The first-ever Hoboken wrestling team trains regularly at The Edge in Hoboken. From left are James Davis, Rocco Riccardi, head coach Shane Stanek, Christopher Riccardi and Michael DAntonio.

The first-ever Hoboken wrestling team trains regularly at The Edge in Hoboken. From left are James Davis, Rocco Riccardi, head coach Shane Stanek, Christopher Riccardi and Michael DAntonio.

It all began as a simple discussion between concerned parents of Hoboken High School students, the students themselves, Hoboken athletic director Derek England and Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Christine Johnson.

The topic of that discussion: the possibility of Hoboken offering wrestling as a varsity sport.

At that point, England addressed the issue with Shane Stanek, a member of the Hoboken coaching staff in football and softball.

England knew that Stanek was a wrestler during his high school days at Bogota (Class of 2008) and asked Stanek if he would like to start the wrestling program at Hoboken.

Derek brought the idea up to me and I have to admit that at first, I was a little on the fence, Stanek said. I was already coaching two sports and didnt know if I would have the time. But some parents pushed for it and there were even more kids that wanted it. So I said that I would gladly do it.

With that, the advent of Hoboken wrestling was born.

I was for it right away, Stanek said. I was optimistic about it.

Stanek said that he received guidance from Pat Clark, who coached Stanek at Bogota and remains the schools head coach today.

He also happens to be my neighbor, Stanek said of Clark. He offered me a helping hand.

Stanek had a meeting with interested student/athletes who might consider becoming wrestlers.

We had 22 kids show up, Stanek said. I dont think our kids realized how much of a commitment wrestling takes. Its a major commitment. You have to watch what you eat. You have to train every day.

And of course, theres the weight loss aspect to the sport. Most high school wrestlers have to cut weight to make their certain weight class.

Once that happened, the numbers went down, said Stanek, who lost more than half of the original team. We only have 10 left.

There was yet another obstacle that came with being part of a fledgling program.

We werent going to have a place to practice, Stanek said. And we werent going to be able to have a home match.

But Dave Esposito, the renowned instructor of wrestling, Muay Thai, Ju-Jitsu and mixed martial arts at The Edge in Hoboken, was hopeful to see wrestling get off the ground on the high school level. Esposito was a three-time state medalist while wrestling at JFK-Iselin and was a two-time NCAA All-American at Lehigh. Esposito has been instrumental in introducing wrestling to children at Hoboken Recreation.

So Esposito offered his facility to the high school in order to practice.

I was very surprised, Stanek said. Its a big commitment from him.

The Redwings took to the mat for the first time last month. And the Redwing wrestlers have already seen a level of success.

For example, junior football standout Anthony Henriquez, wrestling at 195 pounds, earned the programs first-ever victory.

Hes pretty much just tackling kids, Stanek said, as Henriquez has brought his football talents to the mats. People dont expect much from him, because hes so short. But no one outworks him. Hes become very good at wrestling.

And because Henriquez has enjoyed a few victories, hes been encouraging other football players to join.

Hes already said, Coach, Im getting in much better shape for football, Stanek said. And eating healthy has given me more energy.

Freshman Michael DAntonio is the teams 106-pounder. DAntonio collected the first pin in school history last week. DAntonio has two wins thus far.

There are the Riccardi twins, sophomores Christopher (145 pounds) and Rocco (182 pounds).

Wait a minute. How can identical twins weigh nearly 40 pounds difference?

Theyre obviously not identical, Stanek laughed. They both have grown since the beginning of the year. Some have had immense growth.

Junior Ezire King is another football player who has joined the wrestling team. King has also won two matches thus far.

Hes been producing the best matches, Stanek said. Theyve been really exciting. Hes picking up the sport quickly.

Steven Hampton is the Redwings 220-pounder. Hampton is also a junior.

Hes shown a lot of promise for next year, Stanek said.

Senior James Davis is the teams 170-pounder. Davis had some experience wrestling before in Hoboken Recreation. Davis recently went undefeated in the Redwings tri-meet with Cresskill, Elmwood Park and Palisades Park/Leonia. Davis three wins leads the team right now.

Hes wrestled tough his entire life, Stanek said of Davis.

Needless to say, Stanek is excited about being part of a fledgling program.

I truly feel great about it, Stanek said. Wrestling is more difficult than anything theyve ever done. Im still happy with the kids we have. Theyre willing to finish this out. Im very proud of my wrestlers.

Staneks Redwings will battle Weehawken, Dwight Morrow and interestingly Bogota (Staneks alma mater coached by his mentor Clark) this weekend.

The Redwings will compete in the upcoming Hudson County Duals at Union City High School February 8.

Its not about going there to win, Stanek said. We want them to get the matches and more importantly, get the experience.

And then the Redwings will head to the NJSIAA District 9 tournament at Randolph High School later in February. Yes, wrestling is real in the Mile Square City

The Hudson Catholic boys basketball team has won seven straight games, but their biggest victory might have come last week at the Dan Finn Classic, when the Hawks defeated state-ranked Linden, 45-43.

Organizers of the Dan Finn Classic decided to honor would-be sophomore Antonio Sellers with the Player of the Game Award. For those who do not know, Sellers is battling brain cancer and is still recovering, but has been confined to a wheelchair. Sellers, the son of former St. Peters College hoop standouts Keith Sellers and Felicia Harris Sellers, has undergone two cancer surgeries on his brain since last March

North Bergens boys have also won three in a row, including a huge 61-40 win over Memorial. In that win, Esteban Dotel scored 23 points, two shy of what teammate DeAvion Ellis scored last week against American History

The Marist girls have reeled off seven in a row, thanks to the play of senior Kailyce Hanna, who has reached double figures in points in 11 of the last 12 games, including 17 points against St. Dominic Academy and 18 against a very good Teaneck squad

Secaucus Damaris Rodriguez had 24 points, five assists and seven steals against Lyndhurst and 22 points, five assists and two steals in a loss to Bayonne.

Bayonnes Makoye Diawara has been on an absolute tear. She had 33 points and 19 rebounds in a loss to University of Newark, had 19 points and 19 rebounds in a win over Kearny, had 20 points and 20 rebounds in a loss to Hudson Catholic, 12 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Secaucus and 19 points and 13 rebounds in a win against Lincoln.

And Hudson Catholics Zanai Jones? She had 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in the win over Bayonne, 19 points, five assists and four steals in a loss to Mount St. Dominic and 14 points, three assists and four steals in a win over Dickinson. Thats some production from the areas top females

Hudson Reporter Boys High School Basketball Top Five: 1. Hudson Catholic (10-4). 2. St. Peters Prep (11-2). 3. Marist (11-2). 4. Snyder (10-4). 5. Lincoln (8-3)

Hudson Reporter Girls High School Basketball Top Five: 1. Hudson Catholic (11-2) 2. Bayonne (13-2) 3. Marist (9-3) 4. Secaucus (11-2). 5. Lincoln (7-3). Jim Hague

Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com

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TASTY TIDBITS - The Hudson Reporter

While the obesity crisis is still considered the foremost public health epidemic in the west, one often overlooked condition is quickly becoming a growing concern. Malnutrition, sometimes referred to as under-nutrition, affects an estimated 3 million people in the UK alone. Globally, around 462 million adults are malnourished.

Malnutrition is a condition where a person is deficient in nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, or not getting enough calories. This has many effects on health and body function, including increased frailty, delayed wound healing, and higher mortality.

Not only that, malnutrition will cost UK health services 13 billion this year alone and is predicted to cost 15 billion in ten years. Reports also show that its also two to three times more expensive to treat someone who is malnourished, compared with someone who is well-nourished. This is because they need more resources to treat them, and a range of health conditions may develop as a result of malnutrition.

But data shows that people aged 65 years and over are more likely to be malnourished compared with any other age group. And this number is on the rise. In the UK, adults over 60 admitted to hospital with malnutrition increased from 1,405 in 2008 to almost 5,000 in 2018.

Several things might contribute to malnutrition in the elderly, including swallowing difficulties, poor dentition (such as having missing teeth), mobility issues, acute and chronic illnesses, and not meeting changing nutrient demands such as not getting enough protein. Another reason might be because almost 93% of people who are malnourished live at home, which means their nutritional health is often not monitored. Loneliness, depression, being unable to cook for themselves, having trouble accessing shops, and low income also contribute to poor nutrition in this age group.

A person is considered malnourished if they have a body mass index (BMI) under 18.5, or have unintentionally lost greater than 10% of their weight in the last three to six months. People with a BMI of less than 20 with an unintentional weight loss greater than 5% within the last three to six months might also be considered malnourished.

But its not always easy to spot the signs of malnutrition. Part of this is because it can happen gradually over a long period of time or signs often being considered as a natural part of ageing. But some common signs of malnutrition in older people may include their clothing, jewellery and dentures becoming loose, having a reduced appetite, lack of interest in food and drink, tiredness, altered mood, and weakness.

Healthcare providers in primary care or care homes will use screening tools to identify those at risk of malnutrition, or needing further assessment. These tools look at a persons BMI, alongside the amount of unplanned weight loss theyve experienced in the last six months to determine their risk. But for those living on their own, their nutritional status could still be overlooked. As malnutrition numbers continue to grow, friends and family members of older people are being urged to look for possible signs of malnutrition.

The first step in preventing and managing malnutrition is to focus on increasing calories and protein intake using a food-first approach, which aims to improve a persons nutrition through diet alone. This includes:

But improving nutrition alone might not be the only solution to malnutrition. People might need help with eating and drinking, they may need better fitting dentures, or they might need foods that are easier to chew and swallow. For those that are lonely, eating in a pleasant environment might also be key to building their appetite. And for those with financial difficulties, they might need help accessing food items.

In some cases, people with disease-related malnutrition might need oral nutrition supplements, which will provide them with energy, protein, and other essential nutrients and mineral. But evidence shows that providing dietary advice, support and guidance with or without an oral nutrient supplement, is effective in increasing nutritional intake and weight. In severe cases, nutrition can also be provided by tube feeding, which is usually done in a hospital or supervised by healthcare professionals.

Identifying those at risk of malnutrition early, understanding how to manage dietary needs and overcoming potential barriers to adequate food intake, is essential, given the serious health and financial consequences linked to malnutrition.

See the original post here:
Malnutrition is on the rise in older adults how to spot the signs - The Conversation UK

British comedian and actor David Walliams has confirmed that hit comedy sketch show Little Britain will be making a comeback to our TV screens for the first time in 12 years.

The series started on BBC Radio 4 back in 2000 before morphing into a TV series three years later and starred Walliams and co-creator Matt Lucas playing multiple roles.

The pair brought the show back for a one-off radio special about Brexit, but now Walliams has said that a full television series is definitely on the cards.

I would say there will definitely be some more Little Britain coming, he told The Sun. I cant say when exactly but at the right time and place. It was fun coming back for radio because thats where we started.

We had to put it together quite quickly as it was about Brexit, Walliams continued. Plus no one expected us to come back on the radio. You would have expected Comic Reilef or a big live tour. Thee reaction was great, which was encouraging.

While we can still expect to have the same big laughs with the new series, Walliams did say that a new series would see changes made to some of the more inappropriate characters in todays cultural landscape.

Youd definitely do it differently because its a different time. Theres all kinds of tolerances that change.

No word yet on when the series could head to the small screen but were sure it will be worth the wait when it does!

Link:
Entertainment Little Britain Will Return To Our TV Screens For The First Time In 12 Years - WSFM

Now Vicky has become a Slimming World consultant

Online shopping was her friend and she hated taking her son Regan to the park because she couldn't keep up with him - just walking made her out of breath.

Weighing more than 21 stone, she was at the lowest point of her life and felt ashamed of what she had become.

In December 2018 Vicky went on a family holiday and couldn't bear to look at the photos that were taken of her. She was miserable and did her best to fade into the background in a men's XXL hoodie.

When her sister Hannah put photos of her on Facebook, Vicky removed tags or asked for the photos to be deleted. At that point, she hadnt put any photos of herself on social media for two years. A whole two years of memories with her three-year-old son missed.

At Christmas she knew something needed to change and made a promise with her mum Lesley and sister that they would all commit to joining Slimming World at the start of 2019.

They found a group that they could all attend at 9.30am on a Monday morning in Hilsea and on January 14 they joined.

That morning Vicky, who lives in Fratton, was dreading stepping on the scales - she knew it was probably the heaviest she had ever been. But walking into the group they were greeted with a warm, enthusiastic welcome from the consultant and Vicky could see on her sisters face that they had found the right place. The group were so supportive - it felt like walking into a family.

Being able to choose her own Personal Achievement Target meant Vicky could set herself smaller interim targets at first if she wanted to. It was tempting, but deep down Vicky knew the weight she wanted to get to and the consultant encouraged her to set it and that it was possible to achieve.

At the first weigh-in the following week, Vicky had lost 4lbs and she was disappointed - not with the loss, but with herself because she knew she hadn't food optimised 100 per cent.

By taking a seat in the group they were all committing just one hour a week to themselves and that rang true with Vicky, as she had spent such a long time not committing to herself and her diet.

She promised herself that she would commit to staying each week with IMAGE therapy and quite quickly she recognised the weeks she was disappointed with her loss, or weeks that were going to have challenges, were the weeks she needed to stay - the group motivated her to keep going and helped her to re-focus.

They are a friendly, fun and supportive group who make everyone feel welcome, respected and valued. At group you are never humiliated or judged and your weight is never disclosed. For Vicky, those weeks where you feel like giving up are the weeks it is most important you stay.

Vicky loves that with Slimming World she never has to feel hungry and has the freedom to enjoy real food - she's still having roast dinner, chilli, spaghetti Bolognese, chicken balti and a cooked breakfast! But now she makes it from scratch and it tastes so much better.

Most importantly for her, she is teaching her son how to eat healthily, getting him involved with cooking. He loves mixing up seasoning.

Before, Vicky would have huge plates of food, cream-topped frappucinos and sneakily eat sharing-sized bags of Maltesers whilst sat at her desk at work.

Now she plans and prepares what she is eating the day before and puts in treats for the times she might struggle. Vicky uses her syns to eat what she really wants and most days still manages a frappucino from Starbucks (but she now has the light version - safely within her syn allowance).

She also loves a Slimming World mint HiFi bar and was VERY happy when they made a return earlier this year!

As well as the diet, Body Magic encourages small, easy steps to increase activity and Vicky started this by cutting out using the lift at work - and making her colleagues do the same in the process.

Then in the summer she started walking to and from work. When Vicky first started she was a hot, sweaty mess by the time she arrived at work (and then had to climb three flights of stairs), but now she finds it is her 'me' time each day and feels it has had a huge impact on her mental health as well as her physical ability.

Last October Vicky went to Florida on another family holiday, but this time six-and-a-half stone lighter. She started each day with an hour in the gym - something she would never have dared to do before.

This time she didn't need to worry about fitting into her seat on the plane or whether the rollercoaster barriers would hold her in place. On her first weigh-in back after her holiday, she had even lost another 2.5 lbs.

This week Vicky, the week before she relaunches her Slimming World group, hit her target with a total weight loss of 7st 12lbs. She walks for 40 minutes a day now and enjoys exercising. That's something she never would have thought possible just a year ago.

Her journey with Slimming World has been truly life-changing and now she hopes she can help other people experience that same fantastic feeling. Join Vicky at St Francis Church, Hilsea on Mondays at 9.30am and 11.30am

Link:
Find out how 21st Portsmouth mum Vicky lost nearly EIGHT STONE with Slimming World and changed her life - Portsmouth News

Funny scene from a movie whose name I have long since forgotten:The Saturn V rocket is about to lift off, taking three astronauts to the moon. The NASA announcer does the 10-nine-eight countdown and says, "Blast off!" Nothing happens. The massive crowd gathered to watch the rocket shouts at the rocket with one voice, "Blast off!" Nothing happens. Then finally Walter Cronkite the most popular evening news anchor of his era, considered "the most trusted man in America" says in his most stentorian voice, "Blast off!"

On Cronkites command, the engines light up and the rocket lifts gracefully into space.

I was reminded of that scene when I read that David Attenborough, the most trusted man in nature broadcasting, said in a recent interview that "the moment of crisis has come" with regard to climate change.

I beg to differ, Sir David, although I understand why your statement was immediately tweeted around the planet. You held yourself back from such pronouncements for a long time, which means that now, when even you have overcome your reluctance to point out problems, they seem to have extra weight.

The climate crisis that humanity is facing is not a moment. It is a process that has been building up for decades and will unfold for decades.

But I have two concerns about Attenboroughs statement, welcome though it may be by all of us hoping for faster action on climate. First, the climate crisis that humanity is facing is not a moment. It is a process that has been building up for decades and will unfold for decades. There is no single threshold that we have just crossed, or will cross. Dozens of thresholds are being passed all the time, different aspects of a century-long crisis, and they are accumulating relentlessly.

Perhaps the sense of crisis has reached more people now, thanks to voices such as Attenboroughs and Greta Thunbergs. But even this fast-growing sense-of-crisis minority is far from a critical mass calling for transformative action. In Paris last year, the critical mass actually was protesting against actions being taken on climate change. (The city of Barcelonas recent declaration of climate emergency could prove to be an actual critical mass, in a very special and beautiful city, but only time will tell.)

Second, the crisis is not yet here. It is still, for most of us, there. To the extent that Australias bush fires were enflamed by global warming and they almost certainly were they happened "down under," to a specific piece of that continent. The rising sea levels are taking their first victims, but they are as far away from the BBC studios as they can be, on small islands in the South Pacific. The disappearing sea ice in the Arctic directly affects Inuit and other indigenous hunters, as well as iconic polar bears. People in these places really are in crisis.

But not London, nor most of the rest of the developed world. At least not much, and not yet.

Where the Crisis of the Century is most being felt is, of course, among the poorest of the poor.

Of course, the appearance of this more widely shared sense of crisis is meaningful. Companies are genuinely worried about their value chains and business models. Financial houses are seriously concerned about risk and even more interested in the new investment opportunities that have been revealed in the need to build out global infrastructure and industry very differently. Investors are talking about crisis in new ways and their voices carry nearly Attenborough-levels of weight. But they are not yet in crisis.

Where the Crisis of the Century is most being felt is, of course, among the poorest of the poor. Around 25 million people are already displaced by climate-related events each year. Drought, natural disaster, loss of agricultural land and conflicts made worse by displacement are driving even more into refugee status. These "side effects" of a warmer planet are already claiming thousands of peoples lives and will take many more in the coming decades. And almost all of those people will be poor.

Over 30 years ago, when I was editing a magazine on sustainability, I engaged in a friendly debate with a fellow magazine staffer who worried that humans were not wired up, neurologically, to respond to long, slow, abstract threats such as climate change. Our brains had evolved to respond to immediate problems, such as a bear showing up at the family cave. My colleague was quite pessimistic. Given the built-in short-term perspective given to us by evolution, our goose probably was cooked.

Back then, I also begged to differ in my first published essay, "The Bear at the Door." Education, different indicators, nightly news reports, tax incentives: link enough of these together, I said, and we could condition ourselves to react appropriately. We could learn to perceive the threat of climate change as real, despite its seeming so far in the future and abstract, just as we had conditioned ourselves to respond to stock market indices and other numbers. Indicators made these large abstractions real to us.

Today, Im not so sure. Decades of squiggly lines on graphs and scientific reports on risk have not yet turned the tide. Even fire and flood are not enough to convince large numbers of people that the climate crisis is real. And now I see regular news reports of actual bears displaced polar bears, hungry and searching for food, which is increasingly hard to find in a fast-warming Arctic showing up at actual doors. Still the world is not reacting quickly enough, when it reacts at all.

Even fire and flood are not enough to convince large numbers of people that the climate crisis is real.

Clearly I was wrong, back in the summer of 1989, to believe that timely information on the threat of climate change would be sufficient to turn the global tide in time to avoid a crisis. Attenborough is right. Impacts worthy of a sense of crisis are already here. The bears are crowding at our doors.

But at least the sense of crisis is growing, along with the actual crisis. And crisis does seem to get us humans moving. In some ways, we are already too late. But there is still a chance in other ways some very important other ways we will be just in time.

Originally posted here:
Dear David Attenborough: The bears are at the door - GreenBiz

OSHKOSH, Wis (WBAY) -- An Oshkosh man is hoping to inspire others who are trying to keep their New Year's resolution to lose weight on track.

Justin Sosnoski is a regular inside the Oshkosh YMCA, and it's been that way for years.

He's come a long way from a childhood filled with bad eating habits, inactivity and video games.

"I was always the fat kid from probably age 6 all the way through high school. My peak was 352 pounds when I was 18 years old," says Sosnoski.

After graduation, Justin decided it was time for change.

"I never had that vision where I was going to be obese as an adult. I wasn't going to live that life, so I always had that dream," recalls Sosnoski.

Justin started with just a few simple goals: eat healthier and become more active.

"Riding my bike around the neighborhood one time, that was a huge achievement, and then the next step was riding my bike across town to my parents' restaurant. And I just started walking around the neighborhood. I'd do one lap and then I'd push myself, well, let's do two laps. I got to the point where I was walking in the early going 15 miles a week, and at my peak I was walking 40-something miles a week," says Sosnoski.

A year-and-a-half after tipping the scale at 352 pounds, Justin weighed in at 170, a weight loss of 182 pounds.

He had surgery to remove the excess skin and started lifting weights to tone up.

Now 29, Justin has maintained his weight through basic exercise and healthy eating.

Through Instagram and Facebook, he's hoping to inspire others.

"Any kid that maybe was in my shoes, 18 years old, you're obese your whole life, doesn't have to be like that, but also if you're 50 years old, you don't have to see 60 at the same weight; it's never too late to change. Number one thing with fitness is, you never have the body. It's always your rent is due every day, so you can get in crazy shape and in three months that could be a past memory, so every day rent is due," says Sosnoski with a smile.

Continue reading here:
Oshkosh man hopes to inspire others through amazing weight loss - WMTV

There are plenty of people who pick up a food product at the store and immediately turn the container around to see what the nutritional label looks like. Per serving, how many calories does it have? What about carbohydrates and fiber? What kind of numbers do the fats have?

Its all relative, depending on what kind of food plan you might be on, or if youre trying to cater to a specific type of workout routine.

One study recently found that instead of just listing the details that we see now, we should also be able to see the physical activity calorie equivalent, or the PACE.

PACE labels show consumers how many calories are in a food item, but they also list what kind of and how long an exercise someone would need to engage in to burn that food off.

For example, a figure provided by a study in the United States Library of Medicine shows that after eating a regular burger, one would need to walk 2.6 miles to burn off said burger.

[Click here to see an example of a PACE label.]

The values on PACE labels were pulled from an activity table for an average 160-pound adult with a guesstimated walking pace of 30 minutes per mile.

In the study, a few things worth mentioning about those who participated. The people were:

The participants were randomly assigned to one of four generic fast-food menus: No label; calories only; calories and minutes; or calories and miles necessary to walk to burn off the calories.

The results were, those who ordered from:

[Read the full study by clicking here.]

During the study, participants said PACE labeling would not only influence their food choices, but the likelihood of them engaging in physical activity.

In conclusion, researchers found that PACE labels could certainly be helpful in reducing the number of calories ordered in meals, as well as adding the benefit of encouraging exercise.

Do you have more opinions on PACE labels? Wed love to hear them in the comment section below.

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Could different labeling on nutritional menu be key to weight loss? - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

Dear Dr. Vittoria: I have always had my horses on pasture year-round. They typically do well, but this year one of my older geldings seems thinner. Winter weather hasnt even gotten bad. I supplement with hay and grain starting in the fall. I am concerned that I need to do something differently. Skinny Minny

Dear Skinny Minny: It is good that you noticed it now and not in February. Its easiest to get weight back on your gelding before he loses too much. Some horses change from being easy keepers to harder ones as they age.

Some horses develop different nutritional requirements as they age. If you arent giving him a vitamin and mineral balancer during the spring/summer, you should be. This geographical area is deficient in selenium and he cant get all of his vitamins from pasture alone. Balancers are available that dont add a lot of calories, so they work well for easy keepers who seem to exist on grass/hay alone. You will want to look into this for next summer.

As for the winter supplementation, you mentioned grain but not what type. Not all grains are created equal. You may be tempted by the inexpensive sweet feeds that you may have used in the past, but as horses get older, they may need a senior feed. Senior feeds work well for older horses since they are easily digested. The feeds are researched by nutritional vets who specialize in studying which feeds can make our older horses do better during the winter.

You could also add a straight fat supplement to the grain you already have, if he isnt quite a senior horse. This increases the calories in the feed and makes it easier for him to gain weight. I know that when we humans eat potato chips or French fries, we gain weight fast!

Offering more hay during the winter also helps. If you find that they are cleaning up all the hay, you may want to add an additional flake or two per horse. Not all hays are nutritionally the same. Grass hay is the least nutritious for calories, timothy is right in the middle and alfalfa is the hot potato of calories. Some people feed a blend of these in the wintertime to help increase caloric intake.

Keep in mind that there are a few medical things that can cause weight loss. Your vet can check him for Cushing's disease. Also, they can check his teeth and float (file) them to ensure he is getting the most bang for his buck with every mouthful of hay. Have the manure checked for worms, too. I have had some people say they looked at the poop themselves and didnt see any worms. My response is usually to explain the difference between intestinal worms (who live in the intestines), and earthworms (who live in the earth). You will not see worms in the manure until he has a severe infection.

Christina Vittoria, D.V.M., practices at Willow Creek Equine Veterinary Services. Comments are for educational purposes; consult a veterinarian before taking action. Send questions to country@readingeagle.com.

See more here:
Winter supplements curb weight loss in geldings [Ask the Horse Doctor] - Reading Eagle

Fat could mean two things - dietary fat or body fat. By now we knew that there are different types of dietary fats - some good and some bad. But heres something that might be new - there are also different types of fat cells in the body - white, brown and beige. Brown fat has enjoyed attention in the fitness world ever since a series of studies published in 2009 discussed its energy and fat burning capabilities when the body is exposed to cold temperatures.

Representational image. Image by TeroVesalainen from Pixabay

Also called brown adipose tissue, it is found deep in the torso and neck area and is activated in cold conditions. Once activated, it burns ordinary white fat and glucose to warm up the body.

Studies in mice have shown that brown fats energy-burning capabilities are high considering it is present in small quantities in the body. Current research is focussed on whether these fat-burning capabilities can be harnessed and assist in weight loss programs. So it appears that the enthusiasm surrounding brown fat is a bit premature.

For starters, brown fat has extremely low energy expenditure unless it is stimulated (meaning when its not terribly cold) and human brown fat has lower energy-burning capabilities when compared to a mouses brown adipose tissue. While the body can be trained to produce more brown fat by being exposed to cold temperatures for several hours a day, no study states that this could lead to weight loss. Further, exercising in the cold does not seem to enhance weight-loss programs.

It has been suggested that exercise increases the activity of brown fat but the evidence of this is unclear. Research claims that exercise causes other fat to act more brown-like, which means that it burns energy to increase metabolism when exposed to the cold. Also, paradoxically, exercise studies have shown that the fat-burning capabilities of brown adipose tissue are actually reduced on exercising. This might be because its primary purpose is to keep us warm and healthy, and not to make us lose excess weight.

While all this information might seem confusing at this point, its a part of the process of reaching a conclusive finding. All this suggests is that further research needs to be done on brown fat to make sense of the contradictions.

A study published inNaturein August 2019 shed light on how brown fat helped with metabolism. The men in the study who naturally had higher levels of brown fat activity had reduced levels of BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) in their blood. While BCAAs carry out vital functions in the body, higher amounts have been linked with obesity and diabetes. Further investigations in mice showed that higher levels of BCAAs did, in fact, progress to obesity and signs of diabetes.

Further, an NIH (National Institutes of Health) study published earlier this week showed that a drug that stimulated brown fat activity had favourable metabolic effects in healthy women. The participants were on the drug for four weeks which doubled the amount of brown fat while their body mass remained the same. They were found to have increased resting energy expenditure, higher levels of bile acid which digests fat, higher levels of HDL (which is known as good cholesterol) and better regulation of blood glucose.

This study only consisted of 14 participants. While there may have been favourable metabolic changes, the participants also experienced increased heart rates and blood pressure which normalized after the drug was stopped. Further, higher doses of the drug (called mirabegron and otherwise used for bladder issues) have been linked with cardiovascular disease.

More research needs to be done on how and if brown fat needs to be harnessed. Until then, the usual adages apply: exercise regularly and follow a healthy diet.

Read our tips onHow to lose weightfor more information.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.

Updated Date: Jan 23, 2020 18:19:31 IST

Tags :Body Fat,Brown Fat,Exercise For Weight Loss,How To Lose Weight,Metabolism,NewsTracker,Weight Loss

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What is brown fat and can it help you lose weight? - Firstpost

When youre trying to lose weight, one of the easiest ways to lose stamina with your routine is being bored with your meals. It is very easy to get into a rut with your food creativity when your main focus is the nutrients in your meal, rather than the flavors youre eating.

This week, you should try out new protein bowl ideas. Protein bowls are a great lunch or dinner option for weight loss because your body will benefit from the protein, plus there are many ways to make this kind of meal delicious and fun. You could easily have a protein bowl for both lunch and dinner each day while keeping each meal unique and different so you dont get bored.

Here are eight recipes youll want to try ASAP.

Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Made with black beans, cilantro and optional avocado, this burrito bowl is as flavorful as it is healthy. Plus, it only takes 15 minutes to cook! The recipe is easy to follow and offers options for different levels of cooking experience.

Recipe: Simple Recipes

Nourishing Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa is the ultimate grain for high-protein diets, and this quinoa bowl is one of the best ways to prepare it. The recipe also calls for other protein-rich ingredients, like chickpeas, hummus, kale and broccoli, so it is one of the healthiest meals you can make.

Recipe: Simply Quinoa

Farro Spinach Salad Bowl

This quick and easy recipe results in a delicious meal youll probably want to eat for both lunch and dinner. It uses just five ingredients and takes a few minutes to prepare.

Recipe: Self

Warm Swiss Chard Bowl

If youre a fan of leafy greens, this warm protein bowl is for you. It uses plenty of nutrient-dense ingredients, like farro, Swiss chard and eggs, so youll feel energized after eating it.

Recipe: Self

Brown Rice Avocado Bowl

The epitome of the easy-to-make, healthy meal, this protein bowl is made with all of our faves: brown rice, avocado, kale and an egg. Plus, it calls for great seasoning ingredients like lemon zest, paprika and fresh tarragon, so you know this one is super flavorful.

Recipe: Self

Chicken And Shaved Zucchini Bowl

This protein bowl takes a bit longer than the others to make, but it is definitely worth the effort. It uses chicken as its main source of protein, elevated by veggies like bell pepper and zucchini and set over a base of brown rice.

Recipe: Self

Salmon And Quinoa Bowl

What could be better for you than a protein bowl with both salmon AND quinoa? With 22 grams of protein in a single serving, this delicious dish is going to become one of your favorite go-to meals.

Recipe: Cooking Light

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Blackened Chicken Avocado Power Bowl

This recipe is one of our favorites because it has you blacken the chicken when you prepare it, which gives the dish an extra boost of flavor. Plus, it includes avocado, chickpeas and broccoli, so you know its great for your health.

Recipe: The Recipe Critic

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8 High Protein Bowls You Should Make This Week For Weight Loss - SheFinds