Archive for August, 2008
August 29th, 2008
I guess it had to happen — the snacks in the vending machines here at the Register Star got bigger last week.
Not surprising when you figure that the concept of what constitutes a serving size is way out of proportion to reality, but that’s another story.
And it’s not that my occasional salty chips fix now costs 75 cents a crack instead of 40 as much as it means I have to pay attention to that serving size.
Instead of something like three-fourths an ounce of deep-fried corn and salt (oh, the tragedy), it’s now one and three-fourths — translating into about 120 more calories, more total fat and more sodium, assuming I eat the whole bag.
So, if you’re like me, what can you do?
Well, barring some weird situation, no one is probably forcing you to eat the whole bag at one sitting. A rubber band around the package will keep a second serving fresh for another day.
Here are a couple of other things you could do:
Bring your snack — you control the serving size — from home and pick a healthier option unless you just h-a-v-e t-o h-a-v-e that salty snack. Either way, you’re better off.
Make sure you’re not confusing hunger with thirst. When you get the urge to hit the snack machine, first drink the biggest glass of water you can stand. Doesn’t have to be all at one gulp, but drink it all. Then wait 10 minutes.
If you’re still hungry, go eat something. If you’re not still hungry, you were only thirsty. You’ve satisfied that thirst and you haven’t ingested one single calorie.
August 26th, 2008
Several of my friends have recently gotten into the habit of doing all their training while wearing heart-rate monitors.
This allows them to make sure they are training at a safe level and to push themselves to a great workout at the same time. Generally, effective training takes place between 55 percent and 90 percent of one’s maximum heart rate, depending on your objective. But training at the high end, say in the 75 to 90 percent range, all the time would break down even the toughest exercisers fairly quickly.
The easiest way to figure your maximum heart rate (there are more complicated and more precise ones) is to subtract your age from 220. For a 50-year-old, that’s a maximum heart rate of 170.
Knowing their maximum heart rate, then, allows them to find a percentage of that number and train at a level that allows them to train for long periods of time while still making fitness gains. They use the monitor to keep themselves at that level.
As their body adapts over time and their fitness improves, they will be faster and stronger but that heart rate will stay just about the same and they will have less chance of injury.
August 21st, 2008
This exercise comes from Al MacIsaac, who worked out at the same gym that I do when he was in town last season as the Rockford IceHogs’ general manager. It takes a little practice, but it puts a lot of muscle groups to work.
You need a flat bench and a medicine ball that you can handle. A ball between two and eight pounds will work.
Hold the ball in either hand and lean back at one end of the bench as if you were going to perform V-situps. When you are stable, flutter-kick your legs up and down as you toss the ball back and forth between them. You can do it if you start slowly and gradually pick up speed as you get better at it.
MacIsaac did it several times during his workouts in between other lifting. When I remember to do it, I usually try to do three sets for as long as I can.
One warning would be that, because of the spinal flexion and the extended legs during the exercise, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with low back issues or post menopausal women.
August 18th, 2008
 My wife and I just joined several of our friends for a long weekend in northern Wisconsin and while we there four of us went out for a morning run.
That’s nothing unusual for us, my wife and I have been running for years. What was unusual was how we felt.
Despite running on a road that was never flat for more than two steps in a row, I realized about halfway in that we were moving pretty well without really feeling the effort. The answer was simple, we were enjoying the new scenery — several deer crossing our paths included — too much to pay attention to how hard we were running.
You don’t have to travel five hours north to experience the same thing, though.
If your running times have hit a plateau and just won’t budge, try a different route or several different routes and turn off your stopwatch. Run just for the heck of it.
Even if your times don’t improve when you get back to training, you’re apt to take renewed pleasure in the workout.
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August 12th, 2008
I’ve been trying to teach myself Chi Running, the method popularized by ultramarathon runner Danny Dreyer and his wife Katherine in their 2004 book, without getting into the Eastern philosophy parts.
The reason is simple. I haven’t been all that thrilled with my results after returning to running almost a year ago following damaging my Achilles tendons while playing softball.
The central point of Chi Running is to land each step more on your midfoot and push off with your toes, avoiding letting the heel land. The idea is that the traditional heel-strike-to-toe roll actually works like a brake to slow you down, and that the more is better mentality that goes with it leads to almost certain running injuries.
So far, I’ve been able to get into the Chi Running technique just by lifting my knees a little higher, shortening my stride and concentrating more on leg turnover.
The result has been faster half-mile times — 4:40s compared to low 5:00s — for three-mile runs and putting more distance on my hill runs around Sinnissippi Park. Chi Running also supposedly lowers your rate of perceived exertion.
In any event, re-learning running is working so far. I hope the times come down even more as I get better at the technique.
August 8th, 2008
I was working out with a client last week and trying to think of a new chest exercise for him, when I remembered one I had seen in Men’s Health awhile back.
You take two free-weight plates of equal weight and press them together between your hands out in front of your chest. You’re not allowed to wrap your fingers anywhere around the edges of the plates and it’s a really good idea to hold them out far enough to save your toes in case of a mishap.
Then you just hold them together for as long as you can.
I started him out with five-pound weights and it didn’t take long until it became a competition. His best was a shaky minute and 33 seconds. Mine was a minute and 53.
Round two is scheduled for his workout this coming Monday.
The Men’s Health article ( I saved it as I often do when I see exercises I like) says the exercise builds the chest, biceps, shoulders and abs, and will help strengthen your grip. It suggests trying it at “the end of an upper-body routine or a chest workout, or in place of cable crossovers.”
Have fun.
August 4th, 2008
Swinging golf clubs, leaning halfway off the ladder to reach as far as possible while painting the house, lifting packed suitcases into the car — no wonder your back gets sore in summer.
Having a strong core — rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, the obliques, and erector spinae to name the main muscles — can help with prevention, but the experts at WebMD estimate that back pain is going to affect 80 percent of Americans at some point in their lives.
Here are a couple of stretches to help you avoid feeling like you need a week in traction:
Hip rotations – Lie face up with shoulders flat on the floor and arms stretched out to the sides so hands are at shoulder height. Knees are flexed with feet flat on the floor. Lean both knees to the right as far as possible without lifting the shoulders or glutes off the floor and hold for 20 to 30 seconds, return knees to starting position and then lean both knees to the left and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. That’s one repetition. Work up to performing three sets of 10 repetitions. You can increase the intensity by lifting both feet off the floor and even more by lying with legs straight with feet pointed toward ceiling.Â
Cat/cow — Kneel on hands and knees with abs flexed, hips lowered and upper back arched as if you were an angry cat. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Then let your head come up as you let your lower back sag and your hips raise. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Remember to breathe deeply and slowly during each position. Repeat each position three times.
One more thing. You’re less likely to overstress your back if you remember to lift with correct form.
Get up close to the object to be lifted and squat down with your back straight, grasp the object and stand straight up. If feasible, consciously keep your head up so you do the lifting using primarily your glutes and quadriceps.
August 4th, 2008
Studies showing that things like fidgeting while you sit can actually burn a significant number of calories have often fascinated me.
I’ve never tried fidgeting long enough to see if it’s true, but the same fascination holds for ”fitness tips” that I never would have thought of.
A public relations firm sent some along the other day as recommended by director/choreographer Helene Phillips. They looked interesting, so here they are:
1. Firing your abs — When you’re in your car at a stoplight, take the palms of your hands and push down on the top of the steering wheel. Keep your shoulders down and your neck relaxed. The minute you press down, you will start to fire your abs.
2. Feet — Anytime you find yourself standing still (as in waiting in line, etc.) push your toes into the ground. You will be working your arch and many muscles in your feet.
3. Glutes — Anytime you are seated, squeeze your glutes, hold for a count of three and release. Repeat several times a day.
4. Neck — While seated, press the back of your head toward the seat. At the same time, press your chin down toward your neck. Hold the position for a few seconds and then release. Repeat several times a day.
So, there you go, but I’d make sure when I’m firing my abs at a red light that my hands don’t slip down and accidentally blow the horn.
August 1st, 2008
We did a three-part series on using the Nintendo Wii Fit for exercise this week and I was interested in an article published in the July/August issue of ACE Fitness Matters about a study to determine if the Wii Sports exercises are as good as the real thing.
No surprise. They aren’t, according to the article.
But, the study concluded, they do have some value.
Here’s a quote from the story, written by Mark Anders:
“For instance, playing 30 minutes of Wii Boxing burns 216 calories, which is 51 calories more than brisk walking, while a 30-minute Wii Tennis match burns a respectable 159 calories.
“Some people may also find that the natural competitiveness that comes with playing Wii against an opponent can help with their motivation and, thus, their ability to stick with a regular exercise regime. The convenience of exercising in one’s own living room may also improve exercise adherence.”
The article also says boxing was the exercise that burned the most calories and the only one the American College of Sports Medicine considered intense enough to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory endurance.
From what we saw in our reporting, Wii is one of those exercise tools that certainly doesn’t hurt.
The way I figure it, anything that helps keep someone on their exercise track is a plus.
You can read the ACE Fitness Facts story at http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/WiiStudy.pdf
