http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike Editor Mike DeDoncker has been a personal trainer since 2000 and a writer in Rockford since 1969. He shares his knowledge on health and fitness here and keeps you up to date on what's going on with HealthyRockford.com. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:17:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This is an old one, but since it came up again in a conversation last week, it bears repeating. There is no such thing as spot reduction when it comes to exercise or dieting. A specific exercise, say sit-ups for the abs, will not get rid of fat in a specific area ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/30/on-the-spot/ When you think of abdominal exercises, the one that comes to mind is usually the crunch. It's basic and, usually, not too difficult. Lying face up with knees bent, abdominals tightened and feet flat on the floor, you flex your torso up by contracting your abs. There are several ways to vary ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/27/go-crunchless/ A story I read on msn.com the other day reminded me that we Baby Boomers never seem to want to grow up. Remember the Presidential Physical Fitness Award we tested for back in school? The payoff was a certificate that said you were in shape and could prove it. Well, so many ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/25/testing-yourself/ New exercisers, if they take up both cardiovascular and strength training workouts on the same days, eventually come to a kind of "chicken or the egg" question. Which workout should come first? You can probably find as many different answers as there are fitness experts to express an opinion, because that one ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/24/which-comes-first/ New research has led to formulation of the "big breakfast" diet that includes milk, three ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and an ounce of milk chocolate or candy at the first meal of the day. I read about it in a ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/23/chocolate-for-breakfast/ A bunch of us were having dinner after a game of golf a couple of weeks ago and, as older athletes are prone to do, we started talking about the body parts we've injured over the years during the course of our workouts. Not very far into the conversation, it became ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/20/safe-shoulders/ HealthyRockford.com, among other things, is supposed to impart information that helps people make healthy changes in their lives. I don't know about anyone else, but it may be changing me. Until I wrote about them last week, I hadn't given much thought recently to correct portion sizes. After I did, I realized ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/17/changing-me/ I've written a couple of times about knowing the correct serving size when you're trying to manage your weight, so here's a list of easy visual cues to help figure the right size for various foods. Hint: They have nothing to do with the serving sizes you'll find on most restaurant plates. A serving ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/13/whats-a-serving/ The issue of health is so important and prevalent that it can be found almost everywhere. I noticed a blog posting about corporate wellness this week on Career Corner, the blog by QPS on our sister site, BusinessRockford.com. Corporate wellness programs can drop a company's health care costs, but finding the program ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/11/workplace-wellness/ I fulfilled a promise Saturday when I ran the 4th annual 911Run. When Mark Marinaro called the paper four years ago to ask for publicity for the first run, I promised him I would run it because the proceeds benefit the Fire and Police Chaplains Division, the Rockford Fire Department and ... http://blogs.e-rockford.com/likemike/2008/06/09/make-a-promise/