The Fitness Guru

A tip of the hat goes to Ena Mallett is the first woman to get a 7th dan black belt in Spirit Combat International jiu-jitsu.

The 77 year old grandmother teaches classes in the local community hall and twice a day she turns out to help kiddies cross the road outside the village school in South Walsham, Norfolk, England.

She has only used her skills once, helping to apprehend a 14-year old shop lifter. Apparently, the adolescent was so shocked being nabbed by the grandmother he dropped the candy he was stealing and Ena let him run away.

Ena began her studies in 1979, studying karate as a means to stay fit. She moved to jiu-jitsu, a Japanese art that focuses on pins, joint locks and throws, in 1987.

Says Ena: “Spirit Combat is all about using self control – but you have to be prepared for violence to defend yourself. I love teaching it and I certainly have no plans to give it up. I don’t see why I should put my feet up.”

Rock on, Ena!!

If your goal is to lose weight and improve your health, what’s going to be better for you, walking or running? Like most fitness-related questions, this one takes me back to a joke I heard in third grade:

What weighs more: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks.

Just as you may be tempted to shout “bricks” (as I would often do right up through eighth grade, when the subtleties of this riddle and “no soap radio” were finally explained to me), you may be tempted to assume that running is the greater “burn” of the two exercises. And, like all questions in fitness, I remind you that nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Let’s break it down.

Calorie burn is based on energy consumption over a period of time, and the best way to gauge that energy consumption is by monitoring your heart rate as you exercise. But heart rate itself is based on oxygen consumption. In other words, as your body increases its need for oxygen due to exertion, the heart has to pump more oxygen rich blood to the extremities and the heart rate goes up. One of the main reasons that the heart rate is elevated in running is that, ever time your foot hits the ground, that little bit of impact puts pressure on the diaphram, the main muscle that controls respiration, making it slightly harder to take a full breath. So as your foot strike knocks a little bit of wind out of you, the heart is trying to play catch-up and pumps harder to get the oxygen to the muscles that need it. Plus, depending on your running style, that repeated impact can lead to injuries down the road.

Walking is, by nature, low impact: there is significantly less impact as the foot hits the ground and, consequently, the lungs have a greater opportunity to provide the much-needed oxygen. Therefore, the heart rate does not get as high with walking.

But that’s the linear thinking I hate.

I love watching runners, real runners, because they make it look so effortless. Even sprinters try to relax their bodies as much as possible so that they may put the effort where it will best suit them and not energy is wasted through worthless tension. Running mid- to long-distance is, ideally, an opportunity to use gravity and and momentum to your advantage. It takes time and practice to get used to, but once you understand the effortless form, running becomes relaxingly meditative.

Walking can be a wonderfully leisurely pass time. Go for a stroll in the park, pause, watch the birds, pause, stroll some more. Certainly the calories burn is there, and, if you have been inactive it is a GREAT way to get started in an active lifestyle. But the burn is not as significant as running for the same period of time.

But let’s take a look at race walking. There is nothing low key about race walking and trying to maintain a rapid pace over a period of time and/or distance. Quite the opposite: the body has to work extra hard because, instinctively, we tell ourselves to break into a jog or a run when moving that quickly. The muscles of the legs, the glutes, the (gulp– help me) core, as well as the chest, arms, shoulders and back all have to work to create the momentum to move at such a speed. Increase the incline that you’re walking on and you will increase the exertion level. Increase the amount your work your arms, and again, the level of exertion, and consequently your heart rate and calorie burn go up as well.

A few of important things to keep in mind:

• Always warm up before you start race walking for exercise. You might think “walking….what’s the big deal?”. But it is a big deal and you should warm up to get the blood flowing.
• When you walk, think about standing as tall as possible, lifting the base of the skull to the sky and not the chin. Your chest should be lifted and your jaw should be nice and relaxed.
• As you walk, take small quick steps. Let the heel of each step fall just in front of the toe of the previous step. This will give you a much smaller, faster stride.
• Use a heart monitor to gauge your exertion level. If you want to increase your heart rate, try an incline, faster steps, or greater arm movement, even working to take the arms over head as you walk.
• If you are just starting out, be conservative. Try the small step, quick pace idea but move a little slower than you might like. You’re going to feel a whole bunch of muscles you never knew you had and you don’t want to shoot yourself out of a cannon.

Questions about all of this? Shoot me an email: michael@fitnessgurunyc.com

Rock on!!

Didja know?? America’s pet population is growing– not in number but in size. I’ve mentioned that 67% of the US adult population is now overweight or obese and the numbers are equally as frightening for the child and adolescent populations. Now according to the American Journal of Veterinary Research, one out of three dogs and cats in America are now obese or overweight. One reason is that food manufacturers load food with fat to make it more appealing. But also sedentary owners lead to sedentary pets. So cut back on the amount of food you feed the little darling and take Fido for a run–for both of you!

(Cats? I don’t know about cats. You can try a leash and a quick run but….well……recipe for disaster….)

Didja know??

Exercise may help build the brain? In a study at the Salk Insititute, adult mice who voluntarily ran on an exercise wheel experienced increase brain cell proliferation, something not thought possible in adult mammals. I guess the catch is “voluntary” running part.

A similar study found that brain cell growth also occurs when the mice are placed in an “interesting enviroment with lots of stimuli.”

I think now is the time to insert your own musclehead joke.

Yep. Ya went and hurt yourself. And now you’re not quite sure what to do. Do you do see a doctor? Do you buy supplements at the local health food store? Do you sit perfectly still and pray?

There is a method to recovering from injury. It’s easy when you go step-by-step. In today’s podcast we take a look at how to recover quickly and effectively from injuries.

Have a listen and pass it on…….

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

Does it seem that, just as you get on the health-and-fitness straight-and-narrow, people pop out of the woodwork wanting to sell you stuff?!? Health and fitness is a multi-billion dollar industry. And, if you’re not careful, you might find you are spending hard earned money needlessly.

In this podcast, we take a look out how to get started in a fitness program without it costing an arm and a leg…..

Have a listen…..and pass it on……..

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

Did you tire of your heart monitor last year? Is Wii Fit leaving you a wee bit cold? Well, then…..have we got something for you….

Meet Autom, the fat fighting robot. Designed by Cory Kidd, MIT graduate and now-CEO of Intuitive Automata, the “socialable” robot provides feedback and encouragement for dieters who enter their nutritional information.

“It draws heavily on human psychology — so understanding how we as people interact with one another,” Kidd said. “It relies on cues that people use in everyday communication.”

Right now Autom relies on a touch screen on his belly, but next year, Kidd is hoping to release a version with voice recognition, so that you can talk to the little fella. Right now, users tap in information regarding weight, diet, exercise regime and goals in response to Autom’s spoken questions. Autom will then offer advice and tailor that advice over time to user’s strengths and weaknesses.

Kidd says that, in a Boston study, 15 people who used Autom were able to stay on their programs for an average of 51 days, whereas people keeping track on a paper journal only lasted 27 days.

I just keep flashing to “2001″:

“Open refrigerator door, HAL!”

“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

If you have ever tried to start a weight loss program, you have probably found that after some initial success, you hit the dreaded “Plateau”– that period of time when the scale just won’t budge.

The Plateau is very common but that doesn’t mean that it is any less irritating. It’s like some sort of great cosmic prank……that somewhere, someone is giggling at your expense.

Well, if you want some answers to stop all the giggling, check out this brand new Podcast. And remember, if you have any questions, ideas, frustrations, or just good ol’ observations, shoot me an email at michael@fitnessgurunyc.com.

Rock on!

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

The Fitness Guru

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

A new study from the University of Chester, in collaboration with the Liverpool Hope University, suggests team building exercises do absolutely no such thing. The findings suggest that these exercises, which can run the gamut from walking over hot coals to scaling twenty foot climbing walls in the dead of winter (yes, I’ve been there) do nothing to build any bonds between the individuals engaged in the exercises ( got to admit– don’t remember anyone on that wall and I certainly don’t care to be tagged by them on Facebook).

Dr Moira Lafferty, from the University of Chester, who led the study with colleagues from Liverpool Hope University, said: “Our findings suggest that, despite there being no positive relationship to team cohesion, team building activities … are still conducted. “

I would like to believe, though, that greatness can emerge from these exercises. And so, my friends, as we go into this Spring weekend, I say gather your friends for some team building exercises– throw the Frisbee, pedal the bicycles, paint the house– and enjoy!

Now is the time, my people.

Run for the hills! Or run down the hills! Or run around the hills! Honestly, it doesn’t matter if hills are even part of the equation, just run!!

Running is quick, it’s simple and you carry it with you. Getting out and running allows you to avoid the dreaded Health Club Monster, it gets you out in the fresh air. And, heck, it may even get you socializing with a bunch of people that you never get to spend much time with.

“But Guru,” you say, “I am not a runner. That’s just not me or my body.”

Hesh your face, I reply. We’re all runners. I’m 6’2″, 200 lb. If anyone shouldn’t be running, it’s me. The only difference between those that run and those that don’t is……well……running.

The very WORST part of starting a running program is, without a doubt, starting a running program. Taking those first few steps when your body is rusty and out of practice has the potential for misery. Your mind will tell you not to, your body will ask you quite urgently to stop.

But once you get into the habit of running, the benefits are aplenty:

• More energy and productivity in all areas of your life
• Greater sense of self-enpowerment (if you can go from zero to 60 in your personal running life, seriously, what’s going to stand in your way
• Stronger immune system and less illness
• Weight loss and increased muscle tone

But, right, I forgot, running isn’t for you. You’re not a “runner.”

About 14 months ago my friend Kane asked me if I would help him train for the NYC Marathon. As I recall, he had never run more than two or three miles at any one time at any point in his life, but he had a calling and, dammit, he was going to run the marathon. If you have kept up with the blog, you know that Kane, as well as half a dozen other Gurites, successfully completed the marathon. And I just passed Kane the other morning as he was going out for his run. How far ya going, I asked. “I don’t know,” he said “Five or six miles.” And he took off with a big smile on his face.

Running changed the way he sees himself and it changed the way he attacks life.

And you could have the same wonderful experience.

So here’s how you begin:

1. Spending money: Don’t. You don’t need fancy sneakers or $200 running pants. You are just starting. Throw on some old sweat pants and sneakers and hit the road. The only thing you should be buying from Nike at this point is their slogan: Just Do It!
2. The important thing is to get out there and move. I suggest setting a time rather than a distance for yourself. Start with 20 minutes. Try alternating between running and walking. Walk for a minute, then run for a minute. Or whatever timing you like. It’s your run, not mine. Make it work for you. Slowly over time, you can go further, longer, and take more of the time as a run. But get out there.
3. Track your progress. Keep a chart of your time, your distance and how you feel afterward. See how your mood changes as you progress over time. This way, you have a very definitive record of your progress.
4. Stretch when you are done. The worst thing that you can do when you are just starting a program is finish the run and go right into the fetal position in your favorite chair. Your body will rebel on you. Not good. Stretch: stretch your calves, hamstrings, quads, even your upper body. Stretch it all out. And take your time. If you run for half an hour, take five to ten minutes AT LEAST at the end to stretch out.
5. Find some friends who would like to do this with you. Many folks enjoy the solitude of a good run. But, if you are just starting out, you may find that having a community around you for support offers a great deal of added motivation.
6. If you’re not into running with friends, put together a great music mix that will lift you up and inspire you to keep moving (though be careful: sometimes I take that a little too far and find myself dancing in the middle of the street…..bit embarassing….)

Lastly, enjoy yourself. Don’t beat yourself silly. Go out and get some fresh air and see your community.

Rock on!

(once you get going, start working toward Badwater…….130 mile run across Death Valley…….let’s DO IT!!!)