Did you know that you can also reverse osteoporosis? Yep!

The additional loading that happens in the body from the impact of changing directions, jumping, changing speed, and impact with a ball are all somewhat similar to what happens with strength training (something everyone should be doing — regardless of age).

You can, but the benefits aren’t as great. I know, right? But, the additional loading I talk about above makes all the difference in this case. Anything is  ... read more]]> With spring around the corner, it’s time to think about outdoor training!

And, what better way to have fun, meet new people, get in shape, and stick to a regular schedule than by joining a club or team activity?!?

Did you know that you can also reverse osteoporosis? Yep!

The additional loading that happens in the body from the impact of changing directions, jumping, changing speed, and impact with a ball are all somewhat similar to what happens with strength training (something everyone should be doing — regardless of age).

Can’t I just run or do yoga?

You can, but the benefits aren’t as great. I know, right? But, the additional loading I talk about above makes all the difference in this case. Anything is better than nothing, but adding in a couple hours of impact activity is actually better for you than avoiding it altogether.

What about injuries?

It’s a valid concern, but studies have shown that you don’t have to play at the level of Pele to get great benefits. Just choose a league and a level that is appropriate to your skill level and play smart.

By playing smart, you avoid injuries on the field and off. Regular rec league activity develops agility, builds strength, makes you more able-bodied, and considerably more able to deal with what life throws at you off the field.

Where do I sign up?

If you live in Seattle, I’ve done a bunch of research for you already. I have a resource page that lists over 30 different clubs, activities, lessons, and resources in the Seattle area.

For those of you who aren’t lucky enough to live in the Emerald City, Google is your friend, and be sure to check out your local city site — there is typically and Parks & Rec section that will list the city-supported clubs and community center activities.

Well, unfortunately, no.

Yes, it’s just one day on the calendar, but you can undo a week’s worth of work with one day of indulgences.

Let’s look at a few healthy food items that you might grab on the go, and see where they could fit in:

Science Daily has a short report out listing four common reasons people fail to finish marathons. Have you considered these reasons and developed plans to deal with each of them?

Today’s Personal Health column in the NYT has a really nicely researched article about the many, many health benefits of exercise to defend against both physical and cognitive deterioration.

My Move It Monday for this week is short and sweet. I want you to read about how you can use consistent exercise program reduce your odds of breast cancer 16%, reduce your odds of a stroke by 40%, and significantly cut your chances of developing diabetes, osteoporosis, and dementia.

To get Move It Monday delivered to your inbox each week, sign up for  ... read more]]> Interested in reducing your risk for cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and dementia?

Study after study is concluding that regular exercise is the only well-established fountain of youth, and it’s free.

Today’s Personal Health column in the NYT has a really nicely researched article about the many, many health benefits of exercise to defend against both physical and cognitive deterioration.

My Move It Monday for this week is short and sweet. I want you to read about how you can use consistent exercise program reduce your odds of breast cancer 16%, reduce your odds of a stroke by 40%, and significantly cut your chances of developing diabetes, osteoporosis, and dementia.

To get Move It Monday delivered to your inbox each week, sign up for email delivery in the box in the right sidebar of this page.

It can.

For many people, the word Sustenance means food. But, the definition is actually MUCH more broad, and is defined by terms such as: support from below; maintain; encourage.

Read my 5 healthy eating tips specifically designed to make you tremendously creative, ridiculously productive, insanely rich, and absolutely irresistible over at Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer.

(OK, I made up the rich and sexy part, but with the new tools I’ve given you there is no reason why you can’t use those power for good, and work on rich and sexy!)

Do I really advocate you quit your job to eliminate you back pain? No.

But, what I do suggest that you move. Many people who develop back pain stop moving that area because it’s painful, or they become fearful that they will hurt themselves again. I know, I was one of them.

But, when you stop moving a body part, you lose awareness in that part of the body (we call that sensory motor amnesia, or SMA). Once you lose the awareness in one part of your body, you are  ... read more]]> Several years ago a wellness study of individuals with back pain was done at a Fortune 100 company. The one factor they all had in common? They were all unhappy with their jobs!

Do I really advocate you quit your job to eliminate you back pain? No.

But, what I do suggest that you move. Many people who develop back pain stop moving that area because it’s painful, or they become fearful that they will hurt themselves again. I know, I was one of them.

But, when you stop moving a body part, you lose awareness in that part of the body (we call that sensory motor amnesia, or SMA). Once you lose the awareness in one part of your body, you are likely to stop taking part in activities that would involve that body part, which starts limiting the scope of what you can do – and it becomes a slippery slope. It only takes a few months for the acute portion of an injury to heal, but the pain and fear of movement can stay with us forever — unless we re-educate ourselves.

For this Move It Monday, I want you to move your back. Because the back is a really touchy area, I have a couple of ground rules first.

• Never move in to pain. If anything you are doing makes the back pain worse, stop. You can try again with slower or smaller movements. If it still hurts, don’t do it.

• Do not contradict your doctor. I do not know you or your specific situation, so if your doctor has told you not to do back exercises, don’t.

Now that we’ve established the ground rules, here is what I want you to do:

1. Stand up nice and tall. If you’d rather sit, really tall in your chair. Think of pushing the crown of your head up through the ceiling. We call this “lengthening.”
2. Arms straight out to your sides. Re-lengthen.
3. Rotate your trunk gently and slowly left and right. Think about rotating then entire length from the pelvis on up to the base of your neck. Re-lengthen.
4. Rotate back and forth three to four times in each direction, taking your time with every rotation. It’s about the quality of the movement.
5. Return back to facing straight ahead. Brings your arms down for a minute and shake them out.
6. Now, arms back up, and re-lengthen.
7. Now, I want you to glide your back side to side – as if you are trying to reach your fingertips for something that is just out of reach. Visualize each vertebrae stair-stepping over to the side, and be sure to keep the pelvis square while you do this.
8. Glide back and forth three to four times in each direction – gently, slowly, and deliberately. Again, the quality of the movement is much more important than the speed or how far you go. Re-lengthen between each repetition.
9. Put your arms down.
10. Get up and go for a walk for a minute or two. Do you feel any different?

Many clients report feeling much better, taller, more relaxed. Tell me how it goes for you?

As an athlete, you have two things to think about.

You may have heard that Denver is a great place to hit a home run — that is because the ball has less wind resistance there than it would in, say, Milwaukee.

When you translate that to the Olympics, what that means is that if you have been training at altitude — say the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs  ... read more]]> How DOES altitude impact performance?

If you have ever traveled between locations of significantly different altitudes and tried to do any sort of physical activity, then you know that a change in altitude has a significant impact how you breathe and process oxygen. The higher up you go, the thinner the air gets.

As an athlete, you have two things to think about.

Air Resistance

You may have heard that Denver is a great place to hit a home run — that is because the ball has less wind resistance there than it would in, say, Milwaukee.

When you translate that to the Olympics, what that means is that if you have been training at altitude — say the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs — and then go to Vancouver which is more or less at sea level, you will have increased drag which will slow you down. When you look historically at the Olympic speed events, many record were set in Salt Lake City, which was — you guessed it — at 4,300 feet.

Wind drag also means that our snowboards, freestyle skiiers, and jumpers will need to be hyper-aware of how the change in drag affects their turns, spins, and landings.

Aerobic Capacity

Altitude training is a big deal for climbers and anyone who is going to be competing at a altitude different from where they live and train. When I climb Kili this fall, we have an extra day built in about halfway up the mountain SOLELY so our bodies can adapt to the thinner air. There are a few different protocols for training for altitude, but for our Olympians, those who are coming to sea level should have better aerobic capacity than those who have been living and training at sea level.

I’m going to be curious to see how the speed events unfold over the coming days and see if the air resistance is the bigger issue — as is largely predicted. What do you think?

Pint of ice cream: 4 servings

Double-stuff Oreos: ~2 cookies

Did you have ANY idea that that is the FDA-approved serving size for those items? I mean really, who stops at half a muffin? Or two Oreos?

While the US is making huge strides in its nutritional labeling, it still has a long way to go. It’s really easy to quickly glance at a label, note that the calories “aren’t too bad” and rip open the package or throw it in the shopping cart. What fewer people do is bother to see how many servings are in that same package and then consider how it’s likely to be eaten in their household.

Serving sizes came about in the  ... read more]]> Pre-packaged muffins: 2 servings per muffin

Pint of ice cream: 4 servings

Double-stuff Oreos: ~2 cookies

Did you have ANY idea that that is the FDA-approved serving size for those items? I mean really, who stops at half a muffin? Or two Oreos?

While the US is making huge strides in its nutritional labeling, it still has a long way to go. It’s really easy to quickly glance at a label, note that the calories “aren’t too bad” and rip open the package or throw it in the shopping cart. What fewer people do is bother to see how many servings are in that same package and then consider how it’s likely to be eaten in their household.

Serving sizes came about in the 1990s, to make it easier to compare proverbial apples-to-apples, and the FDA used our portion sizes from the 1970s and 1980s, to determine a “serving.” However, as our countries growing waistlines and declining health and life expectancy are demonstrating — we are definitively eating more than we did a couple of decades ago. More food availability combined with less eating at home and busier lives has led to ungood results.

Fortunately, at the urging of the Obama administration, the FDA is once again considering re-evaluating serving sizes. It’s not only calories, but fat, sodium, and other nutritional markers individuals care about are all driven off of the magical serving size.

This week, read your labels and take note of the serving size.

And, then come back here and let me know what your biggest surprise was. I’ll put together a post with everyone’s favorite finds, and publish that later this month.

Kettlebells (affiliate link) are weight, and they add load, but that is it. KBs have no superpowers — so for women to bulk up using kettlebells, they have to work at it.

I talk here about how there are three different types of strength: strength for strength, strength for size, and strength for sport. And, you train each skill differently.

If you are like most of my clients, you are probably interested in strength for sport — which is the appropriate amount of strength to excel at whatever sports you are interested in. Your need for strength might be playing in a rec league, it  ... read more]]> I get asked this question ALL THE TIME.

And, my answer is consistently, “only if you want them to.”

Kettlebells (affiliate link) are weight, and they add load, but that is it. KBs have no superpowers — so for women to bulk up using kettlebells, they have to work at it.

I talk here about how there are three different types of strength: strength for strength, strength for size, and strength for sport. And, you train each skill differently.

If you are like most of my clients, you are probably interested in strength for sport — which is the appropriate amount of strength to excel at whatever sports you are interested in. Your need for strength might be playing in a rec league, it might be cycling or running, or it might just be running after your kids!

So, if you’ve been intrigued by those cannonballs with handles, but have been too worried about losing your girlish figure, there is no need. Check out these RKC instructors and tell me if you are still worried: Sara Cheatham, Delaine Ross, and Yoana Snideman. Then, call or email me to get started!

The Caveat…

I’m going to caveat this, because I’ve read many a post on various weight loss forums about how they are the poster is the exception to the rule, and they can’t train with weights because they bulk up. You might — very temporarily. You may gain a small amount of visible mass until your body adjusts. But, within a week or two your body will adapt, your newly developed muscles will make your body a more efficient fat-burning machine.

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association is looking for help with their amazing and ambitious goal:

Heart disease is the #1 killer in women, something that surprises many people. Unfortunately, it’s not a surprise to me. 18 years ago, my Mom died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack at the age of 47. She had all of the numbers working against her, but the heart disease in women wasn’t a public health issue in the early 1990s. Heart disease was still a  ... read more]]> Do you know the numbers you should have to minimize your risk of heart disease?

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association is looking for help with their amazing and ambitious goal:

“Today, our near-term goal is nothing less than a 25% reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke risk by the year 2010.”

Heart disease is the #1 killer in women, something that surprises many people. Unfortunately, it’s not a surprise to me. 18 years ago, my Mom died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack at the age of 47. She had all of the numbers working against her, but the heart disease in women wasn’t a public health issue in the early 1990s. Heart disease was still a “male disease.”

My Move it Monday request for this week, regardless of age or gender, is that you make an appointment with your health care provider to get your vital stats checked. In particular, according to the AHA, you should look for:

• Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
• LDL Cholesterol:
  • Less than 100 mb/dL: Optimal
  • 100 to 129 mg/dL: Near/Above Optimal
  • 130 to 159 mg/dL: Borderline High
  • 160 to 189 mg/dL: High
  • 190 mg/dL and above: Very High
• HDL: 50 mg/dL or higher
• Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL
• Blood pressure: <120/80 mmHg
• Fasting Glucose: <100 mg/dL
• Body Mass Index: <25 Kg/m2
• Waist Circumference: <35 inches

If the numbers above look confusing, don’t worry about it. Your doctor knows what they mean and can tell you if your numbers are within the proper ranges or not. Many insurance plans now cover basic bloodwork and preventative care, which the tests above definitely are.

Once you’ve made your appointment, drop me a note in the comments below and let me know. But, don’t do it for me. Do it for yourself, your friends, and your family.