Dr. Internet, M.D.

The internet can be your worst enemy... and your best friend.

Last week, a good friend of mine was experiencing severe stomach pains and, like any technology-savvy person, went straight to WebMD.com. After filling out a quiz about her symptoms, her online doctor told her there were 28 possible conditions that were causing her discomfort and she should seek medical attention immediately.

Since she wasn't completely dependent on her online doctor, who was not only lacking personality but also a medical degree (not such minor details). She decided to call an After Hours service to speak to someone directly who was trained. The nurse she spoke with told her to take meds and attempt to go back to sleep and see a doctor in the morning if she was still in pain.

However, due to the continuation of the pain, she headed straight to the emergency room, and it's a good thing she did.

After a number of tests, the doctors determined that her appendix was on the verge of rupturing. This was one of the possibilities that her online doctor had listed. Good diagnosis, WebMD.

A few hours later, she was in operating room and had her appendix removed laparoscopically. The next day in recovery, she was speaking with her surgeon and shared her story of how it was the Web site (and the non-changing pain) that encouraged her to head to the hospital. Though her doctor did not encourage people to rely solely on the internet, he said that legitimate Web sites, such as WebMD, can really serve useful and have helped patients hone in on symptoms.

Football + Food = Failure

I honestly think the only vegetables I consumed this weekend were the lettuce and tomato on my hamburger. Well, unless the potatoes in the accompanying fries count. Oh yeah, they don't.

The Florida/Georgia game in Jacksonville, Fla. is known as the biggest cocktail party of the year, but unfortunately those cocktails aren't served with a nutrient-filled sidekick. Instead, they are partnered with calorie-packed, fried foods. All the restaurants have game day menus that are brimming with fast-cooking foods that accommodate the largest number of people but are lacking most essential food groups. Even the so-called "healthy options" were scattered with fried chicken and lots of creamy dressing.

In an article in Forbes, stadiums battled it out for which served the healthiest food. As well as suggesting options to cut calories when heading out to the ball game.

Things I learned from the game:
1. Eat before the game. No matter what, it is virtually impossible to find a healthy snack at a football stadium. It's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.
2. Make your own tailgate, don't join another. By bringing your own munchies, you will know exactly what you are consuming.
3. When in doubt, drink water. It rids some of your hunger and chances are, you're probably pretty dehydrated.

You'll be sorry if you're sleepless

Rarely do I get enough sleep. Getting in six hours is honestly considered a "good night," and I'll still be exhausted the next day.

I've always just assumed that the only real effect is constantly feeling tired, but recently I stumbled upon an interesting article that proved I could be causing potential long-term damage to my body. Greaaat.

According to an article from the American Psychological Association there are about 40 million Americans who suffer from more than 70 different disorders related to lack-of-sleep.

After some extensive reading online about how important sleep is, below is an excerpt from from Harvard Medical School that includes some facts you might not know.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

Bottom line: get some zzz's. [Note: I need to heed my own advice, as it is currently 12:40 a.m.]

First is the worst, second is the best

At the University of Florida, football is like a religion.

Every week, pray to the football gods (Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer) and hope that they will lead us to glory. Last Saturday, although we added another win under our belt, we dropped to number two. Thanks a lot, Alabama.

Though we are by no means out of the running for anything, this led me to thinking about the role of the underdog, and how sometimes it helps not to be No. 1.

I've always been a fan of the team that isn't favored to win, and it turns out that many others think the same way. Here are two articles that agree and support the underdog:

The New Yorker
An independent blog

Well, on that note - GO GATORS!

Dangerous Diets

She chowed down on not one but two grapefruits in a row before class started two days ago. I had never spoken to her, as we sat on opposite sides of the room in this class, but after her rapid consumption I couldn't help but overhear her talking about this "miracle diet" she was on -- The Grapefruit Diet.

[http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/ear0947l.jpg]

According to an article on WebMD.com, this diet has been around since the 1930s and is considered to be a fast pass weight loss system -- with the average person losing about 10 pounds in 12 days. However, these 10 pounds are normally water weight and come right back upon return to your "normal" diet.

For some reason, this diet has acquired the name "The Mayo Clinic Diet," when in reality, the renowned Mayo Clinic does not endorse or promote this whatsoever, only that grapefruits are a good low-calorie addition to your diet, but not a good entire diet.

To those grapefruit dieters - realize that you are lacking many nutritious values -- I'd just stick with exercise and a well-balanced, well-rounded diet.

Glee is all the hype, literally

Tired? Need a boost? Just take pseudoephedrine, or decongestant drugs, like the cast of Glee did. It certainly hyped them up.

In the last episode, aired Oct. 7, the school nurse's character (well, actually a woman pretending to be a nurse) gave the cast decongestant drugs to enhance performance. As shown in the clip below, it definitely added extra spunk.

As an avid Glee follower, I was intrigued by this drug use, and immediately looked it up online after the episode. Turns out, it got a lot of backlash. Associated Content and Entertainment Weekly both published articles almost immediately talking about the negative mixed message this show is sending to viewers, most of which are high school students. Turns out, pseudoephedrine is involved in the production of Meth and is widely controlled and monitored around the nation. Is this really a message we want to be sending? I think not.

Is it wrong that mainstream media outlets are producing shows that support the abuse of over-the-counter drugs? Feel free to share your thoughts.

She knows her stuff

Her day begins at 2:45 a.m.

She has coffee and a pudding, thoroughly reads all daily publications, gets on the treadmill to run 8-10 miles -- then, she goes to the gym. After weightlifting and possibly a kickboxing class, she is the first one to open the doors to her office. Marta Montenegro is not only a certified personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, with two masters' degrees under her belt, she is also the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of SOBeFit Magazine.

[http://sobefitmagazine.com/default.aspx]

Marta came and spoke to our class on Thursday. She shared her insight and experiences about starting up one of the newest, trendy Florida health and fitness magazines, SOBeFit. Her magazine, with just three issues to date, has become quite the success and won five 2009 Charlie awards including the silver award for "Best New Magazine."

The magazine is great and packed with relevant, healthy advice. Marta says she has a loyalty to her readers to make sure all the content is safe and sends positive messages.

When asked her motivation to do it all, she responded with, "I just think that someone is training or working harder than me, and I want to beat that."

Like I said, she knows her stuff.

Why join a group?

Group fitness classes are some of the most popular ways to get into shape. They have been around since the beginning of time, from the 80s Jazzercise to the recent trendy Zumba, and continue to attract men and women both young and old.

I had a chat with one of University of Florida's fitness instructors, Melanie Rubin, 20, and found out the 411 about group fitness. Melanie currently teaches four different classes - total body, turbokick, cycling and core.

Fitnecessity: How did you become a group fitness instructor?
Melanie: I participated in UF's instructor training program, which was a 10-week, labor-intensive program that involved practices and training multiple times a week. After the 10 weeks, there was a final audition and thereafter, I was hired to be an instructor.

Fitnecessity: What would tell someone who was attending a group fitness class for the first time?
Melanie: I would tell them to expect to get a great workout while having a lot of fun! Group fitness is a motivating environment, so they must be prepared to be challenged. Just follow along with the instructor, relax and have fun!

Fitnecessity: What is your ideal workout?
Melanie: Something that involves both cardio and strengthening portions. I think it is important to get the heart rate up, get yourself sweating and start burning those calories by doing some form of cardiovascular exercise.

Thanks, Mel. If you go to UF, I highly suggest you go to one of her classes, and be prepared to sweat. A lot.

Marathon or maraproblems?

[http://blog.syracuse.com/healthfitness/2008/04/large_marathon.jpg]

I never aspired to be one of those super athletes. Marathons and triathlons were just never my calling, and it turns out I might be better off for it.

According to an article in the New York Times health section, a recent European study of male runners in their 50s-70s who had run marathons showed that more than one-third had a plaque build-up on their arteries.

After the initial study was released, a different independent study in Canada had contradicting results:

“We showed that that there was none of the damage you’d expect to see” based on the troponin and other cardiac-damage markers in the runners’ blood, he [Davinder S. Jassal, MD, an assistant professor of cardiology, radiology, and physiology at the University of Manitoba medical school in Winnipeg] says. “We strongly believe” that the blood markers “did not indicate true heart damage and any injury was purely temporary.”

This led me to thinking - how much is too much exercise? Really, I think it depends on the body type and amount of training. Someone who has trained their heart for this kind of exertion might have a better long-term reaction to a race of this type. The article agrees, the Canadian study results showed that those who had successfully run previous marathons did now show the damaging results.

According to marathonrookie.com, "it takes a lot more than good old determination and willpower to get you through training and the big day."

Well, I guess I'll just stick to my spin class and elliptical machine and leave the marathons to the pros.

The last few miles

It was about time. Though I love Gainesville, and all that it has to offer, I was ready to take a much-needed trip home this weekend. Thursday after class ended, I jolted to my car, started the engine and began the six-hour trek to Miami.

When I got on the road it was about noon, which possibly was the worst time to leave. I knew that by the time I reached South Florida the last 50 miles would be bumper-to-bumper traffic. Fabulous.

Note to readers: I absolutely hate this drive under any condition. The Florida Turnpike is possibly the most boring road with no pretty scenery (well, besides a couple hundred orange trees and a mount trashmore or two). If it wasn't for my lime green iPod, I really don't know what I would do.

Sure enough, just as I was entering Miami-Dade county, the final stretch of my drive, I was greeted by the 5 p.m. rush hour. Welcome home to me.

By this time, I was itching to just get out my non-moving car and do a couple Chinese fire drills. Due to the possible safety risk, and well, social conformity, I decided against this option. However, I did get on my Blackberry and look up some exercises to do while sitting in the car. (Don't worry, Mom and Dad, at this point I was stationary in traffic, the car was in park and I was completely aware of my surroundings).

I found some interesting tidbits that I thought would share with you.

1. Thanks to TravelingMom.com, this article about how to survive road trips offered some useful advice. The article suggests that since when driving there are certain muscles that you can't move, to take advantage and work the more than 50 muscles in your face. Some ways to do this are to fill your cheeks with air, move your mouth from side-to-side, make funny faces, etc. Luckily, when I did this, I didn't get any strange looks from the cars around me.

2. A fellow health blogger, Heather Long, has an entry that recommends antsy drivers double check their seat position and posture. When putting your hands on the steering wheel, they should be resting comfortably and never straining to put extra pressure on other parts of your body.

3. In the same blog entry, Long suggests that drivers take advantage of time in the car to work the buttocks and abdomen. Drivers can use the upright position to tighten both the abs and butt. Though she says it is not a full workout, it certainly can't hurt.

4. Chris Akard, a fitness expert, created this video, with a full car workout. He coaches through isometrics to do at stop signs, when to turn the music up, and other ways to avoid road rage. It's worth it to take the minute and 30 seconds to watch.


As I mentally prepare to do the reverse drive in a few days, I think these tips will certainly help, well, and a charged iPod, some snacks and avoiding rush hour.

Happy New Year

For many of you reading, you probably see this post and think that I'm a few months early. On the contrary, this past weekend I celebrated, in addition to a great Gator win, the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah - or the Jewish New Year of 5770.

For those of you not familiar with Rosh Hashanah it is a two-day long holiday that is celebrated worldwide, and a good portion of it, like many other holidays, revolves around food. Though I'm by no means complaining, it revolves around high-calorie, high-sugar, yet completely delicious food, to be exact.

The main symbol of the holiday is eating apples dipped in honey with every meal. These two items together symbolize a sweet new year for everyone. Thanks to modern times, this now also includes dipping all types of things in honey - bread, chocolate, other fruits, etc.


This tasty snack, in addition to a full meal of turkey, brisket, stuffing, souffle, and every other component to any great holiday dinner, made for quite the food coma.

This got me to thinking about the token article in many November magazines having some theme of "How to Survive the Holidays without getting Fat." Well, for most college students, the holidays really begin in August, with weekly football tailgates, Halloween around the corner, and then the slew of seasonal holidays starting with Thanksgiving. Get rea

Do we know our H2O?

When I was perusing around the New York Times Web site the other day, I came across an brilliantly crafted, investigative reporting series on a subject that really affects everyone -- water.

"Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering," by Charles Duhigg, which brings to light the modern-day realities of the dangers in the water circulating some parts of the U.S., was originally published on Sept. 12 and has already accumulated more than 478 comments.

From the get-go I immediately had flashes of the Erin Brokovich movie, as the story line was eerily similar -- unsuspecting citizens, unfortunate health trends, ignoring public policy. Except in this case Julia Roberts wasn't the main character, but instead innocent people like you and I took the lead.

"Because most of today’s water pollution has no scent or taste, many people who consume dangerous chemicals do not realize it, even after they become sick, researchers say."

The lengthy article is brimming with statistics and information that make you want to turn off your sink and pick up that bottled, guaranteed-to-be-uncontaminated water. Instead of sitting here summarizing the article (instead, just go read it. Really.) I think that the best part was the interactive sidebars. I was able to look up the state of Florida and see that it was freckled with places that have had recorded water violations. Including one right here in Gainesville. Fabulous. Additionally, accompanying the article was a map listing the number of water facilities coupled with the number of those that have proof of violating the Clean Water Act. In Florida, there are 477.5 water facilities. Of that number, according to the New York Times Web site, 133.8 have violated the Clean Water Act. Though compared to other states this number is low, that is still 133.8 potentially harmful facilities in the state.

If you don't have time to check out the full article, take 3 minutes and 27 seconds out of your day and watch the video. The New York Times uploaded it to YouTube and you can watch it here.

Some expert advice

"In the news and entertainment industry, nothing happens by chance."

If there was nothing else we took away from his talk, Paul L. Doering, M.S., wanted us to really understand and evaluate this phrase. As a media-savvy pharmacist who serves as an expert source for big name news outlets, Doering shared some of his insight and experiences with our Health and Fitness Writing class.

Though his talk encompassed a number of topics from side effects to radio talk shows, the part that was most compelling was his relationship with ABC News. Doering serves as a health consultant for ABC News and inquired as to how many health-related press releases ABC News receives. The answer: about 650 per week. Though he said that some of these must be PR people trying to get some free publicity for their drug, some are the results of major studies, some are medical discoveries - and everything in between. Though I ultimately wasn't surprised, he said that only five stories get national airtime each week, and only a handful more are published on the Web. I guess it just made me think of the 640 stories that don't get told. Those could have been the stories that made the difference in someone's life, but then again, maybe not. Well, as Doering says, nothing happens by chance. I guess we just have to rely on the media to determine what our chance is.

I had it coming

This morning, it happened. "It." The time (and hopefully the only time this semester) that I get sick. It happens every semester, and through the years I have learned how to deal. The early-morning CVS run to get the needed meds (and maybe a DVD or two), learning to avoid the UF Infirmary at all costs (more on this later), and other routines that have been drastically improved since I was freshmeat.

When I woke up this morning with a horse-like cough, I got on my computer and started googling worst-case scenarios. The very last thing I wanted was to be part of "swine oh nine." But without any fever, stomach issues, congestion, I ruled this out. It seems to be just cough, and it's already getting better. Whew.

This led me to thinking, as college students most of the time we become energizer bunny protege's and consider ourselves invincible. This, as my swollen throat proved this morning, is far from the truth. Sometimes, we just have to slow down, go to bed early a night or two, and consider preventative health measures.

CollegeTips.com has some tips for college students to avoid getting sick, but the truth is, most people blatantly ignore these tips-- such as never sharing a drink = goodbye beerpong... and your social life. Another tip, wear gloves all the time, well, you don't want to be known as the weird freak on your floor. My advice: get sleep. I find that when I get the sickest, its after a few days with minimal sleep.

Until then, I'm back to my tea and chicken noodle.

Beware of the Swine

As professors started a fresh semester, most added one new line their syllabuses - I dub it "The Mandatory, Worst-Case-Scenario Swine Flu Mention." It was the same lecture in every class - "If you think you have Swine Flu, stay home. No really, we can't penalize you."

But really, is this Swine Flu, or H1N1 Virus a real concern?

It appears so. According to a New York Times article, Students at Washinton State University, about 2,000 of them to be more precise, have confirmed cases of Swine Flu. Lovely.

May 8 was case No. 1 of the Swine Flu in Gainesville, and the numbers have increased since then. I must think, if it were to break out anywhere, crowding 88,000 sweaty people into the Swamp on Saturday seemed like the prime germfest.

My advice: take advantage of the antibacterial hand sanitizer placed throughout campus that the University is spending our ever-decreasing dollars on.

What's in a spork?

When I think of the elementary school cafeteria, images of Styrofoam trays, long tables, illegally sharing food, and of course, sporks, all come to mind.

Apparently, these kids in New Orleans thought so, too.

But the Nola natives were determined to change that. In 2006, a group called Rethink formed. Their mission - to get rid of sporks. They succeeded. Sporks are no longer allowed in New Orleans cafeterias. Though it might seem trivial, through this statement the Rethinkers were working to reshape school lunches.

According to this article on www.prospect.org, school lunches can potentially be a much larger health risk then most give credit for. In fact, as stated in the article, only 37 percent of schools offer fresh or local food. The Rethinkers, who work with the New Orleans Food and Farm Network, have been working since 2006 to increase that statistic.

Now, the sporks have gone national. Michelle Obama has taken it into her own hands, literally, to help improve nutrition in public schools. She planted a vegetable garden at The White House with middle-school students to show them they can take hold of their nutritional future.

President Obama seems to support his wife, as mentioned late in the article he said at a Democratic National Committee roundtable, "We provide an awful lot of school lunches out there and -- and reimburse local school districts for school-lunch programs. ... We've got to [get] local farmers connected to school districts, because that would benefit the farmers, delivering fresh produce, but right now they just don't have the distribution mechanisms set up."

How's that for some food for thought.

And so it begins...

Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Fitnecessity -- a student-created health and fitness blog designed to be both informative and interesting. As part of a semester-long project, this blog will be a means to share articles, discuss current events and really just vent about anything health and/or fitness related. So, welcome - I do hope you enjoy reading.