September 11, 2011

Forget Willpower: For Weight Control, Environment Matters More


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September 11, 2011 
Forget Willpower: For Weight Control, Environment Matters More
Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days
The Mystery of Fertility Treatment’s Long-Term Effects
Shocking #2 Cause of Cancer
Who Feels Guiltier When Work Intrudes at Home?
  The Best of Mainstream and Natural Medicine
Tamara Eberlein, Editor

Forget Willpower: For Weight Control, Environment Matters More

It’s 3 pm and, as usual, I’m feeling a bit drowsy while gazing at my computer. Eating always perks me up, so I open the desk drawer that holds my snack stash. I see candy... I eat candy... and then I bemoan my weakness, just as I did yesterday and the day before that.

But what I consider to be lack of willpower would more accurately be described as a habitual reaction to cues from my environment, I learned when I contacted social psychologist Wendy Wood, PhD, provost professor at the University of Southern California, whose research focuses on how habits guide behavior. In essence, I’ve trained myself to expect a sweet treat at work each afternoon—so I eat it, generally without a second thought, whether I really want it or not.

Do you have day-in, day-out habits that make it harder to control your weight? Many people do. In fact, about 45% of people’s behavior is repeated almost daily and usually occurs at the same time and/or place—and thus their actions often are cued by their environment. Once formed, habits are notoriously hard to break. People can, of course, choose not to respond in their accustomed way. But that requires decision-making, Dr. Wood said—and given the everyday distractions, time pressures and other drains on brain power that most people experience, it generally is easier just to keep on doing what they’re used to doing.

This occurs even when people are not enjoying a particular behavior. For instance, consider the common practice of munching on popcorn at the movie theater. In Dr. Wood’s recent study, participants went to the movies and were given (unbeknownst to them) week-old popcorn. Those who were not in the habit of eating popcorn at the movies consumed little of the stale snack. But participants who did have a habit of snacking on popcorn at the theater consumed just as much of the week-old popcorn as they normally would eat of fresh popcorn—even though they acknowledged that they didn’t like the stale stuff!

HELPFUL HABIT FORMATION

Does Dr. Wood’s research indicate that you’re doomed to repeat your weight-thwarting habits, like it or not? Not at all, she said—but you do need to become conscious of the context for your behavior. Context can be the physical location (such as the TV room if you habitually eat while watching a show)... time of day (like those 3 pm candy cravings)... other people (for instance, a partner who always urges you to join him for dessert)... or even the acts that precede the habitual behavior (such as buying a movie ticket).

Recognizing the context for negative habits helps you identify how to change your environment in ways that promote positive habits. The idea is to turn healthful eating and regular exercise into habitual and expected aspects of your day—so your environment works for you rather than against you. Here’s how...

Avoid your downfall locations. If you can’t help stopping at the donut shop every time you drive by on your way to work, take a different route to the office. If sitting on the living room sofa in front of the television makes you crave chips, watch TV in a different room for a while... or substitute another behavior for eating, such as knitting.

Automate healthy eating. You’ve heard it before, but it really helps to stock your pantry and fridge with nutritious foods. "You want to make healthful decisions easy," Dr. Wood said. Convenience is key—so chop up fruits and veggies and store them in grab-and-go single-serving containers... keep a handy bowlful of hard-boiled eggs in your refrigerator... place your whole-grain crackers on an easy-to-reach, eye-level shelf (and get rid of the cookies or other high-calorie temptations you usually keep there).

Replace bad behaviors with somewhat better ones. I was relieved when Dr. Wood agreed that I didn’t need to give up my usual 3 pm snack. But it would be wise to toss the candy and stock my desk drawer with some nuts or dried apple chips... or to banish food from my desk entirely and instead keep some yogurt or berries in the office fridge.

Revive former healthful habits. Did you used to take a daily bike ride but stopped when your bicycle broke? It’s often easier to restart a familiar activity than to establish a completely new one, Dr. Wood noted—so instead of vowing to learn, say, water aerobics, get your bike fixed and get pedaling again.

Cue your workout. Adjust your schedule so that you can exercise at the same time every day. Also, set up environmental reminders—for instance, set your gym bag next to your car keys so you won’t "forget" it when you leave the house. "Some early exercisers even wear workout gear to bed so that they are cued when they first get up in the morning," Dr. Wood said.

Team up with like-minded friends. Instead of hitting happy hour together, ask pals if they would like to unwind with a companionable walk or a partner-yoga class. Also, cut down on time spent with people who reinforce your unhealthy habits. As Dr. Wood pointed out, it is hard to avoid eating popcorn at the movies when your friend keeps trying to share hers.

Don’t give up too soon. It takes time to break old habits. Stay vigilant and keep trying, even if you sometimes slip up—eventually your healthy and slimming new habits will become part of your daily life.

Source: Wendy Wood, PhD, is a provost professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. A social psychologist whose research focuses on how habits guide behavior, Dr. Wood is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, a founding member of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology and an associate editor of the journal Psychological Review.


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Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days

The big drug companies don’t want you to know about the alternative cures that can make their drugs obsolete. The alternative medicine believers think drugs and surgery are bad ideas. Guess what? They’re both dead wrong. Finally, a maverick M.D. has dared to identify the world’s best cures from both sides of the medical aisle. These are the real forbidden cures you want...


Read on...

The Mystery of Fertility Treatment’s Long-Term Effects


Q: My daughter is considering fertility treatments. If she uses ovulation-stimulating drugs now, could it increase her odds of developing cancer later?

A: The jury is still out. Some studies show an increased risk for endometrial, ovarian and/or breast cancer among fertility patients—but other studies show no association and a few even suggest that these drugs may protect against some cancers.

Why is the answer so murky? For one thing, it is hard to separate the effects of the drugs from the effects of infertility itself, whether or not the condition was ever treated. Endometriosis, a common cause of fertility problems, has been linked to an increased risk for ovarian cancer... polycystic ovary syndrome, which also can impair fertility, is associated with an increased risk for endometrial cancer.

Another challenge in determining the drugs’ long-term effects is that any such effects are only now beginning to emerge. The first IVF baby was born in 1978—not that long ago, really. Most women who undergo fertility treatments are in their 30s, but typically we don’t start to see these types of cancer until women are in their 50s and 60s. We do not yet have data from sufficient numbers of former users of fertility drugs who are now in that age range.

If there are increases in cancer risk from fertility drugs, they appear to be small. Ovarian cancer, the deadliest of the types we’re talking about, is quite rare—according to the National Cancer Institute, about 22,000 US women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2010. So, even if fertility treatments were to double a woman’s risk, she still would have a very low absolute risk of developing ovarian cancer. As for breast cancer, though some early studies suggested a link to fertility drug use, more recent studies do not support that association. And though there does seem to be an increased risk for endometrial cancer, that cancer is usually detected early and is quite treatable.

Also worth considering are the potential benefits of fertility treatments that prove successful (aside from the joys of motherhood!). That’s because giving birth itself can lower the risk for all three of these cancers, as can breast-feeding.

Bottom line: There are many factors to weigh in deciding whether to undergo fertility treatment, but concerns about cancer probably need not be among them, especially if a woman maintains a healthy diet and lifestyle and follows her doctor’s advice regarding routine cancer screening.

Source: Louise A. Brinton, PhD, MPH, has been chief of the Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute since 1996. She is a past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and received the Director’s Award from the National Institutes of Health for innovative leadership in women’s health research.


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Shocking #2 Cause of Cancer

An official at the American Cancer Society said that it’s easy to avoid half of all cancers.

However, an adviser to the American Institute for Cancer Research was even more optimistic when he said that nine out of 10 cancers are related to factors we control.

Of course, their #1 piece of advice is "stop smoking." We all know that. But I bet you don’t know the #2 cause of cancer. It’s something totally under your control—it’s much easier than quitting cigarettes—and it’s the last thing you’d ever expect. I’ll tell you about it in a moment.


Keep reading...

Who Feels Guiltier When Work Intrudes at Home?

As women who work outside the home know all too well, balancing job demands with family life can be an elusive goal... and when work intrudes on time spent at home, a new study suggests, women feel significantly more guilt about it than men do.

Researchers analyzed data from a national survey of 1,042 US workers. Findings: The more after-hours phone calls and e-mails that female workers received at home from their supervisors, coworkers or clients, the more guilt and distress they felt... however, male workers reported no such feelings of guilt. Surprising: Women felt guilty even when the work-related contact did not actually interfere with home life... and even though they were able to juggle job and family demands just as effectively as men.

Theory: Although women are increasingly shouldering responsibility as family breadwinners, they still encounter different cultural expectations than men do... and persistent ideas about gender roles may lead some women to question or find fault with their own performance within the family.

Although researchers did not specifically study how to alleviate guilt, they said that it might help for women to remind themselves that they are exposed to contradictory gender norms (the good housekeeper versus the dedicated worker)... and they suggested that both women and men consider limiting after-hours voice mail and e-mail checks to certain designated times of day.

Source: Paul Glavin is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Toronto and lead author of a study published in Journal of Health and Social Behavior.


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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 26 years and three college-age children.
  
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