Kimberly Garrison

Daily News column for July 6 edition

SURELY, LIKE myself, Luther Vandross fans everywhere are mourning his passing Friday. The legendary R&B vocalist and Grammy winner was 54 years young.

While the hospital did not disclose the cause of death, it is believed that he never fully recovered from a stroke he suffered a little more than two years ago.

As I reflect and celebrate his life, I also want to take this opportunity to increase awareness about strokes, America's third leading cause of death.

According to the American Stroke Association, nearly 700,000 people experience a first or recurrent stroke every year. Nationwide, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds, and someone dies of a stroke every three minutes.

Globally, stroke is the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. For reasons not fully understood, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans and Africans are more frequently victims of this deadly disease and are more likely to die from stroke than white people are.

Are you a three-percenter? According to the Archives of Internal Medicine only 3% of Americans lead a healthy lifestyle. What qualifies as a healthy lifestyle:

1. No Smoking
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
3. Eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables per day
4. Exercise (a minimum of 30 mintues 5 days per week)

Where do you stand?

Daily News column for July 13 edition

YOU MIGHT say he's picture perfect.

Tall and striking, at 58 he's the author of five successful books on weight loss and nutrition (including one of my personal favorites) and probably one of the most cutting-edge physicians in medicine.

I first saw Dr. Howard M. Shapiro on "Oprah" several years ago talking about his first book, "Picture Perfect Weight Loss," which paired photographs of healthy and not-so-healthy meals to dramatically illustrate how to make better food choices. I loved that book and often recommend it to clients.

In "Picture Perfect," Shapiro explained that there are no forbidden foods. That's precisely my kind of nutrition plan.

A native of New Jersey, Shapiro received a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University, a master's from George Washington University and a medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his radiology residency at my undergraduate alma mater, Temple University.

Shapiro is a health warrior, if you will, a revolutionary who combines plain old common sense with medicine to help everyday people live better lives.

Recently, the doctor and I met at the Four Seasons Hotel to discuss his newest book, "Picture Perfect Prescription." He shared some of his secrets for a happy, healthy and long life.

You and your food

"The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your relationship with food," Shapiro said. "Diets don't work. Deprivation is counterproductive, and fasting can actually harm you."

I agree.

The bottom line is that about 98 percent of people who lose weight using quick-fix methods and fad diets typically gain all the weight back and then some, studies show.

Shapiro on the other hand, recommends that you eat when hungry and until you are satisfied - but with awareness. "Take charge of your choices so that you enjoy the variety of foods available to you while you lose weight and maintain your weight loss for life."

Eating right isn't just about weight loss, either, he pointed out.

"The way we eat is killing us. It is making us fat, and it is setting us up for debilitating and destructive diseases that erode the quality of our lives even as they cut our lives short."

Wow, talk about food for thought.

Hi, here I am and this is what I'll be doing.

Kimberly Garrison's Girlfriends Locker Room is your on-line guide to get information on women痴 wellness, health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, and much more.

Girlfriend, this is your 24/7 resource to find and share advice. At last, a health and lifestyle support and information guide for REAL women seeking solutions for better health, fitness, and life.

Join in the exchange and share your opinions or give advice. Don't be shy. This is a blog where we all get to share our thoughts.

Is hair drama keeping you from getting your exercise in? Many women are sacrificing their health and fitness trying to maintain perfectly coiffed hair. As paradoxical is it may seem, you can maintain a fitness lifestyle and keep your hair looking good too. You simply have to find a style that will work with your workouts and the rest of your lifestyle. What solutions have some of you ladies developed to combat hair drama?

THE ADS promise everything. Take this pill, wear this sauna suit, try this body wrap - lose 30 pounds in 30 days!

Maybe you've tried some of these products or techniques; maybe you've even lost some weight. But it's only temporary.

The one thing all these weight-loss products have in common is an emphasis on water-weight loss.

You're looking to get rid of body fat, and the scale seems to indicate you have. But what you really lost was water.

Inevitably, when we lose weight a portion of the weight loss will be water. However, the goal is to decrease water weight loss so the body is forced to turn up its metabolic furnace and burn more body fat.

"These products offer false hope and are a waste of money," said personal trainer Jeff Shablin of Optimal Personal Fitness in Philadelphia. "Focus on exercise and good nutrition. There is no cure in a pill or a product."

Kristie Spalding, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego, agreed.

Gastric Bypass is all the rage right now. However, this is a serious operation that begs the question: Do the benefits out weight the risks? According to a recent report by nbc6.net in Florida, 典en to 20 percent of patients who have weight-loss surgery require follow-up operations to correct complications. " Read the full story and let
me know what you think.

Is drinking cows milk really healthy for us or is it just marketing hype? No other animals drink the milk of other animals nor do they continue to drink milk after infancy. Why do we? Most of the world does not drink dairy products at all. Yet countries like Japan where dairy is not consumed have little to no osteoporosis. According to Harvard Medical School, the high animal protein contents of milk, leaches calcium from your bones. Check out www.milksucks.com and let me know what you think.

Daily News column for July 27 edition

UNTIL RECENTLY, the "nutrition bars" that hit the fitness scene in the late '80s were consumed almost exclusively by endurance athletes like seven-time Tour de France cycling champion Lance Armstrong.

Now recreational athletes, corporate execs, soccer moms and just about everybody has jumped on the nutrition-bar bandwagon.

But for the average consumer, do these products deliver healthy nutritional alternatives or just more healthy-eating hype?

Do most people - including the average daily exerciser - need the extra calories contained in nutrition bars? Do these "meal replacements" really satisfy hunger and provide the same quality of nutrients as recommended servings of the five food groups?

How nutritious are these bars - or are many of them just "designer" candy bars?

I love the new Dove Ad that features "real" women and not models. This is a welcome change and a bold move which I applaud. "Real" women are beautiful and it's about time that diversity is reflected in advertising! Quite naturally, this ad has drawn lots of attention and much debate. What do you girlfriends think? Check out the ad at www.dove.com