Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
HIIT: Specific Fat Loss
What were the results of HIIT training? The researchers found that there were reductions in overall weight as well as subcutaneous and visceral fat. What’s the difference? The fat just under the skin is subcutaneous fat; visceral fat is behind the abdominal muscles and around the internal organs and is more related to the development […]
HIIT and Fat Loss
One of the “facts” exercise professionals will tell you is that there is no such thing as spot reduction; by that I mean you cannot target a specific area of your body, let’s say your abdominal area, and lose fat by doing a targeted exercise such as sit-ups or leg lifts. You can make the […]
Spot Reduction? Maybe
Researchers collected data from four prior studies that put a group of sedentary overweight and obese men and women on a walking program. To determine the distribution of muscle, fat, and bone, they took MRIs of their entire body. That gave the researchers not only the amount of muscle and fat mass, but exactly where […]
Is Spot Reduction Possible?
One of the questions that I’ve thought about over the years is what happens to the skeletal muscle and fat mass in non-exercising parts of the body. If you’re a runner or a walker, what happens to your upper body? What happens to your lower body? Do you retain or even increase the muscles in […]
The Holiday Challenge
I hope you all have a safe Memorial Day weekend. Here in the northern hemisphere, it’s the official kickoff of the summer season that ends with Labor Day. I alluded to a challenge, so let me lay it out for you: I want you to keep track of all the vegetables and fruit you eat […]
Exercise Is Relative
The title of this Memo is a concept that can be difficult to understand, especially when you read the studies I’m going to cover after the Memorial Day weekend. I’m going to talk about high intensity and even higher intensity exercise. What I don’t want to happen is for you to begin to read them, […]
Where’s the Proof?
A series of articles and studies published recently have called into question the use of statistics in examining large health databases. It’s especially pertinent to nutrition research because placebo-controlled trials are virtually impossible. See if this sounds familiar: eating meat is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The “association” is calculated by considering […]
Today!
I’ve said before that in my opinion, the single most important thing you can do to limit the problems of aging is to get to a normal body weight and maintain it. If you’ve been overweight most of your life, as I have been, that can be a real challenge. While the research on what’s […]
I’m Alive: V2.55
When I opened my eyes this morning, I knew I had another year to do what I was created to do: teach people how to be healthy and fit. For those of you who are new readers or those who need a refresher, here’s the story: when I wake on May 10th every year, my […]
Reflections on Family
I’m going to tell you a story you’re going to find hard to believe. My in-laws, Don and Ruth Jones, were married for over 70 years. Mom died on May 7, 2014, ten years ago; we got the call about 9:30 p.m. Exactly three years later on May 7, at the same time, Dad passed […]
