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to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. | March 17, 2011 | |  |  | "Ladder" Drills: The Top Athletes' Secret that Can Benefit Every Body | | | Would You Wash your Face with Gasoline? | | | Good News About Getting Pregnant Again After a Miscarriage | | | Mind-Boosting Secrets | | | Hair Here, Hair There? Get to the Root of the Problem | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | | "Ladder" Drills: The Top Athletes' Secret that Can Benefit Every Body Walking past a high school, I spotted a girls’ sports team doing a drill where they shuffled sideways, their feet landing between the rungs of a rope ladder laid out on the ground. The kids were having a great time -- and wow, could they move! This was something I had seen football players doing, but never female athletes. It made me wonder whether the repetitive drills that athletes use to improve their skills could also benefit the rest of us. When I posed this question to exercise physiologist Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise, he answered, "Yes, absolutely." Modified versions of common sports drills can help the average person not only at the gym or on the playing field, but also in daily life. Dr. Bryant explained that many day-to-day activities require strength, speed, endurance, agility and coordination -- and that we can boost all of these attributes by incorporating sports training drills into our workouts. Using a rope agility ladder (as trainers call it) makes the routine more fun. Agility ladders are sold in sporting-goods stores and online (try www.Power-Systems.com/p-3783-short-agility-ladder-15ft.aspx, $39.95). Or build a tape "ladder": On the floor, tape down two parallel strips of masking tape 18 inches apart, each 15 to 30 feet long, depending on available space. Between the strips, paste "rungs" of tape 18 inches apart to create a row of squares. A tape ladder won’t last forever, of course -- but it costs next to nothing and you won’t trip over it. Get your doctor’s OK (as you should before beginning any new type of exercise). Then add the ladder drills below to your regular workout twice weekly, Dr. Bryant recommended, doing one to three sets of each drill and moving as quickly as you safely can. High-knee stepping (a.k.a. forward linear ladder drill). Stand at one end of ladder so it stretches out in front of you. Gazing at the ground about three feet in front of you, start stepping into squares between rungs, each time raising your bent knee until your thigh is parallel to ground. Keep elbows comfortably bent, and let them swing naturally with each step. Continue to end of ladder, then turn and come back. Photos: www.AceFitness.org/exerciselibrary/175/forward-linear-ladder-drill. Two-footed diagonal jumps. Stand facing side of ladder so it stretches out to your right. Moving both feet at once, jump on a 45° diagonal (forward and to the right)... land gently, knees comfortably bent, in square between first two rungs. Then jump backward and to the right at a 45° diagonal, landing outside ladder. Hop forward again and land in second square, then hop back out, continuing to end of ladder. Then, jumping diagonally to the left, return to starting position. Side shuffle (a.k.a. lateral shuffle). Stand in first square, facing sideways so ladder stretches out to your right. With right foot, step sideways into second square... then step into that same square with left foot. Next, step into third square, first with right foot and then with left foot. Continue shuffling to end of ladder. Then come back the other way, stepping into each square first with left foot and then with right foot. Photos: www.AceFitness.org/exerciselibrary/170/agility-ladder-lateral-shuffle. In-and-out shuffle (a.k.a. multidirectional ladder drill). Stand inside first square so ladder stretches out in front of you. With right foot, step to the right and place foot outside ladder... then with left foot, step forward into second square... then step with right foot into that same second square. Next, with left foot, step to the left, placing foot outside ladder... then with right foot, step forward into third square... then step with left foot into that same square. (Picture the ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three of a waltz. On one, step outside ladder... on two, step into next square with one foot... on three, step into that same square with other foot.) Continue to end of ladder, then turn around and come back. Photos: www.AceFitness.org/exerciselibrary/172/multidirectional-ladder-drill. Source: Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, is the chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise in San Diego, and author or coauthor of numerous books, including Strength Training for Women (Human Kinetics).
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 | | Would You Wash your Face with Gasoline? It sounds like science fiction... DNA technology that can defy the signs of aging, reducing the appearance of lines, wrinkles and age spots on your skin. But this new technology is real. It comes out of research into the "telomere" -- the genetic material at the ends of your DNA that determines how you age. The scientists who discovered its secrets won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2009. Dr. Al Sears, MD, calls this "the most exciting breakthrough in the history of anti-aging." His revolutionary skin cream uses this remarkable research to help you maintain your skin’s DNA and keep you looking younger. In fact, his exclusive formula can help extend the life of your skin by up to 30 percent.* It’s easy to use, affordable and proven effective. This is something that can really help you. It’s the future of anti-aging skincare treatment and it’s available to you right now. Take a moment and read this note from Dr. Sears. | |
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 | | Good News About Getting Pregnant Again After a Miscarriage Women who have suffered a miscarriage are sometimes told by their doctors to wait six months before conceiving again to reduce the risk for another miscarriage. But: New research suggests that this advice, which is based on recommendations from the World Health Organization, is misguided. The new study included more than 30,000 women who had miscarried in their first pregnancies. Findings: Compared with women who delayed their second pregnancies for six months or more, those who conceived again within six months were significantly less likely to have another miscarriage... have an ectopic pregnancy (in which the embryo starts to grow in a fallopian tube or elsewhere outside the womb)... need a Cesarean section... give birth prematurely... or have a baby with a low birth weight. Caveat: It is possible that some of the women who conceived more than six months after their miscarriages did so not by choice or on the advice of their doctors, but rather because they had trouble getting pregnant again -- and that this fertility problem also negatively affected their birth outcomes. However, given the large number of women included in this study, it is unlikely that this would be the only explanation for the results. Bottom line: This study is good news, especially for women over age 35. Given that fertility decreases with age, not having to wait six months after a miscarriage can significantly boost the chances of being able to conceive again. Editor’s note: Some US doctors advise waiting two months to conceive again so that the uterine lining has time to regenerate -- talk to your obstetrician. Source: Sohinee Bhattacharya, MBBS, MSc, is a lecturer in obstetric epidemiology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and leader of a study of 30,937 women.
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| | | Hair Here, Hair There? Get to the Root of the Problem It’s an occupational hazard among health journalists to worry about having every medical woe that we investigate. So, when I read a recent medical journal article about a rare ovarian tumor that can trigger body hair growth, I had to check to see if I was sprouting (I wasn’t, thank goodness). Then I called Lubna Pal, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at Yale School of Medicine, to ask about the various causes of excess body hair. Dr. Pal told me, "As women get older and their estrogen levels drop, it is not uncommon to notice the gradual appearance of some unwanted hair on the limbs as well as the face. So, if a patient tells me, 'The hair has always been present, only now there is a bit more of it,' there is probably no underlying medical problem. Particularly if her mother or sister experienced the same thing, a slight excess in body hair is likely to be genetic and not the result of disease." In such a case, if the hair doesn’t really bother you, there is no cause for concern. However, if you notice a rapid or significant increase in body hair (typically on the inner thighs, upper arms, middle of the chest, upper lip and/or chin), alert your doctor -- because there may be an underlying medical cause that should be evaluated and treated. Possible causes... Excess androgens. Women normally produce low levels of androgens (male hormones), such as testosterone. Excess body and facial hair can be a sign that androgen levels are too high, perhaps due to one of the following conditions... - Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition in which a woman’s eggs, rather than maturing normally and being released from the ovaries monthly, stay in the ovaries. The ovarian follicles (structures in which the immature egg is surrounded by ovarian cells) form multiple tiny cysts. PCOS primarily affects women in their reproductive years, but it can affect older women, too. "The extra androgens are primarily of ovarian origin, although in some PCOS patients, they may be produced by the adrenal gland," Dr. Pal said.
- Ovarian hyperthecosis, an uncommon condition, usually is seen in postmenopausal women. Androgen levels in the blood may be much higher than with PCOS. Along with body hair growth, patients occasionally experience deepening of the voice, loss of scalp hair and/or enlargement of the clitoris.
- Steroid cell tumor, an androgen-secreting ovarian tumor, is potentially serious but, fortunately, is quite rare.
Cushing’s syndrome. This occurs when the body produces or is exposed to too much of the hormone cortisol. Other signs may include a face that grows rounder, upper body obesity, pink or purple stretch marks (unrelated to pregnancy) on the torso and arms, easy bruising and a fatty hump between the shoulder blades. Patients also may develop high blood pressure, diabetes and/or osteoporosis. This condition is relatively uncommon but, if untreated, can be life-threatening. Hypothyroidism. Producing too little thyroid hormone can cause coarsening of body hair. Other warning signs include fatigue, sensitivity to cold, constipation, unexplained weight gain and muscle aches. Medication side effects. Drugs that may cause new body hair growth and/or coarsening of existing hair include diazoxide (Micromedex) for hypoglycemia... phenytoin (Dilantin) for seizures... the immunosuppressant cyclosporine and corticosteroids, often used for autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis... estrogen/testosterone combinations, such as Estratest, for menopausal symptoms... and over-the-counter "antiaging" supplements containing the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Women also may notice increased body hair after reducing the dosage or halting use of estrogen replacement therapy. Important: Tell your doctor if your partner uses a topical cream or gel containing testosterone. Your partner’s medication can get rubbed onto your skin accidentally and cause you to experience increased body hair growth. Good news -- getting appropriate treatment for the problems above not only will protect health, but in most cases, will cause excess hair to gradually lessen, lighten and soften. Your doctor also can advise you on methods for minimizing body hair, such as laser treatment, waxing and depilatory creams... and/or use of antiandrogen medication or birth control pills, both of which reduce androgen levels. Source: Lubna Pal, MD, is a reproductive endocrinologist, an associate professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and the director of the Polycystic Ovary Program at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
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 |  |  Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author or coauthor of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. Her latest book is the updated, third edition of When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads (HarperCollins). She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 25 years, college-age twins and teenaged son. |  | | Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901
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