Body Sensing for Maximum Results
(Part 4 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
I'm a runner. I've been a happy one for about 6 years now. I spend a good chunk of my week out on the trails, exploring and finding my inner peace. But it wasn't always like this.
There was a time that I would have spit at your feet if you asked me to go out for a jog. I hated to run. And now I know why.
As we all know, our bodies are pretty complex. Organs, cells, nerves, bones, muscles and everything else communicate to each other 24 hours a day. If something needs to get done, like digestion or healing a cut, your body is on the case. You don't even have to lift a finger most of the time.
For a healthy person, your body moves through these processes smoothly and efficiently. For someone who is unhealthy or out of shape, things get a little sluggish.
So this is what happened to me 7 or so years ago when I started to run again and re-live my high school fitness glory. As you can imagine, there was a slight discrepancy between what my head wanted to do and what my body was capable of at the time! My body was not processing at the same optimal level it did when I was captain of the football team. So on the days I made it out to hit the pavement, I would run fast for 3 miles, be out of breath, hurt for 5 days and then try again the next week.
My mind was still in high school... my body was still in bed.
I'm sure you've been in this cycle before. You decide it's time to change your shape, so you burst into the most difficult spinning class, hoping you'll lose all 20 pounds of excess weight in 60 minutes and then never have to strain yourself again. Instead it leaves you tired, hurt and cursing the next time you have to sweat.
It sounds funny when you read it, but this is exactly what we do.
Just recently, I was speaking to a client about running and she said she was running 2 miles a day. Unfortunately, she told me she hated it and the minute she starts she wants it to be over. Which is certainly not any fun, right?! If I hadn't intervened she would have joined all the other ranks of disappointed and dejected, should-have-been runners.
I told her that there is a disconnect between her mind and her body. She wants to run like she did in high school. Fast and efficiently. But her body, now, is only a walker or maybe a slow jogger. The best advice for her was to start off super-slow and then build up if she feels like taking her running any further.
A few days later she thanked me for allowing her to enjoy her run the morning after our class. She felt good, realized how fast she was trying to run before and didn't think about when it was going to end until she was finished.
Wouldn't that sound good to you?
It is simple to do. The most important thing to remember is that your mind may not be in tune with your body's abilities. You may want to run a marathon, but your body is only ready for a 10K. You may want to run 4 laps around the track, but your body is only ready to run 1 1/2 and walk the other 2 1/2.
So slow down. There is no race unless you're at the starting line with a numbered bib on your shirt! And even then, don't kill yourself.
This applies to more than just running. It is important to connect to your mind. Find out what it is thinking and then make sure your body is in alignment. If it is not, then don't let your ego push you too hard. You'll get injured, physically or mentally. If you haven't done any stretching in 20 years, don't jump into power yoga. If you haven't lifted weights since college, don't try to bench 225lbs.
We all have a built in sensor that tells us what is enough. Listen to it.
A few things needed to happen to me before I started to enjoy running. First, I needed to slow down. Second, I needed to stop thinking about how far and for how long I was going to run. And third, I needed to get out there and just start running... not worry about time commitments and appointments or anything else.
This is what we'll talk about in the final article of this series on body awareness: starting. You have to start before you have any fitness success!
When I ran my first marathon, I had never run more than 10 miles. As you can imagine, I got hurt, let my ego push me too far and it took me over 3 years to recover. Don't let this happen to you!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Listen To Your Body: Part 3
Get More Mitochondria... Get More Energy
(Part 3 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
It kind of defies logic that you could get MORE energy from exercising.
Doesn't walking a couple of miles wear you out, not raise your concentration and get you moving?
For most people this is the case. They walk, run or exercise only to find themselves whipped, sore and bruised.
It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to go through your life with little energy--just enough to make it through the day and then crash on the couch.
I've spoken to many long distance runners and athletes who have supported what I know as a trainer and athlete--they all say that they feel GREAT after a long run or a tough workout.
So why are you feeling beat up?
I'll tell you in the simplest terms possible--your body isn't adjusted to activity.
In the first two parts of this series on body awareness, I spoke about how food affects your energy levels. Now I want to address how the physiology of exercise can tune you into what your body is doing when you workout, so your energy levels will skyrocket.
Yes, that is entirely possible.
The awareness of your body functions and how they create energy lead to a very tangible and logical connection between why you should start some exercise routine and the direct affect that routine has on your quality of life.
Increasing your body's knowledge and addressing your energy levels and how they build through exercise will take you to a level of heightened awareness and to the enriched and energized daily experience of good health and fitness.
Here's the meat of it.
When you don't exercise, you're muscles take a break. Sort of like everyone does on the weekend. Not working? Forget answering the phone. Same with your muscles, not working out? They're not doing squat.
It's a simple analogy... the only exception to it is that YOU go back to work on Monday. Your LAZY MUSCLES don't start work again until you put them to work.
So here's what happens while they are taking this extended vacation.
In each of your muscle cells there are little organelles called mitochondria. These little guys make the energy for your cells to use in their everyday functions, including your activity and exercise. That stuff is called ATP.
When you are inactive, your body gets smart and the number of mitochondria are reduced. If your not using them and don't need them all, your body gets rid of them. Sort of like corporate layoffs or downsizing for efficiency.
So here you are, inactive with fewer mitochondria, and you decide you need to do something about your health and start to exercise. What happens at first is that you feel like garbage after you exercise, because your body hasn't made the energy adjustments yet. You are still in hibernation mode.
After some time and when exercise becomes a routine, your body realizes that you're back on the go and starts to create more mitochondria to handle to workload and supply enough energy for you.
So now you have more mitochondria, more energy, feel better after you exercise and your body has adjusted to a state where your energy stores are readily available. Those mitochondria don't just stop producing energy when you stop exercising, they're now there to stay--just as long as you continue to exercise.
The most exciting part of this process is that you'll know when this all has happened. You'll feel lighter. You'll be more focused. You'll smile more. These special little mitochondria can help with depression, mood swings and binges. All you need to do is move around a bit, get your body adjusted to some exercise and you'll feel fantastic!
That feeling is something that you can really get used to.
Next time, we'll talk about how you can judge your health and fitness progress by sensing your energy levels.
I've found many people what to look in the mirror to judge how well they're progressing with a program. In Part 4, I'll tell you a better way that will keep you on your workout program and not leave you wondering what happened 3 months later when you've since stopped exercising and gained back all the weight.
(Part 3 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
It kind of defies logic that you could get MORE energy from exercising.
Doesn't walking a couple of miles wear you out, not raise your concentration and get you moving?
For most people this is the case. They walk, run or exercise only to find themselves whipped, sore and bruised.
It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to go through your life with little energy--just enough to make it through the day and then crash on the couch.
I've spoken to many long distance runners and athletes who have supported what I know as a trainer and athlete--they all say that they feel GREAT after a long run or a tough workout.
So why are you feeling beat up?
I'll tell you in the simplest terms possible--your body isn't adjusted to activity.
In the first two parts of this series on body awareness, I spoke about how food affects your energy levels. Now I want to address how the physiology of exercise can tune you into what your body is doing when you workout, so your energy levels will skyrocket.
Yes, that is entirely possible.
The awareness of your body functions and how they create energy lead to a very tangible and logical connection between why you should start some exercise routine and the direct affect that routine has on your quality of life.
Increasing your body's knowledge and addressing your energy levels and how they build through exercise will take you to a level of heightened awareness and to the enriched and energized daily experience of good health and fitness.
Here's the meat of it.
When you don't exercise, you're muscles take a break. Sort of like everyone does on the weekend. Not working? Forget answering the phone. Same with your muscles, not working out? They're not doing squat.
It's a simple analogy... the only exception to it is that YOU go back to work on Monday. Your LAZY MUSCLES don't start work again until you put them to work.
So here's what happens while they are taking this extended vacation.
In each of your muscle cells there are little organelles called mitochondria. These little guys make the energy for your cells to use in their everyday functions, including your activity and exercise. That stuff is called ATP.
When you are inactive, your body gets smart and the number of mitochondria are reduced. If your not using them and don't need them all, your body gets rid of them. Sort of like corporate layoffs or downsizing for efficiency.
So here you are, inactive with fewer mitochondria, and you decide you need to do something about your health and start to exercise. What happens at first is that you feel like garbage after you exercise, because your body hasn't made the energy adjustments yet. You are still in hibernation mode.
After some time and when exercise becomes a routine, your body realizes that you're back on the go and starts to create more mitochondria to handle to workload and supply enough energy for you.
So now you have more mitochondria, more energy, feel better after you exercise and your body has adjusted to a state where your energy stores are readily available. Those mitochondria don't just stop producing energy when you stop exercising, they're now there to stay--just as long as you continue to exercise.
The most exciting part of this process is that you'll know when this all has happened. You'll feel lighter. You'll be more focused. You'll smile more. These special little mitochondria can help with depression, mood swings and binges. All you need to do is move around a bit, get your body adjusted to some exercise and you'll feel fantastic!
That feeling is something that you can really get used to.
Next time, we'll talk about how you can judge your health and fitness progress by sensing your energy levels.
I've found many people what to look in the mirror to judge how well they're progressing with a program. In Part 4, I'll tell you a better way that will keep you on your workout program and not leave you wondering what happened 3 months later when you've since stopped exercising and gained back all the weight.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Listen To Your Body: Part 2
Your Einstein Inside
Releasing Your Energy and Creativity Through Foods
(Part 2 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
If I were to tell you there is an energetic, vibrant and creative person inside of you and all you needed to do was eat certain foods to let that person out, would you believe me?
Each and every one of us, at our very core, is each of these three things. Vibrant, Energetic, Creative. We each have a wonderful capability to accomplish many great things and do them all with an abundance of energy. No one was short changed in terms of their ability to have a energetic soul. That's our gift.
Now, why are you so darn worn out?
We'll, you're probably eating the wrong foods.
There's a way to release that spectacular spirit and live an enriched and energized life… eating the right foods is the first place to start.
In Part 1, "Fighting Fatigue and the American Diner Diet, " of this series, I discussed listening to your body and how important it is to hear the things it tells you after you eat certain foods. In my case, I ate a fried tofu wrap and then passed out at my computer 20 minutes later. You've probably had a similar experience.
When you can recognize how your food affects you and this process becomes a habit, you will begin to identify the particular foods bring your energy levels down. Practice listening to your body for a few weeks and I guarantee that you'll have a similar list to the foods I've listed here:
It doesn't take much to deplete your energy. Eat a large fry from McDonalds and you'll understand what I'm telling you. The nutrient balance in your body is easy to upset. A few days of eating energy-starving foods like the ones I listed above and you're feeling pretty lame--probably propped up on the couch after work because you're whipped after only a half-day of work.
So how does this apply to the "energetic, vibrant and creative person" I was talking about?
Well, when you have some or many of these energy-starving foods in your diet, your energy levels drop significantly. Your body is not getting enough nutrients to function at an efficient level. It starts to move into crisis mode and stores energy and nutrient reserves for later so that you will be able to use them in case of an emergency.
This is pretty serious stuff on the physical level. Your body is hoarding nutrients, water, and whatever else it needs and making sure you don't use everything up all at once. So what happens to you? You fall asleep after a meal. You don't have enough energy to make it through the day. You name it… your body is doing it.
The scary thing is that once that has happened over a period of time, something psychological begins to happen.
Instead of THINKING that you have low energy, you begin to BELIEVE that you ARE a tired person, that you ARE a lazy person, that you ARE the type of person that doesn't have any energy. Getting down on yourself and believing you ARE the things that your food is causing you to be is a challenging battle to fight and is probably why many people experience failure with their diets and exercise programs. They truly believe that they are what their food is making them.
You're actually none of these things. You are a vibrant, energetic and creative being, remember? It's just the fuel that you are taking in that is making you sputter. Think about the effect sugar has on a car engine. It stops it from running.
If you're putting sugars and bad oils and other toxins into your tank, your engine is going to jump and clunk and spit--just like any old car would. If you're putting in the high-grade fuel--energy rich foods--than you are burning them efficiently and are rewarded with the by-product of boundless energy. No more 2:00 blues. No more waking up more tired than you were when you hit the sack. No more "I'm a tired person. Your confidence grows. You feel good about yourself.
Stop identifying your energy levels with you and look at the foods that are causing your energy deficiency. Know that you are the vibrant, energetic and creative person.
Remember how you used to play for hours on the playground and in the backyard as a child? That playfulness is still there and wants to burst out of you... it's just waiting for you to eat the right foods.
In Part 3, I will discuss the second component of bringing the energetic and playful child in you back to the surface--exercise. Through exercise, you will be able to build energy just as quickly and effectively as eating the right foods. Put them together and you are unstoppable!
Until then, here are some foods that you should consider eating more of for maximum energy:
Put one or more of these into your everyday diet and watch how quickly you lighten up in your step and how much more energy you have everyday. You'll be amazed.
Releasing Your Energy and Creativity Through Foods
(Part 2 of a 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
If I were to tell you there is an energetic, vibrant and creative person inside of you and all you needed to do was eat certain foods to let that person out, would you believe me?
Each and every one of us, at our very core, is each of these three things. Vibrant, Energetic, Creative. We each have a wonderful capability to accomplish many great things and do them all with an abundance of energy. No one was short changed in terms of their ability to have a energetic soul. That's our gift.
Now, why are you so darn worn out?
We'll, you're probably eating the wrong foods.
There's a way to release that spectacular spirit and live an enriched and energized life… eating the right foods is the first place to start.
In Part 1, "Fighting Fatigue and the American Diner Diet, " of this series, I discussed listening to your body and how important it is to hear the things it tells you after you eat certain foods. In my case, I ate a fried tofu wrap and then passed out at my computer 20 minutes later. You've probably had a similar experience.
When you can recognize how your food affects you and this process becomes a habit, you will begin to identify the particular foods bring your energy levels down. Practice listening to your body for a few weeks and I guarantee that you'll have a similar list to the foods I've listed here:
- Fried Anything
- Pancakes
- Sausage, Bacon
- Large portions of meat.
- Coffee (Don't be fooled, if it didn't bring you down you wouldn't need another cup!)
- Potato Chips, Corn Chips, Crackers, Other Snacks.
- Sweets, Candies, Pies (after the sugar high wears off)
It doesn't take much to deplete your energy. Eat a large fry from McDonalds and you'll understand what I'm telling you. The nutrient balance in your body is easy to upset. A few days of eating energy-starving foods like the ones I listed above and you're feeling pretty lame--probably propped up on the couch after work because you're whipped after only a half-day of work.
So how does this apply to the "energetic, vibrant and creative person" I was talking about?
Well, when you have some or many of these energy-starving foods in your diet, your energy levels drop significantly. Your body is not getting enough nutrients to function at an efficient level. It starts to move into crisis mode and stores energy and nutrient reserves for later so that you will be able to use them in case of an emergency.
This is pretty serious stuff on the physical level. Your body is hoarding nutrients, water, and whatever else it needs and making sure you don't use everything up all at once. So what happens to you? You fall asleep after a meal. You don't have enough energy to make it through the day. You name it… your body is doing it.
The scary thing is that once that has happened over a period of time, something psychological begins to happen.
Instead of THINKING that you have low energy, you begin to BELIEVE that you ARE a tired person, that you ARE a lazy person, that you ARE the type of person that doesn't have any energy. Getting down on yourself and believing you ARE the things that your food is causing you to be is a challenging battle to fight and is probably why many people experience failure with their diets and exercise programs. They truly believe that they are what their food is making them.
You're actually none of these things. You are a vibrant, energetic and creative being, remember? It's just the fuel that you are taking in that is making you sputter. Think about the effect sugar has on a car engine. It stops it from running.
If you're putting sugars and bad oils and other toxins into your tank, your engine is going to jump and clunk and spit--just like any old car would. If you're putting in the high-grade fuel--energy rich foods--than you are burning them efficiently and are rewarded with the by-product of boundless energy. No more 2:00 blues. No more waking up more tired than you were when you hit the sack. No more "I'm a tired person. Your confidence grows. You feel good about yourself.
Stop identifying your energy levels with you and look at the foods that are causing your energy deficiency. Know that you are the vibrant, energetic and creative person.
Remember how you used to play for hours on the playground and in the backyard as a child? That playfulness is still there and wants to burst out of you... it's just waiting for you to eat the right foods.
In Part 3, I will discuss the second component of bringing the energetic and playful child in you back to the surface--exercise. Through exercise, you will be able to build energy just as quickly and effectively as eating the right foods. Put them together and you are unstoppable!
Until then, here are some foods that you should consider eating more of for maximum energy:
- Fresh vegetables
- Fresh fruits
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Organic meats (in small portions)
- Fresh vegetable and fruit juices
- Fruit Smoothies
- Whole Grains
- Brown Rice
Put one or more of these into your everyday diet and watch how quickly you lighten up in your step and how much more energy you have everyday. You'll be amazed.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Listen to Your Body: Part 1
Fighting Fatigue and the American Diner Breakfast
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
I went out for lunch yesterday and ordered a portobello mushroom wrap with some fresh vegetables, no dressing at the local sandwich and coffee shop.
As always, it was a struggle to find something at a deli, restaurant or take out place that fits my somewhat stringent dietary requirements.
The server brought out the meal and after I took my first bite, I wasn't sure if I had gotten the right order.
What I was eating was something that tasted more like a mix between tofu and tempeh (a fermented soy product). It was fried and--of course--it tasted good. Everything fried tends to have a wonderful taste, doesn't it?!
This required a more extensive analysis. I examined the contents of the wrap closely--pulling out a piece of the fried food-stuff and taking it apart with a knife. Once I was convinced that there were no meat products in it, I decided that I'd give it a shot... and yes, as I had imagined every bite was just as good an the first!
Then I went home.
I sat down at the computer to check my email and do some writing--with every intention to be very productive--and within five minutes my eyes had shut and I was cat napping right at my desk.
When I woke up a minute or so later, I was instantly reminded of the times in college--and even before that, in high school--when right after a meal, I'd go to class and struggle to keep my head up from the desk. The battle was helpless to fight. I remember distinctly one 2:00PM, large lecture class during my Junior year at Marist where I'd, no fail, fall asleep around 2:15PM and wake up around 2:50PM--missing a whole 35 minutes! Every time! I'd love to find the girls that sat behind me who used to kid me after class about it. They would be a great testimonial to this story!
I now am aware of the reason why my energy stores and most likely yours are being depleted after eating.
My class was right after lunch, and whether I ate at the cafeteria or a frozen pizza at home before class, I was not getting enough fresh foods to keep me at a peak level. Not even enough good food to keep me at a CONSCIOUS level!
Eat a frozen pizza and a few mozzarella sticks from the toaster and guage how you feel in 15-20 minutes. If you're on the couch passed out with the TV on, I think I've proven my point.
On the other hand, eat a salad with just vegetables, nuts and beans or drink a fresh juice and just wait to get tired.
You'll be waiting for a long time. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and all other natural uncooked foods have more nutrients and their food life is digested quickly for immediate use. Your body does not have to labor over digestion when you eat these fresh foods. Your digestive system knows what to do with these foods and knows how to distribute them right away.
When your system gets a glob of eggs, meats, cheeses, sauteed vegetables, toast, butter, 2 coffees, cream, sugar and fried potatoes--what is known to us as the "American Diner Breakfast" it goes into a panic and rushes all your blood to your stomach to take care of the crisis. You suffer by falling asleep or feeling like a truck hit you--hard.
So here's the action your should consider taking...
In the next week, before your next installment of this 5 Part series on Body Awareness, I'd like you to take notice of how your body feels after you eat your food. Do you feel tired? Do you feel like exercising? Are you amazed that you've never noticed how poor you felt after a huge cooked meal?
Don't go any further than just noticing how you feel. We'll address what to do next in seven days.
This will begin to tune you into your own body. It's amazing how much time we spend with ourselves and we never really take the time to figure out what we--our bodies--want. Imagine if your friend was always telling you that they get sick and tired every time they eat a fried meal with no fresh vegetables. I imagine, if you were a concerned friend that you'd tell them they should consider trying a new diet, right?!
Chances are your bodies are telling you the same thing. You've learned to ignore the best friend you could possibly have. Listen to it and recognize the signals it is giving you and you've made the first step to optimal health and fitness.
In Part 2, you'll learn how to create radical change in your body image once you recognize what your body wants.
Until then, keep listening--you'll hear something.
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)
I went out for lunch yesterday and ordered a portobello mushroom wrap with some fresh vegetables, no dressing at the local sandwich and coffee shop.
As always, it was a struggle to find something at a deli, restaurant or take out place that fits my somewhat stringent dietary requirements.
The server brought out the meal and after I took my first bite, I wasn't sure if I had gotten the right order.
What I was eating was something that tasted more like a mix between tofu and tempeh (a fermented soy product). It was fried and--of course--it tasted good. Everything fried tends to have a wonderful taste, doesn't it?!
This required a more extensive analysis. I examined the contents of the wrap closely--pulling out a piece of the fried food-stuff and taking it apart with a knife. Once I was convinced that there were no meat products in it, I decided that I'd give it a shot... and yes, as I had imagined every bite was just as good an the first!
Then I went home.
I sat down at the computer to check my email and do some writing--with every intention to be very productive--and within five minutes my eyes had shut and I was cat napping right at my desk.
When I woke up a minute or so later, I was instantly reminded of the times in college--and even before that, in high school--when right after a meal, I'd go to class and struggle to keep my head up from the desk. The battle was helpless to fight. I remember distinctly one 2:00PM, large lecture class during my Junior year at Marist where I'd, no fail, fall asleep around 2:15PM and wake up around 2:50PM--missing a whole 35 minutes! Every time! I'd love to find the girls that sat behind me who used to kid me after class about it. They would be a great testimonial to this story!
I now am aware of the reason why my energy stores and most likely yours are being depleted after eating.
My class was right after lunch, and whether I ate at the cafeteria or a frozen pizza at home before class, I was not getting enough fresh foods to keep me at a peak level. Not even enough good food to keep me at a CONSCIOUS level!
Eat a frozen pizza and a few mozzarella sticks from the toaster and guage how you feel in 15-20 minutes. If you're on the couch passed out with the TV on, I think I've proven my point.
On the other hand, eat a salad with just vegetables, nuts and beans or drink a fresh juice and just wait to get tired.
You'll be waiting for a long time. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and all other natural uncooked foods have more nutrients and their food life is digested quickly for immediate use. Your body does not have to labor over digestion when you eat these fresh foods. Your digestive system knows what to do with these foods and knows how to distribute them right away.
When your system gets a glob of eggs, meats, cheeses, sauteed vegetables, toast, butter, 2 coffees, cream, sugar and fried potatoes--what is known to us as the "American Diner Breakfast" it goes into a panic and rushes all your blood to your stomach to take care of the crisis. You suffer by falling asleep or feeling like a truck hit you--hard.
So here's the action your should consider taking...
In the next week, before your next installment of this 5 Part series on Body Awareness, I'd like you to take notice of how your body feels after you eat your food. Do you feel tired? Do you feel like exercising? Are you amazed that you've never noticed how poor you felt after a huge cooked meal?
Don't go any further than just noticing how you feel. We'll address what to do next in seven days.
This will begin to tune you into your own body. It's amazing how much time we spend with ourselves and we never really take the time to figure out what we--our bodies--want. Imagine if your friend was always telling you that they get sick and tired every time they eat a fried meal with no fresh vegetables. I imagine, if you were a concerned friend that you'd tell them they should consider trying a new diet, right?!
Chances are your bodies are telling you the same thing. You've learned to ignore the best friend you could possibly have. Listen to it and recognize the signals it is giving you and you've made the first step to optimal health and fitness.
In Part 2, you'll learn how to create radical change in your body image once you recognize what your body wants.
Until then, keep listening--you'll hear something.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Coffee is NOT Good for You
With all the hype about antioxidants in recent years--exotic fruits boasting the more antioxidants that you need in a year and thousands of other antioxidant drinks, pills and supplements--I was shocked to come across the following study's conclusion...
Yikes.
Joe Vinson, Ph.D., and the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa. announced the findings of their study at the end of August to the public... the public meaning MSN, MSNBC, WSJ Online and any other news source that will take the story (most likely all of them--coffee is always a hot topic.)
Coffee, to me, follows the same lines of any non-prescription or prescription medication. You take it as a quick fix to eliminate some ailment and don't worry nor care about the other effects the drug may have on the rest of your body. Give me the Vioxx now, I'll worry about the impotence and suicide stuff later.
Yes, coffee is similar. Give me the pick-me-up now, I'll worry about the acidity level in my body, the adverse effects of caffeine, the nasty breath and tooth stains later. I'll take mine with sugar and cream as well to make the drink just as nutritious as a bottle of Pepsi-- add the artificial sweetener and forget it.
Yes, there are antioxidants in coffee just as Advil stops your headache. Unfortunately, there are other ingredients in your daily joe that create free radicals in your body--this means all the good in your coffee is wiped out by all the bad it is creating. Remember--antioxidants wipe out free radicals. As for the Advil, take some time to read about Advil and the liver when you have a few minutes in the next few days.
Don't believe the hype.
Coffee drinkers are always protecting their fix. "They say one to two cups are fine" and "Plus, I couldn't imagine living without it in the morning." This is an addictive behavior and, surprise, coffee is an addictive substance.
How do I know coffee is addictive? Stop for a week. Stop cold-turkey for a week and tell me if you don't suffer from headaches, jitters, edginess. If you don't at all, then you can go right back to the drink. If you do suffer from any of these withdrawl symptoms, you should consider making your experiment a permanent diet change.
When you don't eat apples for a week, do you get headaches? Are you on edge? No.
Know why? Because apples don't change your body chemistry like coffee does. The caffeine effects the way your body works. It speeds up your heart, it messes with your metabolism. It sends you out of whack.
I see similar veins in this study and the red wine studies. Yes, there are antioxidants in red wine. Antioxidants are good for you. There is also alcohol. Alcohol negates all the good you'll ever get in a glass of red wine.
When I drank coffee a few years ago, I never thought it was a problem until I started feeling it in my heart. My heart would skip beats the more I drank coffee. Many heart arrhythmias are directly related to caffeine intake. When I stopped drinking coffee the irregular heart beat stopped as well. I haven't missed a beat in 3 years.
Get your antioxidants from fruit not coffee or tea.
Polyphenols (powerful antioxidants) are found in cranberries (very high content) and are followed in descending order by apple, red grape, strawberry, pineapple, banana, peach, lemon, orange, pear and grapefruit.
Eat these, not coffee. You will feel better, you will be more productive at work and you will be able to do what you want to do without feeling tired and weak from coffee withdrawl.
You'll hear the evangelists on the TV:
Just remember who the information is coming from... an alcoholic would tell you the best thing in the world for you is to have a drink every once in a while. Expect the same from a die-hard coffee drinker.
Learn to listen to your body and eventually you'll recognize what is good for you--not for anyone else. Read these new studies with a critical eye. Ask questions. Read between the lines.
Your body will thank you.
Good Luck,
Kevin
"Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S. Diet--not because it is especially high in antioxidants, but because Americans drink so much of it."
Yikes.
Joe Vinson, Ph.D., and the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa. announced the findings of their study at the end of August to the public... the public meaning MSN, MSNBC, WSJ Online and any other news source that will take the story (most likely all of them--coffee is always a hot topic.)
Coffee, to me, follows the same lines of any non-prescription or prescription medication. You take it as a quick fix to eliminate some ailment and don't worry nor care about the other effects the drug may have on the rest of your body. Give me the Vioxx now, I'll worry about the impotence and suicide stuff later.
Yes, coffee is similar. Give me the pick-me-up now, I'll worry about the acidity level in my body, the adverse effects of caffeine, the nasty breath and tooth stains later. I'll take mine with sugar and cream as well to make the drink just as nutritious as a bottle of Pepsi-- add the artificial sweetener and forget it.
Yes, there are antioxidants in coffee just as Advil stops your headache. Unfortunately, there are other ingredients in your daily joe that create free radicals in your body--this means all the good in your coffee is wiped out by all the bad it is creating. Remember--antioxidants wipe out free radicals. As for the Advil, take some time to read about Advil and the liver when you have a few minutes in the next few days.
Don't believe the hype.
Coffee drinkers are always protecting their fix. "They say one to two cups are fine" and "Plus, I couldn't imagine living without it in the morning." This is an addictive behavior and, surprise, coffee is an addictive substance.
How do I know coffee is addictive? Stop for a week. Stop cold-turkey for a week and tell me if you don't suffer from headaches, jitters, edginess. If you don't at all, then you can go right back to the drink. If you do suffer from any of these withdrawl symptoms, you should consider making your experiment a permanent diet change.
When you don't eat apples for a week, do you get headaches? Are you on edge? No.
Know why? Because apples don't change your body chemistry like coffee does. The caffeine effects the way your body works. It speeds up your heart, it messes with your metabolism. It sends you out of whack.
I see similar veins in this study and the red wine studies. Yes, there are antioxidants in red wine. Antioxidants are good for you. There is also alcohol. Alcohol negates all the good you'll ever get in a glass of red wine.
When I drank coffee a few years ago, I never thought it was a problem until I started feeling it in my heart. My heart would skip beats the more I drank coffee. Many heart arrhythmias are directly related to caffeine intake. When I stopped drinking coffee the irregular heart beat stopped as well. I haven't missed a beat in 3 years.
Get your antioxidants from fruit not coffee or tea.
Polyphenols (powerful antioxidants) are found in cranberries (very high content) and are followed in descending order by apple, red grape, strawberry, pineapple, banana, peach, lemon, orange, pear and grapefruit.
Eat these, not coffee. You will feel better, you will be more productive at work and you will be able to do what you want to do without feeling tired and weak from coffee withdrawl.
You'll hear the evangelists on the TV:
"Drink coffee for better health!"
"Get your antioxidants AND your pick-me-up!"
Just remember who the information is coming from... an alcoholic would tell you the best thing in the world for you is to have a drink every once in a while. Expect the same from a die-hard coffee drinker.
Learn to listen to your body and eventually you'll recognize what is good for you--not for anyone else. Read these new studies with a critical eye. Ask questions. Read between the lines.
Your body will thank you.
Good Luck,
Kevin
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Be Easy on Yourself
Achieve Fitness Goals by Being Easy on Yourself (A Story of a Cheetah)
Sometimes we get down on ourselves.
Maybe we didn’t perform the way we wanted to at a presentation for work, didn’t do all the studying we could for an exam or review, needed more time and put out a product that was only good--not the best.
When this happens, most people (myself included!)tend to get a bit down on ourselves. We feel like we have failed our expectations and didn’t live up to our standards. And maybe this is true, maybe we could have taken some more time to prepare that PowerPoint for a presentation, studied a little bit harder or spent more quality time developing a killer product--all these, we could have done and the end result would have been better.
These are our lessons, the reason we have them is to grow. So let’s look at it that way... as growing experiences... and STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF!
Being hard on yourself will only bring you into a dark place where the only thing around is question marks about your potential success. What is going to happen to me? Who noticed that I messed up? Will I ever do what I want to do? Get out of the negative and your life will ease up, I promise.
This is no different with your fitness and health goals. If you become your own worst drill sergeant--screaming and shouting at your last mess up--you will not build the positive support within yourself to sustain an enlightened and lasting fitness and health program. I promise you this as well.
You can see how this affects professional athletes all the time. Watch tennis and take careful notice of how the players react to their own missed shots. If a player hits the ball into the net and reacts poorly, chances are the next three or four rallies will have more errors on his or her part. What is happening is this...
His conscience is being a drill sergeant. He is screaming his head off at the player telling him to stop screwing up! While he’s still screaming, he’s still playing tennis and so now he’s listening to his drill sergeant and trying to hit a first serve that’s over 100 mph! Talk about some serious multitasking! These conversations are negative and counter-productive.
Instead, to avoid this berating, he should acknowledge his mistake and calmly peacefully let it go. How? Take a breath. Concentrate more. Don’t correct his swing or positioning, just concentrate on what his doing--in this case hitting a tennis ball. I guarantee he will not flub his next few shots.
Same with baseball pitchers. You’ve seen the guys who miss a few strikes then start getting into their heads and swearing and cursing on the mound. What happens is the same, the drill sergeant gets talking and the concentration is out the window. This is when they give up homeruns and unintentional walks.
Master pitchers have learned to shrug off bad pitches and concentrate on the task they are there to complete. I’ve seen many games where a great pitcher has missed on one pitch and given up a homerun, then come back and shut the other team out for the remaining innings. Pitchers like these are masters not only at throwing the ball hard--but of concentration.
You cannot do everything perfectly.
If you get off track, take a day to breathe, look over your goals and then refocus your concentration. For many of us, fitness and health require a lifestyle change that creates LASTING habits! You’re bound to slip up once and a while, so don’t kill yourself.
Here’s a great story my coach, Nick, told me when I was struggling with being too hard on myself.
There was a young boy named Michael, about 10 years old, that Nick had been counseling for a short period of time. Michael was overweight and was having a tremendously difficult time in school. He had trouble with his math and was a level or two behind in reading. He just didn’t feel good about himself and the other kids were starting to pick on him because of his reading deficiencies and, of course, his weight.
Nick had met with Michael a few times and now the issue they were discussing was his performance at school. After pulling some teeth to get Michael to talk about his problems in school and with the other kids, Nick was unsure of how to proceed with the session. So he asked Michael a very blunt and straightforward question. "How do you felt about yourself?"
Michael responded with this, "I feel like a big fat failure."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Nick said, "What makes you feel like that?"
"I don’t know, I just am."
"Well Michael, why don’t you tell me about something that you really like."
Michael looked up to the ceiling. "I like animals!"
"And tell me, what’s your favorite animal?"
"The Cheetah!" Michael nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Great!" Nick matched his enthusiasm, "and tell me about the cheetah."
In double-time, Michael began to tell Nick all about the cheetah, how it walks, how it eats, how it sleeps, when it sleeps, again what it eats--to the point where a non-caring Nick would have kicked himself for asking this question at all.
When Michael seemed to be winding down, Nick gently interrupted.
"Wow, you certainly know a lot about the cheetah don’t you? You mentioned something that I want to talk about. You said that the cheetah eats zebras, right?"
"Yeah, and antelope, and..."
"Well, Michael, when the cheetah goes out and hunts, so you know how many times he gets the prey and can eat dinner?"
Michael thought for a minute then exclaimed, "All the time!"
Nick’s face became more serious, knowing Michael was wrong and he slowly gave Michael his lesson, "That’s not true, Michael. The cheetah is lucky if he gets to eat once or twice a week. He hunts many times and doesn’t catch a thing. Did you know that?"
"No, I didn’t"
"Michael, the Cheetah is a very special animal because it keeps trying all the time, day after day so it can eat. He may miss his dinner 4 or 5 times in a week. Now would you call the cheetah a big fat failure for not being successful every time?"
Michael got the lesson Nick was trying to teach him and started performing better in school.
We can’t be at our prime all the time, and when we aren’t we absolutely cannot punish ourselves for it. Be more like the Cheetah, go out everyday knowing that you are doing what you need to be successful.
If you fail, breathe, and come back more concentrated the next day. You will be a success, I’m sure of it!
How to be a Cheetah
Here are the tools that will allow you to tell your drill sergeant that he or she’s better off making sure we don’t forget our business appointments that interfering with our fitness and health successes!
Step One: When you start to hear the drill sergeant, listen to his speak for a short time. Listen to what he says. They will probably be similar to things like this, "You stupid..." or "I don’t believe you just..." or "Why can’t you ever keep a commitment for..." For this step, just be aware that this is happening so you can recognize it when it happens again.
Step Two: Tell your drill sergeant that you are thankful he is around. Seriously. Thank him for sharing his thoughts because this same drill sergeant is the one who gets you out of bed in the morning (he’s not all negative!).
Step Three: Take a few deep breaths.
Step Four: Ask your conscience to move on to the next thought. If the next thought is just as negative and just as degrading, repeat the four steps!
When you master this, you will be able to deal with your drill sergeant easily and quickly before you begin to start the self-doubt that can destroy your chances of reaching your ultimate fitness goals!
Sometimes we get down on ourselves.
Maybe we didn’t perform the way we wanted to at a presentation for work, didn’t do all the studying we could for an exam or review, needed more time and put out a product that was only good--not the best.
When this happens, most people (myself included!)tend to get a bit down on ourselves. We feel like we have failed our expectations and didn’t live up to our standards. And maybe this is true, maybe we could have taken some more time to prepare that PowerPoint for a presentation, studied a little bit harder or spent more quality time developing a killer product--all these, we could have done and the end result would have been better.
These are our lessons, the reason we have them is to grow. So let’s look at it that way... as growing experiences... and STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF!
Being hard on yourself will only bring you into a dark place where the only thing around is question marks about your potential success. What is going to happen to me? Who noticed that I messed up? Will I ever do what I want to do? Get out of the negative and your life will ease up, I promise.
This is no different with your fitness and health goals. If you become your own worst drill sergeant--screaming and shouting at your last mess up--you will not build the positive support within yourself to sustain an enlightened and lasting fitness and health program. I promise you this as well.
You can see how this affects professional athletes all the time. Watch tennis and take careful notice of how the players react to their own missed shots. If a player hits the ball into the net and reacts poorly, chances are the next three or four rallies will have more errors on his or her part. What is happening is this...
His conscience is being a drill sergeant. He is screaming his head off at the player telling him to stop screwing up! While he’s still screaming, he’s still playing tennis and so now he’s listening to his drill sergeant and trying to hit a first serve that’s over 100 mph! Talk about some serious multitasking! These conversations are negative and counter-productive.
Instead, to avoid this berating, he should acknowledge his mistake and calmly peacefully let it go. How? Take a breath. Concentrate more. Don’t correct his swing or positioning, just concentrate on what his doing--in this case hitting a tennis ball. I guarantee he will not flub his next few shots.
Same with baseball pitchers. You’ve seen the guys who miss a few strikes then start getting into their heads and swearing and cursing on the mound. What happens is the same, the drill sergeant gets talking and the concentration is out the window. This is when they give up homeruns and unintentional walks.
Master pitchers have learned to shrug off bad pitches and concentrate on the task they are there to complete. I’ve seen many games where a great pitcher has missed on one pitch and given up a homerun, then come back and shut the other team out for the remaining innings. Pitchers like these are masters not only at throwing the ball hard--but of concentration.
You cannot do everything perfectly.
If you get off track, take a day to breathe, look over your goals and then refocus your concentration. For many of us, fitness and health require a lifestyle change that creates LASTING habits! You’re bound to slip up once and a while, so don’t kill yourself.
Here’s a great story my coach, Nick, told me when I was struggling with being too hard on myself.
There was a young boy named Michael, about 10 years old, that Nick had been counseling for a short period of time. Michael was overweight and was having a tremendously difficult time in school. He had trouble with his math and was a level or two behind in reading. He just didn’t feel good about himself and the other kids were starting to pick on him because of his reading deficiencies and, of course, his weight.
Nick had met with Michael a few times and now the issue they were discussing was his performance at school. After pulling some teeth to get Michael to talk about his problems in school and with the other kids, Nick was unsure of how to proceed with the session. So he asked Michael a very blunt and straightforward question. "How do you felt about yourself?"
Michael responded with this, "I feel like a big fat failure."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Nick said, "What makes you feel like that?"
"I don’t know, I just am."
"Well Michael, why don’t you tell me about something that you really like."
Michael looked up to the ceiling. "I like animals!"
"And tell me, what’s your favorite animal?"
"The Cheetah!" Michael nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Great!" Nick matched his enthusiasm, "and tell me about the cheetah."
In double-time, Michael began to tell Nick all about the cheetah, how it walks, how it eats, how it sleeps, when it sleeps, again what it eats--to the point where a non-caring Nick would have kicked himself for asking this question at all.
When Michael seemed to be winding down, Nick gently interrupted.
"Wow, you certainly know a lot about the cheetah don’t you? You mentioned something that I want to talk about. You said that the cheetah eats zebras, right?"
"Yeah, and antelope, and..."
"Well, Michael, when the cheetah goes out and hunts, so you know how many times he gets the prey and can eat dinner?"
Michael thought for a minute then exclaimed, "All the time!"
Nick’s face became more serious, knowing Michael was wrong and he slowly gave Michael his lesson, "That’s not true, Michael. The cheetah is lucky if he gets to eat once or twice a week. He hunts many times and doesn’t catch a thing. Did you know that?"
"No, I didn’t"
"Michael, the Cheetah is a very special animal because it keeps trying all the time, day after day so it can eat. He may miss his dinner 4 or 5 times in a week. Now would you call the cheetah a big fat failure for not being successful every time?"
Michael got the lesson Nick was trying to teach him and started performing better in school.
We can’t be at our prime all the time, and when we aren’t we absolutely cannot punish ourselves for it. Be more like the Cheetah, go out everyday knowing that you are doing what you need to be successful.
If you fail, breathe, and come back more concentrated the next day. You will be a success, I’m sure of it!
How to be a Cheetah
Here are the tools that will allow you to tell your drill sergeant that he or she’s better off making sure we don’t forget our business appointments that interfering with our fitness and health successes!
Step One: When you start to hear the drill sergeant, listen to his speak for a short time. Listen to what he says. They will probably be similar to things like this, "You stupid..." or "I don’t believe you just..." or "Why can’t you ever keep a commitment for..." For this step, just be aware that this is happening so you can recognize it when it happens again.
Step Two: Tell your drill sergeant that you are thankful he is around. Seriously. Thank him for sharing his thoughts because this same drill sergeant is the one who gets you out of bed in the morning (he’s not all negative!).
Step Three: Take a few deep breaths.
Step Four: Ask your conscience to move on to the next thought. If the next thought is just as negative and just as degrading, repeat the four steps!
When you master this, you will be able to deal with your drill sergeant easily and quickly before you begin to start the self-doubt that can destroy your chances of reaching your ultimate fitness goals!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
BMI, the NFL and You
At the end of last week, Thomas Herrion, a lineman for the San Francisco 49ers died after a preseason NFL football game. He was 23 years old and 330 pounds. His Body Mass Index (normally below 30 or so for athletes) was 41. He was morbidly obese. The doctors say that arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) was the probable cause of his death.
I'm a football fan, so I watch the game all the time. For those of you who don't and only watch the Superbowl at a friend's party, it is not difficult to confirm that most NFL linemen are just plain fat.
What's scary is that if someone came to me for training and I measured their BMI and it was anywhere close to Herrion's, I would prescribe no more than 20-30 minutes of walking a day to start. Even if he was an NFL player. I would not even suggest he play in a pickup game of flag football. Regardless of how "fit" someone may be underneath their fat they are still carrying extra weight, fatty acids and probably excess glucose.
There's another sport where you'll find similar levels of obesity and here is the prognosis for those athletes as well from and article by Dr. Eric S. Freedland,
Do you know how much extra weight you are carrying? You could be in worse condition than some of these athletes because you do less activity than they do. If your BMI is around 30-35 and you don't do any physical activity, your health is being compromised tremendously. You practically have the same prognosis as the Sumo Wrestlers without the "after retirement." All those diseases and instances have started already and it is up to you to start working out to reverse them.
This might be the most incredible thing about exercise... you can reverse the decline of your health!
How can you calculate BMI? For someone who is not mathematically inclined, you can do this at our site! I've just added a page with a calculator and I think you should consider finding out just what your BMI is, because it can give you an idea of what you may need to do to help keep cardiovascular disease and other nasty aliments at bay.
If you find your BMI is over 30, do yourself a favor and consider going for a walk tonight. Just 20 minutes or so. Don't get too crazy. When you're walking think about how good it feels to be outside. Think about how the breeze brushes against your face and how the sounds of nature call to you.
When you get back, sit down and take a moment to scan your body and see how good it feels to get your heart moving and your body jump started.
After you do this for a few nights, I know you'll begin to enjoy it. Make it a habit and the quality of your life will dramatically increase. You'll have more energy, be more productive and be able to spend more time doing the things you want to do because you'll have a clearer mind!
So go calculate your BMI and see where you stand. http://www.yourlifestylefitness.com/bmi_calculator.shtml
Then regardless of the numbers, take a walk tonight anyway and enjoy the weather!
Best,
Kevin
I'm a football fan, so I watch the game all the time. For those of you who don't and only watch the Superbowl at a friend's party, it is not difficult to confirm that most NFL linemen are just plain fat.
What's scary is that if someone came to me for training and I measured their BMI and it was anywhere close to Herrion's, I would prescribe no more than 20-30 minutes of walking a day to start. Even if he was an NFL player. I would not even suggest he play in a pickup game of flag football. Regardless of how "fit" someone may be underneath their fat they are still carrying extra weight, fatty acids and probably excess glucose.
There's another sport where you'll find similar levels of obesity and here is the prognosis for those athletes as well from and article by Dr. Eric S. Freedland,
"Japanese sumo wrestlers are a good example of how exercise can only do so much for so long to offset the harmful effects of obesity. Competitive sumos carry most of their abdominal fat subcutaneously with relatively little visceral fat (which is more strongly associated with insulin resistance). They are able to maintain insulin sensitivity until after they retire when they develop large amounts of abdominal visceral fat, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death."Now let's step away from athletes for a moment. I've only used them to make a point.
Do you know how much extra weight you are carrying? You could be in worse condition than some of these athletes because you do less activity than they do. If your BMI is around 30-35 and you don't do any physical activity, your health is being compromised tremendously. You practically have the same prognosis as the Sumo Wrestlers without the "after retirement." All those diseases and instances have started already and it is up to you to start working out to reverse them.
This might be the most incredible thing about exercise... you can reverse the decline of your health!
How can you calculate BMI? For someone who is not mathematically inclined, you can do this at our site! I've just added a page with a calculator and I think you should consider finding out just what your BMI is, because it can give you an idea of what you may need to do to help keep cardiovascular disease and other nasty aliments at bay.
If you find your BMI is over 30, do yourself a favor and consider going for a walk tonight. Just 20 minutes or so. Don't get too crazy. When you're walking think about how good it feels to be outside. Think about how the breeze brushes against your face and how the sounds of nature call to you.
When you get back, sit down and take a moment to scan your body and see how good it feels to get your heart moving and your body jump started.
After you do this for a few nights, I know you'll begin to enjoy it. Make it a habit and the quality of your life will dramatically increase. You'll have more energy, be more productive and be able to spend more time doing the things you want to do because you'll have a clearer mind!
So go calculate your BMI and see where you stand. http://www.yourlifestylefitness.com/bmi_calculator.shtml
Then regardless of the numbers, take a walk tonight anyway and enjoy the weather!
Best,
Kevin
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