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Commuting by car doesn’t just try your patience. An Australian study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that it can also lead to weight gain, even if you’re active on the weekends. One answer is to turn at least part of your commute into a workout. As cities with municipal bike programs like New York and Cleveland have shown, biking is a quick way to get around and get great exercise. You don’t have to be a world-class cyclist or even go very fast to gain benefits from this low-impact cardio activity. Of course, you want to take all the necessary safety precautions. That means making sure your bike is in good working order. Wear a helmet plus any other protective gear that’s appropriate for you. Obey local traffic rules and take safe routes, preferably those with a dedicated bike lane. If your commute is too long to bike the entire way, try other ideas to shorten your time in the car. For instance, park your car 15 minutes from your office and walk the rest of the way — you’ll arrive less stressed. You’ll also unwind on the way back to your car at the end of the day. If you commute with mass transit, build some activity into your mornings by getting off one stop short of your destination. If… read on >

Smokers often think their habit won’t have health consequences until far into the future, a small survey suggests. Researchers found that compared with nonsmokers, those who smoke generally believe that any health problems — from yellow teeth to lung cancer — would strike later in life. It’s a perception, researchers said, that might delay some people’s efforts to quit. Smoking rates in the United States have fallen substantially over the years, noted Dr. Norman Edelman, senior scientific advisor for the American Lung Association. That’s due to efforts like cigarette taxes and, in particular, public education about the many health hazards of tobacco use, said Edelman, who was not involved in the study. Even so, many people continue to light up. As of 2016, nearly 38 million Americans said they smoked on at least “some days,” according to a report released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s no secret, Edelman said, that “smokers tend to minimize the health risks.” And the new findings, recently published online in the Journal of Cognitive Psychology, underscore that view. “This isn’t surprising,” Edelman said. “But it is important information.” He said it might be wise for education efforts to emphasize the short-term consequences of smoking — describing not only what they are, but how quickly they can show up. As examples, he pointed to… read on >

If you’ve just shed a lot of pounds, you might want to hold off on buying a new wardrobe full of “thin” clothes. That’s because new research finds that lost weight starts creeping back almost immediately after a diet stops. “We noticed that individuals transitioned from a weight loss intervention immediately to weight gain,” said Kathryn Ross, of the University of Florida, Gainesville, College of Public Health and Health Professions. As to why weight started to come back so quickly, Ross said, “There are a lot of different reasons. There’s not an easy answer.” It may be that people need a specific maintenance intervention where the focus shifts from how to lose weight to how to maintain that loss. Ross said people also need to understand how challenging the environment is, and how it’s geared to weight gain because of the easy and seemingly endless access to high-calorie foods. People also get a lot of positive reinforcement when they’re losing weight. Family and friends probably comment on what a great job the dieter’s doing. Once weight loss is done, however, no one pats you on the back and says, “Hey, great job maintaining your weight!” said Ross, an assistant professor in the clinical and health psychology department. There are also physiologic and metabolic changes that may make it easier to regain weight if you’re not… read on >

The growing popularity of snowboarding and skiing has meant more injuries on the slopes, a new review shows. In 2015, more than 140,000 people were treated in U.S. hospitals, doctors’ offices and emergency rooms for skiing and snowboarding-related injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Snowboarders are three times more likely than skiers to be injured. In 1989, snowboarding injuries accounted for 4 percent of all snow sport-related injuries, before rising to 56 percent by 1999, according to the review. The review was published this month in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. “Skiing and snowboarding are associated with a large number of injuries, with specific patterns and anatomic areas affected,” said study author and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Brett Owens. “While some injuries are unavoidable, many are caused by skiers and snowboarders exceeding their comfort zone in either speed or technical challenges on the mountain,” Owens said in a journal news release. “It is critical to stay in control and be prepared to slow and stop to avoid contact with another person on the slope.” The most common skiing and snowboarding injuries are to the spine, pelvis, shoulders, wrists, hands, knees, feet and ankles. “Snow sport athletes can best prepare for their sport with a general preseason conditioning program, as well as familiarity and maintenance of equipment,” said Owens, who’s… read on >

Relaxing in a hot sauna may not only feel good — it might affect your heart and blood vessels in ways that are similar to moderate exercise. That’s the finding of a new study that tested the effects of a 30-minute sauna session. The researchers say their results may help explain why people who regularly use saunas tend to have a decreased risk for heart disease and even dementia. On average, the study found, sauna users saw a drop in blood pressure and artery “stiffness” immediately after their heat bath. They also showed an increase in heart rate that was similar to the effect from moderate exercise. It’s not fully clear why, but the sauna heat is “one major factor,” said researcher Tanjaniina Laukkanen, of the University of Eastern Finland, in Kuopio. For one, heat generates sweating: “That’s like a natural diuretic effect — lowering blood pressure and decreasing the work load of the heart,” Laukkanen explained. On top of that, the researcher added, saunas simply help people relax. The study, which involved 102 middle-aged adults, was conducted in Finland — where “sauna bathing” originated and remains ubiquitous. In a study last year, Laukkanen’s team found that men who often used saunas had lower rates of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease than did those who used saunas less often. But that did not prove the… read on >

Do you often feel grumpy at work? Sometimes a small change in your surroundings can have a big effect on your mood. According to a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, having some greenery in your office space can make you both happier and more productive. British and Dutch researchers decided to challenge the business concept that stresses minimal office decor and clean desks. They did a number of experiments in large commercial offices to compare the impact of lean offices to “green” offices. In all cases, they found that having office plants created a better work environment. One possible explanation is that greenery increases engagement by making people more physically, cognitively and emotionally involved in their jobs. Plants offer health benefits, too, because they act as natural air filters — important if your work area has stale air or common pollutants. You don’t need a bright window — or any window for that matter — to have a mood-boosting plant at your desk. Many species thrive in low light and with little effort. Peace lilies, ferns, palms, mother-in-law’s tongue and some philodendrons do especially well. Pothos plants don’t even need soil — just put a few leafy clippings in a vase filled with water and enjoy. Whatever your choice, be sure to follow the grower’s directions so your plant does well, especially… read on >

With a severe flu season now widespread across 46 states, do symptoms you or a loved one have point to the dreaded illness? Amid the sniffles, coughing and fever, “it’s sometimes difficult to determine whether you have the common cold or the flu,” said Dr. Boris Khodorkovsky. He’s associate chair of emergency medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. But it’s an important question, he said, because while colds and flu share some symptoms, flu can become severe enough to land you in the hospital. Certain symptoms — runny nose, congestion, sneezing, minor body aches and fever — are common to both maladies. But “your alarm should go off when you start experiencing high fever and chills” — that’s most probably the flu, Khodorkovsky said. He said “high fever” is typically thought of in this context as 101 degrees or above, but lower fevers can sometimes occur in otherwise severe flu. Dr. Len Horovitz, an emergency physician at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital, agreed. He added that one thing to watch for is how quickly the illness escalates. “The common cold can come on slowly — sore throat, sneezing, cough, fever — while the flu is rapid in onset,” Horovitz said. “The onset of flu is also often “accompanied by severe body aches, weakness and sometimes skin sensitivity,” he added. If… read on >

Though healthy eating is good for everyone, those who have genes that put them at high risk for obesity might benefit the most. A new study suggests that even those who carry an inherited predisposition to pack on excess pounds are not destined to become obese. In fact, researchers say it can be avoided over time by adopting a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and unencumbered by salt, sugar, alcohol and red meat. The finding stems from a new analysis of diet, lifestyle and medical data on about 14,000 men and women that had been collected for two earlier studies. “We found that eating healthy foods — high intake of vegetable, fruits, whole grain, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low intakes of trans fat, fried foods and sugary drinks — lowers the risk of obesity and promotes weight loss for all populations,” said study author Dr. Lu Qi. “Interestingly, the protective effects appear to be more evident among those at higher genetic risk,” he said. Qi serves as director of the Obesity Research Center at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in New Orleans. The study was published Jan. 10 in The BMJ. Qi and his colleagues stressed that obesity risk is driven by a complex brew of genetic and environmental factors. Also, although DNA analyses can easily spot… read on >

Wine and spirits are tallied in the “empty calories” column because they lack any nutritional benefits. Add cream or soda to make a mixed drink and you can more than double the caloric damage. So how can you enjoy a cocktail without wrecking your diet? Here are some options. Choose your alcoholic drinks wisely. A light beer has about a third less calories than regular beer. A shot of vodka, whiskey or gin — that’s 1.5 fluid ounces — has about 100 calories or less; so does a 4-ounce glass of wine or champagne. When you want a mixed drink, make your own lighter version of classics by limiting the amount of alcohol you put in. For instance, for a Bloody Mary, mix half the amount of vodka with extra tomato juice and spices. If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll want to skip some drinks, especially those made with cream liqueurs, like those flavored with chocolate and coconut, as well as drinks with cream or creamy ingredients like Egg Nog, Pina Coladas and White Russians. Some of these indulgences have more than 400 calories — the amount in an entire meal of wholesome ingredients. Prepackaged drink mixers might be convenient, but they’re also very high in sugar. Make your own flavored frozen daiquiris and margaritas by blending a shot of liquor with unsweetened frozen… read on >

Where you live could influence how likely you are to develop heart failure, a new U.S. study suggests. In addition to people’s income and education level, the neighborhood in which they lived helped predict their risk, according to the researchers. People living in the poorest areas were at highest risk for heart failure, the researchers found. The availability of gyms, places to buy healthy foods and medical facilities accounted for nearly 5 percent of the increased heart failure risk in low-income areas, the study suggested. The researchers noted that improving access to these resources could benefit people living in these neighborhoods. “There is existing evidence suggesting strong, independent associations between personal socioeconomic status — like education, income level and occupation — and risks of heart failure and many other chronic diseases,” said study author Loren Lipworth. She’s an associate professor of epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “What this study adds is evidence suggesting that characteristics of your place of residence actually also play a significant role in influencing the risk of heart failure over and above the role of your own individual socioeconomic characteristics,” she said in a news release from the American Heart Association. “It opens the door for possible interventions that center on preventive measures in the community.” The researchers used Census data on just over 27,000 middle-aged residents, to… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Turn Your Commute Into a Daily Workout

Tobacco’s Harms May Come Sooner Than Smokers Think

You’ve Lost the Weight. How Soon Before It Comes Back?

How to Stay Safe on the Mountain

Sauna Sessions May Be as Good as Exercise for the Heart

Take Your Houseplant to Work Day

Is It a Cold or Flu? Here’s How to Tell

Those With ‘Obesity Genes’ May Gain Most From Healthy Eating

Smarter, Slimmer Alcoholic Drinks

Life in Poor Neighborhoods Is Hard on the Heart