NFL and White House Commit to Tackle Childhood Obesity With New Holiday PSA

We've seen the headlines "Childhood Obesity at Epidemic Levels in the U.S." We've heard the statistics report that 25-32 million children in America are considered obese. This is primarily due to poor dietary habits and lack of exercise. The combination of fast foods diets and sedentary lifestyles that many of our children have are creating a generation of children who are beginning to see illnesses that were once only common in adults such as: Type II Diabetes, High Cholesterol and Heart Disease.


Committed to helping to “tackle” childhood obesity, since 2007, the NFL has committed $200 million to youth health and fitness via athletic programming, grants and media air time. This holiday season, the NFL via their Play 60 campaign has teamed up with the White House's United We Serve initiative to encourage children to become active 60 min/day to help reverse these levels. This new partnership is an extension of their commitment to help address these issues. Community Service does not just stop at donating to the poor or giving to charitable causes; it is also about what goes on in our own communities, our own backyards. In this case, it’s helping our children live healthier lifestyles today so that they can be healthier adults tomorrow. Check out the PSA that aired Thanksgiving and will continue to air during the holiday season...

I'll Gladly Trade You Three Quarter Pounders Today For A Tub of Popcorn Tomorrow!

The holiday season is descending upon us and just as they do in the summer, Hollywood begins to lure us back into the theatres with promises of “Holiday Blockbusters”  So when we think of movies, what else do we think of? Popcorn of course! I don't know about you, but I make a bee-line right to the concession stand to get my popcorn before the show starts. I'll even risk missing the previews of the upcoming films to get my buttery snack. I mean let's face it, the butter and the salt in that tub of popcorn just makes the movie experience so much more exciting. Movies and popcorn go hand in hand, so much so that we've even re-created the movie experience at home. Large screen TV’s with surround sound AND… POPCORN! Some folks even have popcorn machines in their home theatres. But of course, the popcorn that you make at home, no matter what the writing on the package says, never tastes quite like it does at the movie houses. So I'm sure you're thinking by now "OK Miss Fitness Lady, are you really trying to convince us to eat popcorn at the movies?" Trying to convince you? No, most of us are going to do that anyway. So if you are going to eat the popcorn, do so as an informed consumer so that you can make better choices.


But before we jump into things, I want you to think about this question for a second.  Could you eat three McDonald's Quarter Pounders and a stick of butter in one sitting?  Well, if you're eating a medium-sized movie popcorn and a soda, you're definitely consuming its equivalent.  A recent study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) ,which updates their expose conducted 15 years ago, looked at popcorn from three major movie houses and provided an eye-popping assessment of the nutritional value of America’s favourite movie snack. The three chains reviewed were Regal Cinemas, Cinemark and AMC.

*According to the study, this is how they fared:

Regal Cinemas the largest theatre chain; pops their popcorn in coconut oil

• Large tub = 20 cups of popcorn, 1200 calories, 980 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of saturated fat (3 days worth of fat and equivalent to the fat in a stick of butter)

• Medium bag = 20 cups of popcorn, 1200 calories, 980 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of saturated fat *(the only difference between the large and the medium is the packaging & price, everything else remains the same. Oh, and you get free re-fills with the large)

• Small bag = 11 cups of popcorn, 670 calories, 550 milligrams of sodium and 24 grams of saturated fat *(That’s about as many calories as a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza—except the popcorn has three times the saturated fat.

AMC, the second largest theater chain, also pops in coconut oil but has smaller serving sizes.

• Large popcorn has 1,030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat. That's equivalent to eating a pound of baby back ribs topped with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs ice cream—except that the popcorn has an additional day’s worth of saturated fat.

• A medium has 590 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat;

• A small has 370 calories and a day’s worth—20 grams—of saturated fat. (Like Regal, AMC reports calorie counts lower than those returned in CSPI's lab tests.)

Cinemark, the third largest theatre chain pops in heart-healthy canola oil.

• A large has 910 calories with 4 grams of saturated fat;

• A medium has 760 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat;

• A small has 420 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat.

Considering that many of us go to the movies after dinner where we've already consumed a generous amount of calories, we then top it off by consuming more calories when we buy at the concession stand. Many people are lulled into a false sense of diet security because popcorn by many standards is considered a healthy snack, but as you've seen by the numbers, once you add the quantities, the salt and the butter, that healthy snack now turns into a health nightmare. When I go to the theatre, very rarely will I eat a bag of popcorn by myself. If I have it, I will buy a small without the extra butter (since it’s already popped in oil) and share it with a friend while the beverage of choice to wash it down with is water.

No, I’m not the "Food Police" and by no means am I trying to tell you to completely stop eating popcorn at the movies. The intent of this is only to inform you of the nutritional values so that you can make better and informed decisions on whether you want the popcorn or not, how you want it prepared and how much of it you'd like to buy. Unless you have medical conditions and medically imposed diet restrictions as recommended by your physician, there’s no need to deprive yourself. If you’re already physically active and follow a healthy and balanced way of eating, a night at the movies is not going to completely undo your hard work. Everything is balanced by moderation. But with this information, you can determine for yourself how you choose to enjoy your movie experience.


Tips to enjoy a night at the movies without blowing your diet:

Dining beforehand:

• Cut your caloric intake by sharing your entrée with a friend
• Go for smaller portions and load up on the veggies
• Be mindful of your alcoholic intake as that can add to your calorie consumption quickly
• Skip dessert if you're planning to have snacks at the theatre

At the theatre:

• Buy a smaller portion of popcorn
  
• Opt out of the re-fills
• Say "NO" to extra butter.  Popcorn is already popped in oil, adding more increases your calories by some 130 cal/teaspoon
  
• Share your popcorn with a friend,
  
• Instead of regular soda, drink diet soda or water

Curious to know the movie releases for the remainder of 2009? Check out this link: http://www.film-releases.com/film-release-schedule-2009.php

Hair We Go Again! – The African-American Woman’s Hair Raising Issue of Hair v. Health

The hair issue seems to be raising its ugly head again. With the recent release of the new Chris Rock film: “Good Hair” the conversation again turns towards the importance that black women place on their crowning glories. The amount of money that women, black women in particular, spend on their hair according to the film is staggering. We spend billions to have our hair "fried, dyed and laid to the side” as they used to say, and because of that, we are NOT going to mess it up. I know women who have claimed to develop awkward sleeping positions, like propping pillows up behind them, so that they could sleep sitting up. Or one young lady I know who claims to sleep with her head hanging off the bed so that she doesn't "smoosh" her do. I for one like a good night's sleep, so I'm not about to allow a style to get in the way of my dreamtime, so the most that I will do is to sleep on a pillow with a satin cover or pull it up at night with a satin scrunchie. Yes fashionistas, I did say scrunchie, and mind you, it's only for sleeping and doesn't go outside of the house. ;-)

In that same vein, a hairstyle has never kept me from the gym or my regular workouts. My personal stylist is very used to me saying to her, make it cute enough to last me a day, because it won't make it past the week-end. And many of my colleagues who see me with a straightened style know not to get used to it 'cause it won't look like this tomorrow.

   
Allegra Feamster rocking a 'fro on the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise 2009. this style worked well with my teaching and performance schedule on board the cruise.

I joke about that aspect, but it's true and very real. If you talk to most Fitness Professionals, especially those who have experience working with black women, the number one reason that they give for not working out is "they don't want to mess up their hair". To that I say, get over it! Maybe at one time that may have been a weak but valid excuse, but nowadays women have so much freedom to play with different styles. With the teaching schedule that I maintain, I work out regularly and still maintain a great appearance from head to toe. The trick is experimenting and finding hairstyles that work well with your lifestyle. You can braid it, get a weave or extensions, buy a ponytail, a wig, wear it natural as a fro, locks, twists. There are so many options, but just don’t let the hair issue get in the way of your health. At the rate many of us are going we will be good looking corpses faster than you know it. Imagine the conversations at the funeral, “she was so young…but her hair was always fierce”. Some how I just don't think that's how it will play out. At that final stage, who will care about your hair? Your fly and fierce hairstyles won’t make a difference when you're not there to enjoy life with your loved ones, especially for reasons that are preventable! For those ladies who get it, I applaud you. I've seen some of these ladies get really creative. Before class they go into the locker room and carefully wrap their hair, and some have even rolled it up in curlers and covered it up with a scarf to keep it in style. When I see them after class or their workouts, they'll smile at me and say, "I love looking good, but I need to work it out and that's more important." What's even better about this whole scenario is that the guys at the gym who see this actually don't mind. Their response is," I can't get mad at a woman who puts her health before beauty and a hairdo". Did you hear that ladies? They're more impressed that you're working it out!

Mel B. post-workout in LA 2007

This summer I taught at a fitness event outdoors and it poured cats and dogs. I waited for the director of the event to tell me to stop the workout, but he said keep it going and so we did. Although we lost a few women to the elements, the majority stayed until the very end. And when the rain cleared I said, “Well, that eliminates excuse number one…the HAIR ISSUE. If you ladies can work it out in the rain, you have no more reasons to EVER use hair as a reason to forgo you workout again." They all laughed, but they knew it was true.

With hair pulled back, she's ready to go!

So why is this so much of an issue? According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80.5% of black women in the United Sates are considered overweight while 54.3% are clinically obese having a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30. At these raised levels, that means that 80.5% of black women are at a higher risk for weight-related illnesses or chronic conditions that are exacerbated by higher weight levels such as Diabetes, Hyper-tension, Heart disease, Cancer and Stroke. Have the freedom to wear your hair in whatever fashion you choose, but please ladies, do not let it get in the way of your life! As the old saying goes “over my dead body…” if a change in habits does not occur today, that may be sooner than you think.


Source: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics

Fitness, Wellness, & Diet Talk with Allegra Feamster

Fitness, Wellness, & Diet Talk with Allergra Feamster


We'd like to thank our friends over at NDH Chicago for a great time Saturday. We had a fun in the studio as I had a chance to talk with our Twenty-somethings Generation about fitness and living healthier lifestyles today and not waiting until you're a thirty or forty something to make the change. As we know..., what we do today sets us up for every tomorrow. We had a wide range of topics for discussion as well as questions from some of the in-studio audience. Some of my favourite topics hit: Acidity and alkaline levels in the body, and the effects of sodium on the body. Kudos to Quintin and Nobody Dances Here for putting on a great show. Check it out..

Healthcare and Wellness and Prevention! Oh My! - The Other Side of Reform

About a week after I blogged about the healthcare reform debate and the omission of prevention as a way to manage and improve healthcare costs, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that a portion of the American Recovery and Reinstatement Act would focus on just that: PREVENTION.  For a quick second I thought, “Hmm… while surfing the web, did Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius come across my article and think “wow, this Allegra is right, we need to do something about this!”   Yes, I’m quite sure that’s how it went down. In any event, it was music to my ears, or rather my eyes since I was reading. But the release announcement from the HHS specifically said that $373 million of the allotted $650 million for the American Recovery and Reinstatement Act would be put towards the Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative geared towards prevention and getting Americans healthy. The goal? According to Sebelius, it is “to make disease prevention and health promotion a priority”

As the saying goes “talk is cheap”.   I’ve often commented that if something is important to an institution or organization, you’ll know for certain when you see how much is budgeted for that initiative. Well,  judging by the amount designated to prevention and wellness, I would say that this administration does indeed care. And it seems as if its leaders are trying to set, or rather, live the example. President Barack Obama’s push is on Healthcare Reform, while his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama appears to be the staunch advocate for wellness and prevention. We’re seeing media clips regularly of the First Lady planting gardens and shopping at Farmer’s Markets. Recent interviews in Women’s Health and Children’s Health Magazines reveal Mrs. Obama’s philosophy on healthy living and the importance of setting the example. She was very forthcoming about the struggles that she faced as a career Mom who was juggling the responsibilities of a high-powered career, mother and wife. She says at one point in the interview, that because of the schedules that she, Barack and the girls had, fast food meals and sugary drinks and snacks became the convenient option. It wasn’t until the family pediatrician who had been noticing trends in obesity in the youth in their community, flagged that the BMI, (body mass index) of one of the Obama girls was high and suggested that the Obama’s may want to keep an eye out. With that warning, Mrs. Obama made the decision to make “minor” changes as she called it. Since the girls already had active lifestyles, the logical change was to modify what they were eating. Sugary drinks and snacks were replaced with fruits and vegetables, and the family sat down for dinners together more often. These changes made such a significant impact that the same doctor during the next visit wanted to know what Mrs. Obama had done to achieve such results.

 The Obama’s are also very active and committed to their fitness routines. No, this isn’t the first time that we’ve had a President who was committed to a healthy lifestyle, but this is the first time that we’ve heard and gotten insight into the First Lady’s activities. The fact of the matter is this, as stated in my article “An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: What’s Missing in the Debate Over US Healthcare” what we do plays a significant role in our health. I am very excited to see the moves that this administration is making on emphasizing wellness and prevention. Just today, only 2 weeks after the initial budget announcement, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the first $120 million would be made available for States and Territories to begin program implementation and will have 2 years to complete their work. The unfortunate thing is that the mainstream media does not seem interested in publicizing these efforts. Rather than helping to promote wellness, they seem more inclined to promote drama. So this leaves it to people like me, Fitness/Wellness and Health Professionals to monitor this activity and GET INVOLVED! This is where we come in and help to make these changes. I’m committed to a better America and doing my part to make it so. So trust that this is a space that The Body Beautiful by Allegra will continue to watch closely. Stay Tuned…

Fashionably Lazy or Functionally Impaired?

Photo courtesy of Banglz.com

I saw this and just HAD to comment. I do love fashion, and I can understand the marketing mentality of “if it's cute enough, folks will be inspired to work out" It’s kind of the fashion version of "If you build it they will come" Hmmm.... sure! Considering the many fashionably unfit women who willingly don workout attire by Juicy Couture, Bebe and Victoria's Secret with Nike shoes that have never dashed for anything but a sale. I say, cute, but no. I wouldn't recommend the use of ankle weights or hand weights for just random activity. The extra weight coupled with repetitive, movements that impact the joints do not make a great recipe for safe and effective fitness. If anything, you're doing more harm than good with these things as you are putting your joints at risk. Ankle and wrist weights should be used for "stationary" lifting such as leg raises, bicep curls, lateral raises etc. where the body is firmly positioned in a fixed spot, not walking around, running, or shopping.

Photo courtesy of Banglz.com

YES on cuteness, but NO on function and effectiveness.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar?

I guess the Original Super Nanny, Mary Poppins, really knew what she was talking about. Attached is a great piece on the detrimental aspects of artificial sweeteners. I've advised my clients about the use of artificial sweeteners for some time now. Go with what's natural, the body knows how to process these better. In fact, with only 15 calories per teaspoon, normal sugar alone is not the "BAD GUY” What does us in is the amount of sugar used. As an alternative, instead of artificial sweeteners try one of the 3 natural sweeteners recommended in the attached article. Most of these natural sweeteners are much more concentrated than the typical sugars that we are used to which means that in order to get the sweetness that you like, you'll use less.

Health Expert Dr. David Friedman Reveals Which Sweeteners Are Best:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2844444.htm