CT Olson fitness blog

How to fix our sustenance system

2009-09-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

davidallentv Pollan uncovers agriculture's murky ethics http://bit.ly/UizUh

We’ve come up with the one diet that makes people sick,” Pollan exclaimed on Thursday during his speech. Still, we have yet to reorganize the sustenance system our lives depend on.
With these concerns grew the concept, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants,” the main philosophy in Pollan’s, “In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto.” These seven simple words work together to show consumers that purchasing and cooking does not have to be difficult, and in turn, people will discover that eating this way comes with great pleasure. Pollan offers steps along the way to help the consumer navigate the maze that is known as our modern supermarkets.
The first rule being, don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize. Another guideline to follow is, if something has more than five ingredients, it isn’t food. Or as Pollan said more bluntly on Thursday, “Don’t eat anything you see advertised on television.”
He stresses meals should be cooked and eaten at a table, in the company of a family member or friend. The issue with fast food is that “by definition, you’re meant to eat quickly and usually in isolation,” Pollan said in an exclusive interview. He encourages people to eat a home-cooked meal four to five nights a week.

Insanity tips

2009-09-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Brutally fit but you'll get into it. This program is yet another world class contribution by one of the elite trainers at Beachbody. It is serious stuff for the seriously fit and those who want to be. There aren’t many modifications of the program. If I had to choose a word to describe it, it is I like to say brutal. There’s no two ways around it – max intervals are hard. They are supposed to be by definition near the top of your effort level for bursts of time followed by rest. But unlike traditional intervals, max intervals require long periods of max effort with little rest. It’s like 60 days of fitness torture. The only reason you can have a prayer is body areas are cycled so that you don’t quite get fatigued in a particular area like say legs because the next interval might involve core or upper body. On the other side, it is amazing the changes you make over time. You add incredible capacity and endurance for all-out effort. This is applicable to many sports or even just feeling better overall. You will feel awesome after doing this and be better in just about every aspect of activities where intensity is rewarded. I feel like I could compete in the 400 meters and probably do well for my age bracket after doing this program.

With that in mind I thought I’d share what I learned after recently completing a round of Insanity, with the intent of helping others avoid pitfalls and have a great round.

Take the fitness test. This is a key to tracking your progress. It's a little different for someone like me who is already kind of at my goal weight and came in very fit already. But much to my happy surprise, the numbers in my fitness test bear out an incredible increase in capacity for intense bursts of vigorous effort. In short - I'm kicking butt REALLY hard on cardio after doing Insanity! :)

Do YOUR best, by this I mean – I’d love to be as quick or as strong as some of the folks on the video, but realistically at my age I am not. But I do have a “slow/medium/fast or all-out” and that’s what I do. I know this because of my HR monitor. You need to be able to gauge this with a monitor and with your own sense of effort level. Maintaining form for me is paramount to avoiding injury, the bane of my existence for staying fit as I age. Doing that means at times backing off the accelerator a bit (just a bit). Typically I’m still burning upwards of 1000 cals per workout and conditioning my body like a pro athlete.

Hip flexor stretch – I read some about this online. It’s crucial you do these stretches not only for your legs but to keep your lower back aligned. If you don’t it can throw things just out enough and you end up straining your lower back and have some soreness and stiffness, which could in theory lead to injury. Shaun T emphasizes this stretch, and despite an incredible pounding of plyo cardio 4-5 times a week for 60 days, I never really had major problems there. I really think the discipline of doing the hip flexor stretch (and having good shoes – see below) was a major part of this.

Get some good crosstrainer shoes. Something with ample lateral forefoot support. Stability is key here. Expect you will wear them out also in a round if you’re doing it right. A lot of folks like UnderArmor shoes although New Balance and Nike make some crosstrainers that are good too. Find one that fits your foot is snug but comfortable. Running shoes won’t cut it folks! Even doing “the Heisman” during warm-ups will expose an unstable shoe and possibly turn your ankle. Don’t skimp, get something good for your feet you will be asking a lot of them.

Use recovery drink. By use I mean not only after but probably during. Particularly during phase 2 or the “max” phase you’re doing LONG periods of max intervals – this is very taxing and you will require glycogen replenishment if you’re doing it right. Beachbody recovery I believe is superior to something like Gatorade for instance for several reasons one being the absorbable protein content and inclusion of supplements like magnesium which helps with muscle cramping.

Have towels. You will sweat, a lot, even just warming up and stretching.

Ironically a mat wasn’t as important as I thought it would be for my knees. And I am 44. Maybe it’s because I came in down in my weight already, having undergone transformation thanks to several rounds of P90x, but again, probably the shoes.

I never realized how important hip flexors are for explosive movements. It makes sense. I had always been under the impression hip flexors were those things in your legs which prevented lots of sit-ups (probably because they were weak on me). They are now even visible. And I find I am capable of much quicker and sustained explosive leg movements – I can move my knees much faster. My theory is this is Shaun T’s hurdles background here. Great stuff for running and jumping to have strong hip flexors!

There is a lot of core conditioning and emphasis on core. This is also key to overall fitness and injury prevention. Shaun T’s abs or core conditioning philosophy doesn’t include sit-ups so don’t be disappointed there. Trust me you will get plenty of resistance in the abdominal area but to do it you are performing things like jumps, metabolic conditioning pushups, suicides etc. There’s plenty for the core. I can tell he really understands how to work the abs without doing traditional ab exercises. The ab focused workouts include a lot of plange movement in the hips, you are constantly engaging the abs while balancing and stabilizing. The big tip for this area is to maintain form and engage your core. You want to keep things aligned and execute moves properly to prevent injury.

All in all I’d congratulate Shaun T on a successful and world class program – this is one I cherish completing right up there with running marathons and P90x. I will definitely be using this to condition myself for ski season and cardio capacity and endurance overall.

Rampant High blood pressure - why?

2009-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Too Much Salt Takes a Blood-Pressure Toll - http://bit.ly/hmub6

Dr. Claude Lenfant, who served as director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is now 81 and has a blood pressure of 115 over 60, a level rarely found among older Americans not taking medication for hypertension. His secret: a normal body weight, four or more miles of walking daily, and no salt used to prepare his meals, most of which are made from scratch at home.

“Generally, the average person in our society consumes more than 10 grams of salt a day,” Dr. Chobanian said, “but the Institute of Medicine recommends a third of this amount as optimal.”

Scramble up Superior

2009-09-14T11:05:00.001-07:00

This is that mountain face visible across LCC from Alta. There's a great view from Peruvian lodge. People ski it in the winter. Well some crazy people ;)

backcountrycomAndrew McLean "scrambles" up the South ridge of Mt. Superior (Straightchuter.com): http://bit.ly/792xY

Industry whitewash labeling campaign on sugar

2009-09-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Froot Loops qualifies for the label because it meets standards set by the Smart Choices Program for fiber and Vitamins A and C, and because it does not exceed limits on fat, sodium and sugar. It contains the maximum amount of sugar allowed under the program for cereals, 12 grams per serving, which in the case of Froot Loops is 41 percent of the product, measured by weight. That is more sugar than in many popular brands of cookies.
“Froot Loops is an excellent source of many essential vitamins and minerals and it is also a good source of fiber with only 12 grams of sugar,” said Celeste A. Clark, senior vice president of global nutrition for Kellogg’s, which makes Froot Loops. “You cannot judge the nutritional merits of a food product based on one ingredient.”

RT @Mark_Sisson Warning: Some of the cereal exec quotes may induce jaw dropping, retching and face/palming. http://su.pr/19cy7k

Food and sugar industry are the new cigarette manufacturers for sure ... evil and greedy to the detriment of our society's health. Hopefully public will see through this but ... its just awful considering the state of obesity rates and diabetes, heart disease etc. People could easily be lulled into complacent denial by this bogus labeling

30g sugar (10 tsp) should be max: AHA

2009-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

10 tsp/day (30g) sugar MAX ... La Vida Locavore:: AHA Says Eat LOTS Less Added Sugar http://bit.ly/U4oXk

Greatest health risk is avoidable

2009-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Greatest Health Risk Isn’t Cancer or Heart Disease; It’s Lack of Exercise http://bit.ly/18aw5s

His extensive research comes involves the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS), an ongoing study started in 1970 which includes more than 80,000 people. In addition to keeping track of the participants medical histories, scientists periodically have measured the participants' body composition and body mass index (BMI). Each volunteer in the study also underwent a stress test.

The results, Blair told the APA, show that the fitness level of the research subjects has turned out to be a significant predictor of life span. For example, a follow-up study of 40,842 ACLS participants concluded a poor fitness level accounted for about 16 percent of all deaths in both men and women -- and these are deaths that most likely would have been avoided if these people had simply spent about half an hour a day walking. What's more, this percentage of deaths was significantly higher than when other risk factors were considered, including obesity, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes. The ACLS also found that men who were only moderately fit lived six years longer than men who would qualify as sedentary couch potatoes.

Blair revealed that exercise can help beat breast cancer, too. An examination of 14,811 women patients in the ACLS showed that those who very fit were 55 percent less likely to die from breast cancer than women who were not in good shape. This huge reduction in breast cancer deaths was calculated after the researchers controlled for BMI, smoking, family history of breast cancer and other possible risk factors. Blair also explained in his APA presentation that recent emerging evidence shows exercise is good for brain health and can delay the mind's decline.

Tweet from CR on combatting childhood obesity via local government regs

2009-09-01T16:54:00.001-07:00

from CR ...

Ways your local government can help prevent childhood obesity http://bit.ly/39nzJ

* Zoning restrictions on fast-food restaurants near schools
* Taxes on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks
* Increasing access to healthy foods in underserved neighborhoods through supermarkets, grocery stores, and convenience stores
* Eliminating outdoor ads for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and drinks near schools
* Requiring calorie and other nutritional information on restaurant menus
* Rerouting buses or developing other transportation strategies that ensure people can get to grocery stores
* Collaborating with schools to develop and implement a "Safe Routes to School program" to increase the number of children safely walking and bicycling to schools.
* Building and maintaining parks and playgrounds that are safe and in close proximity to residential areas.
* Regulating play space, physical equipment, and duration of play in preschool, after-school, and child-care programs.

More disturbing news - childhood obesity

2009-07-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

OK I will try and post something more upbeat promise next time.

This tragic disturbing I don't know what words to use trend: children are becoming severely obese at a rate 3 times what it was 25 years ago.

from this tweet:

KathleenShowRT @ DrAyala Study: Rates of SEVERE childhood obesity tripled, putting many kids at risk for diabetes and heart disease http://bit.ly/1W26hH

This story

Children are not only becoming obese, but becoming severely obese, which impacts their overall health," said Joseph Skelton, M.D., lead author and director of the Brenner FIT (Families in Training) Program. "These findings reinforce the fact that medically-based programs to treat obesity are needed throughout the United States and insurance companies should be encouraged to cover this care."

Also this

Researchers also looked at the impact of severe obesity and found that a third of children in the severely obese category were classified as having metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. These risk factors include higher-than normal blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels.

"These findings demonstrate the significant health risks facing this morbidly obese group," wrote the researchers in their report. "This places demands on health care and community services, especially because the highest rates are among children who are frequently underserved by the health care system."

The kids are generally poorer and many are from minority group populations.

I think it bears repeating that PREVENTING this has got to be a paramount goal, because those dollars are usually pennies in comparison with treatment of obesity itself or the fallout of other associated diseases.

We can debate the causes - I think HFCS, fast food, lifestyle could all be considered here. But it's clear what the preventative medicine should consist of: change in intake and a change in lifestyle to increase exercise and reduce stress. Otherwise it's clear health costs and costs for society in loss of productivity and quality of life for millions will be the result - we will be paying for these poor suffering kids for years to come if we don't!

Obese spend 42% more on health care

2009-07-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

It's now more than 9% of all medical expenses and rising fast: http://bit.ly/64Xq7

We need to address this epidemic!

The detailed study piles up one troubling statistic after another. Per capita medical spending for obese people is $1,429 higher per year than for someone of normal weight, a 42% difference. The condition now accounts for 8.5% of Medicare's expenditures and 11.8% of Medicaid's. Spending on prescription drugs alone for an obese Medicare beneficiary is $600 more per year than for prescriptions used by someone of normal weight.

Spending associated with obesity is almost entirely tied to the cost of treating diseases closely associated with the condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and even cancer (about one-third of cancer cases are linked to obesity). Diabetes alone costs the nation $191 billion a year. "If not for obesity, these costs would be much lower," the researchers said. "The connection between rising rates of obesity and rising medical spending is undeniable."

How did the world go from malnourished to obese?

2009-07-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Provocative topic but a good point - we used to be concerned about hunger. In many places we still should be. There's the point - malnourishment can still be an issue, but why are we getting obese?

Here's a list of some pretty good possible answers:

Why in the heck did the world's chief food problem shift from malnutrition to obesity? http://tuu1d.tk Why the World Is Fat

Award to elementary class for focus on health

2009-07-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

Got a great tweet on how one elementary school is taking on childhood obesity...

The News-Gazette.com: Danville school to get award for focus on ... http://bit.ly/b2Xgr

The alliance established the Healthy Schools Program to help schools develop and implement polices and practices that promote eating healthy and increasing physical activity. It's working with more than 4,800 schools across the country.

Northeast has been involved since it became a health and wellness school in July 2007. It was then that the school started serving healthy meals, and students started taking physical education daily instead of two or three times a week. And teachers, who participate in their own healthy activities, also incorporated healthy living into their lessons plans.

To earn a national award – bronze, silver, gold and platinum – schools must show they have implemented best practices in physical activity, school employee wellness, physical education and before- and after-school programs.

More on the healthy schools program here:

http://bit.ly/5YZTK

Tool for tracking environmental causes of disease

2009-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

CDC_eHealthHow does the environment affect your health? Find out on the new Tracking Network at http://tinyurl.com/neppy9.

They've got information by location, source (water, air...) and type of disease.

For instance I can pull up Massachusetts

Then Content area well water, levels of contaminants in well water and finally arsenic. I found via independent testing that my well has As in it. Might be a useful tool for some health data, although it appears there's not much in it yet.

Binge much?

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Some interesting stats from this study:

Sociodemographic Differences in Binge Drinking Among Adults --- 14 States, 2004 http://bit.ly/10yIda

Binge drinking, defined in this study as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion,* was responsible for 43,731 (54.9%) of the estimated 79,646 alcohol-attributable deaths each year in the United States during 2001--2005.

The deaths stat certainly jumps off the page. Now for who is your typical binge drinker:

the prevalence of binge drinking was more common among men (24.3%), persons aged 18--24 years (27.4%) and 2534 years (24.4%), whites (17.5%), and persons with household incomes >$50,000 (17.4%). However, after adjusting for sex and age, the highest average number of binge drinking episodes during the preceding 30 days was reported by binge drinkers whose household income was <$25,000. (4.9), and the highest average number of drinks per binge episode was reported by non-Hispanic blacks (8.4) and Hispanics (8.1). These findings underscore the need to implement effective population-based prevention strategies (e.g., increasing alcohol excise taxes) and develop effective interventions targeted at groups at higher risk.

Also from this link

nited States and is a risk factor for many health and societal problems. Among adults, it can take the form of heavy drinking, binge drinking, or both.

* Heavy drinking is defined as more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day on average for women.
* Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more drinks during a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks during a single occasion for women.

Underage drinking can also be considered a form of excessive drinking because it is both illegal and often involves consumption in quantities and settings that can lead to serious immediate and long-term consequences.

* Approximately 5% of the total population drinks heavily and 15% of the population engages in binge drinking (CDC).
* People aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is used in the form of binge drinks (OJJDP).

It's certainly a serious health issue and it seems, education can be targeted at appropriate groups to address it. I think the whole "Animal House" mentality which has ingrained itself over the past 20 or 30 years in our schools and colleges needs to be countered.

I'm not a prohibitionist by any means either - I think a mature person should be able to enjoy alcohol if they choose and deal with the consequences if they don't choose to use it responsibly. We're kind of caught in this country with the car culture of dealing with DUIs - you need to get a designated driver if you're partaking of drinks!

We also need to identify those having a hard time with it and make as much information help and motivation for them as we can.

Is your work meaningful?

2009-06-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

I think one of the great things about being a Beachbody coach is helping people through the process of self-transformation and on the road to committed wellness.

To me, it's easy to see every day the meaning in this - commitment to your own health has so many benefits - the journey is never ending and the rewards don't end either.

This is such a key to finding something to motivate you day to day. In his recent blog entry, Michael Steger comments on the construction of the cathedral of Notre Dame. From a recent tweet:

MichaelFSteger My new column 'three things that make work meaningful' an Essential Read at PsychologyToday http://bit.ly/7MuSL

The cornerstone for the famous Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris was laid in 1163, and work finally wrapped up in 1345. For those of you keeping score, that's 182 years. Not bad, considering that's how long I think it will be before my Minnesota Vikings win a Super Bowl. But, as far as I can tell, most folks seemed to live only until somewhere between age 30 and 50 (record were pretty crummy back then, infant mortality was very high, and bothersome annoyances like the Black Death mucked with the figures). That means that it would have taken between four and six generations of laborers working to construct Notre Dame. If you were in Generation 1, your job, literally, could have been breaking big rocks into little rocks. But you also would have been building a great cathedral. A cathedral that your grandchildren's grandchildren would enjoy going into for the first time. Viewing the work in this way holds the hope of transforming our working lives into an important way in which we live better, richer, more meaningful lives.

It's such a great lesson and one the ancients such as Romans and Egyptians understood well. The Great Pyramid and other monuments were constructed by craftsmen proud of their work and buried alongside nobels as we find in the tombs along the Giza plateau. They understood the motivation and organization that was required without fancy technology. We could learn a lot from them about these things in a time when people are seen as liabilities many times.

Meaning and motivation come from understanding your role and having a purpose in life and work. I find both in being a Beachbody coach.

If you're interested in becoming a coach, contact me and I can get you started - it's a rewarding way to make money and make a huge difference in changing people's lives for the better!

Fast food convenience costs a lot

2009-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Got this interesting tweet (which I'm addicted to btw it's awesome ;)

Fast-food nearby: Convenience, but at what cost?: Consumer Reports Health Blog
http://bit.ly/kE61k

The study looked at how fast-food influences the overall quality of people's diets, particularly when these restaurants are plentiful nearby. Researchers pulled data from a survey of more than 5,600 adults ages 45 to 84 who lived in six urban areas. They used two scales to rate the quality of people's diets, looking at both positive factors (e.g., eating fruits and vegetables, fiber, and good fats) and negative (e.g., eating fatty and processed meats, fried potatoes, salty snacks, and desserts). People were also asked how often they ate fast-food in a week, and whether they had many fast-food restaurants within a mile of where they lived. For an objective measure of fast-food availability, the researchers also mapped the locations of fast-food chains nearby.

People who consumed fast-food at least once a week were two to three times more likely to have a poorer-quality diet than those who didn't eat any fast-food. And having more fast-food options close by decreased the odds of having a healthy diet by up to 17 percent. When working out these results, the researchers took into account factors known to influence what we eat, such as age, sex, race, education, and income. Doing this makes the link between fast-food and diet all the stronger.

Apparently the proximity of fast food has a health cost on the surrounding population. I can't help but wonder over the years the overweight, diabetes and high blood pressure caused as a side effect in our little town from all we have around ...

1 year anniversary with Beachbody - a retrospective

2009-06-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a year for me doing P90x and other beachbody programs! I wanted to chronicle some of the mindset I went through on my initial journey looking back ...

Last June 1st, I started my journey with Beachbody, nervously beginning Chest and Back and struggling to make my way through and keep up with what seemed to be an impossible task - all those pushups, pullups and the ridiculously tough Ab Ripper.

Then there was the food - all my cravings for bread, sugar and fats had me up at night, stomach growling and spending hours grocery shopping and preparing my meals - it was tough! Was it all worth it? How could I ever hope to lose the tube of fat around my midsection, could I ever hope to keep up with a 40 something (now 50) year old trainer with the snappy wit, positive attitude and funny quips? Would I make it without injuring myself as I had done with so many other programs?

My primary directive, I told myself, was to workout each and every day the guide said I should - 6 days a week. Don't miss one. And finish. Like the marathon - and I know I can do a lot since I did that. I wanted to do this. I needed to do this - for myself, my quality of life and my family. I don't want Lipitor - no blood pressure meds either! I'm not getting any younger so I need to start now. Grandfather died of heart attack, grandmother and aunts/uncles complications from diabetes and high blood pressure - strokes etc, I want to enjoy my age and life.

But I was uncertain, I didn't really take a lot of before pictures - would this be just an embarrassing defeat I wondered and another whack to my self-esteem? I was risking looking like a fool and wasting my time and money - I didn't know what the outcome would be. OK let me set a realistic goal. I'm going to try this and if I can do it without injury, I'll drop 25 pounds in 6 months. By my next birthday in November, when I turn 44. Sounds doable ... anything beyond that is a bonus.

Then ... the workouts and nutrition every day. What a grind.

Day 1: Man am I tired! Fitness test and workout on the same day - BIG mistake!

Day 2 plyo - holy **** I REALLY feel it now. This is nuts. Think I'm too big to do this. I dunno if I can keep this up.

Day 3: Alright, Shoulders and Arms - oh man BLASTED em, can hardly lift them! Yoga - last time I did it, I pulled something. But, to my surprise, Tony paces it right, I'm OK but I sweat around 5 gallons I think! My muscles feel better though surprisingly.

Struggling to keep up with nutrition, I just don't have the knack for it and I'm up til 11 every night cooking and cleaning everything!

Thursday, Legs/back. hey I'm a skier - my legs are strong. Wall squats tho - phew I'm cramping! pullups AGAIN!? OH man, got to do more than 2 or 3 somehow - frustrating. At the end using major chair, so humbling! And Ab Ripper - 10 reps most exercises, taking breaks. And I thought I had a strong core.

Friday, Kenpo - sorry but I didn't get half the moves sword hammer back kick front kick what?! I'm sweating again 2 hours after the workout.

end of week 1. Hey I lost 6 pounds! Hey I think there is something to this. I'm losing a pound a day! And ... no bread, wow still tough, but ya know what I can barely keep up with all the food I'm eating! Time to shop again.

After 10 days - feeling tired but mildly better. Still can't do the yoga. How can anyone? Chest and Back - still doing knee pushups at the end, still struggling with 4 pullups then 2 then 1 then chair. Shoulders and Arms - OK first three exercises I'm strong then - major cramps, can't keep up keep pausing the thing. All that heavy lifting I used to do and I have no stamina or energy.

day 12 - no more weight loss. Uh oh... crap what am I doing wrong? Better get online and I discovered - hey there's a lot of people starting this just like me and ... Steve Edwards and others say, throw away the scale at least for now. It's too variable. Weight fluctuates day to day even within the same day by 3-4 pounds! OK I'll stop the obsessive weighing. Just keep pushing play like Tony says. Hooked up with a great group of folks who are struggling just like me - this is great wish I knew about it before.

I do have a lot of energy though - home projects getting done on the weekends. Spending time with the 5 yo - and keeping up for the most part. Well OK he can still wear me down after a full day ;).

I got to chat online with Tony 3 weeks in - what a funny guy! I'm finding him really inspiring and seeming to know just when to push me and when to tell me to modify things. The tough points - letting me know when halfway through is also. Somehow HE seems to think I can do this, maybe I can ....

On nutrition - workout numbers went down, well, on recovery I'm doing it - changing over to phase 2. I read you can do this if you bonk and I was definitely starting to bonk. A few more carbs and ... my workout numbers went up again and I started feeling more energy!

Recovery week - OK I didn't realize it's recovery/ab focus! Man oh man core syn humbled me AGAIN. Plank to Chaturunga run - forget it I was toast. Shaking, collapsing ... that one is a killer! And - 3 yogas in 10 days - ARGH! Ya know what though - I'm really starting to do this. The Ohms at the end feel nice. Think it's working too - like self-massage. Not that it's easy ....

End of month 1: Take pictures, weigh. OK - things are working. I'm down around 12 pounds - NICE! Ahead of schedule! My goal was 20 for the 90 days. People are starting to notice. Late night dancing my butt off I think I lost a few more pounds - heh heh this is starting to really work. A few nutrition setbacks and I really feel it. Got to watch that. But I'm realistic, not giving up. It's alright for the most part.

Phase 2 - holy crap - these exercises are just killing me! Chest, Shoulders and Tris fried my body for 4 days. Back and bis - same thing - I'm a walking cramp afterwards. Recovery drink is helping though - I'm getting the capability to keep going. Somehow got through yoga and legs/back but after this week I am hurtin. Despite this in week 2, started doubles! Want to accelerate fat loss, I'm starting to see what's possible with this program. Fat is shredding off me but - NOT fast enough. I can be so impatient! :)

Ground through phase 2 and ... wow made some awesome gains in strength and stamina! Another "recovery ab torture" week. But ... plank to chaturunga - I did it! All the way through. And ... with a few exceptions doubles is going strong! I'm sleepin a lot though - it's brutal. Take a few days off here and there. But - on weighing, I REACHED my goal 60 days in (as far as weight). This is unreal - I'm down to 200 in less than half the time I thought possible! Amazing. Yet ... still not where I want to be with fat loss. I want abs now! It's a race to the finish. I have a vacation planned at the end of the round I want to look good for. Got to keep on doing it ...

Phase 3 - ready to bring it ... going OK first two weeks. Then ... think I'm starting to burn out! Alright ramping down the doubles. Can't wait for the end actually. But - what will I do then? Think I'll just workout once in a while maybe a few times a week. Ya that's enough. Dunno though it'll feel funny I think. And it's showed me I can SURPASS my best fitness levels ever if I keep going. I'll ask Tony in the mailbag. Surprisingly, he answers me - I can workout 4 days a week but it'll be like throwing myself down the stairs I'll get sore but that's about it... funny he has a way with words! I'm gonna do it - keep going.

90 days later, I had completed my first round of P90x without missing a day! Amazing but something I'll always be proud of! I need that family vacation. Will take Steve Edwards advice and take a week or so off completely I think. I need it - all those doubles, all that nutrition. Not stopping the intake part - need to eat clean all the time cos I feel so much better when I do! One of the lasting legacies of doing this.

A month later, into my second round, was proud to go to the docs and he was astonished - I had lost 40 pounds and gotten into the best shape of my life! My cholesterol was down to college days and my blood pressure too. Blood sugars and great, resting HR great. Even decided to lock in a long term life insurance policy to leverage my wellness. Got the super-preferred rate - saves me thousands over the life of the policy.

Well ... and here I am 7 months later, and all the great results are solidified as part of my life. I'm helping others through this and been able to meet up with some awesome folks along the way. It's been a great year for me and I'm sure I will benefit from the lessons and experience I've had here. Thanks to my coach and online friends for helping me and I hope I can repay that to others as a coach and friend going forward!

Having trouble maintaining muscle mass? Put away the liquor ...

2009-05-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

Alcohol eats away at muscle mass.

Link

Some facts from the article which appears well-supported

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body

* Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
* Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
* Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
* Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

David Souter, SC justice, retires to hike

2009-05-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Some would see him as ascetic and weird for doing this but ... to me it's inspirational.

http://bit.ly/ufYms

He's remained true to himself and wants to climb Mt Washington in his old age so he's retiring from the court. Contrast that with Clarence Thomas who gained 100 pounds since he's been on the bench (or Rush Limbaugh, who's unapologetically fat, cigar smokes and is at least a habitual drug user).

Souter relies on the New Hampshire wild for restoration, he said, a sentiment shared by Thomas Jefferson. Say what you will about his legal rulings — and his backing of a decision that allows cities to condemn private property in order to get a higher tax base was a clunker that he should regret.

But Souter’s lifestyle, at the least, is close to original intent.

What's organic?

2009-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Nice little link about what organic labels mean and what to buy/not buy for organic foods.

http://tinyurl.com/osdu89

To judge how organic a product is, first check the label. If you see the USDA organic seal, that means the product contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Otherwise, “100% organic” means just that; “organic” means it contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients; and “made with organic ingredients” means it contains at least 70 percent organic contents.

ORGANICS TO SHOP FOR

√ Apparel & linens: Cotton, linen, wool, and hemp.
√ Beverages: Coffee, tea, cocoa, wine, spirits, and beer.
√ Fruit & nuts: Fruit baskets, preserves, and nuts.
√ Plants & flowers: Potted plants and cut flowers.
√ Sweets: Cakes, cookies, and chocolate.

ORGANICS TO SKIP

X Organic seafood: There’s no USDA standard for organic seafood.
X Some personal care products: While some ingredients may be certified as organic, the product itself may not be. Some products might also contain unapproved synthetic ingredients.

WHERE TO FIND ORGANICS

From specialty shops to department stores, today organics are sold just about everywhere. Online directories can help you track down specific organic products. For apparel and linens, check out the Organic Exchange. For food and flowers, check the Organic Consumers Association (it also lists clothing) or LocalHarvest, which features products from family-farmers.

Unsweeten yourself!

2009-04-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Some recommendations from a Harvard study on spreading information about sweeteners.

Link

Note that there's no mention of increasing artificial sweeteners - there's good reason.

According to another study, there's growing evidence use of sucralose (Splenda) and other diet sweeteners can lead to weight gain.

Link2

One worry about artificial sweeteners is that they uncouple sweetness and energy. Until recently, sweet taste meant sugar, and thus energy. The human brain responds to sweetness with signals to, at first, eat more and then with signals to slow down and stop eating. By providing a sweet taste without any calories, artificial sweeteners could confuse these intricate feedback loops that involve the brain, stomach, nerves, and hormones. If this happens, it could throw off the body's ability to accurately gauge how many calories are being taken in.

Studies in rats support this idea. Purdue University researchers have shown that rats eating food sweetened with saccharin took in more calories and gained more weight than rats fed sugar-sweetened food. (14) A long-term study of nearly 3,700 residents of San Antonio, Texas, showed that those who averaged three or more artificially sweetened beverages a day were more likely to have gained weight over an eight-year period than those who didn't drink artificially sweetened beverages. (15) Although this finding is suggestive, keep in mind that it doesn't prove that artificially sweetened soft drinks caused the weight gain.

Imaging studies support the idea that sugar and artificial sweeteners affect the brain in different ways. Some parts of the brain become activated when we experience a "food reward." At the University of California-San Diego, researchers performed functional MRI scans as volunteers took small sips of water sweetened with sugar or sucralose. Sugar activated regions of the brain involved in food rewards, while sucralose didn't. (16) So it is possible, the authors say, that sucralose "may not fully satisfy a desire for natural caloric sweet ingestion." More research is needed to tease out the implications of these findings for weight control.

Although the scientific findings are mixed and not conclusive, there is worrisome evidence that regular use of artificial sweeteners may promote weight gain. Because of these mixed findings about artificial sweeteners, drinking diet soda may not be the best replacement for drinking sugary soda.

Recently I gave up my Splenda in the morning coffee for this reason. It was becoming a bit too habit forming at the least, not sure of the total effects but I thought - why deal with it? Let's get to the next level without fooling anyone - my brain, body etc which probably fights back against it anyway.

Agrees with the bottom line of the Harvard study

So what's the best choice for your health? For adults and children, the evidence is strong that cutting back on sugary drinks—or eliminating them altogether—may help with weight control and will almost surely lower the risk of diabetes. There's emerging evidence that sugary drinks increase the risk of heart disease.The evidence is less clear-cut for artificially sweetened drinks. For adults trying to wean themselves from sugary soda, diet soda may be the beverage equivalent of a nicotine patch: something to be used in small amounts, for a short time, just until you kick the habit. For children, the long-term effects of consuming artificially-sweetened beverages are unknown, so it's best for kids to avoid them.

Fit body, smart brain

2009-04-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Some good info from an old timer (in awesome shape btw) fitness guru Clarence Bass.

Link shows that when they introduced a program called "Zero hour PE" in schools (example), the kids get smarter.

“The object of Zero Hour was to determine whether working out before school gives these kids a boost in reading ability and in the rest of their subjects,” Ratey explains.

There are many other aspects of the overall program, of course, but the main thing to understand is that this is not the typical team-oriented curriculum. The emphasis is on fitness instead of sports. The kids are encouraged to find an activity they enjoy: Eighteen choices are offered, ranging from rock climbing to aerobic dance. The idea is to find something that allows a student to experience success. Grades are based on effort rather than skill. “Any kid who wanted an A could get an A, if he worked for it,” a teacher explained. “Any time you got a personal best, no matter what it was, you moved up a letter grade.”

The kids learned about getting fit—and how it would make them perform better in the classroom.

To make a long story short, it worked. The kids got fitter and smarter.

First, the kids in Zero Hour were sent off to their first period class in a “state of heightened awareness” and prepared to learn. At the end of the semester, they showed a 17 percent improvement in reading and comprehension, compared with a 10.7 percent improvement for students who opted to sleep in and take standard PE class.

Again, the emphasis is NOT on expensive team sports here for cheering on some abstract notion of a town mascot or honor vs a neighboring rival. It's on individual fitness, where it should be IMO to serve the most students.

Red meat == increased health risks

2009-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

I guess it shouldn't be news but ... there are those who promote paleolithic diets and whatnot too lately.

from Steve Edward's blog post about carnivores:

He quotes this study, which is extensive and large sample:

The findings appear in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Over 10 years, eating the equivalent of a quarter-pound hamburger daily gave men in the study a 22 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 27 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease. That's compared to those who ate the least red meat, just 5 ounces per week.

Women who ate large amounts of red meat had a 20 percent higher risk of dying of cancer and a 50 percent higher risk of dying of heart disease than women who ate less.

For processed meats, the increased risks for large quantities were slightly lower overall than for red meat. The researchers compared deaths in the people with the highest intakes to deaths in people with the lowest to calculate the increased risk.

People whose diets contained more white meat like chicken and fish had lower risks of death.

The researchers surveyed more than 545,000 people, ages 50 to 71 years old, on their eating habits, then followed them for 10 years. There were more than 70,000 deaths during that time.

More famous folks doing the X!

2009-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

More and more stories of P90x making the rounds - cross posted from Carl's blog

Ray Lewis is doing it as is Ashton Kucher.

Lewis, a perennial probowler has some interesting comments that echo what TH says about the program

Lewis, who played a vital role in helping the Ravens reach the AFC Championship Game, said he has never felt better physically in 13 NFL seasons. He largely credits that to changing his approach to physical conditioning during every offseason. Lewis' theory: If you do the same thing, you'll get the same results.Lewis' newest routine includes a program called P90X, which operates on the principle of "muscle confusion." The concept is to constantly introduce the body to new movements and exercises so it won't plateau.

"I just incorporated it in a lot of different places in my workouts, and it's given me the challenge that I needed," Lewis said. "Greatness is not just one big thing -- it's a lot of small things done well.

And to think we who do it don't even have to be famous to choose this world-class regime (yet ;)

Great lesson this morning

2009-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

And it applies to athletes too!

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

I took it to mean - be in it to win, first of all, exercise self-control in all things and exercise with a purpose. Subjugate the body to my will, so that I can be an example to others and not fail!

Yogurt keeps you healthy

2009-02-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

The list is impressive and with the most up-to-date information we have.

From gum disease and halitosis to influenza, even AIDS, allergies and vaginal health, yogurt is one of the best examples of food as medicine.

Yogurt contains "probiotics", which literally means "pro-life".

Consumption of probiotics are linked to healthier body weight in women

They help with eczema.

One of the most digestible ways to add calcium to your diet, the fermentation that occurs aids the dairy digestion. It is effective against many forms of diarrhea.

A recent study of endurance athletes (which can be a stress on the immune system, or a help based on intensity) showed that regular consumption of probiotics can fight common cold virus!

CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic administration of PCC was associated with a substantial reduction in the number of days and severity of respiratory illness in a cohort of highly trained distance runners.

Going a little further with this speculating, it's not hard to imagine that with the understanding of inflammation and the role of viruses in causing more serious disease such as heart disease and cancer, that over time you're adding to the quality and length of your healthy life by eating probiotics. Maybe all those ads in the 70s for 100+ Georgians really were accurate - the longevity may be in part from the yogurt!

Acknowledgements to Realage for providing much of this information. More of the list of what probiotics helps with is here

Allergic Rhinitis; Behcet’s Syndrome; Canker Sores; Colds (Prevention); Colon Cancer (Prevention); Constipation (Chronic); Diverticular Disease; Dyspepsia; Eczema; High Cholesterol; Immune Support; Inflammatory Bowel Disease ( Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease) ; Insomnia; Milk Allergies; Probiotics; Rheumatoid Arthritis; Ulcers; Vaginal Infection; Yeast Hypersensitivity Syndrome

A few shopping tips - nonfat or at the least low fat is preferred for weight management. There's a great mix of protein and good carbs in most yogurts. Many times I'll buy the bulk 2 pound container of non-fat and sweeten it myself with preserves or berries.

Great chocolate cake recipe

2009-02-11T03:23:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted from Chalene's blog

Link

We've whipped up a cake SO chocolatey and decadent, your head may ACTUALLY explode. (Consider yourself warned -- we're not going to be responsible for sweeping up the mess.) You'll need four baking ramekins (about 4 inches in diameter) for this recipe -- pick some up at a store like Target. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For Cake:
1 cup moist-style chocolate cake mix (1/4 of an 18.25-oz. box)
One 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
2 dashes salt

For Filling:
One-half Jell-O Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Snack (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. fat-free liquid creamer (like Coffee-mate Fat Free Original)
1/2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)

Directions:
Place the chocolate chips for the filling in a glass and set aside. Pour the creamer in a microwave-safe bowl with the butter, and heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds, until butter has melted and mixture is very hot. Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips and stir until they have dissolved. Allow to cool for several minutes. Add the pudding to the mixture and stir well. Spoon the chocolate mixture into four evenly spaced mounds on a plate. Place in the freezer for 25 minutes. (Don't over-freeze -- the mounds could stick to the plate.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chocolate chips for the cake in a tall glass along with the contents of the cocoa packet. Add 1/4 cup boiling water and stir until chips and cocoa have dissolved. Add 1/2 cup cold water and stir well. Pour the contents of the glass into a mixing bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients for the cake (cake mix, egg substitute, Splenda, and salt) to the mixing bowl, and whip batter with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes.

Once the chocolate mounds in the freezer are a little firm, spray four baking ramekins (each about 4 inches in diameter) with nonstick spray. Evenly spoon the cake batter (which will be a little thin, but don't worry!) into the ramekins. Remove chocolate mounds from the freezer, and place one in the center of each batter-filled ramekin. Put the ramekins in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Cakes will look shiny when done.

Carefully remove each ramekin from the oven. You can eat the cake right out of the ramekin (while the center is still gooey!), but make sure to let it cool a little bit, because the ramekin will be hot. Or you can wait until it has cooled completely and plate the cake by running a knife along the edges and flipping it upside down. (Then just pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds to heat it back up.) Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 individual lava cake, Calories: 182, Fat: 4.5g, Sodium: 433mg, Carbs: 32g, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugars: 18g, Protein: 4g

Ski week redux pt 1

2009-02-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it turns out, P90x works for skiing!

I skied 6 days straight on my trip to Utah. They had just had 4 feet of snow, and another foot a few days later. In the old (40 pounds heavier) days I'd have had to take off a day or two, shorten things up and generally dog it for the second half of the week.

But now ... so much more stamina, ski til 4, jumps, deep snow, steeps - it's all fun and good. Hey, it's still strenuous. I'm still tired and sore; but I'm able to keep it up and enjoy that which gives me bliss so much longer and more. More memories to keep me going in the summer. More runs to get me better. Upward spiral of goodness! So for me ... P90x == more good times.

Summary:

Monday: flew in. Plane late thanks to the last part of the storm. Headed up to Deer Valley in Park City for a lovely lunch and hit the slopes for free using our Quickstart passes. By the way, don't let anyone tell you Deer has no steeps untracked or powder. Take them to Ontario Bowl. Here's a picture in there the day we arrived:

The snow was great ... although they had a lower layer of rain crust. So at lower altitudes and in the deeper layers it was a little dicey crust. But this is compared with the usual godlike dry powder we've come to expect in Utah. It was still pretty awesome!

Tuesday: Had to hit Alta. This is the church of skiing for me. I love the place. They get so much snow and I figured I better head there ASAP apres-storm to enjoy some remnants of untracked and chowdah before the masses ripped it up. Only slight issue was the cold. Locals kind of gave us the scare tactics on the cold, turns out it was sunny, light winds and about 0 to -5 at the summit. Fortunately we're New Englanders and can deal with that quite nicely. Even got sweaty a few times. Turns out some great runs and the snow was preserved dry and fluffy thanks to the weather. Greely on the Backside was great. Here's a picture of me (in black) and my buddy Dick in red near the bottom of that run.

As usual Wildcat held some of the nicer snow also, did the HighT and attempt to get to Rustler ... although we only made it to Lone Pine actually. It gets a little sketchy out there! (I'd say they could use more snow but that's a stretch, well of course they could always use more snow ;).

Superior looked grand all decked in white that day

Wednesday: Powder Mountain. First time there and a few words sum it up: Limitless untracked bottomless. Like all day. Got another foot overnight and through the day on top of 4 feet of storm snow which hadn't really been skied. It was awesome. Got a lot of video I will try and post, but for now - suffice to say I'll be back (and we did already, returning on Saturday). From green to double black everything was powder there, all 7000 acres. We scratched the surface (about all we could scratch given the snow) but there is a lot there. Worth the hour drive from SLC.

Thursday: Solitude. Bluebird, mid 20s. Honeycomb Canyon. More fresh and untracked. Another day in paradise! Tough one after Wednesday's ridiculousity at Powmow but not too tough to take advantage of many nice lines and undertracked snow. This place is yet another hidden gem, a bit smaller and underappreciated. Here's a nice shot of Honeycomb's majesty, we were in there most of the day.

Again, a ton of video, will add in a subsequent post.

Friday: Snowbird - got to ski Mineral basin first time. More goodness because it was closed most of the week. Still some great snow in the Gad area, also in Mineral. Here's a pic of us in Little CLoud.

Us in little cloud bowl:

Mineral's Bookends traverse - you don't want to fall here, there's a 30 foot rock face and more badness if you do. It's steeper than it looks thanks to a strange camera angle. But the snow on the other side - magnifique!

Saturday (Final ski day): Powmow again. Dickie got to try some Scott Missions. Good times, tried out Paradise lift and Powder Country and luckily the bus was running this time! Will post some video later.

Great times, and at 6 days in a row, by far, the most skiing I've done yet!

P90x kicker

2009-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

Had to cross-post from Carl Daikler's blog.

This is a truly inspiring and undeniable result - P90x made a difference for pro kicker David Akers!

Link

Skier week 2

2009-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Here's my plan for this week - wish me luck! By day 6 I think I'll be spent (need to be ready for skiing next week, we have a storm coming ;)!

Day 1 Back and Biceps, abx
Day 2 Kenpo X
Day 3 Gym weights (my workout) and abx
Day 4 1/2 Yoga X/night ski
Day 5 CST, Abx
Day 6 P90 Plyo Legs
Day 7 Rest

In fact if we ski, I may modify this to include a rest day on skiing in place of CST or Yoga and push those back. Depending on next weekend that may affect P90 Plyo Legs also. It's as important at this point so close to my trip in 3 weeks to get comfortable on skis vs condition for skiing.

But this is a valid goal for week 2 workouts.

Skier workout results

2009-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here's what I did for a workout last week:

Week 1

Day 1 Shoulders/arms and Ab ripper.

Day 2 Power 90 Plyo/Legs

Day 3 Core Synergistics

Day 4 Cardio-X

Day 5 rest

Day 6 Leg/core workout

Warmup!

circuit of next 3, 30 seconds rest in between
a Bosu squats w dumbbells 25, 30x2
b Bosu single leg hops 15x2,20
c overhand wide grip pullups 15,12,10

circuits of next 3, 30 seconds rest in between
d squat toe raise 135x10,185x9x2
e Dumbell press overhead/lunge 30x5,35x8x2 each leg
f reverse grip chinup 13, 13, 10

Break - 1 min

3 sets of next two
g leg press/toe raise 10Px9, 8P+50x10x2
h close grip pullups 14, 10, 10

i speed squats (15) left, then right, 10 more jumping
j alternating pullups 8 + 8 with chair - left shoulder sore!

k - Cooldown and stretch!

Day 7 Yoga X

Twas the night before P90xmas

2008-12-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Had to post this - from the beachbody forums ... St HortonClaus - I love it! :)

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE P90X

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the Gym
Not a spin bike was moving, not even a rim

The plates were all racked on the plate trees with care,
In hopes that St. HortonClaus soon would be there

The wishers were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of ripped abs danced in their heads

And Jim in his lifting belt and Karen in new gym shoes
Were just settled down for an iron-filled snooze

When out on the floor there arose such a clatter,
Jim sprang from the Couch to see what was the matter.

Away to the weight room he flew like a flash,
Tore open the door and made a great crash.

The light on the top of the new-polished floor
Gave the lustre of mid-day to equipment galore,

When, what to his wondering eyes should be fell
But a chin up bar, and eight pairs of dumbells

With a little old lifter so muscled and raw
He knew in a moment it must be St. HortonClaus.

He was dressed all in under armour, from his head to his feet,
and his clothes were all sweaty from intense muscle heat.

Tons of equipment he carried in his sack,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

More rapid than eagles his dumbells they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now five, now ten, through sixties for this mob
and made sure we were able to PICK THE RIGHT WEIGHT FOR THE JOB

His eyes--how they twinkled! The weights he could carry!
The nutrition plan he gave us with limited dairy

Your workouts aren't working, your proteins to low
P90X … now that's the way to go.
He clinched both his fists shouting this is not an illusion
To get ripped in 90 days takes MUSCLE CONFUSION,

12 intense routines ,, that;s what it takes,
While controlling your eating with good protein shakes

He was muscley and fit despite pushing 50,
and I smiled when I saw him, thinking man is this nifty.

He said just Press Play and vow to not quit
with P90x you j u s t h a v e t o BRING IT!

Skier workout, week 1

2008-12-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

I've come up with a workout I think should help in skiing.

It's based on some Beachbody workouts in a circuit of blocks of two weeks. I will probably modify this for a longer period at some point, more like 10 weeks ideally with different phases but for now I will try this for the next 3-4, before my Utah trip and see how things go.

Week 1

Day 1 Shoulders/arms and Ab ripper. Shoulders and arms are upper body that you need for traversing and maintaining balance and body stability.

Day 2 Power 90 Plyo/Legs - this is the core of the leg and body workout for skiing itself. It's kind of a combination between Legs/Back-X (leg portion) and Plyo-X.

Day 3 Core Synergistics - this focuses on the core muscle group, very important for powder and steep skiing.

Day 4 Plyo-X/Cardio-X - this one will be kind of play it by ear. I think two plyo's may be too much for some weeks.

Day 5 Yoga-X: need to do this for muscle stretching and overall fitness

Day 6 Leg/core workout - this is my own combo of leg and core exercises.

Warmup!

3 circuits of next 3
a Bosu squats w dumbbells
b Bosu single leg hops
c overhand wide grip pullups

3 circuits of next 3
d squat toe raise
e Dumbell press overhead/lunge
f reverse grip chinup

Break - 1 min

3 sets of next two
g leg press/toe raise
h close grip pullups

i speed squats (15) left, then right, 10 more jumping
j alternating pullups

k - Cooldown and stretch!

Day 7 rest

Week 2 next entry ...

The new girdle craze? How about a solid core

2008-12-21T03:52:00.001-08:00

You've probably seen the ads by now. "Look thinner instantly! No Diets, lose 2 dress sizes" or for men "get rid of embarrassing bulges and create that solid look to your midsection and chest".

What they are selling is basically what my grandmother used to call a girdle. They call it something else these days because that's such an outdated term. It seems like a great idea.

But what people are after, which does look healthier is a more solid core, the band of muscles from thighs to chest, including your abs, back and chest. Core muscles are very important in stabilizing your body and forming a foundation for building the rest of your musculature. Shoulders, legs, arms all need the core to be stable and solid to work hard and effectively. Your posture, which also affects your breathing starts with strong midsection.

A solid, lean core is a good indicator of risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack also. We've all heard of visceral or belly fat. That fat (which you generally can't spot reduce) is a major health indicator. Insurance companies and health professionals look at the ratio between belly and hip size, and many tout it as more important than the oft quoted BMI or body mass index. The reason is that BMI doesn't take into account muscle vs fat so heavier people with a lot of muscle might appear obese compared with a lighter person who has little muscle. This is misleading. OTOH, if your waist is too big it indicates increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.

A WHR of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men have been shown to correlate strongly with general health and fertility. Women within the 0.7 range have optimal levels of estrogen and are less susceptible to major diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and ovarian cancers.[3] Men with WHRs around 0.9, similarly, have been shown to be more healthy and fertile with less prostate cancer and testicular cancer

There are some good exercises for core strength in P90x Core Synergystics. For example, a lot of push-up exercises and stabilizing or balance exercises help with core strength. For instance, balance pushups, where you reach up with one arm then under does this. Core/Syn has dozens of these and it's intense! Traditional squats and deadlifts also focus on these areas. Skiing-specific exercises including many plyometric and balance exercises also help the core.

Another one I use for skiing is press/lunge. In this exercise you stand with your feet together, press two dumbbells overhead of a moderately heavy weight and then do a lunge forward on one leg (or backward) and then back up. Repeat 10 times for each leg. This will get your abs, legs, shoulders and arms.

But the point is, you want to look healthy in your middle and it's important to your health too - don't buy a girdle - you need to work on your core!

A daily commitment, the most important prayer

2008-11-30T18:56:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday at my church (before Thanksgiving, but just as relevant now) our pastor was on vacation and the pastor Emeritus, pastor Bob ran the service. He's retired and generally does things a bit slower. But I find his sermons are very meaningful and actually look forward to the message (not to take anything away from our normal guy - he has some great one-liner jokes now and then ;).

But the lesson, it actually derived from the children's lesson, which they get before going to Sunday school class started with a question. What was the most important prayer Jesus taught? Some clever people said the Lord's Prayer, which is a pretty good answer. But Pastor Bob argued it was his prayer of thanks.

The prayer of thanks was so important because Jesus prayed it every day before the sun came up and every evening before bedtime. He thanked God for all the things in prayer for the day to come and the day gone by. Twice a day, every day.

Bear with me, but I think our daily exercise affirmation has a similar effect. If you rise in the morning and spend some time thanking your body (and/or God if you believe in it) for your health, and preserving your temple, it becomes a central positive force in your wellness. Your mind, your immune system, your blood, your muscles, your endocrin (hormonal) systems - they all improve! It's very different working out once or even twice a day from 3 or 4 times a week. It becomes a part of life and a driving force for preventative health, in mind and body, in a similar way to the daily affirmation of thanks did for Jesus in spirituality.

Anyway, I thought that lesson kind of spoke to me in a special way so I thought I'd share it.

Fast food link to Alzeimers?

2008-11-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Wow - potentially powerful discovery with respect to Alzheimer's - this Swedish study bears watching.

Apparently mice who were fed fast food got conditions which can lead to Alzheimer's.

While the most advanced drugs have focused on removing clumps of beta amyloid protein that forms plaques in the brain, researchers are also now looking at therapies to address the toxic tangles caused by an abnormal build-up of the protein tau.

In her research, Akterin focused on a gene variant called apoE4, found in 15 to 20 percent of people and which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer's. The gene is involved in the transport of cholesterol.

She studied mice genetically engineered to mimic the effect of the variant gene in humans, and which were fed a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol for nine months -- meals representing the nutritional content of fast food.

Those clever Swedes, always looking out for human issues ....

Nice numbers

2008-11-23T03:59:00.000-08:00

Got my yearly physical and one area I was very curious about was blood lipid (cholesterol) numbers. I've always been interested, not because I have tremendously high numbers but because I do have some family members who had cardiovascular disease in the past.

After doing P90x (exercise and nutrition) and taking the test in October, I received the results in the mail.

Total cholesterol: 135
Triglycerides: (<150 is good): 56 [!)
HDL (>40 good): 47
ratio total cholesterol/HDL (<4.5): 2.9
LDL (<160): 77

Compare this with some of my other numbers from past (worst was 2001/2002):

2002
Total: 202
triglycerides: 116
HDL: 43
ratio: 4.7
LDL: 136

2001
Total: 191
Tri:256
HDL: 38
ratio: 5.0
LDL: 102

Thanks to Tony and Beachbody, I'm at much less risk for cardiovascular disease!

Roosta bars

2008-11-20T13:28:00.001-08:00

Cross posted from beachbody forums - it's a homemade protein bar! I tried this one and it came out pretty good! I might add some sweetner like a tbsp or two of agave syrup or something. My next step is to make my own protein whey by adding cocoa to pure whey - something good like Ghiradelli or something.

It comes out thick - check out the picture:

18 scoops Optimum double rich chocolate whey powder
3/4 cup skippy natural PB
1.5 cups quaker dry oats
3 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbsp flax seeds
3 cups nestle carnation dry milk
1 cup chopped almonds
1.5 cups of water

Mix altogether until evenly blended. Spread out onto about a 14x11 cookie sheet (will need something to be sure it doesn't stick - I used wax paper with some oat flour). Flatten to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into even pieces and put in ziplock bags - store them in fridge until snacktime. - my last batch made 22 - the larger you cut them = the larger the serving!!!

The total calories are 5458, protein 604g, carbs 332g, fat 203g.

If you make 22 bars here is the breakdown:

1 Bar = 248 calories, 27g protein (53%), 15g carbs (29%), 9g fat (18%).

Indian black bean burrito recipe

2008-11-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Saw this and had to share it - sounds great. I found that funny spice also at my local grocer.

Link

The Bird opens tomorrow

2008-11-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

One of the earlier openings in recent years ...

They've had over 35 inches of sweet Ootah pow in the past few days. Nice - hopefully a sign of great things again (like last year). Got to get my sticks waxed (and bought/sold - got a little dealing to do hopefully to tweak my quiver ;).

Link

2008-11-05 — Snowbird Announces 2nd Earliest Opening Ever

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SNOWBIRD, UTAH – Continuing the tradition of offering the longest ski season in Utah, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort will open Friday, Nov. 7. This year’s opening marks the second earliest start to a season in the resort’s 38-year history.

“This storm and the subsequent lake effect have provided a timely blanket of snow in Little Cottonwood Canyon,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar. “Skiing early season powder is a great way to kick off the season.”

Cranberries benefits

2008-11-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

There has been recent work at my alma mater WPI by Terri Camesano showing cranberries have several beneficial roles in disrupting E coli bacteria (which are harmful in the human digestive system).

a group of tannins (called proanthocyanidins) found primarily in cranberries affect E. coli in three devastating ways, all of which prevent the bacteria from adhering to cells in the body, a necessary first step in all infections:

* They change the shape of the bacteria from rods to spheres.
* They alter their cell membranes.
* They make it difficult for bacteria to make contact with cells, or from latching on to them should they get close enough.

So drink your juice and eat your cranberries this Thanksgiving!

The beginning of the binge

2008-10-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

For me in the past, in terms of fitness and wellness, and for many people, Halloween starts what I call the "holiday binge season". It's insidious and starts when we're kids. You go out, do your rounds and get several pounds of candy. If you're good like I was, you hit all the hot spots and travel far and wide and end up with maybe 5 pounds or more!

This starts a month long sugar orgy in preparation for ... the next big eating event, Thanksgiving!

Ahh ... Thanksgiving. It just so happens it's around my birthday so it's a day I always cherished. For good reason too - lots of family around. But also for the food of course! So I had a birthday cake coming, to top off the last of the Halloween candy. Then sometimes that very day, there was a built in feast of feasts - the binge eaters holiday, Thanksgiving! Turkey, gravy, butter, rolls, stuffing. Oh yea there are vegetables too but got to have the sugary cranberry sauce. And at our house, after the extra pan of stuffing was mostly gone and I dipped a few rolls (white usually, if I was feeling "healthy" I'd use a wheat roll) with butter into the gravy boat. In fact it was more like a harbor, with flotillas of boats and dingys all swimming with a luxurious pool of brown gold gathered around plates which were more like docks. My grandfather made the turkey, stuffed it with spices, oysters, gizzards (didn't know what they were until later ;) and rich brown gravy. Made from bacon and butter basted turkey drippings! In case the bird was dry we didn't want to run out of the rich creamy liquid so he made extra.

An hour or so after the hour long dinner and a nap on the couch watching football were the pies and coffee. Apple, chocolate cream, and my aunt from Alabama's favorite to make - pecan. Pecan was one of my favorite, topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream or the tasty substitute loaded with hydrogenated oil Cool Whip. Another aunt prefers the fake cream and makes pies out of it. Pecan though - how many eggs, at least a dozen and all that corn syrup - wow. Well there are a few nuts in there but they get drowned in bad stuff.

Don't forget around 5 we'd have sandwiches and then leftover cranberry, stuffing and gravy on rolls. Maybe some white mashed potato with gravy and butter.

Then, only a few weeks and a left over meal of turkey or two later - Christmas season! That all starts with Christmas Eve. In our Scandinavian family, this was a great night of meeting 75 or 100 family and friends culminating with presents but starting with many strong drinks of Glog (a highly alcoholic beverage something like mulled wine on steroids) and a pot luck family smorgasbord. The pickled herring (Swedes call sill) and salmon were de-emphasized over time in favor of newer American favorites like lasagna, meatballs (Swedish and Italian), chicken wings and hot dogs in a bourbon sauce. The next day, a full on sitdown meal of roast beef and ham or turkey or both followed by more presents and lounging around with a dehydration headache!

Of course only a week away was New Years Eve, where I learned the alcohol binge side of things ....

So I guess ... the point of all this ... besides being pathetically accurate ;), is that it's no wonder we gain weight this time of year. It's a bad cycle.

I'm not here like Tony (wish I could be like him but I'm too empathetic I think) to tell you to give up everything and live a monastic life of no fat no alcohol no fun.

But I'm just making the point to cut yourself, your liver and your heart a break this holiday. Take just one piece of pie. Have a glass of water. Ditch the gravy and butter and maybe even white rolls. Your moderation in celebration is more relaxing and less taxing. Enjoy family, slow down, appreciate your health and all the gains you've made in fitness.

Take a walk on Thanksgiving or run a turkey trot. Take a break from the buffet table and sing a few Christmas carols. Rediscover some of those healthy ethnic foods like fish. Enjoy your time, don't binge it!

We're here a short time - let's make the best of it! Enjoy your food, enjoy your time and you'll be much happier longer!

PEACE!

Workout 6 days a week

2008-10-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

One of the things I learned from P90X and chatting with Tony Horton is to get results, to get lasting weight loss, obvious body changes, fat loss and muscle development, you need need need to workout every day.

Or at least if not every day, 6 days a week. Not 3, not 4. He mentions it all the time. He has a saying "working out 3 or 4 days a week is like throwing yourself down the stairs - you get sore and that's about it!".

Some of the principles you need to be aware of is recovery, variation and periodization. It can be complicated because there are a lot of aspects to being fit and you can't work the same way each day.

One basic tenet is that to burn enough calories to get body changes, you'll need to incorporate resistance training into your schedule. I mean weights, bands or something to push back or pull you down, add to gravity whatever you want to do to make something take most or all of your effort for a handful of number of repetitions.

There are two basic moves to go along with two basic muscle movements - flexing and extending. These are opposing muscle groups - bicep and tricep, quad and hamstring, ab and lumbar, they are all over the body. You can train these separately, or in an intelligent way together in supersets. Or you can hammer them together and vary opposing muscle groups by alternating days.

A good rule of thumb for reps seems to be 8-10 for more bulk, 12-15 for leaner muscle mass. I think, without doing the physiological proof, this hits the majority of folks. You can do more and gain huge size (and probably get injured) or do less and build stamina, which leads me to my next aspect.

Another aspect is cardiovascular absolute capacity and related but not the same, stamina or endurance.

You build stamina with lower intensity longer duration activity. I did it when I trained for the marathon. Paul Galloway, who wrote the highly popular How to Run a Marathon talks about the base level aerobic training, 75% of your work for training for a marathon, which is low level mid distance runs. LSD - long slow distance. Related, are long runs, which you increase very gradually over time to great distances. We all have a "wall" of lactic acid threshold, where your body just can't run anymore because you kind of cramp up and can hardly move. It used to be thought this was at around 20 miles for everyone, but as Galloway points out, your own wall is equal to your longest run (usually within some number of weeks time period).

But my point is, you can build this up with lesser activity.

You build cardio capacity in several ways, but mostly by taxing yourself via weights and circuit training or by doing some activity like running or kickboxing near your anabolic threshold. This means very vigorous exercise. When I refer to cardio capacity I am mainly referring to your heart and lungs and circulatory system. Don't forget your circulation - it's been shown that blood vessels are actually grown when you increase your cardiovascular capacity with vigorous exercise. Once you create them you have that for the rest of your life.

So another aspect and one that most programs gloss over - flexibility. Yoga, stretching when warm and proper form and range of motion while exercising build this up. This is an area of greater need as we age and is related to freedom of movement and balance also. And of course AVOIDING that bane of the athlete's existence, INJURY!

More subtle but very important is explosive vs endurance muscular strength. Jumping is different from slow jogging or walking. All of us have different mixes of these muscle fibers - fast and slow - but we can train them all and need to particularly for sports. Ironically, resistance training doesn't always equate to explosive strength. There is something also called "static" strength which happens when you build lean muscle tissue. You also have to hit the muscles with quick movement or you won't necessarily get that kind of capability. One interesting aspect - intervals or quick bursts of very high activity (interspersed with periods of rest) not only helps with explosive muscle capability it also taxes and thus helps develop absolute cardio capacity. You will get stronger and have a better cardio "motor" by doing interval type training.

Another principle that's vital for results is overload. You need to constantly challenge your central nervous system to adapt to ever changing and increasing loads or plateaus occur. Steve Edwards of Beachbody writes a lot about periodization, or the concept of different periods of time of emphasis for a particular fitness building activity.

Finally, you need to rest. Every now and then and at the end of a particular phase or period, a recovery period is essential or you will burn out. That is, if you are bringing appropriate intensity in the other times. I'll blog about that issue some time - most folks just aren't bringing it enough!

So how do you put this all together? In my opinion the BEST program I've found is P90x. It addresses all of these aspects, and the periods of training involved over 3 months, a good length of time to judge its effectiveness. Thousands have seen results with it. It's flexible, there's a LOT of thought that went into designing it and adapting it for various levels and a superb motivator and trainer Tony Horton, who constantly addresses form, motivation and intensity needed to maximize your results.

Once you've transformed yourself using it there are many options available for customizing your own programs but I always come back to some mix of Tony's programs. I'm sold and I think if you try them you will be too - they are the best on the market out there and you can do them without getting in your car and going anywhere (personally I commute enough every day!).

The basic truth though is, no matter what you do enjoy it enough to do it 6 days a week, intense resistance days for total body muscle groups, cardio, flexibility, muscle group periodization of course paired with good nutrition and you'll be well on your way to a healthier fitter lifestyle!

In a later column I'll post up my skiing workout, which I'm planning to get ready for ski season. It'll be 6 days a week and contain resistance, cardio, flexibility and stamina aspects. I'll be doing this once I complete my round of P90X in early December.

If you have any questions about any of this (I just scratched the surface) or want to learn more visit my web page at beachbody here....

Loveland's open

2008-10-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

They're waaaaaay up there near the Continental Divide ... got a nice report today - they are open!

PGP exposes DNA sequences of 10 volunteers

2008-10-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

Pretty interesting. Maybe some day we can all get screened for this stuff. I have the feeling it'll be a while, but I'm sure it will happen for my kid's lifetime.

Here's a link to one doctor's information with some hereditary risks he carries.

Healthy kids

2008-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Some good ideas on healthy snacks from beachbody

http://www.milliondollarbody.com/newsletters/NL_023_school_out.htm

Also

12 ways to raise healthier kids - includes walking at least partially to school!

Walk to school (or at least some of the way). This alone could make one of the biggest differences in activity levels. A generation ago, most self-respecting parents would laugh at their child's suggestion to drive them to school. Nowadays, lines of SUVs stretch out for blocks around campuses filled with kids burning nary a calorie whilst waiting to be dropped on the front step of the school. In some neighborhoods, this lost time is enough to fill most of the child's exercise requirement.

Lack of busing can shoulder some of the blame but the primary reason is fear. The world has gotten scary, or so we think, and parents drive their kids to keep them safe. In reality, the damage done from lack of activity is putting them at far more risk. According to former Department of Justice statistician Callie Rennison, our fears are mainly based on sensationalism in the media, which seem to promote every child abduction to the top of the headlines. "99.9 percent of child abduction cases are family related," she states. "Statistically, our kids are much safer in public than they've ever been."

Numbers aside, most parents will likely balk at the idea of making their kids the lab rats in some "walking to school" experiment. But, at least, you can drop them off close to school. The last part of the commute, the part while you're waiting in line, is a place where your kids could be moving in what is probably one of the safest situations imaginable—a line of cars filled with highly-protective parents.

http://www.milliondollarbody.com/newsletters/NL_023_school_out.htm#article2

Also, note that pediatricians recommend more activity for toddler age children than older - at least 60 mins of play and 60 minutes of planned activities.

Commuter bicycle act

2008-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

One positive thing that came out of the bailout was the Bicycle Commuter Act.

You can now deduct $20/month for biking to work! The text of the law is here.

(i) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement' means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee's residence and place of employment.

`(ii) APPLICABLE ANNUAL LIMITATION- The term `applicable annual limitation' means, with respect to any employee for any calendar year, the product of $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during such year.

`(iii) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING MONTH- The term `qualified bicycle commuting month' means, with respect to any employee, any month during which such employee--

`(I) regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between the employee's residence and place of employment, and

`(II) does not receive any benefit described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).'.

(d) Constructive Receipt of Benefit- Paragraph (4) of section 132(f) is amended by inserting `(other than a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement)' after `qualified transportation fringe'.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.

Also, the President is planning to open the National Parks to mountain biking. Under the new rule, which is proposed before Nov 15 so it can be enacted before Bush leaves office, park superintendents will have the latitude to open areas for mountain biking much more quickly than the current process, which requires formal public notice.

Feeling fatigue? Workout regularly

2008-10-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

It turns out fatigue doesn't always improve with rest. In fact moderate exercise may heal your sluggish mitochondria which are part of the issue with fatigue problems.

Link

This also includes a physiological response to cancer - deemed cancer fatigue. Moderate exercise appears to help with this.

Of course, infection and other disease may require rest, particularly at the outset, with this caveat:

Doug Wallace, who directs the Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics at the University of California, Irvine, notes that while bed rest is important at the beginning an infection, after that "it can be bad because you literally down-regulate muscle function, and with that, the number and efficiency of mitochondria also go down."

So at some point, moderate exercise will help you get better. Anecdotally, I've noticed this when training for marathons. If I feel I'm getting sick, it can be a two edged sword. It might make me bonk worse. And there's nothing worse than that kind of bonk - you're out of it and can even get sicker! But on the other side, it seems to make me get better sooner. I've noticed even when training with P90X, I didn't get sick much, and when I did (ironically on an off week) I got better quicker. Probably the old moderate exercise revving up my immune system response again!

New fitness guideline recommendations from Uncle Sam

2008-10-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Link

These include people with chronic medical conditions

"The new guidelines are a tremendous example of how policymakers can
help create a culture of wellness in America that focuses on prevention
first," Moore said. "These new Guidelines are easy to understand and
provide a very practical tool for helping Americans build exercise into
their daily lives. Communicating the new Guidelines will be a top priority
for IHRSA as we work to motivate more Americans to exercise for healthier
living."

IHRSA also is making Americans aware of specialty health club programs
designed to support people with chronic medical conditions, such as
arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer, as well as other
programs designed for children, older Americans, women, and other
populations.

Speaking of yoga - ski season yoga

2008-10-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Interesting post about the utility of yoga for skiing with a few examples.

Us doing P90X probably already appreciate the value of yoga for all the reasons mentioned and more. It's like a miracle exercise that makes a lot of stuff better. But it's good to see it gaining acceptance as a ski season prep also.

Yoga class helps Alzheimer's patients

2008-09-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Inspiring story here of how yoga can help the lives of people with Alzheimer's.

Whether they meditate alone or in a yoga class, patients will reap benefits, said Dr. Paula Raia, director of patient care and family support at the Alzheimer's Association's local chapter. As Alzheimer's and dementia ravage the brain, sufferers can become agitated and prone to anxiety. Gradually they experience a loss of memory, intellect, and social skills. Their grip on reality progressively slips away.

The relaxation, breathing and even remembering poses seems to really help these patients.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking and frustrating. It takes so long to put yourself together," said Courtney, her house keys attached to a wristband key chain so she won't lose them.

"I may put something down and not remember where I put it. Sometimes I can't get the right word out of my mouth. I will mix up letters."

Courtney said yoga has given her some solace. "It keeps you in touch with your body," she said during stretches. "It's a refreshing thing."

Killer Stress

2008-09-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a hearty endorsement of the National Geographic special on stress. They examine with a pre-eminent neuro-biologist the real physical dangers stress causes on the body down to the chromosome level.

Here's a quiz from National geographic site, and a pointer to the very informative site at Stanford about the documentary.

In a quick laymen's synopsis: stress has real measurable effects on multiple systems in the body including immune function, brain, diabetes, cardiovascular system even a protective layer on the chromosomes called telomeres. So your genes will ultimately unravel themselves if these telomeres decay. Well they decay faster (essentially all your body's cells age faster) under stress!

In other examples, obesity is not only exacerbated by stress, it may be a root cause. There are even lifetime effects of stress in utero - you come away realizing that unresolved and untreated stress is very dangerous, particularly over time to the body.

This was all backed up by studies they did on baboons with brain scans, examining various systems, even looking increased viseral fat (the worst kind, that causes heart attacks). It was all tracked back to stress.

On the positive side, when social interactions and stress reduction took place, the effects to telomeres and other systems in the body were reversed! So there is hope for positive measures.

Some of the conclusions: we need to value and promote a society that considers stress reduction as a major goal because it makes people flourish.

I was babysitting for my wife last night and didn't get to workout until relatively late. But I thought - what better night for Yoga-X. And for sure, although I ended near 11, I showered and slept like a baby last night!

So exercise and use your relaxation techniques - your whole being (body and mind) will experience reduced stress and aging because of it!

Red wine may prevent radiation damage

2008-09-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently oncologists have discovered that a certain type of the miracle compound risveratrol, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cholesterol properties, can also protect against radiation.

Tests in mice showed that resveratrol, when altered using a compound called acetyl, could prevent some of the damage caused by radiation, the researchers told the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting in Boston.

Link

Yet another reason to enjoy this miracle elixir regularly (in moderation of course!)

Advanced Bosu demo

2008-09-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

Check out Lisa's Colorado Mountain Fitness posts - some great skiing-related tips.

This guy's doing ridiculous balance exercises. Seems like some of this stuff's training for the circus or something ;).

Bosu and Plyo (like Power 90 master plyo/legs) are two integral pieces of a skier workout. The balance and cardio capacity that result will have you ripping the slopes (and steep powder trails) in no time!

Running destroys knees? Not really!

2008-09-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

It turns out worries of osteoarthritis in your knees as you age due to running is overblown - in fact there are many benefits from it according to this article.

"The persistent myth about exercise - and running, in particular - is that it increases joint problems, arthritis, and will ultimately destroy joints and lead to disability," said William J. Evans, an exercise physiologist and chair of nutritional longevity at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Not only is this "not true," he said, but the opposite is true: "There is decreased disability after decades of running."

So get out there and exercise - 5 times a week, break a sweat and get younger!

Heart rate zone charts

2008-09-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's a common question - the answer depends on your goals for the exercise you are doing. Are you trying to burn fat? Increase your cardio capacity? Intervals? I'll address those in a future entry, but I thought it would be good to have some charts for reference that you can kind of glance at quickly.

Here are a few for reference I found:

This one has suggested activities with specific age ranges

Here's a popular one for 10 second counts and ages:

K2 Blog link

2008-09-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Check out this report - good stuff.

http://www.k2tallmountain.com/blog/K2%20Tall%20Mountain/Blog/Blog.html

Colorado snow

2008-09-14T15:13:00.001-07:00

Nice pic from vail the other day - ski season isn't far off!

Another from Colorado

I'm planning to do a Wachusett GPS with another few folks - you're free to join just shoot me a note and we'll work something out (presuming you have Paypal ;). We usually do the Bronze pass for $199, you get nights, all weekdays and lots of discounts at other hills. You even get 1/2 price Alta (Utah) lift tickets!

Hey all!

2008-09-14T07:51:00.001-07:00

This is my personal fitness blog, postings about health, fitness, beachbody coaching and the like.

Welcome and feel free to say hi!