Think like an athlete---for life!

There's a lot to admire in the attributes of a competitive athlete. There are those who must be powerful and strong, and those who need exceptional stamina and endurance. Many compete in sports where agility, balance and flexibility are crucial. Most high-level competitive athletes have physiques that any of us would be thrilled to exhibit. Without question, it takes motivation, discipline, and commitment to be successful in competition.

Though it's not at all necessary for you to train like Michael Phelps to achieve lifelong health and wellness, there's a lot to be gained by "thinking like an athlete". When we see ourselves as "athletes" and train as such, we change our views towards our lifestyle. We eat better, pay more attention to our rest and recovery, and train with greater intent and purpose. You don't need to have an upcoming meet or tournament to think like an athlete, but participating in athletic competition can provide you with something to shoot for, to help keep you focused on a goal.

And there are plenty of opportunities to put yourself to the test. If you're past college-age, Masters competition may be for you, as adult sports divisions have grown tremendously in the past 10-20 years in just about every sport, from swimming to running to grappling to tennis. The best part is that, in most Masters competition, the satisfaction in achieving your own personal best is more important than being at the top of the podium (though winning something from time to time can still be very gratifying!).

It doesn't really matter what sport you choose, how old you are, or what kind of shape you're in currently, as long as you find something you enjoy and get started training for it. It's even better if you can get your family and friends involved, too. Thinking like an athlete can keep you from falling into a sedentary lifestyle---and it's a lot of fun, too!

Be healthy, my friends.

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Barbell Squats: The Perfect Exercise?

Perfect? Maybe so.

If you are a woman, approaching or over-40, there is one exercise that should be indispensible in your workout routine: the barbell back squat. Regardless of sex or age, the squat should still be a vital part of every person's weight training program , but it is particularly important for older women. Here are six reasons why:

1. Squats strengthen the bones in your legs, back and spine, reducing your risk of osteoporosis, a significant concern for women entering middle age.

2. They strengthen and firm the muscles of your thighs, hips, and lower back, muscles that are not only aesthetically pleasing in a woman's physique, but more importantly, vital for any functional movement you may perform---from getting out of bed in the morning to playing a three set tennis match. Strengthening these muscles will also help you maintain good posture, which helps keep you look younger.

3. As a multiple joint compound movement (uses more than one joint, more than one muscle group), the squat promotes positive hormonal changes that will help keep you lean.

4. Squats improve your flexibility when performed to below parallel depth. And no, deeper squats will not hurt your knees. Rather, deeper squats strengthen articulations and improve range of movement, essential for post-40 joints.

5. If performed at a sufficient intensity (4-8 repetitions), squats will make your whole body stronger, not just your "working" muscles. Occasional higher rep sets are fine for endurance, but lower reps will make you stronger (don't worry, you're not going to look like Ah-nuld). And you need to use some challenging weight. Squatting with 5 lb hand weights may be OK in the beginning if you are extremely unfit, but to get maximum longterm benefit from this exercise you need to get yourself under a barbell.

6. Squats strengthen, firm, and develop an attractive and useful core, which means less crunches!

Be healthy, my friends.

http://upandrunningatl.blogspot.com/

Food rehab: resist those unhealthy foods!

Want to stop overeating? Here are 7 ways to stop today, according to David Kessler, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, and author of The End of Overeating:

Replace chaos with structure. Determine ahead of time what you'll eat for meals and snacks. Block out everything else.

Practice just-right eating. Figure out how much food you need (probably less than you think). Put it on your plate and don't go back for seconds.

Pick foods that will satisfy, not stimulate you. Try foods that occur in nature, like whole-grains, beans, non-starchy veggies, and fruit. Combine this with lean protein and a small amount of fat.

Rehearse. Anticipate your moves like an athlete before a competition. For example, tell yourself, "If I encounter chocolate-covered pretzels, I'll keep walking."

Seize control. Stay alert to emotional stressors or other stimuli that trigger automatic behavior. Recognize emotions that might lead you to overeat.

Stop that thought. Change the channel. Turn off the image of the trigger food before you start to debate whether to eat it.

Think negative. Pair the unhealthy food with a stream of unappealing images. Kessler says that this is precisely the opposite of what ad agencies do when they link a popular athlete to a pair of sneakers or an attractive woman to a new piece of technology.

Be healthy, my friends.

(Source: Nutrition Action Healthletter, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. July/August 2009.)

Want to lose fat in your middle age? Sleep on it.

Okay, so you're in your forties or more, and despite exercising regularly and eating well, you still can't seem to reduce your bodyfat and become leaner. What you may be missing is enough sleep.

In a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a lack of deep sleep was associated with decreases in growth hormone (a hormone released by the pituitary gland that is necessary for normal growth in humans). Positive levels of growth hormone have long been associated with increases in muscle and decreases in fat tissue. As we age, we often change our sleep habits and get sleep fewer hours at a time than we did previously. The problem is that the highest levels of growth hormone are secreted later on in the sleep cycle, and if someone is waking after only 5-6 hours of sleep, they are not getting that extra GH.

A study done at the University of Chicago done on 149 healthy men aged 16 to 83 found that their percentage of overall deep sleep decreased by a factor of more than five and a half times from young adulthood to midlife. While no further decreases in the percentage deep sleep were found as the men aged beyond midlife, the total amount of sleep decreased by nearly a half an hour per decade. The drop in slow wave sleep from young adulthood to midlife accompanied a similar drop in growth hormone levels.

Growth hormone is lipolytic, meaning in has the ability to break down fat and it also acts to reduce and redistribute your fat stores. Obesity and reductions in growth hormone output go hand in hand, as proven by various research studies. Treatment of elderly individuals with growth hormone replacement has resulted in increases in lean body mass and decreases in fat mass. The inference is clear: poor and inadequate sleep can affect many aspects of your quality of life: athletic performance, work productivity, and even your immune response.

The important thing is to make sure you have both sufficient quantity of sleep and good quality sleep. Try to get 7-9 hours per night, and take steps to get a better night's sleep such as exercising regularly, eliminating stimulants and alcohol, eating smaller meals, having a carbohydrate snack 30 minutes before bed, and keeping regular sleeping hours. Improving your quantity/quality of sleep can definitely be your secret weapon to becoming leaner and healthier.

Be healthy, my friends.

(Journal of the American Medical Association, 2000, Vol. 284, No. 7, pp. 861-868: Hormone Research, 2000, Vol. 53. No, 5, pp. 215-220; Clinical Endocrinology, 1993, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 63-71)

Fitness isn't what it used to be!

I've been a health and fitness professional for going on 17 years now, and I've worked with a good many clients over the years. Along the way I picked up a couple degrees, a few certifications, some good friends, and a whole lot of experience. It's funny, when I started this journey, I thought I knew sooo much about fitness training and being physically fit, but as the years have gone by, I chuckle at how little I knew, and how much there was to be discovered.

Certainly basic elements exist to achieving physical fitness. It's still a great idea to perform aerobic exercise for cardiac health, to strength train, and to stretch to achieve and maintain flexibility and range of movement. However, the techniques used, and the manner in which the various elements of exercise are today programmed into a person's training regimen have changed dramatically. Rarely is it automatically recommended to do a given aerobic exercise 4-5 times per week for equal training durations (such as 30 mins per session), at a steady-state intensity to reduce fat and improve cardiovascular fitness. Rather, a mix of intensities, session lengths, and exercise mode are now the norm, with high-intensity interval training a very popular prescription.

Also blurred is the distinct division between strength training and cardiovascular exercise. Complex training can involve combining an "aerobic" or conditioning exercise with a strength training exercise, achieving superb results in a short session period. Fitness trainers today also may utilize implements as kettlebells, martial arts and boxing equipment, gymnastics, and plyometric tools. Training dimensions such as agility, speed, power and balance are on the rise as recreational exercisers of all ages are venturing into techniques and modalities that were formerly reserved only for competitive athletes.

The variety of fitness modes and programming solutions has absolutely exploded the past dozen years or so, and with the advent of the comprehensive cross-training model, fitness training has become far more effective, efficient and fun than it was in the 80's and 90's. This is great news for everyone who is interested in a healthier, fitter, more useful body.

Be healthy, my friends.

Happiness is....

...knowing that a ripe juicy slice of fresh watermelon has only 80-something calories.

My, I do love summer.


Be healthy, my friends.

7 Ways to Get a Gut

Reducing your bodyfat isn't just a matter of vanity and appearance. It can even be a matter of life or death. Research shows that your waist size is a strong predictor of a number of serious diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Today I present to you 7 habits that sabotage your ability to be leaner and healthier.

1. Don't get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation boosts the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin and lowers leptin, which suppresses appetite. Getting at least 7-8 hours of shut-eye each night, preferably on the same sleep schedule, will help you eat less and stay leaner.

2. Watch lots of TV. Television watching is a strong predictor for obesity. Research shows that if you watch TV two or more hours each day, you are more likely to be obese than someone who watches an hour or less. The combination of inactivity (which lowers your metabolic rate) and a tendency to consume greater calories make TV watching hazardous to your waistline.

3. Eat out a lot, especially fast food. The calories in most restaurant food is obscene, says Tuft's nutrition expert Susan Roberts. People who eat out at least 13 times per month consume up to 32 percent more calories per day than those who eat out 4 times or less. Just appetizers alone can plaster 1000 calories or more to your frame. Eating out less frequently is one of the easiest ways to lose weight.

4. Drink those calories. Sodas are the popular culprit, but surprisingly, even fruit juice is hazardous to your waistline. Just a small 8-ounce glass of OJ has 120 calories, and who drinks just 8 ounces at a time? And grape juice? Forget about it---more than 150 for that same small glass. Also keep in mind that juices have almost no fiber in them, and along with a high sugar content, they will keep you returning to the fridge many times after. Don't even get me started on those 500-600 calorie smoothies...

5. Get more calories per spoonful. Okay, so you just had a yummy crunchy bowl of Grape Nuts for breakfast this morning. Healthy breakfast, right? Unfortunately, despite all that useful fiber and energy-sustaining complex carbs, a bowl of Grape Nuts probably isn't ideal for losing bodyfat and staying lean. A realistic 1 cup bowl (not the 1/2 cup serving size on the box) of Grape Nuts carries a whopping 420 calories. One cup of cooked oatmeal, on the other hand, contains only 150 calories, and will likely leave you just as satisfied.

Choose foods that are less calorie-dense, and you'll see the pounds melt away.

6. Eat too fast. We're all in a rush nowadays, and we never seem to have enough time to do what needs to be done. In this fast-paced world, eating quickly has unfortunately become the norm as we race from one task to another. However, eating too fast allows you to eat too much before your body is aware of it. Researchers have found it takes the brain at least 15 minutes to recognize that you are full, and scientists have even suggested that fast eating is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of symptoms that includes high blood pressure and insulin resistance. Slow down, enjoy your meal, eat less, live healthier.

7. Be too busy to exercise. Many of us have crazy, hectic lives, but exercise should never be left last on the to-do list. Even a ten minute set of pushups and air squats will go a long way to boosting your metabolism and keeping fat at bay. Ideally, try to exercise at least 30 minutes 5 days per week, and strength training at least twice.

Be healthy, my friends.

Three tips that may help you get a job...

I attended a "career camp" at Dunwoody Methodist Church last night (they did a fantastic job!), specifically because there were some wonderful speakers presenting on social networking and multimedia, which are topics near and dear to my technologically-challenged mind. I know the economy's been awful, but I was stunned at the numbers of job-seekers that filled the room, and there was one glaring fact that caught my attention.

Many of those in attendance described themselves as depressed.

It's not a stretch to see how depression and unemployment go hand in hand. Losing a job can be devastating. Besides the obvious financial strain, it is an emotional strain as well. One's employment often provides an identity as well as a sense of belonging within a community, and a feeling of positive self-worth. Once that person is no longer employed, they may feel lost, angry and helpless, and depression often manifests as a result.

There are three things you MUST do if you are unemployed, to avoid becoming depressed and further prolonging your job search:

1. Get moving. Don't allow yourself to spend more than an hour at a time sitting. Get up, move around, stretch, lift weights, go running, take a fitness class, do yoga, or just go play catch with your kids. Body motion means good brain chemistry, which means you feel better and are more productive and happy. And regular exercise will give you the stamina and self-confidence to manage any job search.

2. Don't isolate yourself. Get out and spend face time with others, both those you know well as well as new contacts. The worst thing you can do is sit in front of the computer in a dark room all day submitting resumes. A few minutes chatting with a friend can do wonders for your mood. Job networking meetings are very useful, but don't limit yourself to these groups. Find a hobby, an interest, that you can share with others that will help you divert that negative energy and keep you on a positive functioning level.

3. Be like water flowing downhill. Everyone encounters a roadblock or two when they are trying to meet a goal. If you meet a roadblock in your search, don't let it stop you. Just go around it and keep on flowing. You might see something along the way you had never even considered.

Be healthy, my friends.