| Losing fat in 8 seconds
1. 8-second fat loss study. Forty five women aged 20 years with a BMI of 23.5 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to a high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) condition, a steady state exercise (SSE) condition, or a control condition. Body fat was assessed by DEXA, pre and post after the 15 week program. Blood was taken before and after to examine possible changes in cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, insulin, c-reactive protein, glucose, adiponectin, leptin, and cortisol. The HIIE program consisted of an 8-second sprint immediately followed by 12 seconds as slow as possible pedaling. Women performed this continuously so that they completed 60 sprints in the 20-minute exercise bout. There were three exercise sessions per week; 45 overall. Women started the HIIE condition for only 5 minutes the first week and then built up the number of minutes and intensity of sprint.
A 30-year diet: slim success or desperate measure?
DIET is a very powerful word: you only have to ask a publisher. Walk into any bookshop and the choice of diet books is bewildering - The Wine Diet, anyone? How the Rich Get Thin? The Duvet Diet? - it raises the heart rate just trying to choose. In January, that market is at its peak as thousands of women appraise their bodies critically in the dim light of a new year. It starts with a cold tape measure round the waist, head cocked to one side. A frown, a sigh and a resolution later, a new customer is born. The slimming industry - encompassing books, foods, supported weight-loss programmes, supplements and surgery - is growing in inverse proportion to its clients' waistbands. And going by new research released today, it is a relatively stable market. The survey of 2500 British women found that one in 10 is currently trying to lose weight and, of them, more than a fifth consider themselves to be permanent dieters.
Take this diet advice to heart
Cynthia Sass, co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy, says launching any one of those fireballs is asking for a rumble. Dropping the ultimate f-bomb, as in "You're getting fat," isn't tough love; it's grounds for divorce. "Money and sex aren't the only things that break up a relationship," says Sass, a registered dietitian in Tampa, Fla. "Food can, too. Anything that is critical or embarrassing can start a fight. It's like a slap in the face." Enduring a diet is painful enough without your partner playing the role of insensitive food cop. Couples need guidance in dealing with potentially volatile food issues, Sass says. "You don't want your partner constantly looking over your shoulder, telling you what's good for you," Sass says.
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