Yonemoto Physical Therapy

Altering your life begins with changing your thinking.  How much of an effort are you willing to make to create an ideal healthy lifestyle?  Did you know more than 80% of the major chronic diseases can be prevented by taking charge of your own life?

Adopting a healthy lifestyle could prevent 91% of the cases of Type 2 diabetes.  Certain foods trigger more insulin release from the pancreas causing the body to store more fat.  Insulin is a hormone responsible for keeping blood sugar levels in balance.  All the body cells use blood sugar to make energy.  It is important to keep blood sugar levels in the proper ranges.  When blood sugar is too high, the pancreas releases insulin and the excess blood sugar is converted into fat.  When blood sugar is low, more fat is used as fuel.  Foods with a tendency to produce high levels of blood sugar also have a tendency to increase carbohydrate cravings and the overall appetite, creating a vicious cycle of overeating. 

Approximately 33% of Americans produce more insulin than is healthy.  The National Institute of Health reports approximately 60% of Americans are overweight.  These statistics could be lowered by simply eating healthier foods to break this cycle of increasing blood sugar, thereby increasing insulin release, which produces fat storage and increases the appetite, which goes back to increasing blood sugar.

Sugar makes you fat, so avoiding foods that create high blood sugar, such as candy, cookies, potatoes, white rice, sweetened cereal, soda and white bread, decreases fat production and uses up fat stores more effectively.

Exercise, particularly walking, helps utilize fat as a fuel.  Fat is a very concentrated fuel source and needs lots of oxygen to break it down.  Aerobic exercise, which uses a lot of oxygen, is very effective in trimming fat and maintaining good lung and heart function.  Weight training and other strengthening exercises do not necessarily use much oxygen, but these activities build up muscle.  It is important to include both aerobic and strengthening exercises in your lifestyle to promote a good balance of organ function and muscle strength.

Walking one mile, no matter how fast, will burn 100 calories.  A pound of fat produces 3500 calories.  You burn off a pound of fat in 17.5 miles of walking.  Walking two miles per day, you can lose a pound of fat in about nine days.  Unfortunately, for every pound lost with walking, only about 55 % equals fat.  You also lose some muscle.  It is important to incorporate strength training to build up the muscles.  Eating the right foods can also minimize excess fat storage and unhealthy food cravings.

There is lot more involved in developing lifelong guidelines for healthy living.  You can take the first step by altering your thinking.

If you have any questions, please submit them to:
Sheila Yonemoto, P.T.
Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PHONE:  626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system

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