Club Blog

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Fitness psychology covers many topics and this one is a stinky, er I mean sticky, one.  Either way it just reeks. 

You ever hear the joke about the pig that tells the skunk he has body odor?  Neither did I. But how else can I begin writing about a touchy and very personal topic like putrid body odor in the gym? 

I know The Sporting Club is a sweet smelling health club with only the finest, equally sweet smelling, members.  It’s a meticulously clean club, too.  But let’s face it—even the best of us sometimes, well, leave a memorable trail of, ok, I’ll say it, ghastly BO.  And after a hard workout or training session, your sweat glands can showcase a bit too well what you’ve got going on. 

Remember that sweating is natural and our bodies use sweat to cool us down and control our temperature, so chill out and read on—this is an important topic if you are honest about it.  C’mon, we’ve all passed someone now and then who we can’t wait to pass and then hope that what they left lingering around us will pass quickly too. 

If you are among those who suffer from hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, it can cause you a lot of unhappiness.  For some, this disease can be so troubling that it becomes a key reason they avoid coming to the gym.  Hyperhidrosis causes sweating even in cool weather, or when just relaxing, so it’s not especially related to working out. 

The book I wrote back in 1988, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: P.S. It’s All Small Stuff” wasn’t about hyperhidrosis sweat.  In fact, such a small percentage of the population actually has this, that’s it safe to say don’t sweat it if you sweat a lot, because it’s probably not primary (sweating from the armpits, hands and feet) or secondary (caused by another medical illness) hyperhidrosis.  Check it out with your doctor, of course, if you have concerns.  There are tests he or she can run, naturally.

Many inaccurately believe that it’s perspiration that causes foul body odor, so they assume that sweating is the problem.  By itself though, perspiration is surprisingly odorless.  Anaerobic bacteria that are more plentiful when the body has too little oxygen, is a likely culprit causing foul body odor. Your body’s increased metabolism during and after a workout, especially if there is an imbalance in your metabolism, can also give off a pungent odor since it’s one way the body rids itself of smelly waste products.

Two of the steroid compounds found in sweat’s 16-androstenes are really strong and utterly unpleasantly smelling:  androstenol and androstenone.  These are not favorite scents of anyone I know.  And probably not anyone you know either.  Unless you enjoy the smell of musky urine, that is. I know, I know, this is a family blog, but we’re adults.

Other toxins, poor diet, the inability to properly metabolize certain foods, and coming to workout having recently digested obviously pungent foods such as garlic, onions, curry, and fried and baked foods containing rancid fats and oils, can all lead to offensive body odor.  Eating too much meat and eating only vegetarian foods also can leave a trail of an aroma others might find gag worthy.  Your personal genetics, stress, dirt, diet and health all combine to leave your odor imprint.

Sweating is a normal part of human functioning, of course. Here’s how you can effectively deal with that nasty human bouquet though, if you don’t want to spend a fortune on Lululemon’s “anti-stink” shirts.

1. Deodorant foot spray helps keep foot odor from becoming an upwardly mobile problem.
2. Perfume or Cologne only makes things worse in a gym. Even your expensive stuff.
3. Use the cool, refrigerated towels around the gym or perhaps discreetly carry mildly scented body wipes.
4. Consider having two pair of gym shoes to switch off – it’ll cut down on moisture that is a breeding ground for offensive odors.  Road Runner Sports will love this suggestion.
5. Black looks cool when working out, but light colored, breathable, loose-fitting cotton gym clothing may also help by allowing air movement and thus help prevent odor build-up. 
6. If the latest Right Guard doesn’t do it, find a deodorant/antiperspirant that does.  If it contains 10% to 15% aluminum chloride hexahydrate, it’s probably a good start. Your M.D. may be able to prescribe a deodorant medicine to you that is much more potent than anything you can find in the locker room, so don’t be embarrassed to ask.
7. Shower before your workout. Please. Oh, and shower after your workout as well.
8. Drink lots of water while working out to flush your system.
9. Eat an apple prior to working out—it may add sweet to your sweat.
10. Never use hyperhidrosis or simple body odor as an excuse to keep you from the gym.  You need exercise for your wellness and fitness.

OK, so there you have my ten top tips to trip-up telltale BO. Use them. Please.

I’m curious though, how do you handle nasty BO when you get a whiff of it in the gym?  Do you tell the perp?  Do you complain to gym staff?  Do you RUN GAGGING to the front door to get some clean oxygen? Do you point to the offender behind his or her back waving your friends away?  Do you let your friends get a whiff and laugh in the locker room?  Or do you just stick it out, let it go, say nothing and behave as maturely and kindly as most Sporting Club members do?   After all, you never know for sure who is the pig and who is the skunk.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that more than one quarter of all deaths are caused by heart disease alone. However, despite its often-deadly effects, heart disease does not have the high profile of cancer, AIDS and other terminal diseases. This means that many people with heart disease either do not realize they have the condition, or do not seek treatment for early warning signs. While many think that heart disease primarily affects men or the elderly, women are just as likely to suffer from heart disease as men. In fact, approximately 10 percent of women age 45-64 suffer from the disease.

Geeta Maharaj, nursing director at Everest College’s Salt Lake City campus explains that you don’t have to be in nursing school to know there are many things you can do to reduce the likelihood of having heart-related health problems. “One of the most important is simply to learn about how your life choices affect your heart’s health,” adds Maharaj.

The major risk factors for heart disease are inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes. In 2005-2006, the Center for Disease Control reported that 37 percent of Americans had two or more of these risk factors, potentially increasing their chances of contracting heart disease.

However, approximately one half (47 percent) of deaths caused by sudden cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals, which suggests that many people who are suffering from heart disease go undiagnosed, or are not seeking treatment.

Medical research has shown that lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels can reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack, needing heart bypass surgery, and dying from heart disease. Even for those who are currently healthy, lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of developing heart disease. “It is important to know the risk factors for heart disease and talk to your doctor about how to reduce the likelihood of suffering from a heart attack or cardiac arrest,” says Maharaj.

Even if you are not at risk for heart disease, Darlene Mention, RN, MSN, CCRN, nursing instructor at Everest University’s nursing program in Brandon, Fla., suggests taking the following steps to improve overall heart health. 

First, exercise. Your heart is a muscle, and just like your other muscles, it needs to be worked out regularly. Mention recommends that you get at least a half an hour of cardio at least five times a week.

Second, Mention suggests maintaining a healthy weight, and trying to lose extra pounds if possible. Obesity is one of the primary causes of heart disease, and is often linked to other risk factors such as having high cholesterol or being inactive.

Improving your diet can also help you lower your cholesterol and promote overall health. As a rule of thumb, Mention explains that your diet should include five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Two servings of certain fish, such as salmon, trout or mackerel a week can also promote heart health. These fish are full of fats that replenish needed oils. However, you should limit your consumption of saturated fats, which are found in full-fat dairy products, many red meats, fries and other cooking fats.

Similarly, Mention advises cutting back on salt. She explains that the recommended daily allowance is 2,300 milligrams of salt for adults, and less than 1,500 milligrams for middle-aged and older adults with elevated blood pressure. It is important to check food labels, as many processed foods have high levels of sodium. While some studies have suggested that drinking a glass of red wine at dinner may reduce the likelihood of heart attacks, in general, moderation is the key to alcohol consumption. The recommended daily limit of alcohol is three to four servings for men, and two to three for women.

In addition, Mention explains that if you are serious about your heart health, you should quit smoking. Smoking dramatically increases the likelihood of contracting heart disease. Studies have shown that female smokers are three times as likely to have a heart attack before the age of 40 than are non-smokers.

It is also important to learn the early warning signs of heart disease, which include nausea, indigestion, back pain, dizziness, fatigue, and chest pain, as early action can make a huge difference in treatment. Finally, Mention recommends that you talk to your doctor or a licensed nurse about potential preventive measures you can take, if you are at risk for contracting heart disease.

(ARA) – One in two Americans is living with a chronic disease. Chronic diseases are persistent and recurring, and are typically either hereditary or the result of factors such as poor diet, obesity or lack of exercise.

Dr. Ian Smith, creator and founder of “The 50 Million Pound Challenge” and “The Makeover Mile” is a health and nutrition expert who is constantly encouraging Americans to be proactive when it comes to their health. “Unfortunately, many Americans postpone or even skip key health screenings due to fear, lack of awareness, or cost concerns,” says Smith. “However, it’s important to know your risk so you can make the appropriate lifestyle modifications to change – or reverse – the course of chronic disease.”

Smith recommends five simple screenings as a first step in determining whether or not you are at risk for a variety of treatable – and preventable – chronic diseases. These screenings will be available for free as part of “The Makeover Mile” which he is presenting with CVS/pharmacy in conjunction with their “To Your Health” program in seven major cities across the country.

Diabetes
A simple finger prick is all that is needed to check your blood glucose levels to see if you are at risk for diabetes. If your blood glucose test shows that you are at risk for diabetes, your doctor will work with you to make certain lifestyle changes, particularly involving diet and exercise.

Blood pressure
Blood pressure is measured by a quick, painless test using a rubber cuff that is wrapped around the upper arm and inflated. If your blood pressure is consistently high, your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle changes, such as exercise, a healthy diet, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol and/or recommend a maintenance medication.

Cholesterol
Even though high cholesterol may lead to serious heart disease, most of the time there are no symptoms, which is why it is important to have your cholesterol levels checked. A rapid cholesterol test involves just a simple blood sample from the finger. As with diabetes and blood pressure, lifestyle changes such as exercise and weight loss, maintaining a healthy diet, and quitting smoking are recommended if your cholesterol levels are not within a healthy range. If the added measure of a maintenance medication is needed to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level, it is important to make sure that the medication is taken regularly, as prescribed.

Other important screenings – osteoporosis and vision
Two other important screenings that shouldn’t be overlooked are osteoporosis and vision. A simple bone mineral density test, done via low-dose X-rays, determines whether or not you are at risk for osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break. Additionally, a vision screening can help identify whether or not you are at risk for eye disease.

In an effort to help Americans take the next steps in the road to a healthy life, the CVS/pharmacy “To Your Health” program features free screenings for chronic diseases at more than 800 events across the country. The events offer each participant more than $150 in free screenings for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, bone mineral density (osteoporosis) and vision. For more information and to find an event in your area, visit www.cvs.com/toyourhealth.  For more information about “The Makeover Mile” visit www.makeovermile.com.

by: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

If you enjoy walking through Whole Foods in La Jolla, Henry’s in Santee, or Trader Joes in Mira Mesa, People’s in Ocean Beach, you might well be a “foodie” or at least someone who enjoys a fine selection of healthy food.  Purchasing or growing healthy food is one thing but you have to know how to eat right as well.

Here are some simple rules to keep in mind as you prepare your local, organic, natural, artisanal, seasonal, bounty and offerings. These rules will insure you have a “foodgasm” in the healthiest of ways.  These rules are anchored in a must-read book if eating right is your goal.  Written by Gary Taubes, “Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It” is an education that will make you question nearly everything you ever thought about when it comes to eating, exercise, fat, calories, carbs, red meat and simple sugars.

Taubes maintains that obesity is not caused:

• by eating too much
• by exercising too little
• by consuming fat

Instead he believes that obesity is the result of consuming:

• too much refined sugar
• too much white flour

This fellow is no slouch.  He is a reporter and “science nerd” who studied applied physics at Harvard and aerospace engineering at Stanford.

Taubes redefines obesity as a hormonally driven physical disorder, activated by carbohydrates, where the body can’t stop accumulating fat. He also believes that current nutritional wisdom is the result of poor science and politicking.

Taubes tells us: “fat isn’t the enemy; easily digested carbohydrates are.”   He adds:

The very foods that we’ve been sold as diet staples—fat-free yogurt, plain baked  potatoes (hold the butter), and plain pasta (hold the olive oil, sauce, and   cheese)—actually reset our physiology to make us pack on the pounds.

And the foods that we’ve been told to shun—steak, burgers, cheese, even the sour  cream so carefully scraped from that potato can help us finally lose the weight  and keep our hearts healthy.

Now for his rules:

1. Diet has “die” in it.  Don’t go ON a diet, rather, change what you eat.  Diets, research tell us, predicts weight gain.
2. Smart nutritionists teach us to shop the “periphery of supermarkets.”  This will help you avoid BHA, BHT, sodium nitrites—and instead choose whole fruits, organic veggies, real meats (rather than chicken fingers), fresh fish (instead of fish sticks) and healthy dairy products.
3. Calories don’t make you fat.  Simple carbs like sugar, honey and refined white flour do.  It’s your glycemic index that you need to watch — so peanuts, not pretzels, black beans, not watermelon, chocolate cake, not fruit roll-ups.
4. Think farms, not factories.  Especially when it comes to meat.  Remember these terms:  organic, local, grass-fed, pastured and free-range.
5. Make your meals colorful.  Dip your fork into colors that come from leafy, cruciferous or brightly colored vegetables.
6. Follow Taube’s weight loss plan that includes low carbs, much meat, plenty of plants, minimal dairy and eat when you’re hungry.  Don’t limit fat. Say goodbye to pasta, bread, rice and hidden sugars. Be picky about your veggies due to some of their carb content.
7. Did I say anything about fruit?  Good.  Tread lightly on those pretty sugar filled devils.
8. Don’t worry about dietary saturated fat.  The “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” reported no connection between saturated fats and rates of heart attack.  It’s the trans fat that you ought to watch out for if you want to control your LDL cholesterol, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.  Adding omega-3’s and monounsaturated fats will help reduce the risk of heart disease, arthritis and even lower the risk of some cancers.

Keep shopping in the wonderful San Diego meccas of healthy foods but be sure you are cooking and eating smartly. If you want to build a food kingdom, make exercise queen and healthy eating king. Or is it the other way around?  Taubes makes the case that despite what we are told by health “authorities,” science tells us that exercise alone will neither help us maintain our weight if we are lean, nor lose weight if we are fat.