BLOG
|
THERE'S A NEW FAD that seems to have originated on the West Coast but has taken hold in other ‘pockets’ around the country. Lindsey Bever authored a great piece for The Washington Post, “‘Raw Water’ is the latest health craze. Here’s why drinking it may be a bad idea” that doesn’t need much explanation, once you’ve read the title. But is definitely worth the read.
To avoid additives like fluoride and chlorine and contaminants like lead, and to gain natural minerals and beneficial probiotic bacteria, proponents are successfully selling some on the idea of drinking untreated water. And selling what’s referred to as “captured’ water at very high prices. Scientists who are responsible for preventing the spread of waterborne infections through public systems applaud the concern that has arisen about water safety. However, the piece cautions that “by shunning recommended water safety practices, experts warn, raw water purveyors may also be selling things you don’t want to drink- dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites.” That’s right, parasites! Yes, minerals might be eliminated through filtration methods, but these same minerals are also present in foods, and can be obtained by eating a healthy diet, experts referenced in Bever’s piece say. They feel the advertised benefits of raw water are not worth the risks. It is pointed out that, “lack of clean water kills hundreds of thousands of children each year” around the globe Invisible dangers lurk in drinking water captured and bottled directly from a spring. It may appear to be clear and taste fresh, but not be clean. “The cleanliness of the water, they say depends on things you can’t see- whether herds of elk or moose or caribou have relieved themselves in a stream that you’re drinking from and left it full of parasites. Or whether there has been groundwater contamination from naturally occurring elements such as arsenic, radon, or uranium, or from pesticides and other chemicals”. The experts should have had you at “parasites”. I lectured medical students at Michigan State University. One of the most unpopular topics in gastrointestinal pathology was parasitic infection. To students it seemed such a rare illness, and they weren’t eager to spend time learning the material. And parasites can burrow through tissues and migrate from the gut to the lung and liver and even the eyes. It was a disgusting topic. Two of the GI diseases we talked about were giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis; both contracted by drinking untreated or incompletely treated water. If any former students are reading this I hope you remember how the diseases were differentiated by me and Dr. Mulks (hint: ‘Crypto’ in public systems v Giardia in streams, beaver ponds). There’s always another side to such discussions, and an article in the New York Times provides more of the arguments put forth by proponents. Read before you buy this dangerous and expensive substance. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/01/03/raw-water-is-the-latest-health-craze-heres-why-drinking-it-may-be-a-bad-idea/ https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/gen_info/infect.html https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/dining/raw-water-unfiltered.html
0 Comments
STRENGTH SESSION THAT MAY WORK FOR ‘SAINTS DAYS’ PLAN. Sara Lindberg has put together a strength workout in an ACTIVE.com slideshow article “20 Minute Bodyweight Workout for Weight Loss”, with ten exercises that could be used on strength days of the HALF MARATHON WITH ’SAINTS’ DAYS’ 5K & 10K TRAINING PLAN.
The ‘SAINTS DAYS’ plan alternates upper and lower body strength workouts on 1-2 days each week. Two to three days per week of strength sessions would be ideal, but one workout/week is better than none. Scheduling it as part of race preparation may be the first and only nudge new runners will receive to incorporate strength work into training. This routine can be switched for a lower body session in the plan; it has 5 exercises that primarily work the hips and legs (squats, lunges, jumps, glute bridge, superman). There are 5 exercises that build core strength and help improve posture and trunk stability. They are listed below (with muscles worked added in parentheses) What’s great about this particular workout is that the movements in each exercise are relatively simple, except for “The Hundred”. The demonstrations are straightforward (there’s an additional reference to help with learning proper technique for the Hundred). The directions given by Lindberg say you should repeat the entire set 2-3 times. If you’re not familiar with these exercises the going may be slow at first, 20 minutes will slip by quickly, and you’ll only have time for one set. If you find the entire workout is too much for the time you have, break it into 2 sets of 5, each performed on a separate day. Select 2-3 exercises that are more difficult and add 2-3 that are easier for each set. Trainers and coaches will recommend changing up routines periodically to challenge muscles in with different moves, but mentally it can be hard to do this. Try this workout. If you don’t like it, continue to try others. Take exercises you do like from each workout and create your own. Even if exercises are described as working the same muscle, if the basic move is different, functionally the muscles will be challenged in a different way. For example, squats and forward lunges both work the quadriceps muscles but they will strengthen the legs a bit differently. I plan to keep this routine on hand to use for one workout a week January to June. I’ll need 2-4 others that use weights, part of keeping my resolution to weight train. I can run through it quickly in the early morning at home in front of the TV and catch up on weather, sports and, ugh, news. Exercises are listed below for ready reference. I write my list lengthwise on a business envelope, folded in half, with a different workout on each side. I keep this and other ‘envelopes plans’ in a plastic bag with ear buds and a resistance band, which I take with me wherever I workout. Including in my suitcase when traveling. Good luck putting together your strength work plan! Perhaps this routine will be of help. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.active.com/fitness/articles/20-minute-bodyweight-workout-for-weight-loss *further demonstration http://www.dummies.com/health/exercise/pilates/how-to-do-the-pilates-hundred-exercise/ EXERCISE LIST -Squats with side leg lift (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal, calf, lower back, abdominal muscles). -Push-ups (pectoral, deltoid, triceps, biceps) -Plank jacks (same as planks plus more effort to stabilize) -Forward alternating lunge (quadriceps, gluteal, hamstring, calf, lower back muscles) -Plank (abdominal, lower back muscles) -Squat jumps (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal, lower back, and abdominal muscles). -Superman (upper and lower back, gluteal, and hamstring muscles) -Bird dog (upper and middle back, shoulder, glutes, abdominal muscles) -The Hundred (abdominal muscles)* -Single leg glute bridge (gluteal, abdominal, lower back, quadriceps, hamstrings, and inner thigh muscles) THE 2018 HALF MARATHON with SAINTS DAYS 5k and 10K Training Plan
(FINAL DRAFT) is now available on the RESOURCES page. There will be one more check before the first day of training Sunday January14. There aren’t likely to further edits; it’s just a precaution to find mistakes It’s a good idea to look it over. Remember with any plan there is some wiggle room to make changes. The long run day in this plan is on Saturdays. Some might find it more convenient to shift the schedule forward or backward such that this run falls on Fridays or Sundays. Initially the runs are shorter in distance, but as the plan progresses will require a considerable time commitment. Check your school, social, and work calendars to determine if alterations now will help you persevere in the later months of the plan. Note that dates of the 5K St. Valentine’s Day and 10K St Patrick’s Day races in the plan fall on weekends before and after the actual holiday. Search online for organized events as soon as possible so that you can write the specific date on your calendar. Because these themed races might be held on any weekend day near the saint’s feast day (February 14 and March 17) you’ll need to personalize the plan once you register for these races. Remember, a custom race can be arranged if you use Earned Runs bibs for these events! Walkers can follow the same plan to participate in a 5K and possibly a 10K. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! Part 1 Part 2 “The Only Fitness Resolution We Need: This New Year’s resolution has nothing to do with losing weight or setting a new PR,” item from MotivRunning.com by Susan Lacke is a great article.
It is INSPIRATIONAL on two levels. Lacke’s writing lifts up the person who may wish to run a race, become an athlete, or greatly improve physical functioning, but who has not been able to overcome current-status inertia and take the first big step toward a fitness goal. The story she tells about her own journey to become the running enthusiast she is today is amazing. I read articles routinely and pass those that seem useful on to others. There’s usually a little blurb introducing the author, which briefly describes that person’s fitness related accomplishments. The story behind the blurb is not told. I tend to look at these accomplished experts as, well, experts. It doesn’t occur to me that they may have struggled like I have, or experienced a time when their confidence was so low it was almost non-existent. In this article, Lacke tells her story. How she started out, with almost no aspirations to become a serious runner, who would come to write columns about the sport. She gives credit for her personal transformation to the friend of a friend, Carlos, who sent her a 5k training plan and skipped the usual joke she was expecting. Thus, the story leads us to the second level of inspiration this article provides. The “cheerleader” level. Lacke describes a situation in which a person announces an ambitious goal to be better in terms of fitness or health, but receives less than encouraging reactions from friends, online acquaintances, and skeptical fitness buffs. That person likely fails, possibly because no one “wholly believed they could beat the odds”, she says, that statistically predict failure instead of success. In 2018, the columnist challenges those of us who are able to lead the cheering section for others to resolve to be “better people” while we’re trying to be better athletes. To “change the trajectory of someone else’s life” by offering active support to newbie achievers. This article hit me in the heart. Her call to be a booster for others is what Earned Runs was founded to do. To encourage and enable people with timid but real aspirations to take the bold step of working toward a fitness goal. It could be to run a 5K, or walk one. Other challenges might be to swim a mile, perform 20, 30, or 40+ push-ups, burpees, chin-ups etc., or improve mobility and balance. Earned Runs wants to serve as that better person, who has faith in every would-be athlete and actively proves it by providing supportive materials. I found that a personal racing bib, folded in a pocket, taped to the refrigerator, or tucked inside my planner, can be a silent cheerleader. Especially If I’ve written my goal and tracked my progress on it. Consider trying this. Regardless, know that Earned Runs believes in and is willing to help you. RUN & MOVE HAPPY https://www.motivrunning.com/running-life/inspiration/new-years-resolution-need/
CAN A JOURNAL HELP? WHY? MUST IT BE A BULLET JOURNAL? The BuJo (Bullet Journal) craze has made it seem that traditional to-do list pads and ruler-lined pages in a student notebook are not great at helping us organize our lives. Well at least they are not as likely to motivate and inspire as the use of the dot-grid page-filled journal made famous by the popular doodling activity. BuJo has been promoted by creator Ryder Carroll as “the Analog System for the Digital Age.”
Jessica Stillman, who writes about witnessing the birth of the BuJo movement in a July 2017 article for Inc.com, sought to answer for readers whether it worked as advertised by organization and self-help gurus to improve productivity. First, she briefly defines the activity. Then she references an article in The Guardian which outlines in greater detail the scientific reasons why bullet journaling may or may not be beneficial to health and everyday life. In a nutshell, Stillman explains that BuJo challenges practitioners to create a year-long, indexed and cross-referenced system of lists and notes, which can cover anything from “reading lists to life goals”. Tasks, jotted down daily or monthly, can be scheduled, checked off when completed, or relocated to other sections of the journal. Hand drawn symbols, pictures, and doodles illustrate and “add extra meaning to thoughts or events”. The official BulletJournal.com website seems to see its system as a creator of community, a way of life. BuJo does not appear to be merely selling a notebook with dotted pages; it’s promoting a method of organization, inspiration, mindfulness, and connectedness. Before purchasing journaling materials, consider learning a bit about the system. It might influence your choices. The difficulty is that there is SO MUCH written about it that there’s the risk of getting lost in the jargon forest of the enthusiasts. These two articles have the specific purpose of presenting information that explains WHY keeping a journal in general might be life-changing, as advocates claim. The gist of the scientific evidence discussed in the mostly positive Stillman BuJo article is that 1) merely unloading thoughts onto a journal page can be a healthy mental health exercise; 2) writing to-do lists can help keep uncompleted tasks from intruding into thoughts; and 3) doodling may free the imagination and assist with generating “productive periods of activity” and creativity. The Guardian article, written by Nicola Davis a bit earlier in 2017, is more skeptical that the practice will benefit everyone who tries it. But she offers a much more exhaustive examination of the trend’s origins and growth, and what it has to offer those who adopt the list-making system. Both articles conclude that not everyone will be organizationally fulfilled by bullet journaling. But if runners and other athletes are willing to attempt much more disruptive and potentially dangerous practices to improve performance, like living at high altitude (legal) or blood doping (illegal), BuJo-ing seems comparatively tame and low-risk. The expense of a journal and colored writing instruments, plus the time to doodle, would be on the line. I’m not sure a journal is needed for organizing all of my life, but perhaps it will be amazing at motivating and keeping track of fitness-related activities. The dot-grid products are a somewhat expensive, about $25. Earned Runs has found a plain, $12-16, line-ruled notebook that might also be up to the task. The DesignWorks Ink, Standard Issue No. 12, Split Twin-Wire Bound Personal Notebook is stripped down and all business. I like the way each of the 92 pages might be utilized as a calendar/diary, with the months and dates printed in the top header. It measures 6 x 8.25 inches, large enough to hold Earned Runs bibs between its covers. It has a “bullet template” page finder. The spiral binding allows flipping the pages so that each can lay flat and be exposed to full view every day. I had a weather record calendar like this for years and found it easy to use. There is a little more research needed on my part to select other products to trial this year. I made a New Year’s resolution to organize my fitness work that is convenient for travel. What are your suggestions and experiences? Are you game? Or, been-there-done-that-over it? RUN & MOVE HAPPY! NOTE TO MEN: MindJournals.com aims its recommendation for journaling at MEN who might think these activities are less-than manly. It website banner reads: "Become a Stronger Version of the Man You Already Are". https://www.mindjournals.com http://bulletjournal.com https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/can-a-complicated-bullet-journal-help-you-get-more.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/11/bullet-journalling-can-you-write-your-way-to-happiness FROM ROCKFORD MICHIGAN! Kristin Austin reported in February 2017 on mlive.com of a local Michigan athlete who developed a protein cookie to help with her triathlon training. Rebecca Cruttenden started baking her own creations in order to have a ready source of protein. Not caring much for bars, but loving to bake, she put her talent to work. A founder and director of Team Orphans, the seven-time Ironman finisher has raised over $203,000 in the last seven years through her racing. The money has funded adoption grants that help children with special needs to find “forever homes”. The Ironman competitor works with six adoption agencies throughout the nation as director of Team Orphans, as well a West Michigan agency, Bethany Christian Services. Cruttenden started making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies about 5 years ago for her personal use, as a substitute for the PB&J sandwiches that fueled her training. She was encouraged by her husband to turn the cookie-making effort into a business, which was established in May 2016. Ultimately, she was inspired to change the cookie name to Clara (Clara Cookies), after a little girl who was helped by Team Orphans. What makes this cookie-making special is that, according to the website, 100% of profits are donated to Team Orphans for adoption grants. And the business is 100% run by volunteers. A local organization, Camp Rodger, allows the business to use its commercial baking facility. The facts: 4 flavors (peanut butter chocolate chip, lemon poppy seed, double dark chocolate chip with roasted almonds, coconut dark chocolate chip); 8 to 13 grams protein, 180-350 calories. Nutrition labels show that each cookie is about 60-66 gm, is gluten free, and contains eggs and soy. Nuts are also a source of protein in two of the flavors, milk in 3 flavors. The cookies are great tasting and pleasantly filling. They are not heavy or sweet. Opinions vary as to what ingredients combine to make the nutritionally 'best' protein bars (in this case, cookie) if online articles are consulted. You'll need to read the label and decide for yourself. Clara Cookies can be ordered online and are sold at about 30 local/regional stores. Just before Christmas time the bike stores I checked were out of this product; I found two of the flavors at an outdoor sports outfitter retailer. Call ahead if you're local and wish to buy at a store. It’s worth trying these 100% charity-supporting cookies if you’d like to use your heart to help train your muscles. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! http://www.mlive.com/rockford/index.ssf/2017/02/rockford_athlete_turns_protein.html http://www.claracookies.com https://www.facebook.com/Claraproteincookies/www.facebook.com/Claraproteincookies/ https://camproger.org KNOW, KNOW, KNOW THE ROW in order to expertly cross-train with a rowing machine on non-running days. Jaclyn Emerick helps readers “decode” the dashboard on a rowing machine in her article for SHAPE.com, “How to Use a Rowing Machine for a Better Cardio Workout”. By learning what the numbers mean, especially the time and distance buttons, a goal workout can be programmed. Rather than jumping on and randomly rowing, she indicates, better to have a strategy that will lead to specific fitness results.
Her article links to a total body rowing workout you might wish to try, from her expert source at CityRow, a New York City studio. However, this workout doesn’t seem to incorporate the actual rowing activity. Instead it demonstrates how to perform non-rowing exercises using the machine. I found another workout from Lauren Mazzo, also for SHAPE.com, which breaks a rowing workout session into warm-up, upper body, lower body, and core circuits. A distance (meters)-defined rowing component is alternated with each bodyweight exercises. It looks awesome! This information will definitely be useful to me because I mostly row on a whim, not intending to perform a rowing workout. I happen to see someone on the machine and get the idea to round out my gym visit by rowing for a certain number of minutes. I hadn’t ever considered using it with other bodyweight exercises, as done in the Lazzo routine. A speed rowing machine segment was incorporated into each of the two Orange Theory Titness classes I attended last year. Despite that exposure, I did not recognize the potential of the machine in the design of a personal routine before seeing Lazzo’s piece. It’s possible that others have been relatively clueless, like me, when it comes to modern rowing machine workouts. Perhaps not; everyone else is smarter. Regardless, look these over; one or both might be useful during the cold weeks of winter when aerobic activity is most likely to be taken inside, by those with access to a fitness center. If you don’t, it might be possible to substitute jumping jacks (traditional or modified) for rowing in the Lazzo workout. Just a thought. One more thought: gym policies may not allow you to tie up a machine for an entire personal workout, getting on and off to complete each floor exercise after rowing. Or there may not be sufficient space on which to perform the bodyweight exercises. Be prepared to experience logistical difficulties. It might help to ask staff for advice on times the machine is likely to be available or for help moving a machine. Courtesy is a must. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/how-use-rowing-machine https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/full-body-rowing-workout-burn-crapload-calories https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/low-impact-hiit-rowing-machine-workout http://www.cityrow.com https://www.orangetheoryfitness.com ![]() HALF MARATHON WITH 'SAINTS DAYS 5K AND 10K BEGINNER TRAINING PLAN will begin January 14, 2018. If one of your 2018 Resolutions is to run or walk a race, Earned Runs may be able to provide you with a daily training plan that starts January 14. It takes you through the middle of May, when you would complete a half marathon. Prior to that effort you would complete a 5K near the St. Valentine’s Day weekend in mid-February and a 10K near the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in mid-March. Each of these races is intended to serve as a ‘tune-up’ competition for the half marathon. However, if you are not interested in the longer distance race, you can use the plans to provide a daily training schedule through the winter. Spring begins a bit later in March, so you can go your own way after the St Patrick’s Day event. The helpful aspect of all Earned Runs training plans is that they encourage mobility and strength work, so are not exclusively focused on simply running or walking sessions. Check out the DRAFTS for the 2018 Plan, parts 1 and 2. Perhaps you’ll want to use them to guide you toward accomplishing fitness goals for the year. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! Free download Earned Runs HALF MARATHON WITH 'SAINTS DAYS 5K &10K PART 1 DRAFT Free download Earned Runs HALF MARATHON WITH 'SAINTS DAYS 5K &10K PART 2 DRAFT Today is the last day of a long year. It is the last 24 hours in which to make a change to improve your personal fitness in 2017. Huh? How can physical well-being be bettered in just 24 hours?
Consider this: it is how you will accomplish this task in 2018. ONE DAY AT A TIME. You’ll be incrementally better after today, and better after January 1, then January 2, and so on. Even if the improvement is small, you’ll be ‘better’. If the commitment is not made each and every day to complete a scheduled workout, recovery activity, or merely a sitting-cessation break, your fitness will likely not improve over the upcoming 365 twenty-four-hour periods of the next year. Which means a daily schedule is essential to implementing New Year Resolutions you set out to keep through 2018. One definition of the noun “resolution” is: “a FIRM decision to do or not do something”. Like exercise more. Or become more fit. Or run a race. Do you have Resolutions for 2018? A FIRM set of fitness and health goals “to do or not do” for the year? Draft your list today. Make it short and simple; three or less specific goals. Make adjustments tomorrow. Then develop a plan to reach each goal. Finally, rough out a weekly schedule. Spend the next few weeks refining the plan and schedule. Determine the start date as January 15. Make revisions throughout the year if needed, that allow you to persevere in reaching your goals. LAST DAY OF THE YEAR EXERCISE: On this last day of 2017, commit to performing a strength, mobility, balance, or aerobic activity you dread doing that is likely to be a component of your weekly schedule in 2018. Just one repetition, sequence, or 10-minute time unit. Perhaps it will not be as awful or difficult as imagined, and you’ll decide to continue and complete just one set or sequence. And perhaps another, or a full workout. For me this is a push-up. A pool lap, Dead Bug exercise, Hip Bridge. For you it might be a run, stationary bike session, MYRTLS, or triceps dip. Performing this one physical activity today will serve as a psychological exercise as well; one that proves you are up to the challenges set by your New Year Resolutions. And you’ll be ‘better’ today than you were on December 30. You may find that performing the single ‘dreaded’ physical exercise is much easier than setting down resolutions, constructing a plan, and preparing a schedule. However, I find that if I don’t make this effort, my resolve will not be FIRM enough to survive one week into the NewYear. RUN HAPPY! Those of you who have been maintaining a training schedule after Thanksgiving to be able to participate in a New Year’s Eve or Day 5k are in the countdown to your event. However, record cold temperatures across much of the United States may test your resolve that day and threaten to derail your plans to usher in 2018 with an athletic effort.
Thus far, notice of widespread event cancellations due to weather conditions have not been publicized. Hopefully all will be held as planned. However, for safety sake it may be a good idea to have an alternative planned in case your personal situation prevents participation. Driving to the site of the run or walk might be dangerous on snowy or wet slippery roads. The prospect of waiting for the race to start in frigid wind chill temperatures may daunting and ill-advised with certain medical conditions. Uncertain footing on slick pavement or uneven snow-encrusted trails could be a set-up for injury. There are many reasons to consider not showing up for a race on a very cold, blustery morning or evening, especially if precipitation is forecasted. The purpose of running or walking at an end/beginning of the year event might be to show commitment to oneself that physical activity will be a priority for 2018. Or a symbolic effort to indicate that a healthy approach to life is important for the future. Maybe for some it’s simply an opportunity for fun. Or a chance to show toughness, as this time of year is not known for perfect outdoor conditions that would bring out fair-weather athletes. Thus, should a scheduled race be called off, having a Plan B in place will help save a wrecked event. If an organized competition is not going to work out on December 31 or January 1, DIY events could be just as much, if not more fun, and still signal commitment to fitness in the New Year. It's one of the situations for which Earned Runs bibs are provided, free! Earned Runs has a few suggestions: - If an outdoor run isn’t possible, WALK the outdoor race distance of 5K. it is possible to bundle up more warmly and walk more easily in such clothing than to run in lighter fitness gear worn when running. - 5K is a measure of distance; 5 kilometers, or 5000 meters. Use the number '5000' as basis for your effort. Cycle for 83 minutes on a stationary bike to spend 5000 seconds in exercise. Take 5000 steps indoors in the mall. - Consider any physical exercise effort for 50 or more minutes to be proof of commitment to health in 2018. If you are fortunate enough to belong to a fitness club/gym, opportunities for activity are usually plentiful in these centers. - Start any new workout, one that you have not attempted or have avoided in the past, that is planned for your 2018 exercise routine. The point is to NOT abandon plans to challenge yourself on this holiday. Arrange to perform an small activity that pushes you beyond your fitness comfort level. You’ll start 2018 with confidence! RUN HAPPY! FINDING PROGRAMS THAT WORK FOR YOU. I was cleaning house and sorting print journals and magazines for recycling when the cover of a 6-month old TIME magazine issue grabbed my attention “The Weight Loss Trap…Why your diet isn’t working”. The featured article was written by Alexandra Sifferlin.
The weight loss secret Sifferlin identifies up front, on the first pages of the item, is that “no single diet, from low carb and paleo to low fat ad vegan-will work for everyone.” That’s the big message of the entire 7-page article! The article begins by describing the efforts of an NIH (National Institutes of Health) scientist to find the answer to the puzzling question of how people could successfully lose weight. The scientist had started watching the television show “The Greatest Loser” to learn how contestants were able to shed so much weight week by week. The startling revelation uncovered by his interest in the process was that even under the ideal conditions created by the show, which resulted in speedy reduction in mostly fat mass, 13 of the 14 persons he studied gained back much of the lost weight, and a few became even heavier. At a rate of 2-4 pounds per year. The extensive discussion explains that the metabolism of most dieters was reduced by the process and remained low even after weight was regained! The gist of the advice provided to readers, who search for the answer promised by the article’s title, is that the path to successful sustainable weight loss will be different for everyone. That most persons who eventually decrease their weight and maintain the loss will have tried at least one method, and likely several, without good results before identifying one that WORKS FOR THEM. The diet that seems to take the pounds off a spouse, or friend, or celebrity will probably not have the same effect on everyone who tries it. Individuals will respond differently to different diets. And it doesn’t appear to relate to genetics. Sifferlin described a program that tracks people who have achieved and maintained weight loss of at least 30 pounds for 1 year, the National Weight Control Registry, which offers this information:
The article says that Registry leaders learned at least one valuable lesson from the collected data, that of 100,000 “real-life biggest losers, no two people lost weight in the same way.” Other experts, consulted for this article, advised that the best strategies take a whole-person approach to finding the magic mix of tactics that will result in success. It’s not just the biology of calories in and energy expended that should guide the construction of a plan. Psychology, budget, and behavior, for example, should also be taken into consideration. What does this have to do with EXERCISE? Earned Runs doesn’t have data from a registry of exercisers from which to make conclusions about how to successfully become fit. But here’s the leap of faith: perhaps we can borrow from the work and lessons learned about weight loss. We can translate the findings about dieting to exercise activity; there’s no single program that will be make everyone physically fit. Each person must search for ways to incorporate healthy activity into daily life. No one studio class, sport, or fad exercise will likely lead to overall fitness that can be enjoyed over a lifetime. Those who are interested in maintaining and possibly improving functional fitness may need to try different approaches before finding a winning combination that syncs with individual biology, behavior, psychology, and budget. And like the dieters will need to do, make adjustments as lives and circumstances change. What works well at age 30 may not at ages 40, 50, and beyond. And what seems ideal for single, working, urban dwellers will not probably not fit the needs of a suburban parent of young children. The happy lesson that we learn in the TIME article is that we are not doomed by genes or any other characteristic when it comes to successful dieting, and likely not in achieving fitness either. If the exercise program or gym routine our neighbor is addicted to doesn’t seem to keep us interested or on track to achieve personal fitness goals, no worry. There’s an activity combination that will; each person must continue to explore and try different approaches. As fitness and health resolutions are being formulated for 2018, it is encouraging to believe that a successful strategy may be to evaluate and change what doesn’t seem to be working. NOT to accept failure when a plan doesn’t motivate or inspire perseverance. RUN HAPPY! http://time.com/magazine/us/4793878/june-5th-2017-vol-189-no-21-u-s/ WEIGHT WORKOUT THAT CAN BE ADAPTED TO TRAINING LEVEL. If the idea of performing a kettle bell workout has interested you, the routine featured in a SHAPE.com article by Jaclyn Emerick might get you to actually try one. It’s meant to strengthen the back and shoulders, and in doing so straighten posture wrecked by sitting slumped over hand-held electronic devices for repeated and long periods of time.
A tall and upright posture is one component of good running and walking form. Emerick’s article includes pictures demonstrating workout moves. The kettlebell modeled in the images looks like the 5-pounder I have at home. It’s not the 25-pound+ size usually shown in routines employing this piece of gym equipment, which I also have at home. Those are the only 2 sizes I own. That’s what encouraged me to read the full piece. The very first kettlebell exercise that came to my attention about 7 years ago, was the “swing” promoted by The 4 Hour Body author Tim Ferriss. He had identified it as his choice of the single best exercise to perform to change body composition (lose fat), if only one could be chosen. The 53-pound weight Ferriss used was hefty. Recommendations in online instructional information start at 25+ pounds for men and 13+ pounds for women. I tried this ‘perfect’ exercise, but did not perform it regularly. Concerned I would injure myself as a result of swinging too heavy a weight with imperfect technique. So I purchased a 5 pound weight that was far too light for swings, and did not ever make use of it. Thus this article attracted my attention because it looked as if the 5-pounder might be perfect to use in this set of exercises. Or at least be the weight with which to warm up. In the routine featured by Emerick, expert Matthew R. Staver, a health studio owner is quoted: “pick a weight that makes the last two reps of each set difficult to crank out” "Even if you go heavy, you're not going to build Arnold muscles," he said. "You'll create a sculpted, trim look." Earned Runs thinks this particular kettlebell routine might be perfect for those who want to work with lighter weight kettlebells, and allow moving-up-to or dropping-back-from heavier weights at various points in training. It doesn’t demand that a significantly heavy weight be used. The exercises include: 1) high pull, 2) pendulum raise, 3) side plank fly, 4) good morning shoulder press, 5) bus driver [my favorite of this group], 6) elevated bent-over row, and 7) shoulder salutation. Check out these exercises. Perhaps a couple can be added or switched-in to your favorite routines to help improve posture, good running and walking form, and overall appearance! RUN HAPPY! https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/kettlebell-back-workout-makes-you-look-taller-leaner-and-seriously-sculpted http://www.newbalance.com/good_form_walking.htmlwww.newbalance.com/good_form_walking.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbNCC-BMNKg https://www.kettlebellsusa.com/what-size-kettlebell-should-i-buy-guidelines-for-men-and-women-to-choose-a-starter-kettlebell-weight http://www.stack.com/a/new-balance-good-form-running http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2011/05/28/new-balance-and-playmakers-good-form-running/ https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/look-thinner-instantly#1 WAKE UP SLEEPY HEADS, an article by Gabrielle Kassel for SHAPE.com seems to advise. “How to Wake Up Early for a Morning Workout, According to Women Who Do It at 4 a.m.” This may seem like madness to some.
If you calculate back 8 hours to what bedtime should be with this routine, the clock would indicate 8 pm the night before. Turning in any later will potentially shorten the hours available for muscle recovery. If the way is clear to keep this schedule and family, work, or social obligations allow climbing into bed as prime-time TV is gearing up, it can be a terrific idea. An alternative could be to settle for 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep, which pushes bedtime forward to 8:30 or 9 pm. Weekends might provide an opportunity to grab more shut-eye time. Another alternative is to wake a bit later, at 4:30 or 5am, and adjust exercise, travel, and grooming time to be ready to start non-exercise related daily activities by 6 to 7am. The fact remains that time cannot be created, and if wake time shifts, so must bedtime if sleep hours are to remain in the healthy range. After living in several parts of the country, I consider my optimal wake-up time to be time zone dependent. When living on the west coast in the pacific zone, the time difference meant that my husband and I were eager to get going very, very, early, keeping hours as close to the eastern zone as possible. That’s because we had work and colleagues back East, and wanted to have our productive day in parallel with theirs’. Also, our family lived in the eastern and central zones, and it was more convenient to shift to earlier hours. We did not have young children then. We woke at 3am most weekday mornings to catch the pre-market business news and national weather (I love the Weather Channel). Both of us regularly traveled back and forth, west to east, to tend to work and family obligations, so it made sense to synchronize our body clocks with the other time zones. Without those reasons, I am not sure we could have kept to that early schedule. Crazily, in those years I started work early and quit to exercise in mid-afternoon, the exact opposite of the topic of this article. Now, living back east, 4:30 to 5am is still convenient and favored for exercise, but it makes enjoying later social engagements difficult. On weekends a nap might be able to smooth out the evening time roughness, but this is a luxury not many in modern society can afford. The women in the article make excellent arguments for their pre-dawn start times and offer helpful tips to maintain these exercise hours. Like putting the alarm clock in the bathroom or the programmable coffee maker in the bedroom. One of the women explains how health issues help her enforce exercise discipline. Another relates it to an unpredictable work schedule. If you can swing this morning schedule, it is empowering. if you cannot, don’t sweat it. Those who brag about early schedules might be expressing insecurity. If you accomplish your exercise goals, you’ll be empowered regardless of the time your clock sounds its alarm. RUN HAPPY! LAST WEEK OF DECEMBER Why suffer the pressure of composing a New Year Fitness Resolution list on January 1? Prepare a draft this week and then edit it in the first week of the year. Not a mental list, but a HARD COPY, on paper. A huge barrier to accomplishing goals set at the start of the new calendar, in Earned Runs experience, is to not have invested enough time and effort in the process of building a list of exercise and health behavior to-do’s.
There’s no rule that work on resolutions must start on day #1 of the next 365 in 2018. I like to mark the start date as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 2018, it falls on January 15. Holiday festivities can leave us exhausted and disorganized. Resolution makers might be prevented from starting immediately on self-promised improvements by travel disruptions, resumption of full work, school, and family schedules, and general household cluttering that resulted from holiday activities. It’s nearly impossible to begin new fitness and health regimens under these circumstances. Disappointment in not being able to start reversing previous bad habits leads to discouragement. Before we’ve even started. Earned Runs suggests this step-by-step process, or something like it, to give yourself a chance at success in establishing, starting, and keeping your 2018 resolutions: Last week of December 2017: Buy or make a calendar, log, or diary for 2018 fitness/health tracking DRAFT a list of resolutions that cover exercise, diet, and health goals on page 1 First week of January 2018 (1/1-7): Revise the list on page 2 DRAFT a list of specific goals or activities that will help keep resolution on pages 3 Organize and clean food storage and prep areas, build shopping list of needed items Organize and clean closets, gym bags that hold workout clothes Second week of January 2018 (1/8-14): Finalize resolution list on page 4 Finalize goal list on pages 5 Continue to organize, clean food storage and prep areas, by needed items Continue to organize, clean closets, gym bags that hold workout clothes, buy new items Construct a calendar for log book or January 15-March 31, even if rough dates must be used, revise at that date , fill out next quarter after that date.
Start on new resolutions! An Earned Runs example can be seen by clicking on this link. The points to be made: about making resolutions: a) Don’t wait until January 1 to start working on resolutions b) Don’t feel you need to begin those resolutions on January 1; More advance planning and thought will possibly help you continue to successfully make the desired changes identified by the resolutions. RUN HAPPY! |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
November 2023
CategoriesNew! Search Box
Earned Runs is now searchable! Check it out...
|