Here is an excellent demonstration of the power of functional fitness routines using simple functional fitness equipment. In this routine, Jeff Biehl uses a BOSU together with a stretch band to achieve a dynamic workout for abs, core, legs and arms.
Archive for December, 2005
“Using visual cues to help you better gauge portion sizes helps you stick to any diet and cut calories without having to count them. The steak, fish, chicken or other protein portion of your diet should be about three ounces, or the size of a deck of playing cards, notes Lisa R. Young, the
A playing card of steak is about half or even a third of a typical person's portion. Most people have to increase their portion of vegetables to eat a baseball's worth. But eating playing card and baseball portions can cut hundreds of calories a week out of a diet, boost the overall nutritional content of your meals and help you better manage your weight.”
Excellent advice from the primo health writer for the WSJ. I would add that, while this advice is excellent, if you are really serious about losing weight it is probably essential that you do in fact initially focus on actually counting calories and recording exactly what you eat and the respective calories in each meal. This can be initially tedious and it's entirely understandable why people avoid it, however, the detailed knowledge you gain on the caloric content of the foods you imbibe will be invaluable to your quest to lose weight.
Many Americans (and other modern cultures as well) like the quick fix. People want the pill or the treatment or the surgical procedure that will “solve their medical problem.” While exercise and weight control are effective treatments for many conditions and diseases, not the least which are depression, lower back pain and prevention of cardio vascular disease, Americans do not want to hear their doctor prescribe a program of fitness and weight loss. Suffering lower back pain? An exercise program that focuses on strengthening the abs may be effective. Suffering from mild depression? A rigorous cardio program may help by releasing “feel good” endorphins. Worried about a family history of cardio vascular disease? The place to start is to control your weight and exercise regularly.
But guess what, when Americans go to a doctor and get exercise and weight loss advice, they don’t like it. It isn’t instant gratification and it takes a huge commitment on their part to implement. A few people may follow such advice, but many won’t follow it or will doctor shop until they find a like minded doctor who suggests a pharma or surgical treatment for their condition. It’s a puzzling fact of today’s American culture that many will walk away from a doctor dissatisfied, having received diet and fitness advice, but be content if they have a date set for an serious operation that may required painful recovery time or are given a handful of prescriptions that may have unpleasant side effects.
Exercise and weight control are not panaceas. Many if not most serious medical conditions require active medical treatment. But if you are carrying around 40 extra pounds, are sedentary and are starting to suffer some lower back pain, exercise and diet are the least invasive treatment available and they should be your first line of defense.
Exercise and weight control can aid the prevention and abatement of many serious medical conditions, if we would give them a chance.
(The above is original content excerpted from getfitsource's upcoming book on diet and fitness which we'll post on our site when complete.)
This LAT article, reporting on a study published in the Journal of American Medical Assn., describes the poor state of teen fitness in the
Previous research shows that about 16% of
Experts feel that the treadmill test is a good measure of fitness. “The tests became faster and steeper after a two-minute warm-up, and a rapidly increasing heart rate after a short period of exercising defined poor fitness.”
“Teens and adults with poor fitness were two to four times more likely to be overweight or obese than those considered moderately or highly fit, the study found. Waist size, cholesterol levels and blood pressure also were higher in those in the low fitness category. “
The article indicates that this means that more than 7 million youngsters may have issues with hearth disease later in life. But I feel the negative health implications are far more severe as poor fitness tends to correlate with many other diseases in addition to cardiovascular disease as well as mental acuity.
If you interact with an American teen, encourage him or her to improve their fitness level. The positive impact on their long term physical and mental health could be substantial.
crossfit.com is their website.
The founder of CrossFit is Greg Glassman and the NYT reports that CrossFit participants skip Stairmasters and weight machines and do high-intensity workouts that mix gymnastics, track and field skills and bodybuilding, with little rest between sets. Interestingly, the NYT reports that “the emphasis is on speed and weight hoisted, not technique.”
The article recounts the almost fanatic devotion of CrossFit members and the extreme intensity and some of the risks, including injuries, associated with this type of workout.
This is a program for people who like to push the limits of exercise, and probably not for the vast majority of people who are interested in simply improving their fitness.
My own view is that there are some good and bad tenets in the program. For example, the inherent emphasis on cross training and intensity can be very worthwhile, but the lack of emphasis on achieving correct form may lead to unnecessary injuries. Also, while intensity can be good, too much can be dangerous.
Most people can benefit from some of the ideas in the program, but leave the complete regimen to the small minority of super gung ho exercisers out there.
The grueling exercise program clearly isn’t main stream. The founder clearly admits that “it can kill you.”
Read this entire fascinating article and visit the website to see what the super extreme exercisers are up to these days.
Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon pen the The People's Pharmacy column which is carried in the LAT and other papers. This column suggests that there is growing evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may elevate blood pressure in susceptible individuals. These drugs include naproxen and acetaminophen.
Aspirin does not raise blood pressure or increase the risk of other cardiovascular complications.
Jane Brody, the prolific and insightful NYT writer who is their Personal Health expert writes a poignant and descriptive history of her double knee replacment surgery. She recounts the history of her knee problems and the results of the operation.
Her bottom line is as follows: “ I'm still glad I chose to have both knees replaced at the same time. I doubt that I would have gone back for the second one after experiencing the first. I am also glad to have knees that permit me to walk for miles and stand on my feet for hours without pain.”
This is a must read for anyone considering knee replacment surgery.
Vail was surprisingly calm this weekend as crowds held back before they converged for before the mad holiday rush. Perhaps they were finishing up their last minute Christmas shopping. The snow was excellent, the weather cold but tolerable, the overall experience excellent as is normally the case.
I was on some brand new Solomon demo skis and was trying to determine whether they were right for me or not. They are wide, double tipped skis that appear to be built for powder but they performed well on the groomers, in cut up snow, in and around the easy bumps and in the light powder.
In my half day lesson we continued to work on engaging the downhill obliques as part of the turning process, which helps one stay balanced over the skis. (I continue to be struck by how well functional training comports with skiing.)
I'll be in Vail for the next 6 days and will blog from there as connectivity permits.
Here is a great functional fitness routine performed by certified personal trainer Randy Brandt. A simple stretch band and a solid point to tie the band into is all that is required.
