The Fitness Guru

Calling out to the pregnant folk out there– though mostly this for the ladies…..

Here’s a video that was shot with our friends at Duck Duck Green. Their mission? That the childcare products we use should be safe- for both our babies and the environment- and that it’s just better to be surrounded by cool looking stuff. Check out their web site.

Lawson has some great stretches you can do to ease the tension and stress that come with pregnancy….and just feel a dang bit better!

Check it out……..

It doesn’t matter where you were Wednesday, by now you have heard about, if not actually seen, the “shot heard round the world”: Landon Donovan’s late game goal to beat Algeria in the World Cup. No, we didn’t win the whole enchilada. But the Americans late game tenacity proved that these boys are more than ready and dedicated for international play.

Meanwhile, across the pond, in England, the epic sports battle of the century was taking place. John Isner and Nicholas Mahut battled for over 11 hours to determine the winner of their match, setting a record for perseverance, determination and shear will that will probably stand for all time. When I saw the score was 59-59 at the end of the second day, I thought that was points. It took a friend in the know to point out “no, genius, that’s games!” ( I’m thankful because, not only did I learn these two players names and histories– I’m not a big follower of tennis– but I also learned Wimbledon doesn’t allow tie breakers for the match. Go figure.)

This morning, the day after the deluge, I was met with the sad anecdote of a 53-year old lawyer who dropped dead of a heart attack at a business luncheon. The teller of the story was Ed, a 50-year old lawyer for whom the story was obviously charged. Ed came to the Studio two years ago at his wife’s urging (insistence?). He was a man like I often see: having dedicated himself to work and business for the past so-many years, here he stood in middle age, overweight, weakened and not feeling to good about his general state of being. He threw himself head first into training and literally changed his life: he is healthier, more powerful, and, dare I say, happier than he has been in years.

So my message to him: keep doing what your doing. You never know when you’re going to go but you can certainly work the odds. It doesn’t matter if your 18 or 80, if 20, 30, 40 pounds overweight. It’s never too late to change things, to make them better.

I always tell people who start with me that you never know where it will take you. You may reach your goals and then surpass them. You may find along the way that those weren’t your goals at all. But what you will find is a better, happier quality of life.

No one could promise Landon Donovan that goal. But, dammit, he was going to take it.

Your goal is sitting there. Take it.

Rock on!

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!!

People always ask me what’s the best activity for weight loss. Whatever you are going to do consistently, I respond. After they punch me in the arm, perhaps deservedly so, I explain that even the best calorie burned isn’t worth a damn if you aren’t going to actually partake in the exercise.

That said, here is a very long list of lots and lots of exercises and the calorie burn for one hour of activity. Please note that these are estimations for a 155 lb. person and that results may vary person to person. Also, a heavier person is more likely to burn more calories while a smaller person will burn fewer.

This is not an endorsement of calorie counting or obsessive behavior of any kind. I just thought that you would like to get a relative sense of how the body works.

Enjoy!!

Aerobics, general Aerobics, high impact Aerobics, low impact Archery (non-hunting) Automobile repair Backpacking, general Badminton, competitive Badminton, social, general Basketball, game Basketball, nongame, general Basketball, officiating Basketball, shooting baskets Basketball, wheelchair Bicycling, <10mph, leisure Bicycling, >20mph, racing Bicycling, 10-11.9mph, light effort Bicycling, 12-13.9mph, mod effort Bicycling, 14-15.9mph, vigorous effort Bicycling, 16-19mph, very fast, racing Bicycling, BMX or mountain Bicycling, stationary, general Bicycling, stationary, light effort Bicycling, stationary, moderate effort Bicycling, stationary, very light effort Bicycling, stationary, very vigorous Bicycling, stationary, vigorous effort Billiards Bowling Boxing, in ring, general Boxing, punching bag Boxing, sparring Broomball Calisthenics pushups, sit-ups vigorous Calisthenics, home, light/moderate Canoeing, on camping trip Canoeing, rowing, >6 mph, vigorous Canoeing, rowing, crewing, competition Canoeing, rowing, light effort Canoeing, rowing, moderate effort Carpentry, general Carrying heavy loads, such as bricks Child care: sitting/kneeling- feeding Child care: standing-dressing, feeding Circuit training, general Cleaning, heavy, vigorous effort Cleaning, house, general Cleaning, light, moderate effort Coaching: football, soccer, basketball Construction, outside, remodeling Cooking or food preparation Cricket (batting, bowling) Croquet Curling Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern Dancing, ballroom, fast Dancing, ballroom, slow Dancing, general Darts, wall or lawn Diving, springboard or platform Electrical work, plumbing Farming, baling hay, cleaning barn Farming, milking by hand Farming, shoveling grain Fencing Fishing from boat, sitting Fishing from river bank, standing Fishing in stream, in waders Fishing, general Fishing, ice, sitting Football or baseball, playing catch Football, competitive Football, touch, flag, general Frisbee playing, general Frisbee, ultimate Gardening, general Golf, carrying clubs Golf, general Golf, miniature or driving range Golf, pulling clubs Golf, using power cart Gymnastics, general Hacky sack Handball, general Handball, team Health club exercise, general Hiking, cross country Hockey, field Hockey, ice Horse grooming Horse racing, galloping Horseback riding, general Horseback riding, trotting Horseback riding, walking Hunting, general Jai alai Jogging, general Judo, karate, kick boxing, tae kwan do Kayaking Kickball Lacrosse Marching band, (walking) Marching, rapidly, military Moto-cross Moving furniture, household Moving household items, boxes, upstairs Moving household items, carrying boxes Mowing lawn, general Mowing lawn, riding mower Music playing, cello, flute, horn Music playing, drums Music playing, guitar(sitting) Music playing, guitar band(standing) Music playing, piano, organ, violin, Paddleboat Painting, papering, plastering, scraping Polo Pushing or pulling stroller with child Race walking Racquetball, casual, general Racquetball, competitive Raking lawn Rock climbing, ascending rock Rock climbing, rapelling Rope jumping, fast Rope jumping, moderate, general Rope jumping, slow Rowing, stationary, light effort Rowing, stationary, moderate effort Rowing, stationary, very vigorous effort Rowing, stationary, vigorous effort Rugby Running, 10 mph (6 min mile) Running, 10.9 mph (5.5 min mile) Running, 5 mph (12 min mile) Running, 5.2 mph (11.5 min mile) Running, 6 mph (10 min mile) Running, 6.7 mph (9 min mile) Running, 7 mph (8.5 min mile) Running, 7.5mph (8 min mile) Running, 8 mph (7.5 min mile) Running, 8.6 mph (7 min mile) Running, 9 mph (6.5 min mile) Running, cross country Running, general Running, in place Running, on a track, team practice Running, stairs, up Running, training, pushing wheelchair Running, wheeling, general Sailing, boat/board, windsurfing, general Sailing, in competition Scrubbing floors, on hands and knees Shoveling snow, by hand Shuffleboard, lawn bowling Sitting-playing with child(ren)-light Skateboarding Skating, ice, 9 mph or less Skating, ice, general Skating, ice, rapidly, > 9 mph Skating, ice, speed, competitive Skating, roller Ski jumping (climb up carrying skis) Ski machine, general Skiing, cross-country, >8.0 mph, racing Skiing, cross-country, moderate effort Skiing, cross-country, slow light effort Skiing, cross-country, uphill, max effort Skiing, cross-country, vigorous effort Skiing, downhill, light effort Skiing, downhill, moderate effort Skiing, downhill, vigorous effort, racing Skiing, snow, general Skiing, water Ski-mobiling, water Skin diving, scuba diving, general Sledding, tobogganing, bobsledding, luge Snorkeling Snow shoeing Snowmobiling Soccer, casual, general Soccer, competitive Softball or baseball, fast or slow pitch Softball, officiating Squash Stair-treadmill ergometer, general Standing-packing/unpacking boxes Stretching, hatha yoga Surfing, body or board Sweeping garage, sidewalk Swimming laps, freestyle, fast, vigorous Swimming laps, freestyle, light/moderate Swimming, backstroke, general Swimming, breaststroke, general Swimming, butterfly, general Swimming, leisurely, general Swimming, sidestroke, general Swimming, sychronized Swimming, treading water, fast/vigorous Swimming, treading water, moderate Table tennis, ping pong Tai chi Teaching aerobics class Tennis, doubles Tennis, general Tennis, singles Unicycling Volleyball, beach Volleyball, competitive, in gymnasium Volleyball, noncompetitive;team Walk/run-playing with child-moderate Walk/run-playing with child-vigorous Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace Walking, 3.0 mph, walking dog Walking, 3.5 mph, uphill Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace Walking, carrying infant or 15-lb load Walking, grass track Walking, upstairs Walking, using crutches Wallyball, general Water aerobics, water calisthenics Water polo Water volleyball Weight lifting or body building, vigorous Weight lifting, light or moderate effort Whitewater rafting, kayaking, or canoeing

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Didja know??

Stretch to get stronger: in between sets, take 20 seconds to stretch the muscle groups you are working. According to a study by Wayne Wescott PhD in Boston, subjects who stretched increased their strength by almost 20% over those subjects who did not stretch.

AND there was also a marked increase in flexibility.

We call that a win/win.

Didja know??

Caffeine can help your workout by increasing endurance (it slows the breakdown of glycogen giving you more fuel over the course of your workout), delaying fatigue, keeping you more alert, and lowering “perceived exertion” so that you can work a little harder. The average cup of coffee has 60 mg of caffeine which is perfect for the 150 lb exerciser.

Just use caution if you have an adverse reaction to caffeine. If you are not used to caffeine, start with a small amount and make sure that it doesn’t give you the post workout jitters.

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

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!