Exercise promotes health…but did you know that certain types of exercises can actually make you more fragile? What may seem like a healthy, active lifestyle may be missing something critical that’s keeping you in the high-risk category.
Will you get better results if you workout in the morning or the afternoon? Some say exercising in the morning forces your body to utilize fat as the energy source, so it’s the best time to workout if you want optimum fat loss. Others say your lean muscle building and fat loss hormones peak in the afternoon, so if you want a better body you’d better workout later in the day. So which is it, AM or PM?
The science of aging has always been considered controversial. A little like chasing Big Foot or the Lock Ness monster, people are intrigued but no one takes it very seriously…until now. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Dr. Carol Greider, and Dr. Jack Szostak were were the scientists who were awarded the Noble Prize for discovering what may in fact be the key to aging. Until recently, the aging process was just an accepted process of human development.
Death by running? Talk about an oxymoron. The once savior to all heart disease is now a possible culprit? Say it ain’t so! Well, just this past week there were three deaths in the Detroit Marathon. The incidents all happened within 16 minutes of one another—most likely all from cardiac arrest. But don’t worry, as suggested by the CNN article titled, “Despite 3 deaths in Detroit race, runner fatalities are rare”, these incidents are not common. Whew! A sigh of relief if you love running and participate in long distance events like the marathon, right? Not so fast. What I’m about to tell you may have you thinking otherwise…
The fitness community has always been obsessed about muscle and how it makes us lean, fit, and strong, but there’s a group of researchers that argue that our focus has been on the wrong part of the anatomy, especially when it comes to maximizing your fitness potential while staying injury free.
Exercising within your “target heart rate” zone has long been accepted as a standard training protocol, but what if I told you that the formula for calculating your max heart rate is inaccurate? And that even the doctor that created the formula admits to being completely surprised at how the medical and fitness communities have made it the standard formula, without anyone actually doing any extended research. Here’s the real story on how the formula for calculating your max heart rate came about (from the NY Times Health):
Strengthen Your Abs With Suitcase Squats:
One question I’m often asked is, “What ab exercises can I do other than the traditional sit-ups and crunches?”. Well, if you’ve been following me or have read any of my articles, you know that I’m not a big fan of “traditional” ab exercises. Here’s why:
So the question still remains… were we born to run or walk? According to Bramble and Leibermann, we are and they did have some compelling anatomical evidence that suggests so. Although I find the evidence extremely interesting and intriguing, I’m not completely sold on the idea (at least not yet anyway). It’s hard to imagine that we ran everywhere we went. I feel that more evidence is needed before any conclusive statements can be made. But, asking this question brought up another interesting and often debated question amongst runners: Are we naturally forefoot/mid-foot runners, or is heel striking the way to go? As you read in Where We Born To Run, Not Walk (Part 1) of this article, I’m a strong advocate of forefoot or mid-foot running, either barefoot or with very little cushioning. And, since so many of you commented on the last article wanting to know exactly how to forefoot run, I’ll get straight to the video demonstration before I continue on with the rest of this article:
How To Make The Transition From Heel-Striker To Forefoot Runner:
Edward Muybridge’s 1887 motion study of an athlete running (Eadweard Muybridge/Bettmann Corbis)
To run or to walk? Which is the preferred method of travel? Most of us would probably pick walking. It’s low impact, easier, and although it takes longer, most of us can walk for much longer distances before we run out of gas. But what if I told you that our bodies are designed to run, not walk? According to a study done by University of Utah biologist Dennis Bramble and Harvard University anthropologist Daniel Lieberman, we evolved from more ape-like human ancestors that survived due their ability to run longer distances for hunting animals and scavenging carcasses—and it’s what shaped our anatomy. This theory goes against the popular long standing theory of bipedalism, which states that we evolved to walk first and that running was just a simple byproduct. Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman state that some of the most compelling evidence comes from our own anatomy.
If you’ve been watching or reading the news, you can’t get away from today’s hottest topic - U.S. Healthcare Reform. It’s a heated debate and both sides are pulling out all the stops. Everything from busing people into various communities to rally for their cause, to President Obama speaking at town hall meetings, to advertising and tweeting messages on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace—taking full advantage of all social networking avenues. All in the hopes to reach as many people as possible with their message. But what is their message?
One of the most misunderstood exercises (other than the squat) has got to be the deadlift. Maybe it’s the name. Anything with the word “dead” in it can’t be a good thing—especially when it comes to exercises, right? I remember back when I just started high school, in one of my first PE class, we had to run this cross country course. But this wasn’t just a regular run-of-the-mill cross country run. No siree. A few days prior to the run, we had heard several horror stories and in particular about the dreaded “Dead Man’s Hill”, which was to come at the end of the run. We were told about how the hill got it’s name—apparently a star athlete with immense talent and speed tried to run up the hill, ignoring warnings from his coaches and teammates to take the hill slowly and cautiously because of it’s shear steepness. As the story goes, the boy never made it to the top. His body was found three quarters of the way up the hill, he apparently passed out and died from exhaustion. Now, at the age of thirteen, I really didn’t know what to think or believe. As I got ready to run what may be the last run I’ll ever do, the thought of Dead Man’s Hill weighed heavily on my mind…
Have you ever suffered from aches and pains in your knees and ankles…perhaps after a long run or a vigorous workout? If you have, you’re definitely not alone - and no, you don’t have to be over the hill to suffer from aches and pains! Achy joints can occur in anyone, but not to worry…I’ll show you a simple exercise that you can do that’ll help strengthen and protect your joints, so you can stop popping ibuprofen like candy.
You’ve heard all the bad things about sugar—it spikes your insulin, makes you retain more belly fat, and it’s been linked to serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. But what if I told you that there was one exception where sugar can actually be good for you and even help you gain lean muscle and lose more weight? Well, you heard it right, but there IS a catch…
Vacations, get-togethers, cookouts, and carting the kids around…with summer in full swing, you’re probably busier than ever. I know I am! But there’s no reason you can’t work in a quick, killer workout no matter your schedule or whereabouts. So today, I’ve gotta another no-excuses workout you can squeeze in anytime, anywhere. Plus, this one will get you out of the gym for a day so you can soak up the sun and enjoy the outdoors while getting your sweat on. All you need is one kettlebell ( a dumbbell will work just fine if you don’t have a kettlebell) to get your heart pumping with this full-body beach workout. Not to worry…the beach isn’t a requirement, but it sure is fun! Check it out…
As you may already know (or experienced), shoulder instability is a common issue that can lead to serious injury later on. From years of bad posture to overuse through sports or other repetitive activities, there are many reasons you might lose flexibility in your shoulders. The good news is that you can reverse these problems or even prevent them altogether.
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