dangerous kidney stones. Astronauts can develop advanced bone loss. As astronauts push farther into space on longer missions, the concern is that they will face debilitating osteoporosis so severe they can spontaneously break bones.

So, NASA scientists now had two challenges. One was to create the model. Two: figure out a way to prevent some of these serious health problems when astronauts are in space for prolonged periods. Tomorrow, I will tell you what the smartest minds in the world came up with; but today, I wanted to see what you thought. What do you think are some of the biggest health problems for astronauts in space and what do you think could be done about them?

If you want to cheat… take a look at this preview (watch video).

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

Look, it’s not easy. As people get older, they tend to get more sedentary. It could be that exercise becomes less a priority or that aching joints become a hindrance. Heart disease and strokes can weaken the body. So, it’s no surprise then one of the fastest growing business sectors is focused on ways to help seniors stave off physical decline. That is why a You Tube video about “Cane Fu Fighting” caught our eye.

Take a look at this! (watch video)

Instead of becoming more sedentary after being told they need a cane, these seniors are getting more fit. Instead of being resigned to a life of becoming increasingly immobile, these seniors are pledging to be more active than ever before. Yes, it is violent. For sure. But, it is both a good form of exercise and a form of self defense. Over the next few years, you can expect to see these courses offered in retirement communities, nursing homes and even on cruise ships.

But, it got me thinking. This is not really about “Cane Fu Fighting”; this is about how our bodies change as they age. Getting most seniors to go to the gym every day may be more of an exercise in futility. So, what else out there works? How do you plan to stay active and healthy as you get older? What do your parents or grandparents do?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Val Willingham
CNN Medical News Producer

Last night, as I was driving by my local high school, I noticed a “Happy New Year” sign outside the
main door.  At first, I thought it might have been left over from last January, but then I realized it
meant the start of a new school year.  That made me smile, because ever since I was a kid, I’ve
looked at the first of September as a new beginning.  

When they call them the lazy days of summer, they aren’t kidding. The sun, vacations at the beach –
all sort of just slow me down.   I slack off going to the gym, indulge in fried foods and frozen custard,
lounge around reading juicy novels and forget about the importance of staying fit.   But once the
crisp air hits, and the back-to-school frenzy starts, I gear my body up for some changes.  I make a list of mid-year resolutions that help me stay healthy going into the holiday season.   Here are a few of them: 

No sugary drinks - I have a weakness for sweet ice tea.  But even sweet tea has calories, just like
the health drinks I guzzle on a hot day. According to a report in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition an extra sugary drink each day can pile on 15 pounds in a year. So now I’m back to tea
with no sugar, black coffee and water.

Get off the couch - I confess, I’ve let my routine slip, so it’s back to the gym, at least four days a
week. Research shows that 20-30 minutes of interval training is more effective than 40 minutes of
slow cardio for weight loss. Combine that with 20-30 minutes of strength training, three times a week
and you can drop some pounds. 

Take a multivitamin every day - Plain and simple. The American Dietetic Association recommends
everyone take a multivitamin every day.

Eat breakfast - Researchers from the National Weight Control Registry, looked at 3,000 people who
had lost at least 60 pounds and kept it off for an average of six years. Eating breakfast every day
was a weight control strategy for 78 percent of the people they looked at.

Try to have a positive attitude -Step back, smell the flowers and breathe deeply. Many times it can
make the difference in your mental and physical health.

Do you have a routine for a particular time of year you’d like to share?   How do the seasons affect
your health?  We’d like to know.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many
comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the
sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of
the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we
appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Judy Fortin
CNN Medical Correspondent

I’ve covered hundreds of stories during my 18 years with CNN, but one recent assignment left me blushing. Pole dancing is a growing exercise trend. My plan was to observe a class in Atlanta and interview some students.

I wasn’t quite prepared for what I witnessed. A few women were dressed in gym shorts and T-shirts, but the majority wore sexy teddies or camisoles and stiletto heels. I, on the other hand, must have looked like an overdressed prude in the corner. My photographer was the only man allowed in the building. Together we laughed our way through a fun and eye-opening evening.

We watched as mothers, teachers, claims adjusters, nurses and businesswomen in all shapes and sizes used exotic dance moves to get in a workout and tap their inner vixen.

I had no idea that pole dancing was such strenuous exercise. The women were lifting their body weight as they circled, straddled and shimmied their way through pole “tricks” – the specific moves.

The advanced students were very impressive, climbing up the 16-foot pole and hanging upside down while holding on with their inner thighs. If I had attempted this I would have torn a ligament or gotten a concussion.

It wasn’t just the derring-do that was impressive. These women seemed to be empowered as they strutted around the dance studio cheering one another on. It was like watching sorority sisters without the sweater sets and pearls.

When the class was ending, all 14 dancers turned toward my corner of the room and tried to coax me onto the dance floor.

I stood up, walked a couple of steps in my sensible one-inch heels and chickened out. This was one story where you wouldn’t see any reporter involvement.

Have you ever tried something unusual to stay fit? How did the experience make you feel?

Editor’s Note:  Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Chief Medical Correspondent

When an athlete is tested for banned substances, most of us have a certain expectation the result will come back positive or negative. And, based on that result, an athlete will either be innocent or guilty. But, it’s not even close to being that easy, according to a new article in Nature, written by biostatistician Dr. Donald Berry (Read study). Dr. Berry calls the science so “weak,” it is often impossible to tell whether an athlete, who has tested positive for a banned substance, really doped or not. Even as a student of statistics, this was pretty amazing to me, so I decided to look further.  (Watch video)

Dr. Berry uses the example of Floyd Landis to make his point. Berry concurs Landis had an unusual test result, but argues that result is pretty meaningless. Here’s why:  because Landis provided 8 pairs of urine samples, and assuming an approximately 95 percent specificity, the probability of all 8 samples being labeled “negative” is the eighth power of .95 or just .66 (66 percent).

If that’s a little too much math and science for you at this hour, here is the final conclusion: Floyd Landis’ test had a 34 percent chance of being a false positive! Remember, this is a guy who was stripped of his title and banned from competition for 2 years. All of that was based on a test that had a very high false positive rate. By the way, Landis maintains his innocence and claims he has never used illicit substances. 

To be fair, testing authorities will say they err more on the side of false negative than false positive. Of course, that means there are probably some cheaters out there who will never get caught. It is by no means a perfect system, and is made ever more complicated by designer drugs made specifically with the idea of being undetectable. 

So, what to do about this system of checking for doping? Based on the science, it hardly seems accurate enough — the more you test, the more false positives and negatives you will see. Is the idea of testing for banned substances too imperfect to be meaningful?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Jennifer Pifer
CNN Medical Senior Producer

My fiancé, Mark, is becoming a walk-a-holic.  Every day, he walks at least two miles.  Is it to get in shape?  Not necessarily.  It’s because gas prices are getting too freaking high. 

Mark now takes MARTA, the public transportation system in Atlanta, to work every day.  We are not eating out as much as we use to. Since we’re eating in more often, we look for healthier bargains – like fruit that’s in season.   It seems I am becoming my grandma: clipping coupons, buying only things on sale and limiting my driving.  We also have two homes on the market (any one want to buy a condo?) and are planning a wedding.  The “perfect storm” of stress and anxiety is brewing and threatens to waterlog our lives.

Yet, strangely, we are both feeling healthier than we have in a long time.  We’re doing more things that don’t cost money, which often involves being more active. 

The other day, I stepped on the scale and was surprised to find I had actually lost 5 pounds.  I haven’t been dieting. I’ve just downsized. Simple things now bring me more pleasure.  I had no idea a group of African immigrants meet every week to play traditional music and dance in our local public gymnasium.  What a wonderful treat to see as I walked to our town square recently to run an errand.  I left feeling happy and less stressed.

There seems to be a little science behind what I have observed.  In 2003, a North Carolina researcher found “smoking, height-adjusted weight, and leisure-time physical inactivity decline when economic conditions worsen.” (read study) 

So is possible that the bad economy is actually good for your health?  What do you think?

 
Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Amy Burkholder
CNN Medical producer

I’m sprinting - straining - at maximum capacity, desperate to keep my battalion of determined men and women in sight - knowing one missed step could leave me stranded - and vulnerable to the enemy, in this case are the much faster runners - on a bench in Central Park.    

I’m not on a maneuver, I’m fighting for survival at  Aussie Boot Camp, a program promising to target my “problem areas” through lamp post sprints, lunges, stairs, tricep dips and push-ups - and deliver a better body - in time for the Hamptons.

“At Aussie Boot Camp, you’ll get physical fitness results, improve your breathing, and your lifestyle, ” promises Luke Milton, the 6 foot 2, blond, professional rugby player and personal trainer who conducts ‘Aussie Boot Camp’ in New York’s Central Park.  (Luke has memorized everyones’ names and intuits how much encouragement they need in moments - and I secretly begin believing, if you can’t put out for Luke, who can motivate you?) 

“Boot camp” is a marketing catchall – there are bikini boot camps, bridal boot camps – and exercise experts point to these fitness, military-style boot camps as one of the fastest growing fitness trends in the country.  Many run an hour a day, $20 bucks or much more an hour - four or five days a week for six weeks - the duration of real military boot camp. But while the U.S.  Army promises “no bull, no bias, no pressure,” and to “transform you physically, mentally and emotionally” - many fitness boot camps promise a 5 percent reduction in body fat, a 1o to 15 pound weight loss, a 25 percent improvement in strength - oh, and that beach body. 

Can fitness boot camp really do all that - and transform you in a matter of weeks? Yes, says Dr. William Roberts, former president of the American College of Sports Medicine - but it’s going to hurt a little.  “You can get in pretty good shape in four to six weeks,” says Roberts, who holds out the military as an example -it expects its recruits to be whipped into shape in a very short amount of time. With the consistent, sustained exercise the boot camp promises, you can also expect to lose weight - you may not go from 190 to 165, but a 5- to 10-pound weight loss may be realistic. 

One key, says Dr. Roberts, is to get checked out and train before you start boot camp. Even the military asks new recruits to prepare physically before they arrive.  Going from zero to a boot camp workout can increase your risk not only for serious cardiac events and muscle strain, but it may also leave you sore and discouraged for the next session - and more likely to quit.

Dr. Roberts said think of enlisting in a fitness boot camp as you would preparing for a marathon - you need a beating heart, a tested heart, a trained heart - and - a lot of heart.   Aussie Milton echoes that heart business - he says as important as the lamppost  sprints is the sense of belonging. “I don’t want to be an army drill sergeant, but I want people get in shape and feel like a part of a team. ” Milton continues, “This feeling of being a part of a team builds consistency in your lifestyle, makes you more likely to show up - and to work harder for that team. “

But what about taking one for the team - in the form of burning thighs and arms so exhausted you can barely raise them? As a boot camp participant - I guarantee you will be “feeling the burn,” but exercise experts disagree whether that really does a body any good. High-intensity training may help the body create proteins that help the body use lactic acid to create energy, but an hour of sustained high-intensity exercise doesn’t do as much good as interval training - a workout with exercise highs,  and rest periods that can  improve cardiovascular health, and burn fat.

What do you think of fitness boot camps - have you tried one? Did you get a bikini body, or burn out?  

We’d love to hear from you.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.