Mistake Number 2:  Unbalanced Strength Training Programs

An “unbalanced strength training program” is a weight or resistance training program that concentrates on only 1 or 2 areas of the body and ignores the rest.  It’s only natural, I guess, that most people tend to focus their training on the muscles that they think will make them look younger, leaner, stronger, or sexier.  These muscles most often include the biceps, abs, and legs.

Do a quick Internet search and you’ll find all kinds of “miracle-get-fit-quick” programs that supposedly “target” these specific areas.  Take a close look around the gym and you’ll find people spending the majority of their time primarily working these muscles -  guys trying to do 200-pound-bicep-curls and women working nothing but the leg-press and the “butt-buster.”

The results, like the guy in the picture, can sometimes look unnatural and downright freaky.  However, how things look is pretty subjective (some people think looking like Popeye is cool – whatever) so let’s put looks aside for a moment and only talk about whole body health effects.

The muscles of your body are designed to work in unison, with each muscle playing an important part of whatever motion you’re engaged in. Whether it’s shooting hoops or lifting weights, for any type of movement, your muscles create the movement together by playing one or more of the following roles:

• Agonist or “Prime Mover”:  This is the muscle that acts directly to bring about a desired movement through contraction.  If you’re performing a dumbbell bench press, for example, the agonist is the Pectoralis Major (or “pecs”) which contract (shorten) to raise the arms as you press the weights upward.
• Synergist or “Assistant Mover”:  As the name implies, this is the muscle (or muscles) that indirectly assists in creating the desired movement.  In the dumbbell bench press, the synergist is the Anterior Deltoid (or “front delt”).
• Antagonist:  The antagonist is the opposite partner of the agonist.  It’s job is to return the limb to the starting position by creating  a force that’s directly opposite to the Prime Mover.  In our bench press example, the antagonist is the Posterior Deltoid (“rear delt”).
• Stabilizer:  This muscle (or muscles) are responsible for stabilizing and supporting the muscle next to it.  In a dumbbell bench press, the stabilizers are the Rotator Cuff muscles.
• Neutralizer:  Similar to the stabilizer, the neutralizer is a muscle (or muscles) responsible for eliminating or canceling out an undesired movement.  In our example, the Rotator Cuff muscles also act as neutralizers acting to cancel out any sideways or unstable movement as the arms press up.

Developing one muscle to the exclusion of the other creates an imbalance between that muscle and it’s paired antagonist frequently leading to injury.  For example, overdeveloping the pecs by doing dumbbell bench presses all day long can lead to muscle stain or tearing of the Posterior Deltoid, the antagonist muscle.

Why does that happen?  Interesting story that most people don’t consider.  When you’re doing a bench press, for example, most people are surprised to learn that the Posterior Deltoid is the muscle most susceptible to injury, not the Pecs.  Why is that?  Because when you press up (using the Pecs), you’re lifting a weight against gravity and your movement tends to be slow, measured, and controlled.  However, when you go back to the start position, most people tend to simply let the weights drop back down to chest level without taking into account that gravity is now pulling in the same direction as the weights.  Unless you’re careful, the movement back down tends to be faster, less controlled, and end with an abrupt stop.  That puts a lot of strain on the Rear Delts.  If you’re going to get injured doing this exercise, that’s where it’s going to happen.

Same scenario applies to your legs.  If you spend enough time in a gym, you might have heard the advice, “strengthen the glutes and stretch the quads.”  The reason is that most people are “quad dominant.”  In other words, their quads are already much stronger than their glutes making it much easier to strain or tear the glutes when they try to develop their quads even further.  If you’ve ever injured your legs doing a leg press, it’s almost always on the return when your glutes are straining to slow the weights quickly.

The key to building a stronger body is to make sure that your weight or resistance training program is balanced and incorporates ALL major muscles groups, not just the “sexy” ones.  That means following a workout that includes the chest, the back (upper and lower) and shoulders, the arms (biceps, forearms, and hands), the core (upper and lower abs, obliques), as well as your legs and hips.  It’s important to strengthen not only the big muscles, but the supporting ones as well in order to prevent injuries.

The end result is that you’ll not only look and feel better, you’ll move better with increased coordination and balance.  Isn’t that why you work out in the first place?

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: fitness, weight lifting, exercise, balanced health, bench press, dumbbell, ACE, muscle, strength training, resistance training

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2. Isometrics Better Than Weight Training?
3. It’s Never Too Late

Mistake Number 1:  The All or Nothing Approach

Most of us think of exercise as an event, something to be planned and scheduled like a lunch meeting.  And like a lunch meeting, if something comes up or if we run late, we cancel and reschedule.  In other words, we tend to take an “all or nothing” approach to exercise – we either do it (we “made” the appointment), or we don’t (we “cancel” the appointment).

I know, I know.  It’s really hard NOT to think of exercise as an event.  You DO have to prepare for it.  You’ve got to pack your gym bag making sure you’ve got clean socks, shorts, a towel, and so on.  You’ve got to change into your exercise “uniform” and make sure your MP3 player is loaded with your latest “power song.”  You’ve got to put on the weight lifting gloves or the wrist and head bands.  Geez, there’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to do before you exercise!  You can’t just run out and, what, start running?  (Remember the scene in Forest Gump when he’s sitting on his porch and decides to just get up and run?  Yeah, I know.  We can’t do that.)

It’s easy to see why so many of us skip exercise altogether just because we can’t find a clean pair of gym socks (you know the ones, the special moisture-wicking, all natural organic fiber, $30 a pair, “makes my feet feel happy” pair).  If you put so much effort into planning to exercise, you’re much more likely to forget the whole thing if any part of the planning process goes wrong.

Another problem with seeing exercise as an event is that we want to impose a start time and an end time.  We want to look at our calendar and see “Exercise 5:30 to 6:30 pm.”  We don’t want to think about exercise until 5:30 and we don’t want to think about exercise after 6:30.  We want to treat it like a dentist appointment – something we just have to do and get over as quickly as possible.  After all, you’ve got to pack all your stuff (hassle), change into your workout clothes (hassle), exercise, then shower (hassle), change into your street clothes (hassle), and then pack up all your wet workout clothes and rush home (hassle, hassle, hassle).

Little wonder we look for reasons to skip exercising.  And take it from me (a Master Excuse Maker), perfectly legitimate excuses, I mean reasons, are not hard to find.

But exercise is not an all-or-nothing event.  Exercise can be incorporated into just about any activity and research has shown that as little as 10 minutes of exercise can provide important health benefits.  It can be as simple as taking the stairs at the office or at the mall.

Other suggestions can include:

• Look for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily activities. Walking or biking to nearby places instead of driving, for example, or actually walking the dog instead of simply letting them run out the back door.
• Break up your “all-out-hard-core-sweat-a-gallon” workout session into smaller, more frequent sessions throughout the day. Lunges or squats can be done anytime, and anywhere, and don’t require any equipment.  Dropping down behind your desk and doing 10 slow-and-easy push-ups will still strengthen your arms but won’t require your usual jacuzzi-sauna-shower after-workout ritual.
• Become more active in general. Stay on your feet when taking phone calls or when reading paperwork.  Walk down the hall to talk to a coworker instead of using the phone or email.  Use resistance bands while you’re watching TV.  In short, stay off your butt as much as possible throughout the day.
• Change your attitude. Exercise is not an event, it’s a lifestyle.  It’s something that’s just part of you, not something you plan or schedule.

Nike has the right idea – Just Do It!  Forget the all-or-nothing attitude.  If something comes up and you can’t exercise for an hour like you had planned, go ahead and exercise in whatever time you have available.  Then find 10 or 15 minutes later on and exercise some more.

If you adopt the attitude that exercise is something you do rather than something you plan, you’ll soon find yourself in great shape.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, balanced health, attitude, gym, weight

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This one was about the relationship that we form with our pets and how through the unconditional love and loyalty they give us, we become better people.

I thought I’d share it with you.

A  Dog’s Purpose  (from  a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the  family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and  offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for  the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.  The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting  the old dog for the last time, that I wondered  if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after  Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad  fact that animal lives are shorter than human  lives.  Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me.  I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.  It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ”People are born so that they can learn  how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”  The  Six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know  how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as  long.”

What a great story.  Would that we all had the same basic nature as dogs – that we could “love everybody and be nice.”  That we could assume the best in people instead of the worst.  That we could face each new day with unbridled joy and openly express our happiness to be around those we care most about.  That we could totally live for today instead of hoping for some “tomorrow” that might never come.  What kind of world would that be?

Hiram

Technorati Tags: dogs, purpose, life, meaning, joy, optimism, love, happiness, death

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According to the site,

The Atlas assembles statistics on three broad categories of food environment factors:

• Food Choices—Indicators of the community’s access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as: access and proximity to a grocery store; number of foodstores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; quantities of foods eaten; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods
• Health and Well-Being—Indicators of the community’s success in maintaining healthy diets, such as: food insecurity; diabetes and obesity rates; and physical activity levels
• Community Characteristics—Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as: demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers

The Atlas currently includes 90 indicators of the food environment. The year and geographic level of the indicators vary to better accommodate data from a variety of sources. Some data are from the last Census of Population in 2000 while others are as recent as 2009. Some are at the county level while others are at the State or regional level. The most recent county-level data are used whenever possible.

So what can you do with this?  Well, it’s kind of neat to pay around with the maps to see where your community rates compared to the rest of your state, or even compared to other states.

For example, when I map out the Adult Obesity Rate, I can quickly see that my friends in Mississippi and Alabama don’t fare too well with significant portions of both states having obesity rates as high as 35-43% of the population.

Click on the Adult Diabetes rate, and you get pretty much the same distribution:  MS and AL lead the country.  If I look at “Gal per capita of soft drinks,” the same states show up along with TN and KY.

The maps also tell me that only 60% of adults in MS, AL, TN, and KY are meeting the activity guidelines for adults, the lowest statistical category listed.

Are you getting the picture?  The data creates a pretty clear link between a lack of physical activity and too much junk food with adult obesity and diabetes.  You can also throw in poverty rates, median household incomes, as well as a number of other interesting statistics.

But is it Useful?

Although I had fun clicking on the various statistics and seeing how the map changed, I really don’t see myself ever going back to the site.  The site seems to be designed more for people involved with developing or monitoring state-wide or national government policies instead of the average individual trying to figure out how to make better food choices.

Still, I’m a sucker for technology so I just had to give it a whirl!  Try it for yourself at the USDA Food Atlas.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: usda, food, atlas, map, statistical, statistics, data

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The study found that “obesity had a larger effect on disease, while smoking had a greater impact on deaths.” Translation?  Being obese leaves you wide open to a large number of diseases such as heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, kidney disease, degenerative joint diseases, and on and on.  Smoking, on the other hand, tends to lead to a narrower group of diseases, mainly forms of cancer.

The bottom line is that your future quality of life, your ability to move around and do what you want, will be (not “can be” but “will be”) significantly reduced if you’re obese or if you’re a smoker.  God help if you’re both because you’ve got a “double whammy” working against you.

From 1993 to 2008, the study noted, the number of adult smokers in America DEcreased 18.5%, thanks to the many anti-smoking campaigns and quit-smoking programs and treatments that have been implemented over that same time period.  However, the proportion of Americans in the obese category over the same number of years INcreased by 85%!  That’s a huge (no pun intended) increase.

You want to know why healthcare in this country is so expensive? There’s a big part of it right there – the treatment of obesity-related diseases.  Remember the study conclusion that “obesity had a larger effect on disease?”  This tells you that obesity-related diseases tend to put you in the hospital for much longer periods of time and the treatments are much longer in duration.

But even if you forget the cost to our healthcare system (such as it is) to being treated for weight-related Type 2 diabetes, for example, for the rest of your life, imagine what that does to your lifestyle.  Imagine what having to go for treatments or having to take injections every couple of days does to your ability to enjoy life.

I watched my late uncle’s weight-related diabetes destroy his kidneys, and eventually take his life, but not before doctors had to amputate his feet and he had to undergo dialysis every 3 days.  His life had very little “quality” at the end.

By the way, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC):

The estimated economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was $174 billion. Of this amount, $116 billion was due to direct medical costs and $58 billion due to indirect costs such as lost workdays, restricted activity, and disability due to diabetes. People with diagnosed diabetes incur average expenditures of $11,744 per year, of which $6,649 is attributed to diabetes. People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than what expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. Approximately $1 of  $5 health care dollars in the United States is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes, while approximately $1 of $10 health care dollars is attributed to diabetes.

It’s been estimated that obesity can easily shorten your expected life span by 9 months or more.  That’s almost an entire year.  But that’s just your “expected life span.”  Being obese can reduce your quality of life to a point that living longer doesn’t seem like a good idea anyway.

Did you get that last sentence?  Did it sink in?  Being overweight can make you so disease-ridden that you don’t care whether you live any longer or not.  How sad is that?  Can you imagine what that does to your loved ones?

Well, here’s the good part.  The good news is that you can change all of that.  If you smoke, you can quit.  If you’re obese, you can lose the weight.  It won’t be easy and it won’t be quick but you can do it.  All you have to do in order to start is to decide you need to change, and then take each day an hour at a time.

The improved quality of life you receive will be well worth the effort.  You’ll not only benefit yourself, think of how it will affect your entire family.  They’ll see you improving and they’ll want to improve as well.  You’ll all end up supporting each other, step by step.

Take the first step right now.  Decide to change your life.  It will be the best decision you make.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: obesity, smoking, quit, overweight, diabetes, nih, cdc, healthcare, disease, quality of life, bmi

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I came across an excellent article that both inspired me to excel as well as gave me some solid tips on how to be more productive.

Be sure to check out “Getting More Done in Less Time” by Troy White at The Total Package website.

Hiram

No related posts found.

• Muscle-building supplements
• Pre-workout supplements
• Post-workout supplements
• Weight-loss supplements
• Fat-burning supplements
• Endurance supplements
• Strength supplements
• etc, etc, etc

You name it, and there’s probably a supplement out there designed to improve your performance.  Although I’m not a big fan myself, you can’t deny that they do work in a wide variety of situations.

Are they right for you?  Here are some links to articles that can help you decide:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Which supplements really work? An interactive guide to evidence (boingboing.net)
• Discount Nutritional Supplements Is it Worth Buying? (after50health.com)
• Supplements for Everything (pilatesandreikiinparadise.com)
• ‘Whole Food’ Vitamins Are a Cool Idea, But Proof of Benefit Is Lacking (usnews.com)
• Selenium Supplements May Pose Heart Risk (nlm.nih.gov)
• What you need to know about multivitamins (cnn.com)

If you do decide to use supplements, READ AND FOLLOW THE LABEL, especially the parts about how much to take and how often to take it. Also be careful about using different types of supplements since some of the ingredients in one supplement can cause unwanted side-effects when combined with an ingredient from another supplement.

In other words, purchase supplements from a reputable supplier, know what you’re getting, and use them responsibly.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

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In both cases, the message that was brought home to me is that no matter how long or how short our time on earth is, whenever that time is up, it’s always too soon.

One of my friends is a firefighter and he was telling me of an accident scene that he had responded to that morning very near my house.  Firefighters are frequently called out to car accidents in my city to either help extract the occupants from the tangled metal car frames or to prevent any leaking gasoline from igniting.

He described a scene in which a car with two young women had pulled out of an intersection only to be “T-Boned” by another car that had run a red light and was traveling at a high rate of speed.  The two women were killed instantly.

Knowing the exact intersection he was talking about, I made it a point to stop there on my way home from work that same afternoon.  I paused and purposely tried to make myself open and receptive to whatever might come up.  Know what the first thing I felt was?

Now, before I go on, let me emphasize that I am not “paranormal” or “psychic” or anything like that, and no, I don’t own a Ouija Board.  Heck, I can’t even watch “Ghost Whisperer” on TV without rolling my eyes.  However, I do believe that some type of energy animates our bodies and that when we die, that energy is not destroyed.  Some people call that “energy” a soul.  Regardless, there is some part of us that lives on and sometimes that “essence” or “energy” lingers for a while.

The first thing I felt when I paused at the corner where those two women had been killed was a deep felling of regret.  It was a regret of all the things they had planned to do but that now would never happen.  Regret of all the things that they really wanted to tell people but that now would be left unsaid.  Regret that their time on earth was too soon gone.

No, it wasn’t anything  “spooky” nor did I get a cold, clammy feeling down the back of my neck.  It was just an overwhelming feeling of regret.  I’m sure that if anyone had paused at that corner for just a second, they would have felt it too.

The lessons from all of this should be pretty plain:

• First, none of us live forever. Our time on this earth is limited.  This fact is not something to be denied or ignored.  Actually, it should be embraced – and used to spur us on to accomplish those things we always dreamed of.
• Second, live your life so there are no regrets at the end of it. That means doing the things you want to do TODAY instead of constantly putting them off.  That means telling people how you really feel about them TODAY instead of waiting for “just the right moment.”  It means having your “affairs in order,” all of them – physical ones, emotional ones, relationships, and religious ones.  That means saying “I’m sorry” as well as “I love you.”
• Appreciate the moment. There is nothing else.  You can’t relive yesterday.  You can’t live tomorrow.  You can only experience life today, right now, in this exact moment.  Make the most of it.

None of us know when our time here will be over.  All we know for sure is that it will be over.  Use that knowledge to motivate you to live each day to the fullest.  In the words of Tim McGraw, learn to “live like you were dyin’.”

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: funeral, death, regret, grief, life, motivation, accident

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• Amaretto Apple Crisp
• Apple Harvest Oatmeal
• Apricot Port Chops
• Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops with Blueberry Wine Sauce

The last two alone should stir your interest!

These recipes are free although you will be requested to set up an account, which is also free.

So what are you waiting for?  Here’s the link again:  www.dallasnews.com/healthyrecipes.

Hiram

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How true.  How many of us are really grateful for the people in our lives, for all the things they do, for all the ways they care for us and about us – and yet, we never let them know?  How many of us have a mental “closet” filled with carefully wrapped gifts that we have never given to those we care most about?

“Well, my loved ones KNOW I appreciate them,” is what many people say.  But is that really the case?  How can your loved ones possibly know for sure how you really feel unless you specifically tell them – unless you actually give them the gift of gratitude?

Make it a pledge that anytime you feel gratitude, you’ll express it right then and there.  You don’t have to make a big production about it.  Just a simple “thank you” will suffice.   This can include times like:

• Your spouse brings you a cup of coffee, or is just there for you when you’re feeling low.
• A co-worker holds the door or the elevator for you.
• A complete stranger lets you merge in front of them when they could have easily cut you off.
• You wake up feeling like it’s great to be alive.
• You see a rainbow or a beautiful sunset.

Or any one of a million things that can fill your entire being with a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness.  Go ahead and actually say the words, “thank you.”  Say it to the people around you, say it to the world, say it to God – just say it.  You’ll be amazed at how good it makes you feel as well as how it will change your outlook on life.  You’ll also be amazed at how differently people perceive you.

It’s a simple fact that the more you express gratitude, the more things to be grateful about will naturally come into your life.  Give it try and see if I’m not right.

Meister Eckhart, a medieval German philosopher said that, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

Amen.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: spiritual, gratitude, thankfulness, philosophy, life, attitude, mental health, balance

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Add to the mix the Nike commercials of people falling, tripping, hurting, and getting beat down with the song in the background asking, “How fast you gonna get up?”  It makes me want to jump up and shout, “As fast as I can.  As many times as it takes to be the best!”  And then of course, the Nike logo flashes on the screen telling me to “Just Do It.”

Boy, how much motivation can one guy take?  Especially a middle-aged one like me?  Still, it makes me want to head to the gym and work out like an Olympian!

Well, hold on there Bucky.  The problem with watching experts make some sport look easy is that we tend to convince ourselves that it IS easy – that is until we try it.  That’s when we find out how much skill it really takes – and how out of shape we really are.

So before you seriously hurt yourself, take a deep breath and honestly evaluate where you currently are on a fitness scale with 1 being a couch potato and 10 being an Olympian.  You’re not going to go from a 1 to a 10 in one workout.

OK, so you’ve been beat down right off the bat.  But as the Nike commercial asks, how many times are you going to get up?  Answer?  As many times as it takes to go from a 1 to a 2 …. and then from a 2 to a 3.

It’s OK to see yourself up there at the top of the ski slope with all the other guys and gals that have less than 5% body fat.  It’s OK to use that motivation to drive your fitness plan forward through one more day.  If you keep at it, you might actually get there some day.

But whether you get there or not is not really important.  The important thing is how you answer the question, “How many times are you going to get up?”

…and then as the Nike commercial says, “Just do it.”

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: Olympics, nike, commercial, sports, fitness, health, workout, exercise, motivation

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Now, no one purposely overdoses on this drug.  So how does it happen?  It seems that in most cases, over-dosage happens in one of two ways:

First, Acetaminophen appears to have become a victim of its own success.  It’s so effective, it’s being put into all kinds of medications – and there’s the problem.  If you take several different kinds of medications when treating flu symptoms, for example, chances are that several of them contain acetaminophen making easy to exceed the daily recommended dosage.

Another reason might be acetaminophen’s reputation for safety.  This drug has been around for so long that most of us take it for granted.  In fact, most of us don’t even consider it a “drug.”  It’s just something you reach for when you’ve got a headache, or a muscle sprain.  As a result, many Americans disregard the dosage recommendations thinking that “if 2 are good, then 4 are even better.”

The potential for liver damage has become so serious that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended lowering the maximum dosage amounts last June.  Until those recommendations get implemented, here’s what you can do to prevent inadvertently taking too much acetaminophen:

1. Try natural alternatives first. Before you reach for that bottle of Tylenol or Excedrin, ask yourself whether or not there might be natural, non-drug alternatives you can try first.  For example, a cup of hot tea and some soft music might soothe away that tension headache you brought home from work.  Heating a damp towel in the microwave and placing it on your knee or shoulder might relieve the soreness to a point you realize you don’t need the drugs.  Unless your doctor has specifically recommended taking acetaminophen, try some non-drug alternatives before automatically heading for the medicine cabinet.
2. Do not increase dosage amounts. If the label says to take 2 tablets, take only 2.  Taking more than the recommended amount can overload and possibly damage your organs, especially your liver, so make sure you do not take more than the recommended dose.
3. Do not exceed maximum daily amounts on the label. It takes a while for your liver to process this drug so even taking just a little more than the maximum dose for a few days can be toxic.  So read the label, then read the label again and make sure you don’t take more than the recommended daily amount.
4. Identify acetaminophen in other medications. Acetaminophen is put into many over-the-counter pain medications, including those sold for cold and flu symptoms, back and muscle aches, sinus headaches, menstrual aches, and fever relief.  Make sure you check the labels of ALL the medications and pain-relievers you’re taking.
5. Do not mix pain relievers. If you’ve reached the maximum daily allowance of Tylenol and are still hurting, do not switch over to Ibuprofen (ie: Advil) or some other type of pain-reliever.  All of these pain-relievers place a strain on your kidneys and liver.  Mixing them can not only increase that strain, it can create other dangerous side-effects.

Acetaminophen is still an effective pain-relieve that belongs in most homes.  However, it’s reputation for safety and it’s addition to many other medications makes it particularly easy to exceed the recommended daily maximum amount.  So make sure you read the labels of everything you’re taking, or giving to family members, and don’t hesitate to ask a healthcare professional if you’ve got questions or concerns.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: acetaminophen, tylenol, excedrin, aspirin, liver damage, pain reliever, soreness, headache, overdose

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According to recent studies, 93% of Americans – let me say that again so you don’t miss the percentage – 93%, that’s almost every one of us, has detectable levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in our bodies.  93%! Isn’t that insane?  Doesn’t that statistic simply blow you away?  It does me.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, over 75% of Americans have detectable levels of phthalates in their urine.

Bisphenol A?  Phthalates?  Where does that stuff come from?  Plastics.

Now before you get too upset, understand that “detectable levels” does not necessarily mean that you’ve got a toxic dose, or that you’re going to get cancer, or anything like that.  “Detectable Levels” are the lowest amounts of a chemical that an analytical instrument can reliably detect.  These levels are probably way below what the FDA says is permissible.  Probably.  However, one thing I do know is that “detectable levels” are not zero, and zero amount is what I’d prefer to have.

So how does this stuff get into our bodies?  Primarily from the food and beverage containers that have become so much a part of our lives.  Everything from the plastic soda containers you buy at the grocery store to the PVC water pipes in your home.  Plastics are everywhere – and in constant contact with our foods and beverages.  Little wonder some of the chemicals in the plastics end up in our bodies.

Think you’re safe because you buy all of your foods, even sodas, in cans?  Think again.  Most cans, especially those containing acidic foods like baby formula, chicken soup, and ravioli (all found by the Environmental Working Group to be of highest concern), have a plastic lining inside of the can.  It’s what prevents the can from rusting.  Quick check of your soda can – yep, plastic lining.

To matters worse, much worse, most of us have been conditioned by all the TV commercials to buy foods in those easy-to-use plastic containers that you simply pop into the microwave and eat.  So let’s think through that last statement.  If these plastic chemicals leach into our foods just sitting on the shelf, how much more of those chemicals are we “baking off” when we heat them in the microwave?

You’re probably already aware of all the adverse health effects that plastic-related chemicals have been linked to.  Here’s one more that modern research is just not beginning to study.  Turns out that BPA and phthalates in our bodies mimic the behavior of estrogen disrupting normal hormonal functions and leading to weight gain.  Some researchers think that this might explain why it is that the old formula of  “eat less and exercise more” just doesn’t seem to be as effective in helping people lose weight as it used to be.

Regardless of the claims (which are still being researched), I think we can all agree that having less plastic chemicals and byproducts in your body is a good thing.  Here are a couple of suggestions to help limit these chemicals from being absorbed into your foods:

1.  Never, never, ever, heat food in plastic containers in the microwave. You already know that after you’ve done this a couple of times, the plastic gets all “crudy-looking” and maybe even a little brittle.  Well, that’s because some of the chemicals in the plastic have been “cooked off” by the microwaves.  And yes, you guessed it, these chemicals then get absorbed by your food.   So no matter how inconvenient it might be, always take food out of the plastic container and put it into a glass bowl before microwaving.

2.  Toss out any water bottles or baby bottles with a 7 on the bottom. You should have already done this when the first BPA stories surfaced at the end of 2009.   Still, this might be a good time to take another look in order to make sure you didn’t miss any.

3.  Rotate your food stocks regularly. Clean out your pantry and don’t leave any foods on your shelves, especially those in cans and plastic bottles, for more than a couple of months.  The longer you leave a food in its container, the more chemicals leach into the food.

4.  Buy frozen or fresh foods instead of canned.

5.  Chunk the plastic coffee mug and soup bowl. And for God’s sake, stay away from putting hot liquids like soups or coffee in styrofoam, a product that can leach styrene.

So in general, use plastic to store cold foods (like milk) or at room temperature for relatively short periods (cans, etc, in your pantry) and avoid using plastic containers for hot foods (like coffee, tea or soups).  In all cases, don’t use plastic containers in the microwave.

I know there’s no realistic way to completely avoid the use of plastic containers, nor should you try.  The benefits of plastic do outweigh many of the risks after all.  However, you can take steps to reduce your family’s exposure by using the tips listed above.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: plastic, bpa, phthalates, food container, microwave, cooking, food chemicals, food processing, food storage, health

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Unfortunately, snoring is not something to kid about.  It can lead to serious health issues if not addressed, and I’m not just talking about your spouse wanting to smother you with a pillow.

I’m happy to report that I had a pretty significant snoring problem that was affecting my blood pressure.  You can find how I solved it by reading some of my other posts.

On this week’s Fitness Roundup, I wanted to provide some links to other blogs so you can get some ideas of how others have tackled this problem as well.

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• How To Stop Snoring (howcast.com)
• Can you be short of breath while sleeping (respiratorytherapycave.blogspot.com)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Snoring (drsharma.ca)
• Stop Snoring Using natural Methods (stepbysteptips.com)
• Heavy Snoring Linked To Potentially Life-Threatening Conditions (prweb.com)

Lastly, here’s a CNBC segment on an anti-snore spray that I wasn’t aware of:

CNBC program reports of the most effective way of stopping snoring with Ysnore (ysnore@singapore.com). A natural way of effective stopping the cause of snoring with natural homoepathic ingredient of ginger and yam. Applied through a nasal spray and nose drops. This stop snore remedy gives you a good night sleep. Really works for snorer.

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Thankfully, I also found a couple of videos on snoring that are really helpful and informative.  Here are some of the best ones:

How to stop snoring – Interview with Dr. Jordan Josephson

How to stop Snoring – 10 Things you should know about Sleep – Number 4

Review of Stop Snoring Devices on CBS Early Show

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I came across this great video on YouTube that offers some tips on how to stop snoring.  Plus, how can you possibly ignore the cute puppy?  Take a look and consider implementing some (or all) of the tips if you have a snoring problem.

Hiram

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Yet, the concept of “organic” food production – that is growing and/or processing food without artificial chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, or additives – makes a lot of sense.

It’s estimated that every day, the average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides and/or residual chemicals from pesticides simply through the foods we eat and the the beverages we drink.  That’s every, single, day.

And that’s just the chemicals from pesticides.  Add in the chemicals from fertilizers, the preservatives, the growth hormones and antibiotics given to cattle, pigs, and chickens, the artificial sweeteners and colors, and the list goes on and on.

Ongoing medical research is showing that these chemicals can be linked to all sorts of adverse health effects including cancer, organ damage, thyroid problems, and nerve disorders, to name just a few.  And as if these health effects weren’t enough, many of these chemicals are now thought to affect our body’s hormones – especially the ones that help regulate body weight.

Reducing your exposure to chemicals, especially pesticides since those tend to be some of the worst, makes perfect sense.  But is going “organic” the best way to do that?  I found the answer to be both yes and no.

When Going Organic Doesn’t Help Much

Some foods are just naturally pest-resistant (or have been genetically engineered to be pest-resistant).  These types of crops just don’t need to be sprayed with tons of chemical pesticides in order to produce high yields.  Therefore, they’re going to have very low amounts of pesticide residues anyway.  For these types of foods, going “organic” doesn’t really mean much since they’re pretty organic to begin with.

Commercial foods that are typically grown without a lot of pesticides include:

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Kiwis
• Cabbages
• Eggplants
• Papayas
• Watermelons
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes

So for these foods, you can save some money by going non-organic and not loose any of the benefits you’re looking for.

Foods Where the Organic is Best

At the other end of the food production spectrum, there are some commercial food crops that just seem to attract pests and plant diseases like sugar attracts flies.  In order to increase crop yields, farmers spray a variety of pesticides and fungicides to keep away pests and prevent diseases.  These chemicals get absorbed by the plant and some residues can end up in the parts we eat.  These foods, therefore, tend to have the highest levels of pesticides and pesticide-related byproducts.

For these crops, going organic can reduce, sometimes significantly, the amount of pesticides and related chemicals that you’re exposed to.  However, keep in mind that growing these foods without the use of chemical pesticides is more expensive (because of lower crop yields) so be prepared for a sizeable price difference between organic and non-organic versions of these foods.

The foods where going organic makes the most difference include:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Imported Grapes
• Carrots
• Pears

Reducing the amount of pesticides and chemicals in your food is always a good idea.  And even though the term “organic” is used pretty broadly (and sometimes inappropriately), it’s still a good rule-of-thumb to go by.  Knowing the types of foods where it means the most will not only provide the benefits you’re looking for, it will help save you money in the process.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

PERSONAL NOTE: yes, I am aware of a number of well-researched articles (like this one at QuackWatch – a site I highly respect) stating that residual pesticide levels are too low to worry about and that there’s no discernible difference between organic and non-organic foods.  However, I tend to remain skeptical since most of the cited research is pretty dated.  Newer research has the benefit of technology that is much more accurate and we’re finding that even extremely low concentrations of chemicals can create adverse health affects in our bodies.  Unfortunately, to this day, there are still no definitive studies that put the issue completely to rest. As a result, my personal opinion is to “err on the side of caution” and eliminate or reduce your exposure to as many chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, and growth hormones in foods and beverages as you can, regardless of whether the concentrations are “below recommended FDA levels” or not.  However, this does NOT suggest that you should reduce consumption of fruits and vegetables.  Just try to make better choices.

Technorati Tags: pesticides, growth hormones, food processing, farming, food production, organic, health, nutrition, diet, healthy eating

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All of us have reached  plateaus, a place where we’ve stopped growing, at one point or another.  These plateaus can be in any number of areas including physical training, dieting, spiritual growth, or the growth of a relationship.

Whatever the area, plateaus share a couple of characteristics:

1.  Steep sides. The steep sides of a plateau represent the hard work it’s taken us to get to where we currently are.  Whether it’s working out at the gym everyday or really trying hard to understand and be responsive to your spouse or loved one, the past couple of weeks have been filled with hard, difficult work.

2.  A flat top. After all the effort of climbing the steep sides, the flat top of a plateau tends to take you by surprise.  It seems like you’re still putting out the same amount of effort as you were when you were climbing the side, you’re just not getting any higher – in other words, you’re not growing.  This usually leads to:

3.  Redoubling your efforts. What’s the first thing most people try when they hit a plateau?  They think they can break through it by trying harder and redoubling their efforts.  Actually, that sometimes works to get you a little further along.  However, more often than not, you quickly find yourself right back where you started.  This eventually leads to the realization that:

4.  Old formulas just don’t work anymore. Having reached a plateau and redoubled your efforts only to find that you’re still stuck in the same place, you quickly realize that what you’ve been doing just doesn’t work as effectively anymore.  You can only build so much muscle with your existing training routine, for example, before you plateau out and have to change your routine because your old one just isn’t cutting it anymore.

So what’s the answer?  How do you break out of a plateau and start climbing and growing again?  The answer is actually part of characteristic number 4.

Once you’ve hit a plateau, the old formulas just don’t work anymore.  There are a number of reasons for this that I won’t get into here.  Just take it as fact that after a while, your usual routine just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Therefore, you’ve got to change it.  You’ve got to try a different route.  To get off the plateau and start climbing (and improving) again, you’ve got to try something new in order to  “level up.”

What does it mean to “level up?”  According to Wikipedia, to level up means, “To progress to the next level of player character stats and abilities. Often used in role-playing games when the character has acquired enough experience points.”

If you’re a “gamer,” you already knew this.  In most video games, your character starts out at a starting level with a basic set of skills.  As you progress through the game, your character gains “experience points” for using those skills to accomplish specific tasks.  Once you gain enough experience, you “level up” to the next skill level.  Your skill set usually improves as well in order to tackle the tougher challenges of the new level.

Well, life is set up pretty much the same way, only with YOU as the main character.  The more you use the skill set you’ve got, the more experience you acquire.  However, there is a point beyond which you just can’t progress any further until you acquire more “experience points.”  In other words, you’ve got to learn how to use your skills in a different way, or in a different combination, or in a different order or intensity.

If it’s your workout routine that’s plateaued, change it up by rearranging the order of your exercises or by changing the intensity level.  If a relationship has plateaued, try using a different tone of voice or meet at a different type of setting or location.  Spiritual plateau?  Try meditating or praying at a different time of day than usual or in a different place, or even in a different position (standing instead of sitting or vice-versa).

Jim Rohn, one of my personal development mentors (via hours and hours of audio tapes) loves to say that, “the only way for things to change for you, is if you change.”

So if you feel like you’re putting in a lot of effort but not getting anywhere, if you feel like you’re butting your head against the same wall, if you’ve plateaued, then you need to change your approach.  Time to try something new, gain some new experience, and “Level Up!”

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: mountain, personal development, plateau, level up, video games, weight train, health, spiritual, relationship, experience

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Working for this type of person can obviously be very stressful but there’s more to it than that.  This stress can eventually manifest itself as physical ailments.

“So great.  Not only does my jerk of a boss make me feel like an idiot, you’re saying that this might be what’s causing my ulcers as well?”

Exactly.  Not only stomach problems, but heart-related problems like high blood pressure as well, not to mention lack of sleep, restlessness, nervousness, paranoia, and lack of libido.  The list goes on and on and includes the harmful ways that people try to copy including alcohol and drug abuse, overeating, and smoking.

“But times are tough and I’m lucky to have a job.  Shouldn’t I just put up with it?”

Well, everyone’s financial needs are different and no one can make that decision for you.  However, you do need to realize that you are in fact putting your health on the line every time you decide to simply “take it.”

Here are a couple of tips you can try to help you deal with a toxic boss:

1.  First, don’t be a doormat. No human being has the right to treat others in a demeaning manner.  If you really believe that statement, then you’ve got to stand up for yourself.  Make sure, however, that you remain calm and professional.  You obviously don’t want to lose your job but you’ve got to make it clear where the boundaries are.  Keep in mind that many toxic bosses are like schoolyard bullies – once you push back, they back off.  But again, try to remain as professional as you can.

2.  Try to keep your boss focused on the problem. If you totally screwed up, own up to it and take your lumps.  However, try to keep the argument focused on your actions, not on you personally.  It might be accurate to call your actions idiotic, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK for your boss to call you an idiot.

3.  Document the behavior. If things eventually get the point where you simply can’t continue to work there any longer, you want a documented record of what happened.  If you’re fired, your records may provide the grounds for a wrongful termination lawsuit.  If  you quit and find out later that your old boss is trying to tear down your reputation, your records can be used to bring a defamation lawsuit.  Now, I have no love whatsoever for lawyers but you do have to protect your reputation as well as  your ability to earn an income.

4.  Go public. Do not suffer alone.  If you’ve tried talking to your boss and the abuse continues, make sure you talk to your Human Resources department.

Yes, I know that many toxic bosses learned their management style by modeling toxic bosses they themselves might have had.  That doesn’t make their behavior any more acceptable in today’s workplace.  That’s no different than saying a child or spouse abuser is justified in their actions because they were abused as well.  You’ve got to break the cycle somewhere.

It begins with you understanding the emotional, and physical, toll that working for a toxic boss requires.  It begins with you knowing where your “line in the sand” is.  And it begins with you standing up for yourself anytime anyone crosses that line.

Here’s a pretty good short video I found that contains some additional tips you should consider.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer

Technorati Tags: health, toxic boss, workplace, management, manager, working, emotional stress, physical stress, work stress

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It’s well worth checking out.  You can access the New York Times Health section by clicking here.

Hiram

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Regardless of whether you think this issue is a serious one, or whether you think it’s been totally blown out of proportion, the media has been having a field day.  I’ve seen interviews on the national news (NBC) that included a crying pregnant woman saying “It’s not right what they’re doing” to a doctor that had his Toyota dramatically towed and saying “I will never buy another car from them.”  Other people are saying they won’t drive their Toyota until they get some kind of  “guarantee” from Toyota the problem is fixed.

To top it off, I’ve also seen websites and blog posts bringing up the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor during WWII and saying that anybody that buys anything Japanese gets what they deserve.

Geez!  Can we all take a deep breath here?

First of all, it’s a car folks.  It’s a mechanical device and mechanical devices wear out, break, or fail.  That’s a plain and simple fact of life.  Where do people get the idea that life comes with a 100% guarantee?

I just don’t understand the hysterics.  Some of the people interviewed on the news said they were afraid to even ride in a Toyota now.  Why?  I don’t get it.

We all know that airplanes fall out of the sky every once in a while.  It’s a terrible tragedy when it happens, but it DOES occasionally happen.  Why aren’t people afraid to get on an airplane?  It’s the same thing.

We all see the scenes of terrible traffic accidents every evening on the news.  More people are killed on America’s highways than die in airplane accidents.  People get in car crashes, pedestrians and bicycle riders get run over.  It’s terrible.  Why wouldn’t you be scared to death about getting anywhere near a highway?  It’s the same thing.

Did you know that over 1,000 people in the US die from electrical shock every year?  Everything from trying to pry out a piece of toast with a knife to simply using the microwave.  Over 1,000 people every year.  Why aren’t people scared to death of using electrical appliances?  It’s exactly the same thing.

Face it, life is risky.  The only “guarantee” you can get that you’ll never get hurt from any kind of mechanical (or electrical) device is never to use any – and even that is not 100%.  Even people living in third world countries without all the conveniences that we American enjoy still die from various types of accidents – everything from getting kicked in the head by a farm animal to falling out of a tree.

The only “angle” I can think of, the only “motivation” I can see is possibly a legal one.  I would really be interested to see how many of the people that have appeared on the national news all emotional and stuff are actually part of a lawsuit trying to get millions of dollars for “pain and suffering.”

One of the things that used to make this country great was our self reliance, our ability to deal with whatever life (or unscrupulous or inept manufacturers) threw our way without trying to play “the victim” in front of a jury.

If you own a Toyota, drive it or park it.  Your choice.  But understand that even if you trade it for a different kind of car, it’s still a mechanical device and mechanical devices occasionally malfunction and/or fail.

Life gives you opportunities, not guarantees.  Understand the risk inherent in everything you do.  That’s right, there’s risk in EVERYTHING you do.  Balance that risk against the benefits.  In other words, make an informed choice and then accept responsibility for your choices.

I know this was more of a rant but I wanted to get it off my chest.  Thanks for listening.

Hiram

Full disclosure:  I drive a 1998 Toyota Camry with close to 250,000 miles on it.  It wasn’t affected by the recall and it’s easily been the best car, and longest lasting car,  I’ve ever owned.  I wouldn’t consider myself a Toyota “fan” but quality and reliability speaks for itself.

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Not cool.

Whether you’re shopping for a guy or a gal, here are a couple of tips to make this Valentine’s Day special:

1.  Plan ahead. Nothing says “I really care about you” than something that takes advance planning – even if it’s just getting reservations at a favorite restaurant.  At the other extreme, nothing says “I just don’t think about you that much” as a box of chocolates with the price sticker still on the box.

2.  Make it personal. Yes, I know that Hallmark has a card for every occasion, and yes, some of them actually say what I want to say way better than I could say it myself.  But that’s not the point – and it’s not what your special someone wants to hear.  They want to hear it from you – in your own words, in your own way.  It’s not the “vehicle” that matters, it’s the message.  Make yours personal.  So this year, forget the store-bought cards and come up with something on your own.  It might be a song, a poem, or just a few sentences, just tell them how much they mean to you.

3.  If you’re going to be there, BE THERE. Don’t think that buying a gift and just leaving it on the kitchen counter gets you off the hook to go watch Sports Center or head to the gym.  Make the day special by giving of yourself.  Turn off the TV, set aside the magazine, get off the computer.  Don’t just be there physically, be there mentally, totally focused on the love of your life.

4.  Say “I Love You” Like you Mean It. No, I don’t mean the “You know I luv ‘ya” and the quick peck on the cheek as you run to catch the Nightly News.  Take the time to look deeply into each others eyes and say “I Love You” the way you did it when you first got together.

5.  Let The Mood Take You. Be open to going wherever the mood takes you.  That could mean making wild passionate love in the middle of the Living Room or just sitting together holding hands and watching an old movie.

6.  Recommit. One question that brings up some interesting discussion when someone says, “I love you,” is “How come?”  You might hear things like “because you let me be me” or “because you accept me the way I am” or something similar.  This does two things.  First, you hear what you’re doing right  (obviously you need to keep doing them!).  Secondly, by verbalizing their thoughts, the other person tends to reinforce and strengthen those feelings.  Now to be fair, you’ve got to be prepared to answer the same question for your partner.  Doing this is a great way to reconfirm your love for each other, recommit to the relationship, and re-ignite the passion as you remember exactly what attracted you to this person in the first place.

Have a great Valentine’s Day, this year and every year after that!

Hiram

Technorati Tags: relationships, love, valentine, heart, partner, feelings, passion

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Now, here’s the bad news.  According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), only about 1 in 4 Americans in this age group regularly take advantage of preventive health services such as screenings and immunizations.  This group unfortunately neglects to take advantage of these services at precisely the time in their lives that these services can do the most good.

Want to read more?  You can access the study directly at www.cdc.gov/aging/.  The site also includes a number of information resources on a variety of topics.

Check it out for yourself!

Hiram

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Agility is composed of several components, each of which needs to be developed in order for your agility to improve overall.  These components include:

• Speed
• Balance and Coordination
• Strength

Remove any one of these and you get left in the dust as your opponent scores.

Developing Agility

Researchers reporting in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research have found that a modified version of the “T-Test” we all used to run in High School gym class is a pretty good way to not only test agility, but to develop it as well.

In the Modified Agility T-Test, or MAT for short, 4 marker cones are set out at the intervals indicated.  You start at A and then:

• Sprint from cone A to cone B as fast as you can.  Reach down and touch the top of cone B.
• Immediately shuffle sideways from cone B to cone C.  You should still be facing forward and shuffling sideways WITHOUT crossing your feet.  Touch the top of cone C.
• Immediately shuffle sideways to the right to cone D.  Again, you should be facing forward and shuffling sideways without crossing your feet.  Reach down and touch the top of cone D.
• Shuffle left back to cone B.  Reach down and touch the top of cone B.
• Run BACKWARDS back to cone A as quickly as you can.

Throughout the test, you remain facing forward, even when you’re running backwards back to the starting line.  It’s also important not to cross your feet when you’re shuffling to the side.

Here’s a training video from the University of Wisconsin showing how it’s done:

Looks easy?  Give a try.  It’s harder than you think.  But this exercise builds the ability to move quickly, stop, change direction, and move quickly again.

The need for speed should be obvious.  Coordination and balance?  That’s what will keep your two left feet from running into each other as you’re shuffling left and right and running backwards.

Where does the strength come in?  Think of the stress your joints undergo when you change direction at full speed.  The muscles around the joints – especially the knee joints – need to be strong enough to handle that kind of stress without injury.  You therefore need to be start this exercise slowly, and then build consistently as your leg and knee muscles strengthen. Otherwise, you’re going to be sitting on the sidelines with a sprain, strain, or tear.  Don’t say I didn’t warn ‘ya.

From the stats I’ve seen, members of college sports teams can finish this test in under 10 seconds.  However, your starting numbers really don’t matter.  What matters is that you’re making consistent improvement every time you train.

Spend time mastering this and the next time your opponent tries to fake left and break right at the company basketball game, you’ll be all over him.

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: t-test, agility, fitness, exercise, running, sprint, basketball, tennis, racquetball, shuffle, joint, muscle, strength

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Well, you’re wrong on all three counts.

According to studies in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (NSCR), your age doesn’t really limit your body’s ability to build muscle in response to resistance training.

Now, it is true that the younger guys will show improvement in a shorter period of time (with seemingly less effort) and will maintain the muscles longer (again, with seemingly less effort – damn!), but the point is that there apparently is no such thing as “too old to exercise.”

It seems that most of the reasons people over 55 stop going to the gym tend to be more mental than physical.  So let’s tackle them head-on:

You Need to Do It

Nothing else improves your quality of life than having a strong, healthy body.  You’ll have the strength to keep up with the grand-kids in addition to having the energy to keep things up around the house.

You know the benefits:  flexibility, lower blood pressure, a stronger heart, more energy, mobility, and so on and so on.  You KNOW the benefits.  You need to do it.

Going to the Gym

Many “seniors” don’t like going to a commercial gym.  First of all, they feel really self conscious since the vast majority of people there seems to be at least 50 years younger.  Couple that with the teenagers at the front desk and the heavy metal rock music constantly blaring from the gym sound system and anybody above 50 is going to feel out of place.  Here’s some ideas to help you deal with that:

• Get over it. Realize that most people that go to a commercial gym are there for the same reason you are – to try to improve their body.  Whether that means losing weight, gaining strength or both, most people are too absorbed with their own feelings of self-consciousness to notice yours so just get over it.  Your mission at a gym is not to impress anybody.  Your mission is to go there, get a good workout, shower and get on with your life.  So do it.
• It’s actually not that bad. Once you get to the gym, you might even notice that there are other seniors there as well.  In fact, the number of gym memberships to people over 55 increased 314% from 1990 to 2005 according to the International Health and Sportsclub Association – a number that’s expected to keeps increasing.  You’ll find that many gyms have programs specifically designed to attract seniors.  Use them.
• Set up a home gym. Does the idea of going to a commercial gym bring back memories of High School gym class with all the guys on the football team laughing at how skinny your legs were?  Then set up a home gym.  All you need are a couple of basic pieces of equipment to get yourself started.  So get them.

Start and End Slowly

Don’t make the mistake most of us make and try to transform your body overnight.  Just because you could bench-press 250 pounds when you were in college doesn’t mean you can do it now — so don’t even try.  Start slow and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to warm up on the front end, and plenty of time to cool off on the back end.  Consistently is much more important than the weight load.

Also, don’t spend all your time lifting weights or doing resistance training.  Although building muscle and developing strength is important, so is balance, flexibility, and endurance.  So don’t forget to add some stretching and cardio work to your routine as well.

Take Long Walks

As you begin working your muscles, stay active.  Don’t fall for the “I-exercised-for-15-minutes-this-morning-so-now-I-can-sit-and-watch-TV-all-day-to-rest” excuse.  Best way to stay active and slowly cool off after a workout?  Take long walks — especially with your spouse or with a friend.  You’ll be surprised what comes up in conversation as well as quickly time passes.

You Need to Do It (Again)

According to the AARP (if you’re over 55, you know what this organization is – if you’re not, don’t worry about it – yet <grin>), over 90% of seniors want to stay in their homes as they age.  How are you going to do that if you don’t have the strength to open a jar of pickles or climb up a flight of stairs?  You need an exercise program that will build and maintain muscle.

So Get Started Now

As they say, “We’re not getting any younger” so get started now.

By the way, I’ve changed that old saying to “I may not be getting any younger – but I am getting better.”  It’s what I tell myself as I push myself to do one more push-up.

Quick story:  I took my grandson rollerskating last month.  First of all, the young lady at the counter was shocked when I asked for 2 tickets.  She asked me TWICE if I was going to actually get out on the floor and skate!

After my grandson and I had skated for over an hour, we were getting ready to leave.  There was a group of teens near the counter where you turned in your skates.  As I passed by, one of them said I skated pretty good and gave me a “high 5.”  How cool was that?

So get started now.  Yes, I know it’s hard work.  Yes, I know it hurts sometimes.  But being able to embarrass your grand-kids every once in a while is worth the effort!

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: exercise, fitness, health, senior, elderly, gym, resistance training, weight lifting, home gym

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There are routines for:

• “6-Pak Abs”
• “Ripped Abs”
• “Killer Abs”
• “Ultimate Abs”
• “Contour Abs”
• “Sexy Abs”

…and a whole host of others.

And Oh My God, the EQUIPMENT and GIZMO’s!!  There are:

• Ab Belts
• Ab Toners
• Ab Conditioners
• Ab Flex
• Ab Chairs
• Ab Rockets

I even found an electronic gizmo that stimulates your abs so that they tense up in response to an electric current.  In short, there’s no shortage of ab routines and equipment designed to tone your midsection.

But my question is more basic.  Are the abs really that important?  Let’s start there.

Anatomy of the “Abs”

The abdominal muscles, or “abs,” are a series of muscles that surround the abdominal area.  As you can see from the diagram, these typically include:

• Rectus Abdominus. This is the muscle that develops  a “6-pak” look and is the one primarily worked when you do crunches.  It’s responsible for flexing the spine although it doesn’t actually attach to any vertebrae.  It also tilts the pelvis and protects the stomach and intestines.
• Internal and External Obliques. These muscles stretch around the side of the body and are what allow you to rotate or twist your body.  They also help to protect the abdominal organs.
• Serratus Anterior. You’ll find some disagreement whether this muscle is part of the abdominal group.  My NESTA manual lists it as part of the shoulder girdle.  However, it’s location is such that any ab movement usually triggers this muscle as well.
• Transverse Abdominus. Arguably the most important in terms of movement, this muscle connects directly to the pelvis on all sides as well as to the spine making it the biggest stabilizer of the spine.  It wraps around the core of the body like a corset helping to maintain vertebrae alignment.  This muscle is the first to fire, or contract, with ANY movement of the body.  Since this muscle plays such a significant role in any movement of the body, it’s important that it be properly strengthened and that strength maintained.

What you quickly find when studying even a little anatomy is that the abdominal muscles are essential to almost all body movements:  standing or sitting up straight, bending, stooping, balancing, or twisting.  They also help support the work of the back muscles.  Their “core” role in movement is the main reason they’re called “core” muscles.

So the first part of my question, “are abs really that important?” is a big “Absolutely!”

Which brings up my follow up question:  “What’s the best way to strength the abs?”

Best Ab Routines

You’ll find no shortage of exercises and fitness routines to work your abs.  Which are the “best?”  In my opinion, whatever routine you enjoy and stick with is the “best” one for you.  Someone else might find a different routine they enjoy better.  It doesn’t really matter – what matters is that you pick one and stick to it.

All routines work the abs in more-or-less the same way so there’s usually very little difference between the effectiveness of one routine over another.  Whether you work the abs with a crunch done on the floor or by using an “Ab Rocket,” the important thing is to work the abs.  If you have a phobia about doing crunches on the bare floor and would rather sit on a “Ab Chair,” then go right ahead.  What’s critical is the consistency of the load on the muscle, not the particular “gizmo” you happen to be using.

For those of you that absolutely need a routine to follow, here are two I found that I think are worthwhile (again, don’t get hung up on one routine over another – just do something!):

(Britney Spears Abs Routine. Find more fitness videos at diet.com Exercise like Britney Spears with this workout celebrity personal trainers have prescribed for the mother of two. This quick and easy ab routine will have your core and stomach looking flat and toned in no time. Fit fitness into your daily routine for best results. Check Out Diet.com Video! Diet.com: www.diet.com Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel – www.youtube.com Go behind the scenes w/ Sarah’s Blog- www.diet.com Twitter …)

Six Pack Abs Workout: Quick Abs Routine with NO Equipment

(www.undergroundwellness.com Want six-pack abs? First, you need to eat right! But you can also add these exercises to your routine and feel the burn! Anna Renderer of http takes me through a grueling abdominal circuit. Contact sean@undergroundwellness.com for your FREE consultation. Personal Training with Sean available at Fit Athletic San Diego: fitathletic.com www.undergroundwellness.com)

How Often Should You Work Your Abs?

You’ll find fitness trainers split on how often you should work your abs.  Some will tell you that since most of the abs muscles are not thick muscles like biceps, you can do your ab routine every single day.  Others will tell you to alternate days just like any other muscle.  Personally, I’m in the second camp.  I believe that even though your ab muscles are not as thick as some of the other muscles in your body, they’re still muscles.  They still tire and need time to rebuild.  Therefore, my advice is to do your ab routine on alternating days.

Don’t Forget the Back Muscles…

Lastly, don’t forget that the stronger you make your abs, the easier it is to strain your back muscles (the antagonist muscles).  You’ve got to keep both groups in balance.  A good exercise program will include back exercises as well as ab strengthening exercises on alternate days.

…Or The Diet

Keep in mind that no one is going to see your “6-pak abs” if they’re covered under a layer of body fat so proper diet and nutrition is also critical to your fitness routine.  You can’t exercise away bad eating habits or poor food choices.  ‘Nuff said.

Conclusion

The abdominal muscles are core to most of your body’s movements and should therefore be core to your exercise routine.  Pick a routine that appeals to you.  Whether it appeals to you because of the jazzy equipment or the celebrity endorsement doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that you pick something you’ll actually do consistently.

All that’s left then is that you do it!

Hiram
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

Technorati Tags: abs, abdominal, exercise, fitness, health, crunch, routine, 6-pak, flexing, muscle, health

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This case brings up an issue that many of us don’t think about – “take-home” toxins.  The fact is that many people work in a job where they can potentially bring work-place hazards home with them.  This creates the possibility of inadvertently exposing family and friends to potential health hazards.

In the article, the Australian woman would try to shake out as much dust from her husband’s overalls as she could before washing them.  What she didn’t know was that the dust she was shaking out contained large quantities of asbestos fibers.  After years of breathing this “dust” every time she washed her husband’s clothes lead to her developing mesothelioma, another name for cancer of the lining of the lung.

A 2000 USA Today article titled “Poisoning the Nest” described the problem this way:

A USA TODAY computer database investigation found that employees in more than 35 states have unwittingly transported toxins away from work sites — potentially exposing legions of family members to contaminants such as mercury, radioactive material, beryllium, lead, asbestos, PCBs, pesticides and arsenic. Toxins have been carried in workers’ cars and on shoes, socks, clothes, hair, tools, folders and briefcases. Although family members may never develop medical problems or come into contact with the contaminants, others have died or now cope with lifelong health problems and fatal illnesses. Children often are in the most danger because of their developing organs and higher metabolic rates, health experts say.

Although this article is a little dated, it still contains a lot of useful information.  You can read it by clicking here.

Taking a look at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the government agency that’s SUPPOSED to be tracking these kinds of cases, leaves much to be desired.  Their web page on “Take Home Toxins” only has 3 publications – and one of those is basically a report to Congress asking for money to fund research in this topic.  However, you will find some good tips in their pamphlet “Protect Your Family – Reduce Contamination at Home.”

Who’s Most at Risk

What all these articles and government pamphlets make clear is that it’s our loved ones that are most at risk from “take-home toxins,” primarily young children and the elderly.  The immune system of both of these groups are not as hardy or as efficient as a healthy adult, the former because it’s still being developed and the former because of the effects of age.

Although our immediate family members are most at risk, there have also been cases of exposure to friends and neighbors as well.

Examples of Take-Home Toxins

According to NIOSH, some examples of toxins that have been inadvertently taken home by workers include:

Contaminants that caused health effects have among workers’ families include:

• beryllium
  Nearly 40 reported cases of chronic beryllium disease were identified among workers’ families.
• asbestos
  Asbestos reaching workers’ homes has occurred worldwide, resulting in all forms of asbestos disease among workers’ family members, including over 100 identified deaths from mesothelioma in the United States. Although asbestos is now used less and regulated more, there is still the chance for exposure among workers’ families, especially among construction workers.
• lead
  Nearly 80 reported cases of workers’ family exposure to lead contamination were identified. More than half of the reports on workers’ children have occurred since 1990.
• mercury
  In six reported cases, workers’ homes were contaminated with mercury. The occupations of the workers involved included working at a chlor-alkali plant, the manufacturing of thermometers, and extracting gold at home.
• arsenic
  Arsenic in mine and smelter dust brought home on a worker’s clothing was considered a source of a child’s poisoning.
• cadmium
  Cadmium in the homes of lead-smelter workers resulted in increased levels in the workers’ children.
• pesticides
  Pesticide poisoning resulted in fatal and nonfatal cases in workers’ household members. Most reports occurred before 1980, but three more recent cases exist.
• caustic farm products
  More than 40 farm children have been poisoned by caustic farm products.
• chlorinated hydrocarbons
  Family members have been exposed when workers brought these substances home on their clothing.
• estrogenic substances
  Boys and girls have been affected by hormone-like chemicals brought home on the clothing of farmers and drug-company workers.
• asthmagens and allergens
  Family members have had allergic reactions to allergens from animals, mushroom farming, grain dust, and other materials.
• fibrous glass
  Family members have developed irritated skin after their clothing was washed with an insulation worker’s work clothes.
• cyclothriethylenetriamine (RDX)
  One child had epileptic seizures from this chemical brought home on a parent’s work clothes.
• infectious agents
  Family members have caught diseases such as scabies and Q fever from the clothing and skin of workers from hospitals, laboratories, and agricultural facilities.

Although these include the most toxic, don’t forget the “extra strength” cleaners and solvents that many people bring home.  Many of these “industrial strength” products include ingredients that can be very irritating, if not actually toxic, to children and other family members.  Also keep in mind that most “industrial strength” cleaners, for example, typically require the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves and maybe even face shields whereas products designed for home use typically do not.  That in itself should give you some indication of how harsh the ingredients can be.

How to Protect Your Family from Take-Home Toxins

Although this list is not complete by any stretch of the imagination, here are a couple of tips that immediately come to my mind.  Of course, you also need to review the articles and pamphlets referenced above.

1. “Decontaminate” before leaving work. If you work in a job that’s dusty or dirty, make sure you wash-up and possibly shower before coming home.
2. “Contain” any potential toxins in your Work-clothes. Any potential toxins in dirty or dusty work-clothes should be contained by placing the work-clothes in a plastic bag or in a bin with a tight-fitting lid.  Many employers require workers to change clothes before going home and provide containment bins for dirty clothes.  If yours does not, use a heavy-weight plastic bag to prevent any dust from contaminating your car — and your home — and wipe down the outside of the bag with a wet cloth to remove any dust and/or toxins that might be clinging to the plastic.
3. Keep work-clothes isolated. Wash your work-clothes separately and make sure that the washer tub is clean and thoroughly rinsed out before starting another load in order to prevent any cross-contamination to other clothes.
4. Reduce dust generation when washing. When handling and washing work clothes, reduce the generation of dust as much as possible.   Most take-home toxins enter the body through inhalation so do NOT shake out the clothes.  Get them wet as soon as possible in order to prevent any dust – as well as any potential toxins – from becoming airborne.  If you bring your work-clothes in a plastic bag, you might consider hosing down the bag in the front yard as you open it and then proceeding to hose down the clothes themselves.  Again, your intent is to reduce bringing in any dust, fibers, and potential toxins into your home.
5. Wash your hands after handling dirty work-clothes. This one should be obvious.
6. Don’t bring work solvents or cleaners home. Leave the “industrial strength” chemical in the work place.  There’s just too much risk of your kids being exposed to harsh and/or possibly toxic chemicals in industrial solvents and/or cleaners.

Like most potential hazards, awareness is the best form of prevention.  Knowing what can happen and being proactive to make sure it doesn’t is your best defense against “take-home toxins.”

Hiram

Technorati Tags: asbestos, fibers, toxins, industrial, chemical, hazards, NIOSH, safety, washing, work-clothes, contamination, exposure

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The study brought up the importance of teaching our kids healthy eating habits.

For this week’s News Roundup, I thought I’d provide some links to other stories on this same topic:

Related articles by Zemanta

• 1 out of 5 teens has high cholesterol (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Should We Test Teens for High Cholesterol? (abcnews.go.com)
• U.S. Obesity Rates Leveling Off, but Still High (nlm.nih.gov)
• Incidence of High Cholesterol Drops in U.S. (nlm.nih.gov)
• Knowing cholesterol can ward off heart disease (cnn.com)
• How To Lower Bad Cholesterol Without Medication – On SlideShare (slideshare.net)

On another note, I came across several articles that linked BPA, one of the ingredients in hard plastics, with heart disease. Those stories included:

• Study Supports Connection Between BPA and Heart Disease (usnews.com)
• Non-stick coating linked to thyroid disease (cbc.ca)
• BPA cardiovascular findings replicated (scienceblogs.com)
• New analysis of BPA risk confounded by dropping exposure (arstechnica.com)
• Does the Plastic You Drink From Hurt Your Heart? (abcnews.go.com)

Potential Health Risks for Bisphenol-A (BPA): Medicine Matters From Sandra Fryhofer, MD

A new study links BPA to an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and liver problems. Dr. Sandy Fryhofer tells us what can be done to lower exposure.

Have a great weekend.

Hiram

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Therefore, I’m offering it for FREE! You can sign-up for the download link either on the Home Page, or by clicking on the “Page Curl” at the top right of any page.

This 40 page book is packed full of some of the best advice I’ve got.  It covers what I consider “the foundation” of good health:  building a strong body, mind, and spirit.

This is not an exercise routine or workout manual.  There are no “6-pack abs” or “butt-buster” routines.  It’s much more basic than that.  Besides, you’ll never get around to doing all those fancy exercise routines if you never seem to have the energy or just flat don’t feel good.  This book will help get you to a foundational level of health where you can start trying some of those advanced routines.

So don’t delay.  Get your free copy today — and then let me know what you think.  Be sure to leave a comment on the download page.

Hiram

Technorati Tags: balanced health, fitness, spiritual, spirit, exercise, health, mental, little things, improve

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One of the medical teams that was mentioned in the news segment I was watching was a team from Israel.  What made them unique was their use of technology to totally document, diagnose, treat, and follow up with the people they were treating.

When a person first entered their medical “complex ” (actually, a series of tents), they were photographed with a digital camera.  All vital signs were entered into a computer.  All X-rays, lab tests, and the results of other diagnostic tests were digitized and included in the patients electronic file.

If the medical team needed to consult with outside specialists located back in Israel, they could easily transmit the electronic records and allow the specialists – thousands of miles away – to examine the same X-rays and test results, basically in real-time.  The reporter went on to say that this was “the new model” for emergency medical response.

My first thought was a sarcastic, “No s*** Sherlock, using digital technology to improve health care.  What a concept!”  After all, it’s 2010 for God’s sake.  It’s not like computers or the Internet are some “new-fangled thang” that might not catch on.  It’s way past time the American Health Care industry got on board.

The US Has Fallen Behind

I occasionally tune into “talk radio” and listen to Rush or Hannity, since they seem to be the only ones on most of the time.   One of the comments that I consistently hear from them is that “the US has the best health care system in the world.”  Sorry but that’s not true.

The study quoted most often was one performed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000.  It looked at the state of health care in 191 countries in a variety of ways including “financial fairness.”  The US comes in 37th with France and Italy taking the number 1 and 2 spots respectively.

Now, I’d be the first to agree with the large numbers (including Rush and Hannity) that point out that the WHO study is very, very flawed.  But even if the US ranking was to improve by 50% to say, 18, it’s STILL not even in the Top 10.

So OK.  Let’s throw out the WHO study.  I live in Houston, TX, which has one of the best medical centers, especially for cancer treatment, in the US.  There are hospitals here that used to have entire floors of “luxury suites” designed for treating visiting Heads of State as well as the occasional Saudi Prince.  These are the types of people that can travel anywhere in the world for medical treatment.  Know what?  Many hospitals have closed these rooms down or have converted them to other uses.  The super rich are not coming to Houston, or the US for that matter, any more.  They’re seeking medical treatment elsewhere in the world.

No matter how you slice it, no matter what study you believe or what study you toss out, the end result is pretty much the same:  the US has fallen behind in the quality of our health care.

The World’s Largest and Most Inefficient

In a 2005 article in “Health Affairs” magazine, the authors of an article titled, “Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, And Costs” (Yeah, I know, medical articles never have short titles…) stated that:

The U.S. health care industry is arguably the world’s largest, most inefficient information enterprise. However, although health absorbs more than $1.7 trillion per year—twice the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average—premature mortality in the United States is much higher than OECD averages.  Most medical records are still stored on paper, which means that they cannot be used to coordinate care, routinely measure quality, or reduce medical errors.  Also, consumers generally lack the information they need about costs or quality to make informed decisions about their care.

Did you catch the number?  $1.7 Trillion with a capital “T.”  That’s a number so huge, it doesn’t even register with most people.  One example from a CNN news story stated that, if you had started spending a million dollars every single day since Jesus was born, you still wouldn’t have spend a trillion dollars by the time 2010 had rolled around (see video below).

Behind the Technology Curve

The US is home to Silicon Valley and MIT and a host of other organizations and/or areas at the vanguard of technology research.  Computers and the Internet were “invented” here.  We should have the home field advantage in the use of technology to improve health care.  Yet only about 15-20% of doctors offices and only about 20-25% of hospitals have any type of electronic medical record systems in place.  Why is that?

If 90% of applicable facilities adopted electronic record keeping, it’s estimated that the potential efficiency savings for both inpatient and outpatient care could average more than $77 billion per year with most of the largest savings coming from reducing hospital lengths-of-stay, nurses’ administrative time, drug usage in hospitals, and drug and radiology usage in the outpatient setting.

This number does not even begin to estimate the savings in the number of lawsuits that would be prevented.

So Why Not?

So why hasn’t the medical industry implemented this the way other industries have?  I can log onto my banking account and see scanned in copies of every check I’ve ever written, including my water bill from 3 years ago.  Why can’t I do the same with my blood tests, prescriptions, and physical exams?

There are a lot of things wrong with the Health Care Bills that are currently making their ways through the House and Senate but electronic record keeping is one thing that should be taking place no matter how the other portions of the bill turn out.  To me, this is the only “no brainer” part that I can readily understand and easily see the impact of.

Hopefully, you do to.

Hiram

Technorati Tags: medical records, transcripts, electronic record keeping, hospital, doctor, patient, nurse, drugs, physician, technology, health care

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