When I did long runs in college, I often formulated term papers or reviewed test material in my head as I ran. I knew that the run helped organize both my time and my mind to the tasks ahead. And, I am proud to note, I was awarded the Thomas J.Kelsey Scholar/Athlete award at Monmouth College way back in 1980!
A new study published in the January issue of Health Psyschology backs this theory up. In a study conducted by clinical pschologist Catherine Davis of Georgia Health Sciences University, overweight, sedentary kids who started to exercise regularly improved on IQ test scores, in math skills, and in cognitive planning skills.
"We knew exercise was good for you," Ms. Davis was quoted as saying. "but we didn't have good evidence (before this) that it would help children do better in school."
While the study focused on overweight youngsters (171 randomly chosen children, 7-11 years old) she feels normal-weight kids would see the same benefit from the physcial activity.
The children were divided into three groups. One exercised vigorously (jumping rope, hula hoops, running games) for 40 minutes. Another group did similar activity for 20 minutes, and the third stayed sedentary. The program focused on "fun" rather than "competitive" activities, which I believe is key for youngsters uncomfortable or unfamiliar with sports.
Those who exercised for 40 minutes had a 3.8 point improvement in cognitive planning skills on their IQ tests. The 20-minute group also improved, but not as much. There was no additional academic instruction provided to any of the groups.
The conclusion: kids intuitively will run, jump, and climb if given the opportunity. When slumped in front of a television or computer for hours on end, lethargy sets in: of the body and the mind!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Philly Mania 2011
Like other professionals, Fitness Trainers need Continuing Education Credits (CEC's) to keep their certifications currrent. I am a member of SCW Fitness, and attend the "Philly Mania" convention every year to re-certify, and most importantly, learn and refresh my craft.
While there are a number of great lectures on topics like nutrition, physiology, and stress management, I prefer to garner that knowledge from books and magazines, and focus my time at the convention learning some of the exciting new exercise trends.
Most of the work is either mat-based or against one's own body weight. Think of every possible variety of push-up and plank that you can imagine! Facing down, facing up, sideways; one leg in the air, one arm in the air; hands out, hands in, one hand in, one out-you get the idea!
Throw in dozens of angles of lunges and squats, power jumps, burpees, and the like! Mix in some plyometric jumps onto Bosu balls and steps, some interesting twists (literally and figuratively) on the Gliding discs, and finish each session with some relaxing, yet challenging, stretches. It's an exercise addict's nirvana!
I attended sessions with Mindy Mylrea, creator of the Gliding discs; Kelli Roberts, the 2003 IDEA International Fitness Instructor of the year; and Doug Brooks, who works with the U.S. Olympic ski team and top X-Game athletes in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. An all-star line-up of instructors.
The greatest thing is bringing these ideas back to my clients-maybe tweaking a few of them-and adding new things to their training mix. As I've mentioned many times, the body becomes used to the stress put on it very quickly-you must constantly change exercises, sequence, pace, and rest time to continue to achieve results!
I've been attending conventions with SCW, IDEA, and other organizations for almost 20 years. I've never left disappointed!
While there are a number of great lectures on topics like nutrition, physiology, and stress management, I prefer to garner that knowledge from books and magazines, and focus my time at the convention learning some of the exciting new exercise trends.
Most of the work is either mat-based or against one's own body weight. Think of every possible variety of push-up and plank that you can imagine! Facing down, facing up, sideways; one leg in the air, one arm in the air; hands out, hands in, one hand in, one out-you get the idea!
Throw in dozens of angles of lunges and squats, power jumps, burpees, and the like! Mix in some plyometric jumps onto Bosu balls and steps, some interesting twists (literally and figuratively) on the Gliding discs, and finish each session with some relaxing, yet challenging, stretches. It's an exercise addict's nirvana!
I attended sessions with Mindy Mylrea, creator of the Gliding discs; Kelli Roberts, the 2003 IDEA International Fitness Instructor of the year; and Doug Brooks, who works with the U.S. Olympic ski team and top X-Game athletes in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. An all-star line-up of instructors.
The greatest thing is bringing these ideas back to my clients-maybe tweaking a few of them-and adding new things to their training mix. As I've mentioned many times, the body becomes used to the stress put on it very quickly-you must constantly change exercises, sequence, pace, and rest time to continue to achieve results!
I've been attending conventions with SCW, IDEA, and other organizations for almost 20 years. I've never left disappointed!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Heart Disease Advice for Women
Heart disease and heart attacks, were sterotypically, "men's diseases." How many movies have shown the father of the bride dying of a massive heart attack at the wedding; or the executive suffering a sudden, heart-driven death after losing the big contract?
The American Heart Asscoiation has tried to make heart disease more relevant for women, and, according to Gregg Fonarow, Director of the Cardiomopathy center at UCLA (quoted in USA Today, Feb. 15th), "Every minute there's a death due to cardiovascular disease in women. This constitutes 422,000 deaths a year-more than cancer, respiratory disease, Alzheimer's and accidents combined."
The AHA has been publishing guidelines for women since 2004. In the 2011 report, they have included personal and socio-economic factors, to make it less clinical and more "real" for women.
The guidelines recommend that women:
*Avoid smoking and second-hand smoke.
*Get 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigourous exercise.
*Establish a risk-reduction routine if they are diagnosed with heart disease or have a heart "event": ie: exercise or dietary change!
*Achieve a healthy body weight.
*Eat a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables; whole-grain, high-fiber foods; oily fish, at least twice a week; and low in saturated and trans-fats, cholesterol and sugar.(Eating sensibly, basically!).
* Get omega-3 fatty acids, either through fish or capsules.
All of this is very sound, basic advice, for men or women, in my opinion. Leave that last slice of pizza for the kids, and walk through that next episode of your favorite show!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Julia Harvey Weight Loss Tips
I recently read an interesting article about Julia Havey, author of the Dr. Oz acclaimed book "The Vice-Busting Diet."
Ms. Harvey, 48, weighed nearly 300 lbs. at one time. Her life was a humiliating mess, which you can read in more detail in her book. When a homeless man outside a convenience store drew laughs from onlookers when he heckled her about eating a candy bar, she knew a change had to be made.
She felt the food the she was having way too much of was ice-cream, and simply cut that out. After three months, she dropped 30 lbs.!
The "career dieter" then thought of her second biggest vice: fast food. She eliminated that, and then soft drinks. She also started to exercise.
Eliminating one bad habit after the last was mastered, she eventually reached 150 lbs., exactly half of her heaviest weight!
She emphasizes this isn't a diet, which she feels are too restrictive for people to stick with. It's just one change at a time!
Interesting tidbits of her thoughts:
*The most basic change is drinking water instead of soft drinks.
*The biggest obstacles to losing weight are soft drinks, fast food, portion sizes, and
television (unless you're on the treadmill while watching, I guess)!
*It's easier to go for full abstinenece on certain foods, than eating them in
moderation. "If people can eat them in moderation," she points out, "we wouldn't
have an obesity pandemic in America."
*The best exercise is one that you'll continue to do. Her favorites: the elliptical
machine and golf!
All this is very sensible advice, in my opinion. Havey has a goal of helping 1 million
people to lose weight. With that in mind, her program is available free, online, at
www.vice-bustingdiet.com.
Ms. Harvey, 48, weighed nearly 300 lbs. at one time. Her life was a humiliating mess, which you can read in more detail in her book. When a homeless man outside a convenience store drew laughs from onlookers when he heckled her about eating a candy bar, she knew a change had to be made.
She felt the food the she was having way too much of was ice-cream, and simply cut that out. After three months, she dropped 30 lbs.!
The "career dieter" then thought of her second biggest vice: fast food. She eliminated that, and then soft drinks. She also started to exercise.
Eliminating one bad habit after the last was mastered, she eventually reached 150 lbs., exactly half of her heaviest weight!
She emphasizes this isn't a diet, which she feels are too restrictive for people to stick with. It's just one change at a time!
Interesting tidbits of her thoughts:
*The most basic change is drinking water instead of soft drinks.
*The biggest obstacles to losing weight are soft drinks, fast food, portion sizes, and
television (unless you're on the treadmill while watching, I guess)!
*It's easier to go for full abstinenece on certain foods, than eating them in
moderation. "If people can eat them in moderation," she points out, "we wouldn't
have an obesity pandemic in America."
*The best exercise is one that you'll continue to do. Her favorites: the elliptical
machine and golf!
All this is very sensible advice, in my opinion. Havey has a goal of helping 1 million
people to lose weight. With that in mind, her program is available free, online, at
www.vice-bustingdiet.com.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Walk Briskly for a Long Life
Many seniors I observe shuffle along slowly. Other have an unsteady, side-to-side gait. Others can bound along at a pace people many years younger would envy. This energy and steady stride may be do to regular working out, good genetics, attention to posture, balance training, or just a positive mental attitude that keeps a "bounce in their step."
Now, there's a study that correlates a senior citizen's walking speed with logevity. Published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association, the University of Pittsburgh research paper collected data from nine studies between 1986 and 2000, involving nearly 35,000 adults, 65-and over.
The average walking speed was three feet a second. But the chances of surviving another five to 10 years increased the faster a person walked, particularly amongst those 75 and older.
The chances of surviving 10 years ranged from 19 to 87 percent among men, and 35 to 91 percent among women, depending on how fast they walked.
Walking may be a good prediction of survival because it requires energy and muscle control. It also works the heart and lungs, and the circulatory, nervous and skeletal systems.
Bottom line: get off the couch, get some fresh air, and start walking-at a rapid pace!
Now, there's a study that correlates a senior citizen's walking speed with logevity. Published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association, the University of Pittsburgh research paper collected data from nine studies between 1986 and 2000, involving nearly 35,000 adults, 65-and over.
The average walking speed was three feet a second. But the chances of surviving another five to 10 years increased the faster a person walked, particularly amongst those 75 and older.
The chances of surviving 10 years ranged from 19 to 87 percent among men, and 35 to 91 percent among women, depending on how fast they walked.
Walking may be a good prediction of survival because it requires energy and muscle control. It also works the heart and lungs, and the circulatory, nervous and skeletal systems.
Bottom line: get off the couch, get some fresh air, and start walking-at a rapid pace!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Year Weight Loss Tips
January has hit some of us like the proverbial "ton of bricks." Holiday indulging has left many of us a few pounds heavier than we'd like. The latest issue of AARP has an article with advice we all can use.
A key one is to use a smaller plate than you're accustomed. Gauge your "fullness" after one, smaller serving, and then decide on "seconds." They also suggest taller, thinner glasses for drinks, where you will pour an average of 30% less liquid.
Another, that I've heard and recommended many times, is eating small size snack bags, rather than grabbing from a larger bag. Your much less likely to open up that second pack of a small bag of chips when you have to make another "eating decision."
Logically, the article suggest you eat more meals at home (where you control the contents and portion size), and try to avoid "speed-eating" at the desk or in the car, where you can down large servings of food so fast, your brain can't tell that it's full.
The article says that diets fail because they ask people to sacrifice too much. Make three small changes at a time and slowly change your dietary habits. The best diet is one that you don't know you're on!
Dr. James Hill, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, lists some simple tips that are easy to adhere to:
* Include a fruit or vegetable with your lunch or dinner.
*Don't eat white foods at dinner (baked potato, white ricce, or white bread, for example).
*Fill half your plate with an entree, and the other half with vegetables.
*Drink one (or more) glass of water before each snack or meal.
*Never eat in front of the TV-make eating an experience.
*Save deserts for weekends.
All solid tips, in which I would add, get some (at least 30 minutes) of exercise every day. Good
luck, and we will be here to help you on your journey!
A key one is to use a smaller plate than you're accustomed. Gauge your "fullness" after one, smaller serving, and then decide on "seconds." They also suggest taller, thinner glasses for drinks, where you will pour an average of 30% less liquid.
Another, that I've heard and recommended many times, is eating small size snack bags, rather than grabbing from a larger bag. Your much less likely to open up that second pack of a small bag of chips when you have to make another "eating decision."
Logically, the article suggest you eat more meals at home (where you control the contents and portion size), and try to avoid "speed-eating" at the desk or in the car, where you can down large servings of food so fast, your brain can't tell that it's full.
The article says that diets fail because they ask people to sacrifice too much. Make three small changes at a time and slowly change your dietary habits. The best diet is one that you don't know you're on!
Dr. James Hill, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, lists some simple tips that are easy to adhere to:
* Include a fruit or vegetable with your lunch or dinner.
*Don't eat white foods at dinner (baked potato, white ricce, or white bread, for example).
*Fill half your plate with an entree, and the other half with vegetables.
*Drink one (or more) glass of water before each snack or meal.
*Never eat in front of the TV-make eating an experience.
*Save deserts for weekends.
All solid tips, in which I would add, get some (at least 30 minutes) of exercise every day. Good
luck, and we will be here to help you on your journey!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Kids Fitness Needs
Both of my kids have spent much of their childhood involved in soccer. As parents we like it, because there's a lot of cardiovascular activity, and with outside coaches, not as much room for parental interference, er, involvement, as some other sports.
Unfortunately, a recent study by the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, indicated that youth team sports often don't provide the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Typically, most travel teams meet once or twice a week for practice, along with one or two games. Bottom line, kids, no matter the sport, should be doing something on the other days as well to meet prescribed fitness needs.
The study examined 200 youth baseball, softball, and soccer players, ages 7-14, in San Diego. Only 24% met the prescribed 60-minute per day goal! The soccer players fared the best, and boys tended to be more active than girls.
One of the problems was the structure of the team's practices themselves. The study found that
kids were "moderately or vigorously" active, only 46% of the prescribed practice time. In other words, there was a lot of standing around, watching a skill performed by one player or a coach, rather than having everyone practice a skill at the same time.
The key for coaches is to stay away from the dreaded "lines" so common from the days of our Phys Ed classes, and keep everyone engaged in small groups.
Gym classes can help make up the gap needed to fulfill the "60 minutes a day" recommendation for kid's health, but many schools have cut back on P.E , which is often limited to one day per week.
As parents, it's our job to pitch in and fill up the gap. Ride a bike with your kids, take a hike,
do something that engages them. while keeping it fun for everyone involved. It does take an effort at times, but it's worth it!
Unfortunately, a recent study by the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, indicated that youth team sports often don't provide the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Typically, most travel teams meet once or twice a week for practice, along with one or two games. Bottom line, kids, no matter the sport, should be doing something on the other days as well to meet prescribed fitness needs.
The study examined 200 youth baseball, softball, and soccer players, ages 7-14, in San Diego. Only 24% met the prescribed 60-minute per day goal! The soccer players fared the best, and boys tended to be more active than girls.
One of the problems was the structure of the team's practices themselves. The study found that
kids were "moderately or vigorously" active, only 46% of the prescribed practice time. In other words, there was a lot of standing around, watching a skill performed by one player or a coach, rather than having everyone practice a skill at the same time.
The key for coaches is to stay away from the dreaded "lines" so common from the days of our Phys Ed classes, and keep everyone engaged in small groups.
Gym classes can help make up the gap needed to fulfill the "60 minutes a day" recommendation for kid's health, but many schools have cut back on P.E , which is often limited to one day per week.
As parents, it's our job to pitch in and fill up the gap. Ride a bike with your kids, take a hike,
do something that engages them. while keeping it fun for everyone involved. It does take an effort at times, but it's worth it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
