How to Kick the Treadmill-Gripping Habit

From Lorra Garrick, CPT, for About.com

Holding onto the rails while walking or running on the treadmill is a bad habit that reduces the good effects of your workout. Some people think walking on a treadmill is

akin to balancing one foot on a log in the water. Thus, the idea of taking their hands off the machine is unthinkable. I’ve had people with many situations, including Meniere’s disease (a balance disorder), obesity, and advanced age, release their hands. Not one of them fell.

Treadmill Rails Don’t Need to Be Used

Many treadmill-grippers are young, not overweight, and have no medical ailments. Thus, it’s safe to assume that most people hold on for no other reason than because the rails and front bar are there. The presence of the bar and rails puts the idea into walkers’ heads that they’ll topple over if they don’t hold on. Letting go never dawns on them.

The rails are there for liability purposes, maximum profit, and to hold onto when you turn around to see who’s behind you. The front bar is for checking heart rate.

Slow Down the Treadmill

It’s always funny how people who tell me they’ll “fall off” have the tread going at 3.5 or 4 mph. However, many people I’ve spoken to never needed to slow down before letting go. All they needed was my suggestion to slow down the speed. On the other hand, many people indeed have the machine’s settings too high for their abilities.

Treadmill Walking with Zero Incline

If you don’t think you have a balance problem, simply let go at the speed you normally use. You’ll instantly feel many more muscles working. Keep straight and focus on posture. If you’re “scared” to let go, then first reduce speed. Go down to 2 mph, if you must. If you’re challenged, set it even slower. Cruise at 1 mph if this is what it takes to acclimate your body to real walking.

If you feel self-conscious about being seen walking this slowly, then do realize that this doesn’t look half as silly as holding on at a faster speed. Your body will adjust to this new stimulus very quickly.

If you prefer no incline, do short speed-walking intervals alternating with slower walking. Or, stay at one challenging pace for sustained periods. If you can’t let go because your eyes are pasted to the TV or a magazine, then give up the TV or magazine.

Treadmill Incline

People set the incline too high for the speed, or the speed too fast for the incline. Thus, they have no choice but to hold on. If releasing your hands is too difficult, regardless of your fitness level or age, then lower the settings. Many people believe that in order to get a sizzling cardio workout, they must keep the speed at least 3.5 or 4 mph for incline walking. At a high incline, this is unrealistic as a sustained pace.

Think of your last uphill hike outdoors. You were probably climbing at only 2 or 2.5 mph. Even 3 mph outdoors can be difficult. Set the tread at a pace similar to that of your outdoor hikes. Be realistic. I’ve seen people on the treadmill (no hands) get smoked out just by walking only 2.5 mph at 15% for only 10 minutes.

Treadmill Interval Training

1. High Incline - Level Recovery: Walk a high incline for a few minutes (hands off), then go level for two minutes to recover. Alternate tough, high inclines with easy, low inclines at a fixed speed for 30 minutes. Do not keep the incline high and simply hold on for your easy intervals. Instead, lower the angle and keep your hands off. For fitness results, you must mimic reality.

2. High Incline, Vary Speed: Maintain a 15% grade, but vary the speed. For instance, alternating one-minute intervals between 4 mph and 2 mph. Don’t think 2 mph is too slow; you may still be wheezing after only one minute at this recovery interval, especially as time progresses into the routine.

3. High Intensity Interval Training: If you’re in great shape, set your training intervals at a grueling intensity (6 mph at 15%). It’s OK for a training interval to last only 15 to 30 seconds. Your one- or two-minute recovery intervals can be a 3 mph, flat-level walk or a 2.5 mph, 15% walk.

4. Steady Pace: If you don’t prefer intervals, then walk or jog sustained at an incline low enough to permit releasing your hands, but high enough to charge up your heart rate. Raise the incline one percent every week or two.

5. Experiment: Experiment with different grades, speeds and interval times for varying degrees of intensity. If you initially feel dizzy or unsteady, it’s because you’re used to using your arms as anchors. Stick it out and you’ll soon be walking like a Marine or running like the wind. If your lower back aches while using the incline, it’s because those muscles are working for the first time.

LAC Fitness: Dwight Howard bench press

Lexington Running: Run/walk method for Marathons

Better Running Through Walking

By TARA PARKER-POPE via NYT

I am more couch potato than runner. But not long ago, I decided to get myself into shape to run in the New York City Marathon, on Nov. 1, just 152 days from now. (Not that I’m counting.)

To train for my first marathon, I’m using the “run-walk” method, popularized by the distance coach Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 Olympic team. When I mentioned this to a colleague who runs, she snickered — a common reaction among purists.

But after interviewing several people who have used the method, I’m convinced that those of us run-walking the marathon will have the last laugh.

Contrary to what you might think, the technique doesn’t mean walking when you’re tired; it means taking brief walk breaks when you’re not.

Depending on one’s fitness level, a walk-break runner might run for a minute and walk for a minute, whether on a 5-mile training run or the 26.2-mile course on race day. A more experienced runner might incorporate a one-minute walk break for every mile of running.

Taking these breaks makes marathon training less grueling and reduces the risk of injury, Mr. Galloway says, because it gives the muscles regular recovery time during a long run. Walk breaks are a way for older, less fit and overweight people to take part in a sport that would otherwise be off limits. But most surprising are the stories from veteran runners who say run-walk training has helped them post faster race times than ever.

One of them is Tim Deegan of Jacksonville, Fla., who had run 25 marathons when his wife, Donna Deegan, a popular local newscaster and cancer survivor, began organizing a marathon to raise money for breast cancer research. When Mr. Galloway volunteered to help with the race, Ms. Deegan asked her husband to take part in run-walk training to show support.

“The only reason I did this is because I love my wife,” said Mr. Deegan, 49. “To say I was a skeptic is to put it very nicely.”

But to his surprise, he began to enjoy running more, and he found that his body recovered more quickly from long runs. His times had been slowing — to about 3 hours 45 minutes, 15 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon — but as he ran-walked his way through the Jacksonville Marathon, “I started thinking I might have a chance to qualify for Boston again.”

He did, posting a time of 3:28.

Nadine Rihani of Nashville ran her first marathon at age 61, taking walk breaks. Her running friends urged her to adopt more traditional training, and she was eventually sidelined by back and hip pain. So she resumed run-walk training, and in April, at age 70, she finished first in her age group in the Country Music Marathon, coming in at 6:05.

“My friends who were ‘serious’ runners said, ‘You don’t need to do those walk breaks,’ ” she said. “I found out the hard way I really did.”

Read the rest HERE

Lexington Fitness: Paleo/Primal Exercise

Lexington Fitness: Why You Got Fat

Lexington Fitness: Big "Fat" Lies

Lexington Fitness: Go Primal/Paleo!

Great video!

Lexington Fitness: No Excuses

via Mark's Daily Apple

Today, We Shoot Down Excuses



When it comes to eating and exercising, people are quick to produce an excuse – any excuse – explaining why they can’t do it. Coming up with excuses may be pretty easy, but I find shooting them down to be even easier.

I don’t have enough time to workout.
If you’ve got 15 minutes you’ve got enough time.

I don’t know where to start.
You do now:

The 10 Primal Blueprint Laws
The Definitive Guide to the Primal Blueprint Eating Plan
The Definitive Guide to Grains
The Definitive Guide to Fats
The Best of 2008

I can’t afford healthy foods.
Sure you can. Organ meat is cheap and incredibly nutritious. Or try the Depression Diet. Heck, even organics are affordable, if you know how to do it. Even healthy cuts of meat can be had on a budget: grass fed meat options, thrift cuts. If you’re the ambitious type, save money on quality meat by buying wholesale. And here are some more tips for good measure.

I hate working out.
Don’t think working out has to mean jogging on a treadmill for miles and miles. Stop with the chronic cardio and start tricking yourself into working out.

Read the rest HERE.

Ropes Gone Wild at LAC

Those new ropes laying around LAC aren't just for double dutch...

Watch how Art of Strength uses them...

LAC Member featured in Kentucky Kernel

Being barbell Barbie: Former cheerleader builds body and tears down stereotype

Way to go Siouxsie Gisselberg!

David Madden wins the LAC bracket contest!

Final Standings
1. David Madden 131
2. Kyle Oroku 130
3. Jillian Dove 129
4. Steve Hellman 125
5. Robert Price 124

Congratulations David! Fame and fortune are now yours!

2009 March Madness

Standings as of 3/23

1. Ed Schaub 56 points*
2. David Madden 51 points
2. Kristin Bullock 51 points
3. Dustin Ramirez 50 points
5. 3 tied with 49

*look out, Ed won it last year!

LAC March Madness Contest 2009

Standings as of 3/23

1. Ed Schaub 56 points
2. David Madden 51 points
2. Kristin Bullock 51 points
3. Dustin Ramirez 50 points
5. 3 tied with 49

Butter, Bacon, And Eggs: Real Foods Take On Fake Foods

via LifeSpotlight

A few days ago, I was served a quiche at work, but instead of being made with eggs, it was made with half eggs and half Egg Beaters. As the person that made it proclaimed, she “did everything she could to make it low-fat.” So I started thinking about all of the fake foods we use to replace real, wholesome foods. But before we get into that, let’s take a look at the length of time the foods I’m about to talk about have been in our diets.


The Food Timeline

Let’s look at an interesting site that I came across quite awhile back…The Food Timeline. Now, since we know that the foods that humans have been eating the longest are the very foods that we’re the best adapted for, this site could prove beneficial in helping sort through this mess.

So let’s note that butter existed nearly 5000 years before man-made margarine. While there’s no entry for bacon specifically, pork was domesticated around 9000 years ago, so I’m betting bacon followed within the next century or two. Unsurprisingly, turkey bacon isn’t on the timeline, but I’m betting it only came about in the last decade or two, three at most. Yet, we’re consistently told these new foods are better for us. Why?

Read the rest HERE

LAC March Madness Contest

Fame, Recognition, and Fabulous prizes await you! Turn your bracket in by 11pm on Wednesday! (it's free)

The Context of Calories

via Mark's Daily Apple

Many people think weight loss is simply about cutting calories. But context counts here, too. Calories do have context and that’s what I want to explore today. Is a calorie from fat the same as a calorie from protein or carbohydrate? Depends on the context. Does day-to-day calorie monitoring make any difference if your week-to-week weight and energy expenditure are dialed in? Maybe not.

Most people (even many scientists) believe that the body composition challenge is a relatively simple equation: to lose weight you must reduce calories (either eat less or burn more), to gain weight you must add calories, and to maintain weight you keep calories constant. Calories in over calories out.

The truth is, it’s more like a complex equation where you have to factor in many other very important variables: Do I want to lose weight or just body fat? Do I want to gain weight or just muscle? How much muscle do I want to put on and how fast? What is my personal genetic “range” or limit for body fat or muscle? These are all different contexts. And these are further affected by supply (types and quantity of foods as well as frequency of meals) and metabolic demand (your relative immediate need for either energy, repair, or building). In the short-term, they are rate-limited by hormones (insulin, glucagon, epinephrine, nor-epinephrine, cortisol etc). And in the long-term the range (or limits) of possible outcomes is determined by gene expression (5’8” ectomorphs simply can’t become 275-lb body-builders, but they can be well-proportioned 165-lb men or 135-lb women.). The context can also change day-to-day. That’s where you come in as the director.

Fat burning, glucose burning, ketone burning, glycogen storage, fat storage, gluconeogenesis, and protein turnover. All of these energy-related processes are going on simultaneously in each of us at all times. But the rate at which each of these processes happens is different in each of us and they can increase or decrease (sometimes dramatically) depending on the context of our present circumstances and our long term goals. All of these contexts utilize the same gene-based principles of energy metabolism – the biochemical machinery that we all share - but because they all involve different starting points as well as different goals or possible outcomes, they often require different action plans. We can alter the rate at which each of these metabolic processes happens simply by changing what and when we eat. We can change the context.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-context-of-calories/

The Definitive Guide to the Primal Eating Plan

via Mark's Daily Apple

I start with these four basic principles to guide my Primal Blueprint eating style:

1) 80% of your body composition will be determined by your diet. Yes, exercise is also important to health and to speed up fat-burning and muscle-building, but most of your results will come from how you eat. I’ll write more on this later, so just trust me on this one for now. Suffice to say, people who weigh a ton and exercise a ton, but eat a ton, still tend to weigh a ton. I think I’ll have that made into a t-shirt…

2) Lean Body Mass (LBM) is the key to life. I’ve said it many times on this site: lean mass (muscle and all the rest of you that is not fat) is directly correlated with longevity and excellent health. Rather than strive to “lose weight”, most people would be better off striving to lose only fat and to build or maintain muscle. Since other organs tend to function at a level that correlates to muscle mass, the more muscle you maintain throughout life, the more “organ reserve” you’ll have (i.e. the better the rest of you will work). Refer back to rule #1 and eat to build or maintain muscle.

3) Excess body fat is bad. Most human studies show that being significantly overweight increases your risk of nearly every disease (except osteoporosis - because ironically it responds to weight-bearing activities). Fat just doesn’t look that great either. See rule #1 and eat to keep body fat relatively low.

4) Excess insulin is bad. We’ve written about it here a lot. Chronic excess insulin may be even worse than excess sugar (and we know how bad that is). All animals produce insulin, but within any species, those that produce less insulin live longer than those who produce a lot. Eat to keep insulin low.

Here is how I use these principles to guide my individual macronutrient intake:

Read the rest here

Jedi Workout

LAC Member, Dan Case, Wins State Racquetball Tournament...

....for the fourth year in a row!

Four-Peat!

Stop being so tired, by Jack Lalane

The Simplest Muscle Building (and Fat Shredding) Workout Plan…and it Works!

via Life Spotlight Network

Ok, we all have been there….Burnout! Maybe it was trying to do some super complicated workout for weeks….maybe it was just going to the gym too often…or maybe it was just time for a change. We have all hit the wall, and it’s not pleasant. Once we lose that passion and excitement it’s time to reevaluate what we are doing…and take a new course of action.

Less is More

I’ve been working in gyms for so long that I can’t wait to get out of there some days. But what about my workout? Ahhh I’ll just do it tomorrow…and then that turns into the next day…or the next…or the next. When I’m excited about my workouts I stick with them…when I dread them, then good luck getting me to the gym. Long ago I got bored will all the typical pyramidal sets of 8-12 reps, chest day or all those other things you find in any magazine. Then I came across a system that looked and sounded so simple, that it couldn’t get old. To this day I still call it my simplest workout plan for those times I just want to go and push stuff around without thinking too much (which seems to be my regular workout nowadays).
The funny part is…that it can also get you great results for building muscle and burning fat! (as we all know the best way to burn fat is build muscle and get those fat releasing hormones like GH going….along with eating right of course). So now I present the easiest workout idea that I have enjoyed using over the years of trying almost every method out there.
Staley’s Escalated Density Training (EDT)

I first came across this concept long ago reading an article by Charles Staley about his EDT style of training and how he has had remarkable success with many big name clients in putting on muscle. Charles is very well known in the fitness community, and you will actually see more things that closely resemble an EDT style of training out nowadays. Why? Because it works and it is simple. What is EDT? Charles gives some good insight in this interview:

read the rest HERE

SCORE Clinic at LAC

Dr. Jeff Fortes is now seeing patients on Tuesday's and Thursday's at his new Lexington office located inside Lexington Athletic Club.

from his website:

Dr. Jeff Fortes, DC is a 2000 Graduate of Palmer West Chiropractic College. A California native, he practice 6 years in Folsom, California before relocating to Louisville. He specializes in Sports and Family Chiropractic. He is certified in Graston Technique and Active Release Technique.

Since moving to the Louisville area, Dr. Fortes has become The Provider of Graston Technique, Active Release Technique and Chiropractor for The University of Louisville Cardinals Athletics. In addition, he has also become the Chiropractor for The Louisville Fire Football Team in the AFL 2. This season, Dr. Fortes is also the Chiropractor for the Louisville Bats Baseball Team, a Triple A Team for The Cincinnati Reds. Also in 2008, Dr. Fortes will be the Chiropractor for the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball, The Ryder Cup Experience and The Fight Master Cup held in Louisville.

His sports interest is to wakeboard, snowboard, golf, sport fishing and compete in triathlons. He finished his first IronMan in Coeur D’Alene 2004 and is training for the Louisville IM in 2008. He has 6 dogs and 6 cats and a 30 lb. Tortoise named Heidi. On his spare time, he likes to travel the world and eat at new restaurants.

Dr. Fortes has been a guest speaker on several Local and International television on Topics of Chiropractic and Soft Tissue Treatments

Licenses / Certifications /Skills / Awards:

• Certified Graston Technique Provider, Soft tissue specialist
• Certified Active Release Technique Provider
• Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician Candidate
• Independent Disability Evaluator for Worker’s Compensation
• Dr. Fortes has done 2 Chiropractic mission trips to Brazil, 2000 and 2001
• International Chiropractic Association Council Member on Fitness and Sports Health Science.
• Member of the California Chiropractic Association since 2000
• Member of the International Chiropractic Association since 2000
• Past President and Past Secretary for Kiwanis Club of Folsom, CA. Distinguished Service Award 2003-2004, Outstanding Achievement Award 2001-2002
• Former Secretary for Business Network International
• Chamber of Commerce Member of Folsom since 2000
• Member of Sutter Street Merchants Historical Association since 2000
• Personal Fitness Trainer 1990-2000, Certified ACSM
• Ironman Finisher in Coeur D’Alene in 2004
• 2 x Marathon Finisher
• CPR Certification, 1997,1999,2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
• California, Illinois Chiropractic Licenses, INACTIVE
• Athlete Care Provider for 2004 Olympic Trials
• Sports Chiropractor for The CaliforniaMan Iron-Distance Triathlon 2004
• Official Sponsor and Sports Chiropractor for Total Intensity Sports Triathlon Club
• Official Sports Chiropractor for Folsom International Triathlon since 2003
• Official Sports Chiropractor for CaliforniaMan Iron-Distance Triathlon in 2004. Official Sponsor and Team Chiropractor for Total Body Fitness Multi-Racing Triathlon Group
• Official Sponsor and Sports Chiropractor for Sacramento Triathlon Club
• Official Sponsor and Sports Chiropractor for Tri-Sierra Club
• Official Sponsor and Chiropractor for Louisville Landsharks Triathlon Club
• Official Provider of Graston Technique, Active Release Technique and Chiropractic for The University Of Louisville Cardinals Athletics
• Chiropractor for the Louisville Fire Arena 2 Football Team
• Chiropractor for the Louisville Bats Baseball Team a Triple A Team for the Cincinnati Reds
• Chiropractor for the 2008 AVP Pro Beach Volleyball
• Chiropractor for the 2008 Ryder Cup Experience
• Chiropractor for the 2008 Fight Master Cup
• Chiropractor for the 2008 Derby City Roller Girls
• Chiropractor for the 2008 Louisville Karma Women’s Football Team
• Official Sponsor for the 2008 Taylorsville Half-Iron Distance Triathlon

Healthy Heart Tips for a Bad Economy

via HealthDay News

Don't let your body pay the price in uncertain times, experts say

SATURDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The economic news is enough to weaken anyone's heart, and it sometimes does with people feeling stressed, eating poorly and cutting out workouts while trying to make ends meet.

"We've seen an increase in patients complaining about heart palpitations, anxiety and stress over the past months," Karol Watson, an associate professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, said in a news release issued by the school. "Much of heart disease can be prevented. That's why it is so important to follow a healthy lifestyle and to control your cardiovascular risk factors."

UCLA cardiologists offer these tips for adults and children in these tough economic times:

Eat better; exercise more. Eat a healthy diet, including five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. By cooking simple fresh foods at home, rather than indulging in restaurant fare or fast foods, you can save money and your health. Maintaining a good diet and exercise program -- even if it's just 30 minutes of walking around the neighborhood -- helps you prevent obesity, which adds to the risk of heart attacks, heart failure and diabetes.

• Don't skimp on health care. Putting off doctor visits, especially when you have symptoms, hurts your health more in the long run, as does skipping medications or splitting pills to cut costs. Maintain regular checkups. Look at pharmaceutical company prescription programs if medication costs are a concern for you.

• Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoking is an expensive habit that greatly increases your risk of cardiovascular problems. Quitting smoking quickly reduces the risk to your heart.

• Reduce stress. Find a positive outlet -- such as exercise, meditation or the company of others -- to ease stress and improve your health.

• Maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Get your levels checked and talk to your physician about the best plan of action to keep your LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels low and your HDL ("good") cholesterol levels high.

• Check your blood pressure. Hypertension is called the "silent killer," because it exhibits few warning signs. Today, several effective treatments are available for high blood pressure. If your blood pressure is normal, maintain it with a healthy lifestyle.
  

How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days…

via Tim Ferriss

It is possible to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat in 30 days by optimizing any of three factors: exercise, diet, or drug/supplement regimen. I’ve seen the elite implementation of all three in working with professional athletes. In this post, we’ll explore a variation of the “slow carb” diet as used by Dean Karnazes, an ultramarathoner famed for completing 50 marathons on 50 consecutive days in 50 different states. The most impressive part of this, for me, is that he did so, not with the typical anemic marathoner build, but with a well-muscled mesomorph body.

In the last six weeks, I have cut from about 180 lbs. to 165 lbs., while adding about 10 lbs. of muscle, which means I’ve lost about 25 lbs. of fat. This is the only diet besides the rather extreme Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) that has produced veins across my abdomen, which is the last place I lose fat (damn you, Scandinavian genetics). Here are the four simple rules I followed…

Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates

Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white. The following foods are thus prohibited, except for within 1.5 hours of finishing a resistance-training workout of at least 20 minutes in length: bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading. If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.

Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again

The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, costructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:

Proteins:
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork

Legumes:
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans

Vegetables:
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables

Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes. Surprisingly, I have found Mexican food, swapping out rice for vegetables, to be one of the cuisines most conducive to the “slow carb” diet.

Most people who go on “low” carbohydrate diets complain of low energy and quit, not because such diets can’t work, but because they consume insufficient calories. A 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories! Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes for caloric load.

Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:

10am - breakfast
1pm - lunch
5pm - smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm - sports training
10pm - dinner
12am - glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed

read the rest HERE...

Dietary protein increases lean mass

Via Protein Power.com

There is an old joke that goes something like this:

Question: What is Mozart doing in his grave right now?
Answer: De-composing.

The same question could be asked of the living right now who are working hard on their diets and seeming to go nowhere body weight-wise.


Question: What’s happening right now? Why am I not losing weight?
Answer: You’re Re-composing.

As you can see from the picture above, body composition matters a lot. It’s not the particularly the weight you carry as much as how it is distributed that counts. As I’m forever asking my female patients, What difference does it make if you weigh 200 pounds if you’re wearing a size 4? Although that situation is unlikely, they get the point.

A soon-to-be-published study by Donald Layman and his team at the University of Illinois demonstrates this phenomenon nicely. And shows that by increasing protein intake - even while keeping carb intake much higher than I would recommend - increases fat loss while increasing muscle and lean tissue mass.

Here is how the study was set up.

Read the rest HERE.

Linda Hamilton, fitness role model

via Relative Strength Advantage

For her role in the movie Terminator 2 Linda Hamilton got into amazing shape. She got strong arms, chiseled abs and shapely shoulders. Not only did she look good, she also performed like a kickass warrior princess in the film.

She could easily bench press 85 pounds for reps, run eight miles and pump load a 12-gauge shotgun with one arm. We all saw her kicking ass in the movie. Apparently it was not all movie magic, but she was tough for real.

She Relaxed Her Regimen After the Movie

After shooting the movie, Linda relaxed her diet a bit and also trained less frequently – just five workouts a week. You can not go at such intensity for too long. Even Olympic level athletes relax after a major competition.

A Routine That Linda Hamilton’s Trainer Recommends to Get Similar Results

Four times a week - 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise:

Mondays, Thursdays - Chest, shoulders, triceps

Dumbbell bench press
Inclined flies
Lateral raises
Front raises
Kickbacks

Tuesdays, Fridays - Back, biceps

One-arm rows
Bent-over rows
Standing curls

Read the rest HERE

Athlete Workouts

George St-Pierre

Troy Polamalu

Donovan McNabb

Chad Johnson

Kobe Bryant

T-Mac

Darren McFadden

Better Than Yesterday

via Again Faster

"In October of 2006, Greg Glassman gave me the most important lesson of my life. It has nothing to do with barbells or pull-ups, sweat or pain. In fact, it has very little to do with exercise at all.

His words, paraphrased and non-profound: The pursuit of excellence is rewarded.

Simple and axiomatic, it would be easy to dismiss this lesson as self-help drivel. Yet put into action, it is the most powerful thing on the planet. It’s taken me two years to appreciate its potency, and ten short months to see its effects.

I’ve pared it down for my own use, coining a three-word phrase that reminds me that today is not just another day: Better than yesterday.

Today is an opportunity to run faster than ever before. To lift more weight. To make better videos and write better articles. To create better athletes. To make every client happy. To embrace the fact that yesterday’s efforts were nothing more than an unsatisfactory attempt at an uncompromising ideal.

“Better than yesterday” is hard. It requires you to be your own worst critic, while maintaining the belief that you are fully capable of remedying your own faults.

This juxtaposition can be hard to sustain. It is easy to find satisfaction in mere competency, to believe that the job you’re doing is the best you can do. The identification of fault is much harder on the ego, an unending assault on the bastion of identity. “Better than yesterday”, with its implicit focus on excellence and explicit criticism of self, is an uncomfortable place.

I have a whiteboard in my office, bearing the unceremonious title “Things We Suck At”. This list is the CEO of Again Faster, and it says nasty things about me and my company. It keeps me honest and unsatisfied, and the second I become smug, it’s there to drive me into action, mocking me for my shortcomings. I don’t particularly like to look at that whiteboard, but it keeps us on a beeline toward excellence, and it’s done more for our company than any consultant ever could."

Read the rest HERE.

January 30 UPDATE

Regular hours: 5am-9pm
Playroom: open
Group Exercise: canceled
We will be offering a special master class from 9 am-10:30 am, "Spinning Intervals, with Crinda"

Jan 29 Hours...

UPDATE:  We are open until 11pm tonight!  Classes and playroom are on their regular schedule as well.

We are OPEN

Special Snow Hours

Thursday January 29: Open at 5AM, however, morning classes and playroom have been canceled.

Jan 28 Special Hours

Wed January 28th: Playroom closed, classes canceled, and as of now we will be closing at 9pm.

LAC: Ice Storm SPECIAL HOURS

Tuesday January 27, Evening Schedule:  Playroom Closed, Classes Canceled, Club closes at 9PM

Wednesday January 28, Morning Schedule: Club opens at 6AM (we hope), morning Playroom Closed, morning Classes Canceled

Wednesday Evening: TBD

Reminder: When Fayette County cancels school because of the weather, LAC automatically cancels its morning classes. Evening classes in this situation are TBD.

Obama Reading "Younger Next Year"

via Bauer-Griffin



Younger Next Year is a great book. Check it out HERE.

Six New Rules of Fat Loss...

by Mike Mahler via Bodybuilding.com

 Get 6 rules for fat loss and an intense training program for beginners through advanced right here.

I do not know about you, but I am sick of boring fat loss programs that make you feel like an idiot. Does anyone really enjoy being on a treadmill or an exercise bike? Of course not! That is why that idiot at your gym is always on his cell phone the entire time he is on the treadmill.

He looked six months pregnant when he first joined your gym and now he looks like he is about to give birth. Oh well, so much for the benefits of low intensity cardio for fat loss. Here is a news flash. If you can talk on your cell phone while you are working out, then it is a worthless workout.

Lets forget about the sheer monotony of standard cardio training for a second. After all if it is effective then perhaps it is worth dealing with. The problem is that it is not effective. However, I do not need to convince you of this fact.

Every time you see the same fat people month after month in your local gym's step aerobics class, you know already that it is not effective. H*ll, you probably even tried doing cardio five days a week and got nothing out of it.

The reality is that 70% of fat loss is what you stuff in your face. As top trainer Mark Twight stated in a recent article: "Burning 300 calories in a cardio workout and then taking a post workout shake that is over 500 calories is not going to give you the results you want."

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Instant Motivation

via Prevention

Overcome any obstacle on your path to fitness

Intro
Workout boredom, plateaus, and injuries can all sidetrack your fitness training. But with the right inspiration, you can work through those barriers. When obstacles threaten to keep you from working out, try some of these quick and easy motivational tips to stay on track. These instant motivators will rekindle your passion for working out--the greatest motivator of all.

You're Too Tired to Exercise
Make a Date Set up a standing date with a friend whose fitness level matches yours--your mutual motivation lulls will cancel each other out. Research shows that having a dedicated workout partner makes you more likely to stick with an exercise program.

Have a Snack 

When you run low on fuel, the extra energy demands of exercise lead your body to decide, "She's overdoing it--we need to conserve some fuel by slowing down her metabolism," says Michele Olson, PhD, professor of health and human performance at Auburn University in Montgomery, AL. That's the last thing you want, so have a protein-and-complex-carbohydrate snack, like a hard-boiled egg and a slice of whole wheat toast, 2 hours before you plan to work out.

Put on Your Shoes

 Think baby steps--if you truly don't feel like you can get out the door, just put on your workout clothes. If that feels good, throw on some sneakers. Even if you stay in the house, the clothes will give you an increased range of motion, so you'll probably put more energy into your chores.

Pump More Iron 

As a mineral that helps convert food to energy, iron is essential to keeping energy levels high. But dieting, avoiding meat, and having heavy menstrual periods can put you at risk for low iron. Iron supplements are sometimes risky, so make sure your diet includes 18 mg of iron every day--choose lean meats or legumes, leafy greens, and whole grains. Don't forget citrus fruit and other juice with vitamin C, which improves iron absorption from plant foods.

Fuel up Early 

Eating the bulk of your calories in the early part of the day will give you the energy you need to make it through daytime workouts. Many women on weight loss plans find it easier to eat less during the day and more at night--exactly the opposite plan for optimal energy and weight loss.

Wet Your Whistle 

Dehydration can seriously drag your energy down. Research shows that even when you drink eight glasses of water a day, 45 minutes of exercise can put you into a dehydrated state. Don't rely on thirst as a measure of need--to prevent exercise fatigue, take a sip of water every 15 to 20 minutes while you work out.

Read the rest HERE.

How to Recover after a Marathon

via PREVENTION

"Physically, avoid anything that will make your body swell up. We know that a hot shower is so inviting, but it's one of the worst things you can do. The science behind avoiding the heat is not very exciting. Simply put, your body--all the joints, muscles, tendons, etc.--are flooded with blood after a rigorous activity like a half- or full marathon. Every part of you is stretched to the limit. Heat will only cause those already swollen parts to swell even more. And there's nothing worse than waking up the morning after a long race feeling like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Standing in a lukewarm shower is fine, but sitting in a tub of cool water is even better. It sounds awful. It may not even feel all that good as you lower yourself into the tub. But take our word for it: You'll be glad you did it."

Read the rest HERE.

Dream Stealers...

"If you want something, go get it, period."

Don't let anyone steal your dream.



via RossTraining.com

How to Build Muscle: The Definitive Guide to Building Muscle

via StrongLifts.com


The biggest mistake when building muscle is imitating Pro Bodybuilders. Most of them don’t train naturally, are genetically gifted and never started training that way. Doing their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.

The average person needs a different approach. One that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental overtraining from doing too much, too soon. Here’s how to build muscle: the definitive guide to building muscle.


1. Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Get into strength training. I recommend weight lifting because it allows you to start light and add weight endlessly. Body-weight exercises work too.

Weight Lifting. Start with an empty bar. Learn proper technique. Add weight each workout to keep pushing your body out of comfort zone.
Calisthenics . Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, Pistols, Reverse Crunches, etc. Switch to harder versions or add weight when they get easy.

2. Use Free Weights. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells. More weight is more stress, thus more muscle. Dumbbells are great for assistance exercises, but not for your main lifts. Stay away from machines.

Safe. Machines force you into fixed, unnatural movement patterns which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
Functional. Strength built on machines doesn’t transfer to free weights or real life. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space, especially if you want to build a home gym.

3. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate Pro Bodybuilders. Isolation exercises are ok once you’ve built base strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting to build muscle, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.

No endless Biceps Curls -> Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Barbell Rows
Also no Triceps Kickbacks -> Bench Press, Overhead Press, Dips
And definitely no Leg Extensions -> Squats & Deadlifts

Read the rest here.



For a free muscle building guide, get StrongLifts 5×5

FREE eBook.

Mountaineering Still Bad for You

via Daily Dirt

Doctors find lowest blood-oxygen levels ever recorded in Everest climbers

We already learned that high-altitude mountaineering can seriously hurt your brain, so if you're still regularly bagging ultra high peaks, this next bit of bad news is unlikely to change your mind: Doctors have recorded the lowest blood-oxygen levels ever in climbers on Mt. Everest.

Doctors from University College London led the Caudwell Xtreme Everest team to 27,700 feet, not far below the summit of the world's highest peak. Once there, four unlucky team members unzipped their down suits and drew blood samples from the femoral artery in their groin. That kind of sounds worse than cerebral edema.

Once doctors got the sample to their ad-hoc lab at 21,000 feet, they measured exactly how low the oxygen levels were in the blood. While scientists think fluid in the lungs might keep climbers from absorbing enough oxygen, they didn't conduct the experiment just to aid climbers in pursuit of high peaks; instead, the research could help doctors cope with a whole host of afflictions at sea level.

"By observing healthy individuals at high altitude where oxygen is scarce, we can learn about physiological changes that can improve critical care at the hospital bedside, because low oxygen levels are an almost universal problem in critical care," UCL doctor and expedition leader Mike Grocott said.

"These extraordinary low levels of oxygen found in high-altitude climbers may cause doctors looking after critically ill patients to revaluate treatment goals in some patients who have been ill for some time and might have adapted to low levels of oxygen in the blood."

Many climbers describe  Everest  as an overrated tourist peak, but these four climbers disproved the rule. Anyone who exposes their crotch at high altitude in the service of science and saving lives earns a hardman award in our book.

—Ted Alvarez

How much coffee is too much?

via FitSugar

You Asked: How Much Coffee a Day Is Too Much?

Dear Fit,
I just got a fancy coffee maker for Christmas, and now I'm finding myself enjoying at least three or four cups a day. My husband says that's too much. Is he right? Is there a danger in having too much caffeine?
—Caffeinated Carol

Ooh, this is a tough question for me because I'm with you — I love coffee, but it's the caffeine we need to worry about. For the average person, up to 300 milligrams of caffeine a day is considered a safe amount to consume. Since caffeine is a stimulant, if you have too much each day, it could affect your sleep patterns, heart rate, blood pressure, headaches, or digestion. Overdoing it with caffeine may also be associated with miscarriages or cause a woman to give birth to a smaller baby.
It may surprise you to find out how much caffeine is in your favorite hot beverages so read more.

Drink Amount of Caffeine
8 oz. Short cup of Starbucks Coffee 180 mg
12 oz. Tall cup of Starbucks Coffee 260 mg
16 oz. Grande cup of Starbucks Coffee 330 mg
20 oz. Venti cup of Starbucks Coffee 415 mg
1 oz. Starbucks Espresso 75mg
8 oz. Organic Black Tea 65mg
8 oz. Organic Green Tea 50 mg
16 oz. Starbucks Hot Chocolate 25mg

I won't beat around the coffee beans here. There are definite health benefits to drinking a cup of joe, such as antioxidants for overall health and improved memory. Java may also help ease muscle pain, and coupled with working out, drinking coffee may help prevent skin cancer. A recent study also suggests that drinking a few cups a day may help you live longer.
So while coffee is good for you, too much caffeine is not. Even if you enjoy two eight-ounce cups, that's 360 mg of caffeine — 60 mg over the recommended limit. One ounce of coffee contains about 21 mg of caffeine, so stick to no more than a total of 14 ounces of joe a day. If you want to enjoy this hot beverage throughout your day, sip on four- to five-ounce cups, three times a day.

Wisdom from Jack LaLanne...

Via the IFLife 

You have to take care of your 640 muscles, and the number one thing is exercise. You can eat perfectly but if you don’t exercise, you cannot get by. There are so many health food nuts out there that eat nothing but natural foods but they don’t exercise and they look terrible. Then there are other people who exercise like a son-of-a-gun but eat a lot of junk. They look pretty good because the exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together and you’ve got a kingdom!

Everything you do in life, I don’t care, good or bad–don’t blame God, don’t blame the devil, don’t blame me, blame you. You control everything! The thoughts you think, the words you utter, the foods you eat, the exercise you do. Everything is controlled by you.

Twelve to seventeen minutes is plenty on the treadmill–if it’s done fast. That’s all you need for cardiovascular benefit. You don’t need to spend that extra time unless you are over weight and you need to burn off extra calories. Do it vigorously, like somebody is chasing you. You’ve got to do it hard. Otherwise, if you just take it easy and do it longer, you are spending all that time when you don’t need it. Use that extra time with your weights instead.

(On Swimming for Exercise) You should do it against the clock. Say you are going to do 30 laps in 15 minutes. Then you try to do it each day a little faster. That is putting demands on the body, and that is how you build up. You keep up your energy instead of going downhill.

Too many people make excuses like I am too old, or I don’t have the time, or it costs money. Then when they get sick they go to the doctor and want a shot in the backside to make them healthy. Many so-called spiritual people, they overeat, drink too much, they smoke and don’t exercise. But they do go to church every week and pray “Please help my arthritis. Please help me bring up my strength, make me young again.” But tell me, can God go to the gym to work out for you? God helps those that help themselves. You have to do it!”

JackLaLane.com

7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs

By John Berardi via T-mag.com

"Here’s my take on it. I call these principles, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs," a shameless and possibly illegal play on Steven Covey’s book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." (Great book, by the way—you should read it sometime.)

These aren’t the newest techniques from the latest cutting-edge plan. Rather, they are simple, time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to get into when designing a good eating program.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).

So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I’ve covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren’t already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless."

Read the entire article here.

The Truth About 10 Trendy New Year's Diets

via ABC News.com

ABCNews.com Takes a Look at the Best and the Worst New Year's Diet Searches

By DAN CHILDS

Now that the Christmas cookies and New Year's Eve toasts have been replaced with resolutions and regrets, many people are scouring the Internet for ways to lose the extra pounds they packed on during the holiday season.

What these Web searchers are finding is that the online offerings in the diet realm are immense -- and each promises tantalizing results.

Diet experts are quick to point out that it is unlikely that any option offers a "magic bullet" for weight loss, unless it brings about a significant change in lifestyle habits.

"Any diet that significantly reduces a person's calorie intake is likely to cause temporary weight loss," notes Joanne Ikeda, cooperative extension nutrition education specialist and lecturer in the Nutritional Sciences Department at University of California, Berkeley. "However, permanent weight loss remains an elusive goal for most people."

"There are some very silly -- and even dangerous -- ways to lose weight," said Dr. David Katz, co-founder and director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. "The problem with gauging the utility of diets is that the wrong metrics are used; short-term weight loss is not a measure of true success."

Still, many may hold out hope that they can find a diet that will at least kick-start their efforts to a healthier 2009.

ABCNews.com rounded up some of the most popular diets of the New Year, based on recent news and search-engine queries. We then subjected these diets to the scrutiny of nutrition experts Ikeda, Katz, and Keith-Thomas Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The following pages feature each of these diets, as well as whether or not you can count on them to help you achieve a healthier weight.

Read the rest HERE

Psore in the Psoas?

By Katrina Hays via Trail Runner Magazine

Your hip flexors could be a limiting factor in your stride
"The psoas (SO-az) muscle originates in the front of your lumbar spine, dives down behind the kidneys, comes through the pelvis, meets up with the illiacus (which flexes and laterally rotates the thigh) and hooks onto a little bony protuberance on your femur called the lesser trochanter. The psoas major and psoas minor are commonly referred to collectively as hip flexors.

The psoas' primary action is to lift the thigh toward the body when the body is fixed, or pull the body toward the leg when the leg is fixed. Passing across the body's center of gravity, located at the top of the sacrum, the psoas is critical to regulating stability and balance.

"The psoas itself isn't really firing until the hip is flexed above 90 degrees," says Darcy Norman, PT, CSCS, Certified Athletic Trainer, and Director of Sports Performance at the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports in Truckee, California. Until that point, the quadriceps is doing most of the work. However, trail running over technical terrain requires a light, springy stride, which engages the psoas.

Test the strength of your psoas by standing straight and lifting one knee up until your thigh is higher than parallel with the floor. Without leaning backward, you should be able to hold the position for a few seconds without feeling tremendous strain or weakness in the psoas. If you cannot maintain this raised-leg position, your psoas is weak.

Check your psoas' flexibility while lying on your back with your legs extended straight. Bend one knee and pull it up towards your chest. The opposite extended leg should stay flat on the ground. If your thigh is pulled up off the floor at all, you have a tight psoas. Flexibility will probably differ on each side."

10 Rules of Aging Well

via Mark's Daily Apple

2. Eat Properly

I frequently say that 70% of health is about what you put in your body (exercise and stress comprise the rest of the equation). Though it’s an estimate, of course, there is absolutely no debating that the food with which you choose to fuel your body is the single most powerful choice you can make for your health now and as you age. In particular, the stress of free radicals and insulin resistance (i.e. oxidation and “syndrome X”) will wreak havoc on your health. As we age, our cells are more vulnerable. It’s that much more important to stimulate the metabolism, control stress hormones, safeguard immunity, and prevent atrophy. There is no reason anyone needs to be hobbling around at 65 or 75. You can enjoy the energy, vigor and looks of someone much younger if you simply take the extra steps to ensure your body has the arsenal of tools it needs. It’s not rocket science; in fact, the answers are right there in our cells (okay, so it is science). The best thing you can do is fuel your body appropriately with whole, fresh, nutritionally-dense food. Eat the right fats, plenty of quality, clean protein, and copious vegetables. Absolutely avoid anything processed, fried, packaged, reconstituted, refined, or high in worthless carbohydrates.

3. Exercise

Much of “aging” is essentially tissue wasting (atrophy). The phrase “use it or lose it” is cliche but true. The human body is designed to conserve precious energy. If you are sedentary, you are sending a clear message to your cells (e.g. your muscles, bones, and brain) that they aren’t necessary. Your muscles weaken, your bones shed their valuable osseous material - thereby even further compromising your immunity - and your mental capacity begins to slowly deteriorate. Exercise isn’t really about being ripped or sexy, though we all want that. It’s simply a necessary component of functioning as a human being. So many of our health conditions are diseases of sloth. If you are tired or lacking in energy, barring a specific condition or hormonal imbalance, it’s likely you aren’t active enough.

read the rest HERE

The Metabolism-Boosting Workout

By Alwyn Cosgrove via CorePreformance
Rev your fat-burning engine with this challenging training session.

There’s more than one way to lose weight, but the most effective and efficient fat loss training includes both resistance exercise and interval work, or Energy System Development.

In the routine that follows, you'll lift weights using “alternating sets,” in which you perform one exercise followed by another and alternate between moves. For instance, you might do a set of squats, rest briefly, and then do a set of rows. You can minimize your rest between sets with this approach because you use different groups of muscles to perform two distinct movements.

Besides limiting fatigue, this strategy allows you to train faster than you would normally performing typical “straight sets,” in which you do a set of one exercise, rest a couple minutes, and repeat the same movement.

With alternating sets, you maximize how much work you’re able to do in a given time period, a concept known as “work density.” Increasing the density of your training session increases the demand on your metabolic system so you burn more calories, lose fat, and spike your metabolism.

Read the rest HERE

101 tasks in 1001 days...

Welcome to Day Zero, the home of the 1001 Day Project. A unique meme that challenges and inspires you to set and complete realistic goals in life.
LINK via Modern Forager

Steady state cardio vs intervals

via Lyle McDonald

Steady State and Interval Training: Part 1

In recent years, there has been quite the over-popularization of the concept of interval training, along with a rather major backlash against traditional forms of aerobic training, for fat loss. It’s not uncommon to read how low intensity aerobics is useless for fat loss, everybody should just do intervals, regular aerobics makes you lose muscle, etc. I have seen it claimed that aerobics will make you fatter, stress the adrenals, and all manners of fascinating claims.

Read the rest HERE
Part 2

Building Muscle 101: Master the Basics

article via The IFlife

Building bigger muscles is at heart a hormonal event. Hormones such as insulin, growth hormone, testosterone and cortisol are giving the body signals on whether to build muscle, or break it down. While exercise is necessary to create a stimulus for certain hormones to be activated, it is also just a small part of the equation. This is why you will see so many people putting in hard effort at the gym day after day, and never really getting any results. So throw away all those books, stop spending $400/month on supplements, cancel your magazine subscription to Muscle Weekly (or one of the other 75+ fitness magazines out there), and master the basics. This is where you get 90%+ of your results from.

Who needs strength training? Everyone! Any age and yes women too! (Don’t fear ladies, you do not have enough hormones to get all big and buff….just that nice toned look you are looking for). In fact, muscle mass has been directly related to the rate at which we age. I guess once you tell the body that you don’t need muscle to do anything, it thinks it is time to shut down! Once you start losing muscle, you see an increase in fat and that is never a good thing for any long term health factor. The muscle most effected is the Type II (Fast Twitch) and not the Type I (Slow Twitch). So moral of the story is, want to live longer then build and keep your muscle! (Just ask Jack LaLanne who is still running around at 94 years young)

Now let’s look at the Hormones we want to use for building and keeping muscle:

• Testosterone - We have all heard about this one, it builds muscle
• Growth Hormone - Another muscle building (and fat burning) hormone
• Insulin - Using this properly can help to stimulate more muscle building by bringing in more amino acids into the muscles (too much and at the wrong time will only store fat)
• Cortisol - The bad guy who breaks down muscle (some is needed, too much is bad)
• Estrogen - Brings down your Testosterone (hence why women will not build the same size muscle as men). Too much has also been linked to cancer.

Ok so now that we know the players, let’s see what we need to do inorder to get the results and control the hormones for building muscle.

• Eat protein - The more amino acids you can make available to the muscles, the more they will be able to build up. There is a point of diminishing returns, but most active people need at least 0.6-0.8g protein per lean (not total) lb of bodyweight.
• Eat Fat - Higher fat diets raise Testosterone levels. Also higher fat diets have a nitrogen sparing effect(which means less muscle breakdown and wasting). Usually this means over 30% of your daily calories should come from healthy fats.
• Eat more Sat Fat and Monounsaturated Fats - These are the types of fat shown to increase more Testosterone levels (Steak and Eggs!). Also your body uses Cholesterol to build the hormone Testosterone (another plug for steak and eggs). If you are still weary about fat and cholesterol, you can read this excellent article and make up your own mind about it. Oh and Zinc is also key to T-levels (3rd plug for steak and eggs).
• Do not eat low calorie - Doing this too often will just cause a drop off in T-levels.
• Get your Sleep - As we talked about in the Fat Loss article, most of your GH is produced at night. So get your sleep and build muscle in the process.
• Skip the Alcohol - I know St Patty’s day is right around the corner, but alcohol in excess drops your T-levels. So keep it to a 2 drink maximum when you do go out otherwise you won’t look too good with less muscle and more fat around your belly.
• Lose the Fat - People who are higher in fat, will always be lower in T-levels (and higher in Estrogen). So goal #1 should be to get your bodyfat lower and then worry about adding in the muscle as it will be easier at that point.
• Take Fish Oil - Omega 3s will keep you building muscle and keep cortisol levels at bay. Also improves insulin sensitivity (see below) of muscles.
• Improve Insulin Sensitivity - Insulin is necessary to shuttle in amino acids into the muscle tissues (although too much is not good!). So you need to do things to decrease insulin resistance and increase insulin sensitivity including lower carb diets, carb cycling, resistance training, losing fat, and yes…fasting.
• Eat Your Veggies - Especially broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage that help to keep the Estrogen levels low (High Estrogen=Low Testosterone). This is also a good anti-cancer strategy especially in women.
• Improve your Gut Health - If you improve your health, your digestion improves and you improve the amount of nutrients/vitamins/minerals that your body can digest/absorb/utilize. Taking things such as digestive enzymes with meal may give you more use of the food you are eating. Oh yeah….fasting also helps to improve gut health!
• Detox Your Body - Get rid of all those toxins, take the toxins out of your daily lifestyle (food, drink, water, air, skin) and let your organs like the liver and kidneys work at more optimal levels. A healthy body will always reflect it and look that way as well.
• Train the Right Way - You want muscles? Then learn how to train them quickly and effectively with resistance training. Start with compound movements first to get the hormones up. Lift heavy and with shorter rest periods (reps of 5-10 with 30-60 sec rest between sets). Do enough volume (25-50 total reps per exercise….5×5, 3×10, etc). Keep the intensity high. Get your workout done in 30-45 min. Lift only 2-3x week (most people only need 2x if they are intense enough….as muscles do NOT grow in the gym, you need recovery!)
• Less Cardio - Too much too often will just waste muscle, lower T-levels and hamper any attempt you have at building muscle. If you want to do something, make it short and intense to keep GH levels high and cortisol levels low. This is why you will never see a chronic jogger with alot (if any) muscle…unless they are eating 5000 cal a day or taking some other type of cortisol suppressing hormone “supplement”. Here’s a good read on danger of the cardio obsession so many people have nowadays.
• Eat Post Workout - As you muscles are primed with high insulin sensitivity for a healthy protein+carb meal. Your window goes from 30min to 3 hours. Best is to eat small but frequent meals (not just one big one). Some people may benefit from a quick amino acid + carb drink (but if your main goal for now is weight loss, skip this!)

So if you are spending 5 days a week at the gym and never seeing results, go over the list about and realize you have to look at the whole picture. You can build plenty of muscle only lifting 2x a week and having the right lifestyle around to support it. If you can master these things and learn how to control your eating, lifting and recovery you will build plenty of muscle. Wouldn’t it also be great if you could do this all while improving your health, losing fat, gaining muscle , detoxifying your body, reducing insulin resistance and eating less calories overall to help extend your lifespan? Could that be…..IF?

UPDATE: If you are interested in more information about Fat Loss and Muscle Gain, please see the related posts below:

More on Muscle Building - Reader Q&A

Fat Loss 101 - Master the Basics

Good Reasons to Avoid Diet Coke Plus

as reported by US News and World Reports

The Food and Drug Administration has been busy this week, and I think what it is saying warrants a wake-up call—especially for women. Yesterday, the agency said it issued a warning letter to Coca-Cola noting that its Diet Coke Plus soft drink had nutritional claims that shouldn't be placed on an utterly nonnutritious soft drink. Those added vitamins and minerals don't make the beverage any more healthful than, say, Diet Pepsi, the FDA says.

I'm guessing that the Diet Coke Plus marketing campaign was aimed at women because Coca-Cola has stated previously that men go for zero-calorie products like Coke Zero, whereas "diet" sodas appeal more to women. Of course, Coke Zero Plus would be a complete oxymoron.

Why use a wii...

...when you can get the real thing at LAC!

Feelin' Fine in 2009

via News-Sun

The secret to feeling fine in 2009 may be increasing your physical activity. Committing to an exercise program can be a beneficial, if obvious, New Year's resolution.

"Physical activity can improve how your organs and muscles work from your head to your toes," said Toby Smithson, a registered dietitian with the Lake County Health Department and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "By keeping active, you may be able to ward off the holiday and annual weight gain."

2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity above usual activity on most days of the week, but to help control body weight and prevent gradual weight gain, your activity should be increased to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity on most days of the week along with a reduced-calorie diet.

Most people, both kids and adults, want physical activity to be fun. Some fun cold weather activities include: walking on the treadmill while watching a movie; using an aerobics or Pilates exercise tape; participating in a recreational sport; joining an activity club; dancing to music in your house or during your lunch break at work; or using one of the interactive fitness video games.

Some fun ways to move your activity level up a notch:

• Put activity at the top of your to-do list and mark it on your calendar. Make fitness a priority and schedule an appointment every day to do a physical activity. Make it just as important as any other appointment.


• Be prepared. Always have comfortable walking shoes with you. You can keep an extra pair in your car or office, so that you are ready at any time to get out and walk.


• Walk everywhere. Walk to your appointments. Park your car farther from the entrance so you will walk more. Walk while you wait. If you are waiting for an appointment or a plane or train, walk around instead of sitting or standing still.


• Bring a friend. Physical activity is more enjoyable when you have a buddy. Enlist a co-worker, a friend, or a family member to participate in an activity with you.

Regular Moderate Exercise Boosts Immunity

as reported in SportsMedicine

However, there are some things that seem to protect us from picking up colds. One of those things appears to be moderate, consistent exercise. More and more research is finding a link between moderate, regular exercise and a strong immune system.

Early studies reported that recreational exercisers reported fewer colds once they began running. Moderate exercise has been linked to a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria. It is believed that regular, consistent exercise can lead to substantial benefits in immune system health over the long-term.

More recent studies have shown that there are physiological changes in the immune system as a response to exercise. During moderate exercise immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. After exercise ends, the immune system generally returns to normal within a few hours, but consistent, regular exercise seems to make these changes a bit more long-lasting.

Read the entire article HERE.

Maintaining Your Immunity During The Holidays

Via Modern Forager

Watch Your Sugar And Processed Carbs
Being the nice guy that I am, I’m starting things off by taking away your cookies, cakes, and pies. Aren’t I sweet, no pun intended? Why though? Well, sugar and processed carbs cause an inordinate rise in insulin production, which causes a suppression of growth hormones. Unfortunately, there’s also a suppression of the immune system when these growth hormones are suppressed. Further, a high level of sugar in the blood reduces the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacteria and other infections.

But just how bad can it be?

These studies show that in adults, cell mediated immunity is significantly depressed after sugar ingestion (75 grams). A 100g portion of sugar can significantly reduce the capacity of white blood cells to engulf bacteria. Maximum immune suppression occurs one to two hours after ingestion and remains suppressed for up to five hours after feeding.

A 12oz Coke contains 40g of sugar. Add a cookie or two on top of that and you’re already up there around 75g. And of course, it’s unlikely that we’re dealing with a binary variable here (that’s an “on/off” variable in non-geek speak). More sugar is going to suppress the immune system more, but that doesn’t mean that the 40g from a Coke leaves you in the clear.

How delightful is that piece of fudge now?

Read the rest HERE.

Cheap Christmas gift for your non-member friends

Pump Iron for Back Pain

via Outside

About 80 percent of us suffer from lower back pain. But the surprising part is how one should treat that pain: lifting things.

According to a University of Alberta study, people who participated in a 16-week study and exercise program using barbells and dumbbells showed a 60 percent decrease in pain. Folks participating in an aerobic exercise plan experienced only a 12 percent improvement.

Our Lady of Weightloss

Via Our Lady of Weight Loss



The best ever Holiday Weight Loss Tips from Our Lady of Weight Loss, guaranteed to help you slim down while you laugh it up! AND - it's OLofWL holiday guide.pdf. Print it and carry it with you to each and every party. Take it out and share it! Laugh it up! Slim down!

Our Lady of Weight Loss's Tush Kickin' Survival Guide to the Holidaze Glaze

1. Recycle Food Gifts. FAST! Don't even think about crackin' that box of chocolates open. Send 'em right out the door.

2. Steer Clear of the Buffet Table. What kind of masochist are you, anyway?

3. Keep on Talking. It's difficult to eat and talk at the same time not to mention terribly uncouth.

4. No Sweat Pants Allowed. Leave no room for expansion; wear snug clothing!

5. Keep Your Hands Busy. Try knitting, crocheting, cutting and pasting, needlepoint, draw, write - anything to keep your hands busy. Give your creations as gifts!

6. Ask Santa for a Pedometer. And then, for goodness sake. Use It!

7. Eat Before the Party. Make yourself a huge (and I mean huge) salad and eat it before heading out, lest you get hungry and act like a reprehensible pig.

8. Learn how to say "No, thank you" in several languages. You'll be saying it a lot, so keep it interesting and fun. French is always lovely. No merci. Je suis a la diet.

9. It's a holiDAY. Not a week or a month or the entire season.

10. Should you succumb, over-indulge, carbo-load or drift off into a burnt-marshmallow-sweet-potato-sugar-induced coma, confess your sins to Our Lady of Weight Loss. And remember "All Is Forgiven, Move On!"

Spread the word ... NOT the icing!

________________________
Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, author,columnist, seminar leader and 50 pound big-time-loser.

Buy her book HERE

Supersets

via the Denver Post

"Upping the intensity of your workouts can be a good idea, especially during busy times of the year. There are a number of ways to do that. When strength training, employ the "superset." A superset involves performing two (or even three) exercises back-to-back without rest, usually (but not always) with opposing muscle groups such as chest/back, quadriceps/hamstrings, and shoulder presses/triceps/biceps."

Read the rest HERE

Top fitness trends for 2009

via the ACSM

The top 10 fitness trends predicted for 2009 are:

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Because of an increase in the number of organizations offering fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified by programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, such as those offered by ACSM.

2. Children and obesity. This trend – and designing exercise programs to reverse it – is high in the minds of fitness professionals not only because of the number of children who are currently overweight and obese, but because these children are more likely to become obese adults.

3. Personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for health and fitness professionals who act as personal trainers has become increasingly important, and is an integral part of staffing for health and fitness facilities.

4. Strength training. Strength training is an essential part of ACSM’s Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines. Lifting weights isn’t just for bodybuilders; it’s crucial to maintaining bone mass density with aging and is used in a variety of rehabilitation settings.

5. Core training. Different from strength training, this type of training emphasizes conditioning the back and abdomen muscles and improves spine stability.

6. Special fitness programs for older adults. With more and more of the baby boomer population reaching retirement age, health and fitness professionals are designing age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and happy well into their golden years.

7. Pilates. Pilates incorporates a great deal of core training, while still strengthening and toning the entire body. Part of its appeal is that many exercises can be done with a simple mat – no extra, expensive equipment required.

8. Stability ball. Because the size of stability balls varies so greatly, many different exercises can be performed with them. It can teach balance and strength in addition to stability.

9. Sport-specific training. This trend distinctly relates to young athletes. High school athletes are incorporating training into their off-seasons in order to stay in top shape for their sports.

10. Balance training. Numerous activities feature balance training, including yoga, foam rollers, BOSU balls, and more. This trend has risen to the top 10 after not making the trends list in 2007 and being listed at no. 14 in 2008, possibly because of the increased emphasis on its importance for older adults.

The full list (Top 20 trends) is available in the article "Worldwide Survey Reveals Fitness Trends for 2009."

Eating More Meals Does NOT Speed Up Your Metabolism?

Via theIFlife

This is one of the biggest myths and misconceptions that I hear all the time in mainstream media and people trying to tell me how to eat healthy. Ask any trainer, nutritionist, doctor, diet guru…or whoever and they will probably all tell you the same thing “You need to eat small meals through out the day to keep your metabolism going”. Really? Is that how it works? Our metabolism accelerates based on meal to meal frequency during a day? I don’t think so. In fact, next time you hear someone say that just ask them to explain it in more detail and hear what they have to say then.

Read the rest here: LINK

Lexington Athletic Club voted "Best place to work-out in Lexington"!

Lexington Athletic Club's Men's Locker Room

The new and improved, remodeled and renovated, men's locker room!

Lexington Athletic Club's Newest Ironman

On November 1, 2008, 45 year old LAC member Tom Evans completed his first Ironman Triathlon in Panama Beach, Florida. Tom finished with a time of 11:08, even after waiting 45 minutes to get a tire changed at mile 70 on the bike course. His 2.4 mile swim was an amazing 1:03, probably because he read about the 11 foot, 700 pound shark that was caught 100 yards from the swim course. Tom is the husband of Jeri Evans, LAC's Group Exercise Director.

Well Done Tom (and Jeri)!!!

(note:  Ironman distance triathlons consist of a 2.4 mi. swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run)

Lexington Athletic Club has great deals on used equipment!

We need to sell this equpment ASAP to make room for new equipment!

Make an offer! Email join.lac@gmail.com

Eight Lifefitness 9700HR Treadmills

15 piece Keiser Circuit:
KEISER LEG CURL
KEISER LEG PRESS
KEISER AB MACHINE
KEISER LOWER BACK
KEISER TRICEP PRESS
KEISER LATERAL SHOULDER PRESS
KEISER BICEP CURL
KEISER LEG EXTENSION
KEISER SEATED FLY
KEISER CHEST PRESS
KEISER UPPER BACK
KEISER LAT PULL-DOWN
KEISER SQUAT/CALF
KEISER MULTI-HIP

























19 piece Body masters circuit:
BODYMASTER SUPER LEG PRESS
BM LEG EXTENSION
BM SEATED LEG CURL
BM GLUTE TRAINER
BM ABDUCTOR
BM ADDUCTOR
BM STANDING CALF MACHINE
BM PEC CONTRACTOR/REAR DELTOID
BM SHOULDER PRESS
BM CHEST PRESS VERTICAL
BM CHEST PRESS INCLINE
BM ARM CURL
BM TRCEP PRESS/SEATED DIP
BM ABDOMINAL CURL
BM ROWING
BM SELECTORIZED CHIN/DIP
BM BACK EXTENSION
BM SEATED AB
BM LAT PULL DOWN

Two Stepmill 7000 PT

















































Two Lifefitness SM-22 Dual Adjustable Cable, one white and one black

Lexington Athletic Club is adding new equipment!

New cardio and circuit equipment-- COMING SOON!

Startrac Treadmills

Startrac Ellipticals

Lifefitness Treadmills

Precor AMT Ellipticals

Keiser Circuit Equipment

Technogym Circuit Equipment

Versaclimber

Stairmaster

LAC Sr's Showcased in Herald Leader!

LINK to article
LINK to Audio slide show




Energizers can't stop dancing, sharing good times
By Robin Roenker
Special to the Herald-Leader

Members of the Lexington Athletic Club Energizers don't mind telling you they've had their share of health problems. When you get to their age, it comes with the territory: arthritis, bursitis, knee replacements, back surgeries, "we've got it all," said Mary Jo Holland, the group's instructor.

But like the bunny they're named for, this group of dancers, ages 52 to 83, just keeps on going.

And going.

And going.

"We visited a nursing home and performed, and one lady came up to me and said, 'Oh, honey, I couldn't do that. I'm 75.' And I said, 'Honey, I'm 77. Yes you can do it,'" said member Marlene Current.

Read the rest HERE

Lexington Athletic Club adds Outside Workout Area

Have you been thinking that LAC needs to add some monkey bars?

Your wish just came true...along with pull-up bars, dip bars and push-up bars.  

Enjoy.

Feel-good gyms

LAC is Lexington's "Feel Good" gym...

Whether it's pampering or performance training you're after, fitness centers focus on your goals


via Robert McCoppin and the Daily-Herald

On TV, health clubs are filled with athletic 20-somethings in tight outfits, grinning nonstop through breezy workouts.
In real life, overweight people in T-shirts and sweat pants grunt through their workouts as best they can. They know they're never going to look like a model, no matter how much they work out.
As health club membership has plateaued in the last few years, more people want to go somewhere that doesn't feel like they're punching the clock at a fitness factory.
In short, people don't just want to look good - they want to feel good.
Health clubs are responding to that desire by changing their facilities, their amenities and their approach.
Today's fitness centers need to attract all ages and sizes, including people too intimidated to join because they weren't in shape. And they're doing it with everything from medically based programs and elite sports training to luxury spa treatments.



Niche classes
The single huge aerobics class is so last century. By now, health club members expect more creative offerings.
Classes in the suburbs now include cardio kickboxing, salsa funk dance classes and meditation.


Edward Fitness Center in Woodridge just started a Commit to Lose class, limited to six women who are at least 30 pounds overweight.
The group will get an hour with a dietitian, and an hour with a personal trainer, then will work out together for six weeks. Next, they'll take two weeks off to practice what they've learned on their own.
After that, they'll meet with the dietitian and trainer for the final week, then weigh in. Whoever loses the greatest percentage of weight gets half off the enrollment price of the next phase of the program.
As more hospitals have begun to operate fitness centers, they have also brought a more medically based background to the operation.
This fall Edward plans a class for diabetic children and their parents to take together. The class will cover not only exercise, but also nutrition and health education.
Last year, the center expanded to add a boxing area and room for small classes including yoga, meditation with chanting, and the Power Hour, strength training for women.
"We're more concerned," program manager Sandy Roberts said, "with the overall health of our members."



Performance training
Rather than just hitting the weights and treadmills, more people are looking for specific exercises to target their favorite sport or least favorite body part.
At Buffalo Grove Fitness Center, a franchise facility called Going Vertical offers sports-specific training for all ages.
On a recent weekday, two brothers, age 11 and 9, were jumping over small hurdles, sidestepping for quickness, sprinting on a treadmill, and leaping like Super Mario to activate a virtual reality video game.
The boys, Jake and Brett Bauer, of Buffalo Grove, were training for baseball, basketball and soccer.
"It's really fun," Jake said while catching his breath between drills. "It's a really good workout, and it helps with your reflexes."
Next door, Jeff Pagliocca of Evolution Athletics rents out the gym to train athletes in basketball skills. The program has attracted scholarship-seeking students as young as junior high school age and notable athletes such as European professionals and Duke basketball star John Scheyer of Northbrook.
It's the kind of niche training you won't find at a typical Bally's. As Pagliocca says, "I bring an elite crowd."
At the other end of the spectrum, down the hall, Yvonne Gibbs came to the club on doctor's orders - but stayed for the spa.
While getting physical therapy for a bad back, she noticed the Vitality Spa. The pristine retreat offers French clay wraps, Vichy showers, and Gibbs' choice, therapeutic massage.
Like a growing number of health club members, Gibbs is there for both wellness and relaxation.
"I thought, this looks like a nice treat," Gibbs said as she got a deep-tissue rubdown. "It's nice to combine therapy and a massage."



The mega-resort
While services have gotten more specialized, some facilities have kept getting bigger.
In Vernon Hills, Life Time Athletic is set to open the largest facility of its kind, a 150,000-square-foot monster marketed as a resort.
The facility will feature private showers, member card-activated cherry wood lockers and toiletries in its "changing room" (not a locker room). It will have a three-story high rock-climbing wall. It will feature glass elevators and a eucalyptus-scented spa.
It will try to offer something for everyone.
Each week, trainers will offer 70 to 100 classes.
Leagues will organize games of basketball, indoor soccer, and flag football.
The children's center will feature a maze, a basketball facility, Apple computers, games and activities.
There will be indoor and outdoor separate pools for laps and recreation, with zero depth and water slides and showers for kids.
Despite its size, Senior General Manager Chad Wamsley said Life Time will have personal counselors to try to match each member with activities that will meet their specific goals.
"We try to determine what we have to do so they have something specific to work for," Wamsley said, "and we want them to have a whole lot of fun as they do it."

Hate to work out? This workout is a party. With sweat.

article by By Dee DePass, Star Tribune

There's a serious party going on at Zumba classes across the country. I snuck into a session at the Midway YMCA in St. Paul last month and found myself dipping, swaying and shimmying into a lathered workout that felt, well, like party time!
This cardio class was fun and didn't feel like fitness training. So if you despise working out, are battling that bulge or have been ordered to the gym by your doc, then consider this as a fun way to groove toward a healthier you. It's easy medicine.
Zumba's energizing dance moves first were brought to Miami in the early 1990s by Colombian fitness trainer Beto Perez. Since then, his synchronized salsa, merengue, hip hop and other moves became a DVD and a movement that combed this nation. It's caught on in Minnesota gyms, churches and community centers and toned many gluts, legs, abs, arms, hearts and attitudes. It's often dubbed the "feel happy workout."
Warning: It's addictive.
Yolanda Kibwana was leaving a strength training class at the YMCA one day when soulful Caribbean and Latin rhythms ebbed from another room, beckoning her for a peek. Inside, the joint was jumping. The seductive vibes sucked her right into the Zumba movement. One year later, she's a certified instructor.

"It took me 10 months to get certified and it was so easy. If you can't get the steps, you just keep moving," she said. "I have lost four pant sizes. People would ask me, 'What are you doing?' I tell them, 'I'm doing Zumba.' We had a '70s party recently and I wore a fitted polyester jumpsuit and people said I looked great."
Last month, 17 other students and I mimicked the sultry moves of Zumba instructor An'Nisa Parker, a cardiac nurse at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. By night, she's smooth and graceful, demonstrating cha-chas, rump-shaking, ride-the-pony moves, sexy arm circles, squats, shoulder shimmies and hip wiggles.
To an island beat, I shifted my weight from one leg to the other and squatted. Small. Left then right. My gluts and hamstrings soon kicked into gear and I realized I was doing cardio and interval strength training at the same time. It definitely got my heart pumping.
Warning: Bring water. You will sweat.
"I've been coming for eight months. I love it," said Henrietta Titkos, a Hungarian-born participant who was too enthralled in her dance to stop when the music quit. Her husband did an impromptu Mexican hat dance followed by a salsa dance with his wife during a break.
Mario Alonso, a native of Mexico who lives in Cottage Grove, wiped the sweat off his brow and chugged water before jumping back in. "This is my first time. I like it. It's very motivating and it's good for your circulation and for staying in form," Alonso said.

As for me, I'm definitely heading back for another whirl.
Dee DePass • 612-673-7725

ZUMBA at LAC: Monday's and Thursday's at 7pm

Need a new Challenge? How about running the 2,174 mile Appalachian Trail in 47 days...

article by Jill Gillman


Karl Meltzer is an ultra-marathoner who regularly runs - and wins - 100-mile races.
But the 40-year-old needed a new challenge. How about running 2,174 miles in 47 days?
On Aug. 5, Meltzer will set out to break the speed record for running the Appalachian Trail. That means running from Maine to Georgia in less time than the current record of 47 days, 13 hours and 31 minutes held by Andrew Thompson of New Hampshire.

Running the Appalachian Trail won't be a walk in the park by any means. Meltzer says about 2,000 of the 2,200 miles are rough and rocky, more difficult to navigate than the smooth trails he knows in Utah and the West.
That's partly why he chose the trail.


"It's not necessarily running hard, it's a lot of hiking. The [trail] is technical, it's hard, it's hilly, and it's not going to work that way. It's time spent on your feet just moving forward," Meltzer said.
Meltzer typically goes through about 14 pairs of shoes a year, but has 12 pairs ready for the trail and expects them all to be trashed when he's done.
Another challenge will be staying in the game mentally. Even with a support team helping with cooking and setting up camp, the pressure to stay on schedule is all on Meltzer.
"After 45 days, I'll be delirious and fried. I think once I get up and eat and get moving, I'll be fine, but getting up in the morning will be hard. It's really a mental thing," he said.

Read the rest HERE.
Follow his progress: Where's Karl

The World's Healthiest 75-Year-Old Man

Via ESQUIRE

Don Wildman can run like a Marine, snowboard like an Olympian, and bike like a Tour de France champion. Not bad for a 75-year-old.

By Susan Casey

On any given day, in a private gym above Malibu's Paradise Cove, a handful of men show up to attempt a workout known as the Circuit, more than three thousand repetitions of weight lifting and balancing and abdominal exercises. If you're thinking that three thousand is a huge number of times to lift or pull or curl some heavy object, you are right. Which is why the Circuit has developed a reputation for causing some of these men to -- there's really no subtle way to put it -- projectile vomit. Its twenty multipart exercises are cycled through six times in a complicated sequence, but the Circuit's ground rules are simple: Once you start, you don't stop until it's done. There are no water breaks, no substituting easier moves when the going gets tough, and obviously no whining.
"We're starting with thirty reps!"
A deep growl booms out from the center of the room, where Don Wildman, the Circuit's master practitioner, wearing faded jeans and a Sonic Youth T-shirt, stands barefoot, holding a pair of fifty-pound weights. Muscular, lean, six-two, with a trim beard, he looks like Sean Connery, if Connery had borrowed the body of a U.S. marine.

Read the rest HERE

Round Tube Thingy's

Ever wanted to figure out how to use the foam rollers?

The Human Race

Just in case you haven’t heard about this yet, Nike is sponsoring a 10K race they are calling the ‘Nike Human Race’. The race is scheduled for August 31, 2008.

What’s a bit unusual about this race is that it will be held in 25 cities around the globe - or you can choose to participate by running with the Nike+ system and uploading your ‘race’ results after you run on race day. If you run your race virtually with the Nike+ system there is no fee, except of course for the cost of a Nike+ system if you don’t already have one.

Want more information? Click here, but be warned: music will play automatically when the page opens, so you may not want to do this if you’re surfing at work, at least without muting first.

You can buy a Nike+ Sportband for $59. The Nike+ iPod Sport Kit is less expensive at $29, but it requires an iPod Nano, which brings up the total cost of the system quite a bit. With either system, you’ll need either Nike+ shoes or you’ll have to attach the sensor to another shoe, either by some do-it-yourself hackery or by buying one of several commercial products.

VIA Faster-Running.com

There's One Thing You Should Never Tell Overweight Teens

By JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY, Star Tribune

If you want your overweight teenagers to slim down, whatever you do, don't tell them to go on a diet. That most likely will make matters worse, according to a new study published today.
University of Minnesota researchers who study adolescent health found that parents who correctly perceived their kids as overweight tended to use only one strategy -- advising them to diet. But five years later, those kids were far more likely to still be too heavy than were overweight kids whose parents had no idea they were fat and did nothing.
In short, it's a technique that seems certain to backfire, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology at the university and the lead author of the study published in the journal Pediatrics.
"My concern is that if parents know their kids are overweight, they are going to do things that lead to further weight gain over time," she said.
Neumark-Sztainer said she decided to research the issue because of the growing practice of schools evaluating kids' weight and sending the results home to parents. In some places it's called an obesity report card. It began because parents often don't know whether their kids are at a healthy weight, and some experts believe telling them is one way to fight skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity.
Some places, it's the law
The practice was recommended for schools by the federal government's health advisory agency, the Institute of Medicine. It's a law in some states, and this year was proposed in Minnesota, though the legislation did not pass.
But it's highly controversial because it can be embarrassing and stigmatizing to adolescents and teenagers.
"When my son became overweight in middle school, they used to measure body fat and send [the result] home with him," said Anne Fletcher, a Mankato, Minn., mother and the author of "Weight Loss Confidential," a book that examines how teenagers, including her own son, successfully lost weight. "It was devastating. He said, 'Don't they know I already know I'm fat?'"
Neumark-Sztainer said she wanted to find out whether parents would use that information wisely.
She and her co-researchers looked at survey results for 300 adolescents and some of their parents taken in 1998 as part of an ongoing adolescent health study at the university called Project EAT. The kids, all from Minnesota middle and high schools, reported heights and weights that put them in the overweight category.
They found that 46 percent of girls' parents and 60 percent of boys' parents incorrectly thought their kids' weights were about right. Of the parents who knew their kids were too heavy, about 60 percent encouraged them to diet.
Five years later, about 200 of the kids were surveyed again. Those who had been encouraged to diet were much more likely to still be overweight -- about 74 percent of boys compared with 52 percent of those boys not encouraged to diet. For girls, the difference was 66 and 44 percent, respectively. Both groups reported about the same eating patterns, including the frequency of fast food meals, and the quantity of fruits and vegetables at home.
Parents need better advice
Neumark-Sztainer said public health experts have known for years that adolescents and teenagers who say they diet are the ones who are most likely to have weight and eating disorder problems that can last for years. Now this study also shows that just informing parents that their kids are overweight is counterproductive, she said.
"If you are going to talk with parents about their children's weight, you need to specifically help them make positive changes at home," said Neumark-Sztainer, who has written a book for parents on the subject called "I'm Like So Fat."
Fletcher said that when she talked to teenagers for her book, they said the worst thing their parents could do was pressure them.
"Nagging, preaching, coercion does not work," she said. "Let the kid be in charge. It's up to the teen to decide if and how he or she wants to lose weight."
That, of course, can be very difficult for parents. "There seems to be a fine line between helpful and harmful parenting," the researchers said in their study.
Fletcher said she found out when she talked to her son for her book that she made mistakes, too. He would often take a whole box of crackers to his room to eat after school, and she would always say, "Why don't you have some fruit with that?" Later he said, "Mom, I got it the first time. But you said it over and over again."
The best thing parents can do to be role models, said Neumark-Sztainer, is to provide and eat healthful food, have regular family meals, and do physically active things with their kids.
"Do more. Talk less," she said.

Steep Trail leads to Olympics

This makes our treadmills and steppers seem easy...

MANITOU SPRINGS — It wasn't enough for Lindsey Durlacher to power-hike 1,700 feet straight up the brutally steep mountain trail known as The Incline. The Olympic hopeful in Greco-Roman wrestling decided to throw in a series of lung-burning sprints at the top of the trail Saturday before heading back down.

"You want to bring back a medal this summer, be in those (Olympic) Games, that's what it takes," Durlacher said from a perch high above Colorado Springs, sweat pouring off his brow.

Durlacher's extra-credit effort got the attention of young Jake Deitchler, a prospect visiting from Minnesota who hopes to join Durlacher as a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center. If a former world championships bronze medalist like

Durlacher does extra sprints without a coach telling him to do them, Deitchler would, too. Deitchler, 18, wants to be the best in the world some day.
"I'm trying to do what it takes," Deitchler said. For years The Incline, also known at the Cog Trail, has been a place where Olympic wrestlers regularly torture themselves to prepare physically and mentally for the rigors of their sport. The Incline also attracts triathletes, speedskaters and mountain runners.

Olympic speedskating champion Apolo Ohno is legendary for how quickly he can pound up the trail. Ohno's thighs are like steam-engine pistons, and The Incline is partially responsible.

"He's pretty mean on this sucker," Durlacher said.

Located at the foot of Pikes Peak, The Incline can be a very busy place despite its steepness and thin air. A steady stream of serious athletes, weekend warriors and out-of-breath tourists tackled it Saturday morning.

"This is a majestic mountain, and it pushes you in ways you can't be pushed in practice and match situations," said Durlacher, who made it up in 32 minutes.

A little longer than a mile, The Incline follows an old cable car route straight up Mount Manitou, topping out at 8,500 feet above sea level. The rails

are mostly gone, but the wooden ties remain, often askew. The vertical rise from trailhead to the top is about the same as the Sears Tower in Chicago — including its antennae.
"It's just a grueling run/walk up the railroad ties, straight up the mountain," said head coach Steve Fraser, who led the U.S. Greco-Roman team to its first world championships team title last fall. "It's a bear."

The wooden ties make it like climbing a very steep staircase, but there are hazards that require constant vigilance — loose gravel and rock, drainage pipes with gaping holes, wobbly tourists and dogs without leashes. The wrestlers don't have to run, but they are supposed to power-walk all the way without stopping.

"It's a good workout in a general sense, but also from the mental standpoint," said wrestler R.C. Johnson. "It's a test: Can you keep going, can you do it without stopping? If we're doing sprints, how far can you make it?"

The mental challenge is especially tough on Incline neophytes closing in on what they believe is the top, only to learn they've reached a false summit two-thirds of the way up.

"They've got to keep going, and that's what we want them to learn," said Greco-Roman development coach Ike Anderson. "We want the kids to learn they can overcome adversity."

Even super heavyweights will do The Incline. Retired Olympic champion Rulon Gardner used to do it. Former world champion Dremiel Byers does it occasionally.

"You know they're struggling, they're carrying a lot of weight, but that's what makes them champions — they push through it," Anderson said. "This humbles everybody."

Wrestlers often site The Incline as a source of physical and psychological strength.

"It's a challenge that, if you can succeed at it, it gives you confidence," Anderson said. "When you're wrestling someone, you'll have something to draw back on. Things may be tough, and all of a sudden you go, 'Wait a minute, that Incline's tougher, this is nothing.'"

via The Denver Post

Click HERE for video

Weights Help You Hang (while cycling)

Weight work equals more power. But a recent Norwegian study shows time in the weight room will also help you hang at the front of the pack while cruising too.

By Matt Allyn

Sprinters and climbers know that strength training is essential for increasing their max power, but Norwegian researchers have found adding weights to your training can also boost your cruising speed.The study in question, conducted at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, followed 14 cyclists through a four-day-per-week strength program. Half the program was devoted to leg exercises that included squats and leg curls. After 12 weeks the subjects were tested and compared to a control group. The control group remained unchanged, but the training group had boosted their one-repetition squat by 20 percent and their leg curl by 12. The researchers then compared how much energy the cyclists needed to pedal at near 40 percent of their maximum power (roughly the same wattage you'd use on a long ride) and found that the training group's heart rate had dropped seven beats per minute and that they used three-percent less energy and oxygen. A three-percent increase in power may seem like small fries. But consider that these strength gains can be compounded with your regular on-bike training for even greater benefits, and three percent over 50 miles is a mile and half gap. To get started in the gym, read our cyclist's guide to strength training or check out the Fit Chick's strength-building podcast for advice you can take with you.

via BICYCLING Magazine

The easy, FREE way to track what your eating each day!

Very cool website, best of all it is totally FREE!

 LINK

Overweight warning: More than exercise needed

from Reuters

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Exercise will not cut the risk of heart disease in those who are overweight unless they also slim down, according to a study of thousands of U.S. women published on Monday.

"Even high quantities of physical activity are unlikely to fully reverse the risk of coronary heart disease in overweight and obese women without concurrent weight loss," Dr. Amy Weinstein and colleagues at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported.

"Regardless of body weight, (the findings) highlight the importance of counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," they concluded.

The study, appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was based on information from a study of nearly 39,000 women that began in 1992 and traced a number of health issues.

The researchers said 34 percent of the women in the study were physically active based on government guidelines, 31 percent were overweight and 18 percent were obese.

In the end, 948 women were diagnosed with heart disease. Active women with normal weight had the lowest risk of developing heart problems while there was a slightly higher risk for those with normal weight who were not active.

The risk was next highest for active women who were either overweight or obese, and highest for similar women who were inactive.

Fat cells produce chemicals that can speed up hardening of the arteries and increase inflammation, the researchers said, harming blood vessels, while physical activity makes for healthier blood vessels and reduces the risk of blood clots.

(Reporting by Michael Conlon; editing by Maggie Fox and Bill Trott)

Aerobic Exercise Keeps You Young

British study found it shaved 10 to 12 years off biological age

WEDNESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- A person who maintains aerobic fitness may delay biological aging by up to 12 years, a new analysis shows.

Jogging and other types of aerobic exercise improve the body's oxygen consumption and its use in generating energy (metabolism). However, a steady decline in maximal aerobic power begins in middle age, decreasing about 5 ml/ (kg. min) every decade, according to the information in the analysis.

When maximal aerobic power falls below about 18 ml in men and 15 ml in women, it becomes difficult to do any activity without experiencing major fatigue. A typical 60-year-old sedentary man has a maximal aerobic power of about 25 ml, nearly half of what it was at age 20.

But research shows that a long period of relatively high-intensity aerobic exercise can increase maximal aerobic power by 25 percent (about 6 ml), which equals 10 to 12 biological years.

The analysis was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

"There seems good evidence that the conservation of maximal oxygen intake increases the likelihood that the healthy elderly person will retain functional independence," said study author Dr. Roy Shephard, of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health and Department of Public Health Sciences, at the University of Toronto in Canada.

Aerobic exercise also reduces the risk of serious disease and promotes faster recovery after injury or illness. Additionally, it helps maintain muscle power, balance and coordination, which reduces the risk of falls.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about healthy aging for older adults.


-- Robert Preidt


SOURCE: BMJ Specialist Journals, news release, April 10, 2008

Ed Wins!

Good pick's, Ed! Congrats!

And then there were two...

Standings going into the finals:

1. Rob Lagler 90 (the winner if Memphis wins)
2. Ed Schaub 86 (the winner if Kansas wins)
3. Robert Price 82
4. Phillip Cornell 81
5. Janet Clark 79

Final Four Standings

Round 2 Standings

Round 1 Standings

Bracketology at LAC!

LAC Members can WIN three months FREE!

Just fill out your bracket and drop it off at the club before 11PM on Wednesday and you are entered to win the free months! Yes, even the contest is FREE!

We will post the standings right here on this blog each morning after games are played.

Hurry up and fill out your bracket and good luck!

Need help with your bracket? LINK

President's Challenge

What began as a national youth fitness test has grown up. In a big way. Today, the President's Challenge takes staying active beyond the school gym, and into everyday life.

We've expanded the President's Challenge into a whole series of programs designed to help improve anyone's activity level. Young or old. It's about choosing to live healthier - and finding things you really like to do.

No matter how active you are right now, you'll find a program that's right for you:
Active Lifestyle
For those just getting started (less than 30 minutes of activity a day, 5 times a week).
» find out more

Presidential Champions
For those who are already active and want a new challenge.
» find out more
Both programs offer a personal activity log to track your progress online - along with awards for reaching your goals. You can even join with others to take the Challenge as a group.

Once you see the difference staying active can make, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. So make a choice. You're it. Get fit!

Rise to the Challenge LINK

Diet Myths?

March 11, 2008

Low-fat! Low-carb! Eat all day! Don't eat after 8! Finally, the honest-to-goodness truth about how to keep your weight under control. Take another look at these false claims.

1. "Coffee can help you lose weight": The theory goes that caffeine acts as an appetite suppressant and a metabolism booster. But while it may temporarily squelch your appetite, drinking a couple of cups a day won't have enough of an effect to help you lose weight.
So enjoy a cup or two of coffee (or tea) every day, if you please. Just be sure that if you add anything to the brew -- like cream, sugar or cocoa powder -- you take those calories into account. For example, a 16-ounce Starbucks cafe mocha can contain a whopping 330 calories.

2. "Don't eat after 8 p.m.": The idea is that you burn up the food you eat earlier in the day, while late-night calories sit in your system and turn into fat. But calories can't tell time, says Mary Flynn, Ph.D., a research dietitian at the Miriam Hospital in Providence.
"Your body digests and uses calories the same way morning, noon and night," says Flynn.
The best advice? Pace your eating, and don't go longer than about five hours without a bite. Being so hungry that you grab whatever is at hand means you're more likely to make poor choices.

3. "Diet foods help you diet": Low-fat, low-carb and artificially sweetened packaged foods supposedly make losing weight painless. But low-fat and low-carb don't always mean low-cal, and if you're trying to lose weight, stocking up on these treats could undermine your efforts.
When you're tempted by a snack food that's labeled "light" or "low-fat," check the nutrition label. Look at how many calories are in a serving, then compare that number with the calories in a comparable product that's not making a label claim.

4. "Pasta makes you fat": We've all heard it: When you eat carbohydrates, your body turns them into sugars, which are then stored as fat. But carbohydrates per se don't make you fat -- extra calories do, whether you eat them in the form of carbs, fats or protein.
Pasta in moderation is fine. Dietitians recommend 2 or 3 ounces of uncooked noodles per person -- or half of a 1-pound box to serve a family of 4.

-- Real Simple via IndyStar.com

Do Commercial Weight-Loss Programs Actually Work?

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Reviews Recent Research


New York, NY (PRWEB) March 11, 2008 -- Johns Hopkins Health Alerts has just released a review of the latest research on weight loss, which shows that the longer you stay in a commercial weight-loss program, the more likely you are to achieve weight loss, and the greater weight loss you will achieve overall.

Successful Weight Loss Approaches
Successful weight loss requires a three-pronged approach: changing your behavior, altering your diet, and increasing your physical activity.

Making The Changes And Sticking To ThemPermanent alterations in your lifelong attitudes toward diet and exercise are the keys to successful weight management. You must be motivated enough to change habits not for a few weeks or months, but for a lifetime. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. The desire to lose weight must come from within.

The Benefits Of Commercial Weight Loss ProgramsCommercial weight-loss programs can be effective tools for weight loss, but you do need to stick with the program for at least three months to see benefits. That was the conclusion of a one-year study of men and women enrolled in the Jenny Craig Platinum program.

The study resultsAfter a month, 73% of the 60,164 people who joined the program were still enrolled. The number dropped to 42% at three months and 22% at six months. Only 7% remained at one year.

For those who stuck it out, the weight loss achieved was substantially greater. Men and women who lasted a year lost 13-16% of their initial body weight, compared with only a 1% loss in those who dropped out in the first month.

The men and women who stayed in the program for at least three months lost about 8% of their baseline weight.

The Substantial Health Benefits Of Weight Loss
Any weight loss is beneficial if you are overweight, but a loss of 5-10% of body weight can lead to significant reductions in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and other conditions associated with overweight or obesity.

But there's a good chance that the three-month dropouts gained back the lost weight by the end of the year.

Nonetheless, the longer you can stay in a commercial weight-loss program, the more weight loss you're likely to achieve.

For a free copy of the Johns Hopkins Guide to Lifestyle Changes for Weight Loss: LINK

Eight Strength Training Tips For Women

Via US News

February 08, 2008
Katherine Hobson

I know strength training builds muscle mass and keeps my bones strong. So I drag myself to the gym a few mornings a week, use a couple of the less-sweated-upon machines, and pat myself on the back. But that's about all the effort I've given it—until now.

One of my goals for the year is to actually try a strength-training program designed by someone smarter and more experienced about this stuff than I am. And my good friend Erle, who spends a lot of time mulling over the science behind his own exercise routine (and posts his thoughts about fitness at f-40.blogspot.com), has always spoken highly of Alwyn Cosgrove, a coach, gym owner, and writer (www.alwyncosgrove.com). So when I heard that Cosgrove, with coauthors Lou Schuler and Cassandra Forsythe, has a new book out, The New Rules of Lifting For Women (Avery/Penguin Group USA), I jumped at the chance to get him on the phone.
Our chat centered on some of the misconceptions that everyone—but particularly women—have about weight training. Here's some of what I learned:

A weights-and-intervals program gives you the best bang for the buck.
I'm an endurance junkie, so for better or worse, running or cycling for a few hours at a time will always be part of my life. But if you aren't training for a half-marathon and your goal is to pare some fat from your bod and make your jeans fit better, Cosgrove says a weightlifting program coupled with intervals—alternating high-intensity bursts of riding a stationary bike or running with a recovery period—is preferable to plodding along at the same slow pace. "When it comes to fat loss and enhancing the way you look, time is the limiting factor," he says. The program in his book calls for three days a week of strength training, with and without intervals, for a combined time of less than an hour per workout.

Lift three times a week.Two will offer some benefits, and one is better than nothing but isn't going to do much good. By contrast, more than three is not likely to give you enough time to recover in between workouts, which is when the strengthening of your muscles is happening. (Government recommendations for heart health include 30 minutes of the equivalent of brisk walking most days, so you might want to add a few days of that to this routine—it's not going to interfere with recovery from the weights.)

You need to lift enough weight to make it worthwhile.
Women often choose light weights that they think will magically shape and tone the muscles, whereas men will go right for the big bang kind of exercises," says Cosgrove. Uh, guilty as charged. I tend to use machines that focus on one muscle at a time because squats with a barbell intimidate me. Cosgrove favors free weights: "You can sit on a machine and do a leg extension, or you can spent a minute doing squats, working many more muscles and being much more time effective," he says." Sold, to the woman in the pink running shorts!

You need to increase the weight over time.
Cosgrove suggests you let the number of repetitions dictate how much weight you start with. Pick a weight that you can definitely lift eight, maybe 10, but definitely not 12 times. Ideally, you'd increase that weight a smidgen every time you do the routine, but since most weights come in 5-pound increments, he suggests this instead: Do 10 reps in a set the first time, then 11, then 12, and once you're doing sets of 12, increase the weight and go back to 10 reps per set. (His program calls for different numbers of sets, depending on the stage, but two to three sets for 10 to 12 reps is a good rule of thumb.)

Don't waste your time doing exercises that only work your smaller muscles.
Machines that isolate the calf, biceps, and triceps muscles aren't doing much good, says Cosgrove. "Muscles are like a web and work as a system," he says. "They're designed to work together." Doing exercises like presses, rows, and pulldowns lets those little muscles work the way they're supposed to: in concert with the bigger ones.

Toss the standard back-on-the-floor crunches.Straining against the hard ground isn't doing your spine any favors, and you aren't working the full range of your abdominal muscles. Instead, Cosgrove recommends other ab exercises, including crunches on an inflatable ball (which are cushier on your back and let you reach the full range of motion) and a deceptively innocent-sounding move called a plank, where you hold your body straight in a modified push-up position, propping yourself on toes and forearms.

One-size "proper form" does not always fit all.
You don't want to be so caught up with the so-called rules of an exercise ("Don't lock your elbows!" "Don't let your knee move past your toes!") that you are petrified to even start. Everyone's body is different. So if your basic technique is correct, and you aren't experiencing pain during or after a workout, you're probably OK, he says. One visible test: "My usual rule is that the first rep and the last rep should look the same, though the last rep will be slower."

Don't worry—you aren't going to get huge.
It's not easy even for men to get so they look like those folks on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. For women, because of our lower levels of testosterone, it's definitely not going to happen, unless you have some off-the-charts genetic propensity to pile on muscle and are spending your entire day working out. Worry about global warming, worry about whether Heidi will marry Spencer from The Hills and populate the world with little blond idiots, but don't worry that lifting will make your muscles burst out of your clothes.

Get the book: LINK

Don't let the snow stop you...

Weight Is Easier Gained Than Lost When Exercise Is Inconsistent

Weight gain caused by inconsistent exercise cannot be lost by simply resuming a previous exercise routine, suggests a study published in the February 2008 issue Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise®, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

In an eight-year study of more than 40,000 runners, researcher Paul Williams, Ph.D., found that weight gain among men and women who decreased their running distances per week was significantly more than weight loss among men and women who increased their running distances per week by the same amount.

"If you stop exercising with the intention of starting again later, you don't get to pick up where you left off," Thompson said. "You're likely to gain weight and get stuck with it unless you exercise a lot more. It's an ounce of prevention or a pound of cure, literally."

Additionally, substantial weight loss in participants did not occur unless running distances were more than 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) per week for men, and 48 kilometers (29.8 miles) per week for women. Participants who already ran a long distance per week and decreased their running, still maintaining a long distance per week, gained significantly less weight than those whose running distances started shorter and decreased to even less.

"We saw the most weight gain in subjects who were approaching a very sedentary lifestyle," Williams said. "This concurs with the vast amount of research showing that at least some daily activity is necessary to prevent significant weight gain."

Williams believes that exercise has taken a back seat to controlling diet in addressing America's obesity epidemic. The key, he says, is to start exercising before weight gain actually occurs.

ACSM and the American Heart Association recommend that healthy adults engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes, five days per week, at a moderate intensity, or 20 minutes, three days per week, at a vigorous intensity. Individuals striving for weight loss may need to exercise as many as 60 to 90 minutes per day.

"Although this study showed weight loss when running at high levels, others may want to do a different type of activity," Williams said. "Whether it's running, cycling, swimming, or something else, the important thing to remember is that activity is needed for a healthy lifestyle that prevents weight gain."

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® is the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is available from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at 1-800-638-6423.

Weight Loss Success: 7 Slim Down Secrets

Liz Neporent, M.A.

If losing weight were merely a matter of calories in vs. calories out, then we'd have
figured out the get-slim-quick formula long ago. You, for instance, may gain weight more easily and have a harder time dropping pounds than some of your friends. Why? Because your body stores calories more efficiently. Blame it on your ancestors; the very genes that helped them survive long periods of famine are a liability in today's world of plentiful, high-fat temptations and labor-saving devices. Still, it is possible to win at the losing game. It takes a little experimentation and a lot of patience. Perhaps it will help you to think of losing weight as taking a long and winding journey just as you're learning how to read a map: You know your destination but you might have to go down a few blind alleys before you find the correct path.

Here we give you Fit by Friday's immutable weight-loss laws. They may not resemble the radical rules of most fad diets, but if you heed them, you've got a good chance of cracking the weight-loss code.

1. Give both eating habits and exercise top billing. You cannot, repeat cannot, lose weight without watching what you eat and getting your butt in gear. Most people who achieve long-term weight-loss success do so with a combination of changed eating habits and increased exercise. The National Weight Control Registry, a database that tracks thousands of successful losers, reports that 80 percent of those who drop pounds and keep them off long-term make significant changes in both food intake and activity levels.

2. Portion control is key. It's not what you eat but how much. Contrary to what some low-carb diet gurus will have you believe, it's not pasta that makes you fat, it's the fact that you eat enough of it at one sitting to feed a small village. By limiting portion sizes you can still indulge in the foods you love because you won't overindulge.

3. Walking works. In spite of its wimpy reputation, walking is an excellent weight-loss workout because it's easy to do, requires little equipment and is kind to your body. You burn roughly 100 calories a mile. To ignite your calorie burn even more, walk up hills, move faster, or alternate walking with brief periods of running.

4. Keep a journal. Most people underestimate how much they eat and overestimate how much they move. Writing it down in a daily journal keeps you honest and can be a real eye-opener as your health patterns emerge.

5. Drink up. We're referring to water, nature's original diet drink. No calories, very filling, tastes great. Sipping H2O before and during meals helps take the edge off of hunger and fills you up faster. On the flip side, stay away from high-calorie colas, sugary drinks and alcohol. Liquid calories can add up faster than you can say, "Supersize my Slurpee please."

6. Graze, don't gorge. Eating smaller, more frequent meals (four to six per day) keeps hunger under control and your blood sugar levels from dipping and spiking like a roller coaster ride. You're also less likely to pig out than when you eat three larger squares a day with
long periods of time in between.

7. Lose the quick-fix mentality. Accept the fact that fad diets don't work and that there are no short cuts to permanent weight loss. Losing weight, like any other goal that means something, takes dedication and hard work. Sure you'll have setbacks and encounter tumbling blocks along the way, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. The end result is worth it.

Liz Neporent, a frequent fitness writer for the New York Times and other New York City publications, lists 7 Rules for Winning at the Losing Game. This article was published by MSNBC and circulated broadly.

Fitness Trumps Fatness

New Study Shows That Fitness Trumps Fatness in Determining Risk of Cancer Death in Men
DALLAS, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cooper Institute, a research and education nonprofit located at the world-renowned Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, announces a new study published in Obesity showing that fitness trumps fatness in determining risk of cancer mortality among men. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among U.S. men. While tobacco use and poor diet remain the largest contributors to cancer mortality, for the first time there is new research that obesity and low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness contributes to cancer mortality as well.

"This is the first study that shows that sedentary men of all body fatness levels should strive to become at least moderately fit in order to decrease the risk of cancer mortality," said lead researcher and Director of Professional Education Stephen Farrell, Ph.D. "Due to research by The Cooper Institute, we've long known that fitness is more important than fatness in decreasing the risk of heart disease. Now we know the same is true about death from all cancers among men. This is an important breakthrough to improve men's health."

Dr. Farrell studied 38,410 men who completed a comprehensive baseline physical examination at Cooper Clinic in Dallas. Results showed a strong and direct relationship between all measures of body fatness and cancer mortality. Leaner men had significantly lower rates of cancer mortality than fatter men, regardless of the method used to assess body fatness. A strong inverse relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness level and cancer mortality was also observed, showing lower fit men had significantly greater rates of cancer mortality than higher fit men.

The examination included a maximal treadmill exercise test, which provides an objective measure of cardio-respiratory fitness level. A unique feature of the study was that different measures of body fatness including body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and waist circumference were also performed. The men were followed for an average period of 17.2 years, during which 1,037 cancer deaths occurred.

Another unique feature of the study was an examination of the cancer mortality rates between fit and unfit men within various categories of the different measures of adiposity or fat levels. Using the three official categories for BMI (normal weight, overweight, obese), fit men in each category had significantly lower death rates from cancer than unfit men. Using the two official categories for waist circumference (obese and non-obese), fit men in each category had significantly lower death rates from cancer than unfit men. Similarly, using two categories for percent body fat (obese and non-obese), fit men in each category also had significantly lower death rates from cancer than unfit men.

Farrell added, "These data suggest that attaining a moderate to high level of cardiorespiratory fitness may decrease some of the cancer mortality risks associated with increased adiposity."

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Dec 25: CLOSED
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Jan 1: 5am-11pm

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The P-E-A-C-H Paradigm

by John McCarthy


The five foundational benefits of regular exercise are: Performance (P); Experience (E); Appearance (A); Control (C); and Health (H).

Thus, the five letters, P-E-A-C-H, represent all of the major benefits of regular exercise, and, taken together, constitute the PEACH Paradigm.

The miracle of the principal product that clubs provide is that this one activity-i.e., regular exercise-can contribute so much to each of these important dimensions of life.

The converse is also true. The opposite of regular exercise-i.e., sedentary living-can do enormous damage to each of these components of a full and rewarding life. To be specific:

First, regular exercise improves performance: e.g., athletic performance, professional performance, academic performance, parental performance, interpersonal performance, intellectual performance, and emotional performance. Regular exercise gives us more strength, more stamina, more energy. It makes us more alert, promotes creativity, intensifies mental focus, relieves stress and anxiety, etc.

Second, regular exercise enhances experience: It negates anger and negativity. It elevates mood and spirit. It bolsters self-image and self-confidence. It helps one to think more clearly and constructively. And, by relieving stress, anxiety, and depression, it makes us more emotionally expansive and receptive to relationships with others.

Third, regular exercise improves appearance: Without the benefit of workouts, it's difficult to be lean and firm, or to look vibrant and strong. Exercise helps us to control our weight, our shape, our physique. And, by doing so, it adds to our energy, our vitality, and our self-confidence-all of which, themselves, are crucial to attractiveness. Fourth, regular exercise gives us more control over all of the fluctuating factors that affect our bodies and spirits. Physically, it helps us control our weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, insulin receptivity, etc. Emotionally, it helps us control stress, anger, moodiness, and depression.

Finally, there is that central and most important benefit of regular exercise: health-which, as it were, is the center leg of this five-legged table. Health is the foundation, a vital support, for the other four legs, for, without it, performance, experience, appearance, and control all suffer. But regular exercise also produces a host of specific, health-related benefits, reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, many forms of cancer, hypertension, depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease, among others.

The five blessings conferred by regular exercise are the fuel that propels the health club industry. The future prospects and formidable promise of this industry are based on the fact that there are few people anywhere who don't want to elevate their performance, enhance their experience, improve their appearance, increase their control, and, of course, maintain their good health.


John McCarthy is former executive director of IHRSA.

Thanksgiving Hours

Wednesday: 5am-9pm
Thursday: Closed
Friday: Regular hours, 5am-9pm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Ladies...

Group Exercise

Why do you call it a "athletic club"?