Pop might not be good!

Who knew?

Pop is not good for you!

I know this first hand. I was on a bit of a roller coaster a while back. For some reason I had difficulty stopping. Being "off" pop has made a huge difference in my quality of life. Not to mention alertness. Of which I am a *huge* fan.

Recently and article popped up on the negative side effects of

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075420.htm

Full disclosure: I can vouch for the soreness. Not proud of it either.

But sometimes you get caught up. The details get overlooked as to what we are *really* doing everyday.

It's part of the reason I ask my clients to do food trackers for the first two weeks. It's a real eye opener. We believe we are trying very hard, and often are, but what is actually happening may be quite different.

Chalk it up to being human. Nothing more.

So if you or someone you know is a big pop consumer, please check out the article. I hope I can get a few people to switch of the stuff.

Oh, couple things, get ready for a headache that *could last a few days* and be ready to start craving real food. REAL food. All that sugar has been a substitute up to this point. And not a good one either!

Have a great day all.

In health,

Todd

Lack of Dynamic Movement!

Here is what I think.
And it ain’t pretty…
Training these days has been reduced to isolation.

A hamstring curl, a leg extension, and a calf raise machine all wait for the next client.

And they should wait (and collect dust) because a squat is far superior for complete leg strength. Hands down.

It blows my mind… that’s not quite right… it bothers me, that I, at a ripe old age, can move better than teenagers I have had the opportunity to train. It bothers me that I am more flexible than every teenager that I have ever met… to this day. I know they are out there.

Full disclosure: I am not saying I am a better athlete! (Not by a long shot!) There are lots of things these athletes can do better than me. But moving smoothly, changing direction fluidly and flexibility are not those things.

Sure it’s my job to be in shape and to have pretty good flexibility. But I shouldn’t have such an upper hand on so many.

And that is my point: why so few?

Well here is a kettle of fish. It’s partly because there has never been a more sedate generation. When they do go to the gym they are most likely met with a trainer who’s idea of “leg training” is hitting the leg curl, leg extension and calf raise machines. (Scary!) A little bit because flexibility is quite undervalued.

So little time is spent on dynamic movement. And I don’t mean gymnastics. More like chasing, climbing, jumping, crawling.

When an adult joins my class it is immediately apparent whether or not they were active as a kid. I can even take a pretty good guess at what they played or martial art they took. Just by their ability to move, change direction and range of movement they still possess.

The good news: we are a pretty trainable bunch. With some time and attention a lot can be overcome.

This is from a complete thought but I just had to say this much. There is more to follow, you can be sure.

In the meantime, move and be healthy. And while you’re at it, have some fun!

Have a great day.

Todd

90% Mental

Despite what people tell you, I am not. Mental, that is.

As Yogi Berra famously, and accurately put it, "Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical."

This, to me, is accurate for all things physical.

I have seen clients bust their butt and get amazing results. Others, mail it in and get nothing.

Most are somewhere in between.

They mean well. They want results. They know what they want.

WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?

Mental attitude towards themselves and the importance of their activity in the achievement of their goals.

they know they have to do this. They embrace it. They commit to the movement. they are focused on the moment and the future.

So, I guess the question is, what DO you want?

And what are you prepared to do to get it?

Suddenly I feel I have to go do something!

I think it is going to be a 3K run followed by shooting hoops for 20 minutes. Nobody said you can't have fun along the way.

Care to join me?

Have a good one!

Todd

Don't hork down your food!

Remember when your parents used to get on youh about eating so quickly. Don't rush. You might choke! Taste your food!

Yeah. Turn out they were on to something.

Unbeknownst to them it is correlated with obesity.

I can't say that it is causing obesity. But when you look at this chart below, from the New York Times, you have to think. No really.

http://tinyurl.com/ckbrho

It seems to have some strong relationship. Pace of life. Where you live and the importance social connections.

I just had a friend return from a trip to Europe and a lot of the stories centered around food. Lots of food. Really good stuff to. So how do they pull off staying so lean?

These meals go on a long time. There is no rush. There is a lot of talking, no texting or checking email or calling the office. None.

Food for thought (groan)!

Now, if you find yourself stacking a couple extra pounds on, here is a quick workout you hcan work into your routine or start out slowly with.

Warning: PSSA (Poetential Sweaty Situation Ahead!)

Dumbell squats 3x45 seconds with speed
Upper Extremity Walkouts (walk out and back, repeat) 3x45 second with speed
Plank 3x45 seconds (engage bum, quads and hamstrings before you even think of lifting off the floor!)

Start by doing one thing at a time. A break between each.
Progress to doing all three back to back and take 60 seconds to recover and start over.

Ok folks.

Have a great day. Take your time eating! And breathe.

In health,

Todd

ACL Injury Prevention

ACL tears are primarily a non contact inujury.

How do you prevent them? Or more accurately, reduce the risk of them occurring in the first place.

Training. A progression to plyometrics and dynamic movement in a controlled environment. Don't try to be a hero and start jumping around without a goal in mind.

Mike Boyle has a fantastic article on this at strengthcoach.com

http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1641.cfm?sd=51

He is the man when it comes to training athletes and injury prevention.

So talk to a professional. Get assessed, do a Hop & Stop test, and start training those legs immediately!

bad day for a workout?

It is an atrocious day out. It got me thinking.

What if you cant' go out to workout. Stuck in the house.

Here is a workout you could do at home. This is for athletes or beginners!

Do these 4 things in a row.

1. As fast you are comfortable: your stairs in the house for 45 seconds
2. Pushups: however you do em, 12, s l o w
3. Lunges: 45 seconds
4. Supermans: 45 seconds (lay on your tummy and lift legs and elbows off the floor and hold)

Just getting started. a. check with your physician first before you start! b. Do this 2 times
Experienced, go for 5

The difference is in the intensity. Make it hard for you!

This will wake you up, keep your body alert, hit every muscle in your body and help you forget the blah day that is outside.

Make some notes about what you would like to do the next time it is nice out. Keep a smile on your face and envision the fun you'll have.

Where I am writing from it is foggy a lot more often than I would like. I need to be "up" and this helps.

Keep healthy everyone. Have a great day!

How sweet it is!

Ever wonder why a young adults are prone to sweets. Here it is!

The BBC article that covers this: http://tinyurl.com/c23kc5

Makes sense doesn't it?

Growth spurt needs lots of energy. Where is it easiest to find? Oh, somewhere there is lots of sugar!

The alternative, of course, is to be well fed and without reason to feel short on energy. About 5 meals a day to start, larger meals in the morning! Protein and veggies to finish the day.

Relax and enjoy. Watch the energy levels rise. Who knows, might even impact work and studies!

Have a great day everyone!!!

In health,

Todd

How sweet it is!

Ever wonder why a young adults are prone to sweets. Here it is!

The BBC article that covers this: http://tinyurl.com/c23kc5

Makes sense doesn't it?

Growth spurt needs lots of energy. Where is it easiest to find? Oh, somewhere there is lots of sugar!

The alternative, of course, is to be well fed and without reason to feel short on energy. About 5 meals a day to start, larger meals in the morning! Protein and veggies to finish the day.

Relax and enjoy. Watch the energy levels rise. Who knows, might even impact work and studies!

Have a great day everyone!!!

In health,

Todd

Power of the Mind

You need to know that being fit is not nearly so difficult as the
"experts" would have you believe.

That makes it tough for me to "pitch" health.

Everyone thinks I am selling snake oil when I begin to say how easy
something is.

I suppose I should clarify a bit.

The process, the parts of the plan, the details that need to be
observed. That is the easy part.

The part that takes the most effort is overcoming the roadblocks.

The derailments, distractions, old habits or patterns we've all
allowed ourselves to become comfortable with. In short, our brain!

THAT is where the most effort goes. Not in the activity (because
it's fun, right?), not in the planning, not in the food to eat.

It's in the consistent application of your energy to better our
physical, and I would argue, mental state.

This is a short one, but think about it. It's a good one to mull over.

But not for long!

Bring the Intensity, Ladies!

Here is an opportunity for me to get on my soapbox.

When you workout, make it intense. That's not to say unsafe.
Intense. There is a difference.

Especially the ladies. We've grown up thinking that physical
exertion is dangerous.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. And from personal
experience women are all too often told to not be too physical.

Makes no sense. Because once my female clients get around to upping
there intensity they tend to outperform the men. For tow reasons.

1. They have better defined goals. By the time they have gotten to
me they have thoroughly thought out why they are there and what
they want the outcome to be. Most men, not so much.

2. No use for being macho. They don't rush, LISTEN to the coaching,
make changes, and maintain form until failure.

Sounds like a great client? Yup, very often.

And here is the best part. Once you raise the intensity of workouts
the results automatically accelerate. This is how our body
responds. Walk in the park, not much happens. Very low effort, very
low return. High intensity, high returns.

Now, unlike the popular conception that high intensity must make
you vomit, nothing could be farther from the truth. It's about
finding your limits and performing at that level on a consistent
basis, pushing to the next level.

So men, take notice. If the ladies ever figure out that intense
workouts are not the sole domain of men, we are in deep, deep
trouble. Though I think it's for the better!

Let's go ladies, show 'em how it's done!

In health,

Todd