In search of the perfect body
Everyone wants a killer body, don’t they? If you Google search “how to get a killer body fast”, you’ll come up with 61,000,000 hits! So obviously there are a lot of people trying to obtain the perfect beach body. For years I’ve watched as trainers in my profession take money from desperate people, usually women, who are trying to get a body that would only be normal in a Barbie house.
Sadly, many in our society have allowed the airbrush artist to define how we should look. The health editor of The Saturday Early Show on CBS, Petra Kolber, once told the audience that we can have the shoulders of Halle Berry. All we have to do is lift weights the way she does. These “experts” are quick to tell you what you want to hear but seem to be clueless when it comes to individual differences. The width of our shoulders doesn’t come from dumbbell exercises Petra, it comes from genetics. The length of my clavicals (the collar bone) will determine that much more than any exercise I do.
Similarly we are sold exercises that will lift our butt, shrink our gut, define our calves and build our bust. I know many of you who have read my blogs before know that none of these can be accomplished with exercise, but nonetheless, we keep forking it over, hoping it just might work. Well keep hoping. That and five bucks will get you a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino® Light at Starbucks.
What is it then that gives people the perfect body you ask? Two things: genetics and plastic surgeons. Sorry to disappoint. If you are interested in a healthy body, a strong body, a body that isn’t overweight, then you might actually be able to meet your goals; but only if you are also interested in a lifetime of healthy eating and daily exercise. Embrace and love who you are first, because you are perfectly made. Then, instead of searching in vain for a killer body, try to live a healthy lifestyle so your body doesn’t kill you.
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When your symptoms scream heart disease, is anyone listening? by Lee Anne Siegmund
So here I sit in a hospital waiting room. This isn’t the first time in my life; not by a long shot. Once again I find myself asking “why him, why us?” What’s more disturbing are the thoughts of “why not him, why not them?” After all, many of the faces I see on a daily basis fit the picture of heart disease more than we do.
9 out of 10 heart disease patients present with one of the following risk factors (CDC):
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Cigarette smoking
- Overweight and obesity
- Poor diet
- Physical inactivity
- Alcohol use
While it seems likely that most people who have heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD) would have one of these risk factors, the truth is, 1 in 10 people will not have any of them. 10%! That is actually quite significant. Think of it this way. A 10% rate of return on your investment is a good investment indeed. A 10% chance of crashing in an airplane is enough to keep you from flying.
The point is, 10% is not insignificant. You would not ride a roller coaster if you knew that 10% of the time it flew off the tracks. So why do we ignore the 10% of the population who get heart disease and have no risk factors? Well, they aren’t exactly ignored, but they are certainly misdiagnosed a great deal of the time. When someone walks into a doctor’s office with one of the above risk factors, the doctor can quickly determine that their chest pain is from angina, a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle due to coronary artery blockages.
If however, an individual is an active person with low blood pressure, trim waistline and never smoked, the doctor may search and search for every cause under the sun other than CAD. Even though CAD is the leading cause of heart attack, the person with the healthy lifestyle is often overlooked…sometimes to the point that they have to go into cardiac arrest (a stopped heart) in order to get any attention.
Heaven forbid we should see any more cases like Jim Fixx. Fixx, an avid runner and author of “The Complete Book of Running” died of a heart attack in 1984. He had a cholesterol level over 250, so granted he did have one of the risk factors listed above. And he did live to be 52, which was much older than his father, who also died of a heart attack. But to this day, our society and even the medical community, is in denial that even the most fit can be quite sick.
Fitness is not the same as health. Athletes and active people can be capable of many feats of strength and endurance and have body systems, such as the cardiovascular system, that are very sick. We’ve seen it with college basketball players who die suddenly mid-court. Yet, we don’t believe it when it is a loved one. I know I didn’t. I still find it hard to believe that my husband suffers from coronary artery disease. He runs, he eats healthy, he has low blood pressure, he has never smoked and he controls his weight. He is the 10% that is all too often ignored.
If it weren’t for his persistence and diligent logging of symptoms, I might never have found myself sitting where I am as I write this: in the waiting room in the hospital while he has coronary angioplasty. I just as easily could have found myself in a far more difficult place. I’ve been there, and don’t care to do it again.
That being said, I’m thankful we finally ended up here and he is receiving the help he needs at long last. And one last thing: if you don’t think 10% is significant, ask yourself if you might soon be part of the other 90%. One in every 4 deaths is from heart disease. Don’t think it will be you? Neither did Jim Fixx.
Post Script: My husband Gary is now recovering from coronary angioplasty and stenting of 4 coronary arteries. Two of them were blocked greater than 95%. I hate to quote a commercial but: “Can you hear me now?”
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Exercise and the heat do not mix!
It’s hot! It’s really hot!! I hope all of you are using common sense when it comes to activity in the heat. If you are like me and really enjoy activity outdoors, here is some information to keep you safe as the temperatures soar.
First and foremost if you MUST be in the heat, drink. It sounds simple and obvious, but I can’t stress it enough. As a matter of fact, our bodies cannot cool effectively if we don’t have enough fluid on board. Warm blood from our core is taken to the surface where our sweat glands release warm sweat to the skin. In the process of evaporating from our skin, the heat is released and our bodies cool.
If we don’t stay well-hydrated, there is less blood volume and thus not enough sweat to meet the cooling needs. The body stops sweating, causing a rise in core temperature. When humidity is high, evaporation is inhibited and this too can cause a rise in core temperature and even interfere with proper sweating. Eventually, and sometimes quickly, this results in heat exhaustion and possibly heat stroke.
To avoid this dangerous and life-threatening scenario, DRINK! If in the heat for more than a few minutes, drink plenty of water. Drink plain water if you are doing moderate intensity activity for up to an hour. If active in the heat or exercising for more than an hour drink Gatorade or other sports drink with electrolytes and carbohydrates.
You should drink enough fluid before exercise that urine is clear. If it is dark yellow, you may be dehydrated. During exercise, drink 6-12 ounces every 20 minutes. Then after activity, replace fluids by drinking 16-24 ounces of fluid for every pound of weight lost from the activity. Drinking very large quantities of plain water can be dangerous, so be sure to follow the above guidelines regarding sports drinks as needed.
The most important tip regarding exercise in the heat is to take it indoors. Use indoor exercise equipment when possible to avoid stressing your body and risking heat stroke. People with chronic illnesses like Diabetes, children and the elderly should keep in mind that the body will handle the heat poorly. You will cool less effectively and will suffer greater adverse effects and will experience them sooner with the heat than the rest of the population.
Exercise is optional and sports are as well, so think before being active in the heat. Coaches need to be aware that practices need to be modified as soon as the temperature is over 65 degrees. Modification means breaks, fluids, and more breaks. Games and practices need to be cancelled altogether if temperatures are in the 80’s and humidity is high. The American College of Sports Medicine has published a paper on exertion in the heat that would be a great resource for coaches and athletes. For the rest of us, if you can avoid the heat, do so. If you must work in the heat, take plenty of breaks, drink fluids, wear lightweight clothing, seek the shade, stay well-fed and “buddy up”.
The signs of heat illness need to be recognized quickly and a cool environment and emergency services need to be employed immediately. If you or someone else experiences any of the following in the heat, get help:
Dizziness, irrational behavior, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, hyperventilation, decreased muscle coordination, muscle twitching, muscle cramps, intestinal cramps, or just not feeling well in any way.
The bottom line is, although activity is a healthy behavior, activity in the heat can be dangerous. Watch out for yourself and keep an eye on the elderly, the children and pets in your neighborhood as well. Most importantly, share this information. It may save a life.
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Are you confused about muscle confusion?
By: Lee Anne Siegmund
“Muscle confusion” is one of those terms that the fitness industry throws around. It’s like “feel the burn” or “no pain no gain”. I guess they are trying to convince us that muscles can only get stronger if they hurt and are terribly confused. It doesn’t sound pleasant and what’s more, it doesn’t make any sense.
Muscles cannot be confused first of all. They only do what they are told and have no clue why. Here’s how skeletal muscles work. First, a force of some sort is imposed on the body. This could be the weight of your body along with gravity. It could be a resistance band, a dumbbell or even the wind. Something pushes or pulls on your body or a part of your body and your nervous system responds.
Your brain and spinal cord are capable of receiving the message that there is a “force” and then responding by sending electrical signals to the muscle. These signals travel down the nerve (motor neuron) to a place on the muscle fibers called the motor unit. This is where these electrical signals become messages that tell the fiber to contract, or shorten. Likewise, the muscle will re-lengthen on command. As a matter of fact, muscles on the opposite side of the limb will be temporarily inhibited in order to allow the limb to move.
Does this sound like confusion? Our nervous system and muscles are amazing! The way they respond quickly and accurately to forces imposed on them is nothing short of miraculous. The nervous system commands just enough muscle fibers and the right kind of fibers to contract to get the job done.
Even more amazing is that our muscles will adapt based on the type of training we do. We call this “imposed demand.” The muscles will adapt appropriately and specifically to the imposed demand. If we lift a 2# weight over and over, we may improve endurance, but won’t affect strength all that much. But when the weight is heavy enough that we can only lift it 8 times or so, we will likely be improving or maintaining our strength.
This “specific adaptation to imposed demand” is the result of planned progression. The muscles are not confused at all. On the contrary, the nervous system and motor unit together have created a very carefully planned orchestration of signals and contractions in order to overcome the force and as a result will strengthen the muscle.
There is no confusion involved in safe, planned progression of exercise. Simply because muscles “get used to” a certain resistance or exercise does not mean we have to mix up our exercise routine haphazardly. Randomly changing how we exercise, the weight we use or how we do it, predisposes to injury. If you want to progress, don’t attempt to “confuse” your muscles. Instead, carefully train your nervous system by strategically making gradual changes in quantity, direction and speed of the force. That will give you results and more importantly, it will be safer. No confusion about that.
To find a professional who will help you develop a strength training plan that will progress you safely and gradually, go to: http://www.resistancetrainingspecialist.com/roster.html
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