Today an article was published by HealthyDay on MSN Health & Fitness regarding the importance of fruits and vegetables to bone health.
FINALLY!!
pH balance diet proponents everywhere are yelling, "DUH!" at the screen right now. It's true, there have been studies but rarely are so-called radical ideas brought into a mainstream forum. It seems like if a study isn't sponsored by Kellogg's or the American Council on Nutritional Lies to Tell Americans (okay, one of these isn't real) then the study won't make it into our hands. Unless we REALLY search...hard!
If you haven't been in the loop, there is the 'theory' that a diet that incorporated large amounts of animal products and grains were a primary cause of mineral loss from our bones. The 'theory' goes, meat/dairy/grain break down in the body into acidic remains. This acidity is no good for our bodies and our blood. In order to bring the body into balance the system leaches a bunch of good guys OUT of our bones (good things like calcium!) that help to alkalize the blood and body. So now we're neutral again, but at the cost of healthy bones.
Bummer.
So what's being said is that it doesn't matter if you are doing box jumps while eating mega-calcium-Vitamin D-enhanced cheese. You'll be offsetting the bone-building goodness with all the acidic remains of the dairy. Your balance is zero. Eat some wilted spinach and kale instead :)
So they are recommending that you eat more fruits and vegetables and try to limit your animal product and grain intake. Ideas?
~Spaghetti squash in lieu of regular spaghetti,
~Bean / tofu chili instead of beef chili,
~Herb-crusted cremini mushrooms in place of meatballs in italian dishes
and so on. And you will make your body so happy!!
If you want to read the blurb article:
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Stress-busting foods...to not eat?
I have MSN as my home page, so I can see a bunch of different articles listed out for me in one place whenever I sit down. I really like to check on their nutrition/fitness articles and I am amused how the topics are constantly recycled.
ANYWAY, there was a slide show put up the other day that was so awful that it was STAGGERING! That is possibly why I cannot find it now. I have checked the archives and can't find it. If you do, please link it to me! I'm kicking myself for not grabbing the link when I had the chance.
This slideshow was suppose to show us how to eat to avoid stress and/or anxiety during the day regardless of the situations in which we find ourselves. Okay, sounds good right? Great, until you notice that the author recommended snacking on nothing else but SUGAR all day. Graham crackers were listed as a great mood-boosting snack...on their own sans protein or healthy fat. The author actually went so far as to say that you should NOT rely on fruit sugars as they won't boost your blood sugar the same way as (processed) carbs will.
Um...
So this article said "Don't eat fruit. Eat bullshit packaged sugar foods that have no nutritional content." Awesome..who the heck let this slide show get uploaded?!
Can we take a moment and review what it is that has made America obese? Oh that's right, SUGAR. And when I say sugar I am including sugar incarnates such as graham crackers, hard candies, white breads (also 'whole/7 grain' breads, partial whole-wheat breads, etc), crackers, biscuits, cookies, chocolates, just as well as corn syrups, evaporated cane juice and so on. I don't know, but isn't being 200lbs overweight a pretty good stresser (on the body AND mind)?
This article had basically suggested spiking your blood sugars repeatedly all day long. So why not MAINTAIN your blood sugar level instead? That way you completely avoid the low-blood sugar bomb that makes you feel like crap. Stay away from it and you won't feel the need for a spike! And you'll be happier in the long run. Not to mention less hungry.
Not trying to be mean here, but I can see this person's credentials...AND their blood work?
So how do you maintain a constant blood-sugar level? Eating every two to four hours (depending on the size and/or quality of the preceeding meal or snack)can maintain blood sugar levels as can proper nutrient combining. You will see what works best for you if you pay attention. If you eat 200 calories you should probably not be hungry for about 1.5 to 2 hours (rough estimate, will be different for different activity levels/metabolism/body types). If you are hungry in 40 minutes then it wasn't balanced properly for you. A good place to check out balancing like this is www.zonediet.com.
Try not to eat bullshit foods please! Everyone will be better for it; you, your bowels, your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your planet!
ANYWAY, there was a slide show put up the other day that was so awful that it was STAGGERING! That is possibly why I cannot find it now. I have checked the archives and can't find it. If you do, please link it to me! I'm kicking myself for not grabbing the link when I had the chance.
This slideshow was suppose to show us how to eat to avoid stress and/or anxiety during the day regardless of the situations in which we find ourselves. Okay, sounds good right? Great, until you notice that the author recommended snacking on nothing else but SUGAR all day. Graham crackers were listed as a great mood-boosting snack...on their own sans protein or healthy fat. The author actually went so far as to say that you should NOT rely on fruit sugars as they won't boost your blood sugar the same way as (processed) carbs will.
Um...
So this article said "Don't eat fruit. Eat bullshit packaged sugar foods that have no nutritional content." Awesome..who the heck let this slide show get uploaded?!
Can we take a moment and review what it is that has made America obese? Oh that's right, SUGAR. And when I say sugar I am including sugar incarnates such as graham crackers, hard candies, white breads (also 'whole/7 grain' breads, partial whole-wheat breads, etc), crackers, biscuits, cookies, chocolates, just as well as corn syrups, evaporated cane juice and so on. I don't know, but isn't being 200lbs overweight a pretty good stresser (on the body AND mind)?
This article had basically suggested spiking your blood sugars repeatedly all day long. So why not MAINTAIN your blood sugar level instead? That way you completely avoid the low-blood sugar bomb that makes you feel like crap. Stay away from it and you won't feel the need for a spike! And you'll be happier in the long run. Not to mention less hungry.
Not trying to be mean here, but I can see this person's credentials...AND their blood work?
So how do you maintain a constant blood-sugar level? Eating every two to four hours (depending on the size and/or quality of the preceeding meal or snack)can maintain blood sugar levels as can proper nutrient combining. You will see what works best for you if you pay attention. If you eat 200 calories you should probably not be hungry for about 1.5 to 2 hours (rough estimate, will be different for different activity levels/metabolism/body types). If you are hungry in 40 minutes then it wasn't balanced properly for you. A good place to check out balancing like this is www.zonediet.com.
Try not to eat bullshit foods please! Everyone will be better for it; you, your bowels, your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your planet!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Episode 2: Veggies = super easy soups!
As promised, easy vegetable lentil soup!! I know that lentils make a great nutritious soup on their own with the standard carrots, onion, and tomatoes. But why not just take it a step further, eh? Again, you can use a mixture of fresh and frozen to make this work for you. Whatever you have on hand and however much time you need to shave off your prep time guide this one.
To start out I chopped up 3 large Carrots, 1 Yellow Onion and sauteed them with 2 minced Garlic cloves in some Extra Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just to get things going you know.
After the onions were softened and a little browned, I poured in one regular sized can of No Salt Added Stewed Tomatoes, about 6 cups of water, 2 Bay Leaves, a couple shakes of Red Pepper Flakes and two Teaspoons of Vegetable Bouillon paste. Then our star ingredient gets stirred in, 1 bag (roughly two cups) of Lentils. You can use green or brown, but the red cooks exceptionally fast due to its smaller size. If you use red, then cook the carrots a little longer first.
After about 30 minutes of your soup being covered and on an active simmer, stir in 2 cups of sliced frozen (or fresh) Zucchini and 2 cups frozen chopped Kale. If you use fresh leafy greens cook accordingly. Fresh Kale should be tossed in with the Lentils. Something delicate like fresh Spinach should be added JUST before serving in order to wilt, but not all out slaughter and slime-ify. That's a technical cooking term. You can look it up.
I think this one turns out lovely, very flavorful! If you want it a little spicier, you can add a couple dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce. Mmmm!
Hope you're having fun experimenting (healthfully) in the kitchen!
To start out I chopped up 3 large Carrots, 1 Yellow Onion and sauteed them with 2 minced Garlic cloves in some Extra Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just to get things going you know.
After the onions were softened and a little browned, I poured in one regular sized can of No Salt Added Stewed Tomatoes, about 6 cups of water, 2 Bay Leaves, a couple shakes of Red Pepper Flakes and two Teaspoons of Vegetable Bouillon paste. Then our star ingredient gets stirred in, 1 bag (roughly two cups) of Lentils. You can use green or brown, but the red cooks exceptionally fast due to its smaller size. If you use red, then cook the carrots a little longer first.
After about 30 minutes of your soup being covered and on an active simmer, stir in 2 cups of sliced frozen (or fresh) Zucchini and 2 cups frozen chopped Kale. If you use fresh leafy greens cook accordingly. Fresh Kale should be tossed in with the Lentils. Something delicate like fresh Spinach should be added JUST before serving in order to wilt, but not all out slaughter and slime-ify. That's a technical cooking term. You can look it up.
I think this one turns out lovely, very flavorful! If you want it a little spicier, you can add a couple dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce. Mmmm!
Hope you're having fun experimenting (healthfully) in the kitchen!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Veggies = super easy soups!
I absolutely LOVE love love soup! So much so that I'm going to tell you all about it!
Vegetable soup is almost impossible to goof up! As long as you think about how long it takes to cook the vegetables and plan accordingly, you should get a good result. Ie: if you want browned onions, throw 'em in before the broth. Carrots and other roots take a bit to cook, so those should be added at the beginning. Anything pre-cooked or frozen should be added at the very end so that these items don't get over cooked and soggy. ick. Added too many veggies? Oops, now you have stew. Still tastes good. See? Hard to goof up.
I have made soup for dinner the past two nights. Each recipe was warming, delicious, nutritious, filling, and so very wallet-friendly!! I got two meals out of my first veggie soup and I'm going to guess that I have leftovers enough from soup two for about 3 more meals. YAY!
Soup 1: A very easy skillet-soup that was made from what I had laying around. Some days are like that. You can also call it a fridge-cleaning-soup if you like, but that doesn't sound so appealing :^)
All I did was saute about half an Onion and a clove of minced Garlic in roughly a Tbsp of light Extra Virgin Olive Oil (light because you don't want the particulates of my unfiltered Olive Oil to burn while you're sauteeing...no good) until the onion was soft. Then I poured in about 1/2 cup Tomato Juice (left over from a can of tomatoes I had strained out the night before) and enough water to cover everything and leave enough room in the skillet for boiling bubbles. I really like Vegetable Broth Bouillon paste, the kind in the jar, so I put a little of that in there for seasoning along with some Tarragon (awesome!), Red Pepper Flakes , for that extra warming factor, and a Bay Leaf. When the broth was simmering, I tossed in 1.5 cups of sliced frozen Zucchini and half a pint of Grape Tomatoes that I sliced in half, as well as about a cup of already cooked and chopped Kale. Then I realized I had some leftover Thanksgiving Turkey in my fridge that should be used instead of wasted, so that got diced and thrown in also. All these I put in at the end because all I want to do is heat them through, not recook them all! I like when the flavors are bright, clean, and simple!
I'd hate to overwhelm you with goodness all in one sitting, so I'll tell you about my beautiful Lentil-Vegetable soup tomorrow.
I hope you have fun cooking soup tonight! Let me know what you cook up and if it was good!!
Vegetable soup is almost impossible to goof up! As long as you think about how long it takes to cook the vegetables and plan accordingly, you should get a good result. Ie: if you want browned onions, throw 'em in before the broth. Carrots and other roots take a bit to cook, so those should be added at the beginning. Anything pre-cooked or frozen should be added at the very end so that these items don't get over cooked and soggy. ick. Added too many veggies? Oops, now you have stew. Still tastes good. See? Hard to goof up.
I have made soup for dinner the past two nights. Each recipe was warming, delicious, nutritious, filling, and so very wallet-friendly!! I got two meals out of my first veggie soup and I'm going to guess that I have leftovers enough from soup two for about 3 more meals. YAY!
Soup 1: A very easy skillet-soup that was made from what I had laying around. Some days are like that. You can also call it a fridge-cleaning-soup if you like, but that doesn't sound so appealing :^)
All I did was saute about half an Onion and a clove of minced Garlic in roughly a Tbsp of light Extra Virgin Olive Oil (light because you don't want the particulates of my unfiltered Olive Oil to burn while you're sauteeing...no good) until the onion was soft. Then I poured in about 1/2 cup Tomato Juice (left over from a can of tomatoes I had strained out the night before) and enough water to cover everything and leave enough room in the skillet for boiling bubbles. I really like Vegetable Broth Bouillon paste, the kind in the jar, so I put a little of that in there for seasoning along with some Tarragon (awesome!), Red Pepper Flakes , for that extra warming factor, and a Bay Leaf. When the broth was simmering, I tossed in 1.5 cups of sliced frozen Zucchini and half a pint of Grape Tomatoes that I sliced in half, as well as about a cup of already cooked and chopped Kale. Then I realized I had some leftover Thanksgiving Turkey in my fridge that should be used instead of wasted, so that got diced and thrown in also. All these I put in at the end because all I want to do is heat them through, not recook them all! I like when the flavors are bright, clean, and simple!
I'd hate to overwhelm you with goodness all in one sitting, so I'll tell you about my beautiful Lentil-Vegetable soup tomorrow.
I hope you have fun cooking soup tonight! Let me know what you cook up and if it was good!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Giving thanks for it all!
It is the week of Thanksgiving and all the health blogs are a buzz with ways to avoid overeating this holiday. Want to hear my ideas? If you know me at all, you will know that I support eating habits that don't demonize foods. If you really want a cupcake then share it with someone, or eat the whole thing if you want! Just don't do it all the time, and make sure it's a REALLY good one you know? Make sure it's high quality made with real ingredients; none of these grocery store bakery excuses for baked goods that come from huge plastic vats. Gross. Moderation, as you know, is key.
Anyway back to Thanksgiving. I'm going to give you the back up story so you don't get confused when you hear my advice and misunderstand me. On a regular basis I have a tendency to eat lots of vegetables and beans. I really enjoy my one-pot veggie-bean concoctions! I use one pot because I do not enjoy doing dishes, and I prefer to eat meals from a bowl all mixed together. So it makes sense to make lots of soup-like meals. That's just me though. And I really enjoy eating nutritiously because it tastes great and makes me feel good. So Thanksgiving, for me, is a time when I am presented with a large variety of singular dishes. My mother is a phenomenal cook, so I know that all the dishes will be flavorful and still nutritious; being made from whole foods. So therefore I am excited to try EVERYTHING that she has made.
Without trying too hard I will have my plate loaded with little spoonfuls of all the dishes. I will not clean my plate by any stretch, but I am not going to nit pick my way through my mother's Thanksgiving day dinner either. I will try everything and focus on my favorites. I will also keep in mind that there is delicious pie (made by me) for dessert and no amount or quality of stuffing can be substituted for a slice of quality pumpkin pie.
By the end of the night I will be full and happy. I will not be sick. I will not regret my choices. I will feel satisfied in all regards and will look forward to having leftover brussel sprouts and chestnuts with homemade cranberry-orange relish the next day. I will also be thankful that Thanksgiving meals come only once a year. If it was more often then I thoroughly believe that they would not be nearly so special.
So my advice is this: Eat foods that come from the ground on all days of the year, but on Thanksgiving eat what you like! Don't put yourself into a food coma for God's sake, but eat heartily if that is what you want to do. Just make sure that you return to normal the next day!
Hopefully the weather on Thursday will be nice enough to enable a family walk or hike before or after dinner. Let your body care that you aren't going to let it fall into disrepair because of one meal! Remember to hit your gym or the trail this weekend and maintain your physical activity!
Be thankful for your health, your friends, your family, and simply be thankful for life lived your way! I wish you and your family all the best this Thanksgiving!! Have fun and enjoy!
Anyway back to Thanksgiving. I'm going to give you the back up story so you don't get confused when you hear my advice and misunderstand me. On a regular basis I have a tendency to eat lots of vegetables and beans. I really enjoy my one-pot veggie-bean concoctions! I use one pot because I do not enjoy doing dishes, and I prefer to eat meals from a bowl all mixed together. So it makes sense to make lots of soup-like meals. That's just me though. And I really enjoy eating nutritiously because it tastes great and makes me feel good. So Thanksgiving, for me, is a time when I am presented with a large variety of singular dishes. My mother is a phenomenal cook, so I know that all the dishes will be flavorful and still nutritious; being made from whole foods. So therefore I am excited to try EVERYTHING that she has made.
Without trying too hard I will have my plate loaded with little spoonfuls of all the dishes. I will not clean my plate by any stretch, but I am not going to nit pick my way through my mother's Thanksgiving day dinner either. I will try everything and focus on my favorites. I will also keep in mind that there is delicious pie (made by me) for dessert and no amount or quality of stuffing can be substituted for a slice of quality pumpkin pie.
By the end of the night I will be full and happy. I will not be sick. I will not regret my choices. I will feel satisfied in all regards and will look forward to having leftover brussel sprouts and chestnuts with homemade cranberry-orange relish the next day. I will also be thankful that Thanksgiving meals come only once a year. If it was more often then I thoroughly believe that they would not be nearly so special.
So my advice is this: Eat foods that come from the ground on all days of the year, but on Thanksgiving eat what you like! Don't put yourself into a food coma for God's sake, but eat heartily if that is what you want to do. Just make sure that you return to normal the next day!
Hopefully the weather on Thursday will be nice enough to enable a family walk or hike before or after dinner. Let your body care that you aren't going to let it fall into disrepair because of one meal! Remember to hit your gym or the trail this weekend and maintain your physical activity!
Be thankful for your health, your friends, your family, and simply be thankful for life lived your way! I wish you and your family all the best this Thanksgiving!! Have fun and enjoy!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
You say I'm HOW fat?!!
One of my clients asked me the other day about the scales that measure your body fat. She wanted to know if those were accurate, and then how they compare to the BMI measurement that is always referred to in articles about heart health.
So of course, that sparked a great conversation amongst all us girls.
First, BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement used to calculate your Body Mass and therefore the likelihood of weight related risks. But if you have ever Google-d "BMI calculator" you'll have noticed that you also get alot of comments voicing concern. Many people say, "I'm fit, but this says I'm so fat!" You need to keep in mind when you check your BMI that it is NOT the be-all, tell-all about your health. This calculation cannot take into account your muscle-mass. Two men the same height and weight can look very different; one can be a very trim body-builder and the other can be a large couch potato. But they'll have the same BMI.
BMI can be helpful if you need a frame of reference to help view your reality. People that live in very large communities (not a reference to populace)can easily lose track of a healthy-weight reference point. So if you weigh yourself and the number doesn't mean much because you aren't sure of what it should be, then you can calculate your BMI and get a more complete picture.
But to give you an idea, if I calculate my BMI I fall in the high "Normal" range with a 20.7. Then I can go home and use my scale which has the little magic foot spots that enable what's called Bio-Electrical Impedence (measures body fat percentage and hydration level). According to that I got anywhere from 19% to 22.5% Body Fat in a single day. Why? Hydration level. If I measure myself first thing in the morning after I first pee, then my body fat percentage is very low and so is my hydration level. After laying down all night, the water in my body is distributed differently through my body than if I give myself 8 hours of gravity to push and pull it around.
So these are all helping measures, but none of them are gospel. If you really want to know what your real numbers are then you have to get out the big guns. You have to contact a local university or hospital that has a hydrostatic weighing tank.
Now the next thing to discuss are those Caloric expenditure calculators. My advice is stay away. If you know that you're consuming 9,000 calories a day or you have been told that you are seriously obese, then these calculators can give you an IDEA as to how much you probably should be consuming each day. However, these calculations also need to be approached with care.
The main problem I have with them is their Activity Level options. Moderate daily activity includes 'carry a load' and heavy activity includes 'basketball' but nothing about how heavy a load, how intense the game of basketball or anything about duration! So I plugged in my age, weight, and gender, selected 'heavy' (because that option best described what I do each day) and it says I should eat 2894 calories a day!!!
Do you have any idea how much zucchini and kale that is?!
Moral of this story is: Don't stress these numbers! If you're hungry, eat a little nutritious something. If you're not hungry, don't eat. And there's very rarely a bad time to drink water, so take a couple swigs whenever your mouth feels like it should be busy.If you're feeling sluggish, get moving to push your blood around and get a little adrenaline going.
Know yourself. If you're not sure, then use these calculators to give you an idea or maybe to start dialogue with your doctor or personal trainer. Best of health to you!
So of course, that sparked a great conversation amongst all us girls.
First, BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement used to calculate your Body Mass and therefore the likelihood of weight related risks. But if you have ever Google-d "BMI calculator" you'll have noticed that you also get alot of comments voicing concern. Many people say, "I'm fit, but this says I'm so fat!" You need to keep in mind when you check your BMI that it is NOT the be-all, tell-all about your health. This calculation cannot take into account your muscle-mass. Two men the same height and weight can look very different; one can be a very trim body-builder and the other can be a large couch potato. But they'll have the same BMI.
BMI can be helpful if you need a frame of reference to help view your reality. People that live in very large communities (not a reference to populace)can easily lose track of a healthy-weight reference point. So if you weigh yourself and the number doesn't mean much because you aren't sure of what it should be, then you can calculate your BMI and get a more complete picture.
But to give you an idea, if I calculate my BMI I fall in the high "Normal" range with a 20.7. Then I can go home and use my scale which has the little magic foot spots that enable what's called Bio-Electrical Impedence (measures body fat percentage and hydration level). According to that I got anywhere from 19% to 22.5% Body Fat in a single day. Why? Hydration level. If I measure myself first thing in the morning after I first pee, then my body fat percentage is very low and so is my hydration level. After laying down all night, the water in my body is distributed differently through my body than if I give myself 8 hours of gravity to push and pull it around.
So these are all helping measures, but none of them are gospel. If you really want to know what your real numbers are then you have to get out the big guns. You have to contact a local university or hospital that has a hydrostatic weighing tank.
Now the next thing to discuss are those Caloric expenditure calculators. My advice is stay away. If you know that you're consuming 9,000 calories a day or you have been told that you are seriously obese, then these calculators can give you an IDEA as to how much you probably should be consuming each day. However, these calculations also need to be approached with care.
The main problem I have with them is their Activity Level options. Moderate daily activity includes 'carry a load' and heavy activity includes 'basketball' but nothing about how heavy a load, how intense the game of basketball or anything about duration! So I plugged in my age, weight, and gender, selected 'heavy' (because that option best described what I do each day) and it says I should eat 2894 calories a day!!!
Do you have any idea how much zucchini and kale that is?!
Moral of this story is: Don't stress these numbers! If you're hungry, eat a little nutritious something. If you're not hungry, don't eat. And there's very rarely a bad time to drink water, so take a couple swigs whenever your mouth feels like it should be busy.If you're feeling sluggish, get moving to push your blood around and get a little adrenaline going.
Know yourself. If you're not sure, then use these calculators to give you an idea or maybe to start dialogue with your doctor or personal trainer. Best of health to you!
Friday, November 14, 2008
So much good stuff!
Today is World Diabetes Day, if you aren't already aware! It is a worldwide movement to raise awareness about the warning signs of Diabetes as well as to get support for those diagnosed individuals that cannot easily access care and treatment. This year's them is Children and Adolescents due to the increasing numbers of young people being diagnosed with Diabetes I and II. Most of the information on the website (www.WorldDiabetesDay.com) has to do with Type I. So if you have frequent urination, are losing weight, are excessivly thirsty, and/or have a serious lack of energy, then you may want to check out this website.
My only gripe with the website is that there is no mention of how to manage Diabetes on a daily basis other than with drugs. They infrequently mention "a healthy diet", but as there are so many books in the Diet section of my bookstore I'll wager that there's some confusion as to what that really means. I would think that teaching people to balance their blood sugar and tame insulin spikes would be a worthwhile project. I would think that a food graph showing what is "sugar" and "not sugar" would be helpful. Teaching about meal-balance would be important too I would think; eat protein, some fat, and some fiber with your sugar and it doesn't quite hit so hard. Oh yeah, defining "some" would also be worthwhile. :)
And just so that ALL corners are dusted, check out www.RawFor30Days.com. It's a documentary that follows six Americans that have what their doctors had called "incurable diabetes". Some have Type I and some have Type II, and all had CRAZY improvements in their health. They lost weight, got off their meds, and felt healthy and energized for the first time in God-only-knows how long. It's really an amazing video and they have a very good trailer if you're curious.
Happy and Healthy Eating everyone!
My only gripe with the website is that there is no mention of how to manage Diabetes on a daily basis other than with drugs. They infrequently mention "a healthy diet", but as there are so many books in the Diet section of my bookstore I'll wager that there's some confusion as to what that really means. I would think that teaching people to balance their blood sugar and tame insulin spikes would be a worthwhile project. I would think that a food graph showing what is "sugar" and "not sugar" would be helpful. Teaching about meal-balance would be important too I would think; eat protein, some fat, and some fiber with your sugar and it doesn't quite hit so hard. Oh yeah, defining "some" would also be worthwhile. :)
And just so that ALL corners are dusted, check out www.RawFor30Days.com. It's a documentary that follows six Americans that have what their doctors had called "incurable diabetes". Some have Type I and some have Type II, and all had CRAZY improvements in their health. They lost weight, got off their meds, and felt healthy and energized for the first time in God-only-knows how long. It's really an amazing video and they have a very good trailer if you're curious.
Happy and Healthy Eating everyone!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Translation to real life...
So being strong is great right? But having actually work for you is even BETTER! Afterall, lifting dumbbells doesn't help me cook dinner!
So about a month ago I purchased a customized coffee table for myself online. It is one of those rustic log tables, it's just half a log! So when it arrived via mail I had to bring it up to my apartment. Ah yes. So it came in a 4.5' tall box about 2' wide on each side and it weighed about 45 lbs. Yes, this is not terribly heavy but as you know it is substantially more difficult to maneuver an odd shaped weight. Or in this case, something almost the same size as my own self!
To make it more fun? Add 4 flights of narrow stairs! YES! Now we're talking!!
As I tried to get just the right grasp on this thing and get it up the stairs I thanked my workouts for helping me train for real life. That is after the rain dampened cardboard ripped and it went cartwheeling down one flight (I suppose I then had to take a moment to thank foam). So for the 3 flights plus one repeater, I had to wrangle it. But I'm thankful because I'm stubborn and did NOT want to leave the not-heavy box in the foyer for 3 days until my boyfriend came to bring it up. That would have been defeatist thinking and on the whole an unthinkable act.
This way I dont have to ask for help to do things...unless of course it's something car or electric related.
Perseverance. Better than just strength.
So about a month ago I purchased a customized coffee table for myself online. It is one of those rustic log tables, it's just half a log! So when it arrived via mail I had to bring it up to my apartment. Ah yes. So it came in a 4.5' tall box about 2' wide on each side and it weighed about 45 lbs. Yes, this is not terribly heavy but as you know it is substantially more difficult to maneuver an odd shaped weight. Or in this case, something almost the same size as my own self!
To make it more fun? Add 4 flights of narrow stairs! YES! Now we're talking!!
As I tried to get just the right grasp on this thing and get it up the stairs I thanked my workouts for helping me train for real life. That is after the rain dampened cardboard ripped and it went cartwheeling down one flight (I suppose I then had to take a moment to thank foam). So for the 3 flights plus one repeater, I had to wrangle it. But I'm thankful because I'm stubborn and did NOT want to leave the not-heavy box in the foyer for 3 days until my boyfriend came to bring it up. That would have been defeatist thinking and on the whole an unthinkable act.
This way I dont have to ask for help to do things...unless of course it's something car or electric related.
Perseverance. Better than just strength.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama's on to something...
Obama was quoted in Men's Health Magazine as saying that fitness is a key to success.
He may be on to something. Afterall, he just won the Presidency!
I could be wrong, but I think now-President Obama is the first candidate to have been on the cover of Men's Health Magazine! I think it's great! In this age of lack-of-healthy-perspiration having our President be a fit role model for the people is phenomenal! So let's give a pause to consider how busy this guy is...on his campaign trail also...whew. Wife, two kids, campaigning for a little office called President of the United States of America...yeah, he might have his hands full. So what does he do? He knows that his fitness is important and not negotiable, so he works out for 45 minutes 6 early-mornings a week. It's not so important to me WHEN he works out just that he does. And that he doesn't compromise his health.
When you're as busy as this man is, do you have time to be ill or under-the-weather? Probably not, productivity falters if you're constantly blowing your nose and your head is pounding right? With all the research (and inherent knowledge given to us by our forefathers) we know that health, fitness, and proper diet go hand in hand and um..hand.
So the more practicing, fit & healthy role models we get onto the streets the better!So are you fit and healthy? Then get out there and flaunt it! Jog where people can see you and be proud!
So yeah. I can tell you that I am very hopeful for good changes in the upcoming years. Especially with all the exercising hotties taking to the streets! :^)
He may be on to something. Afterall, he just won the Presidency!
I could be wrong, but I think now-President Obama is the first candidate to have been on the cover of Men's Health Magazine! I think it's great! In this age of lack-of-healthy-perspiration having our President be a fit role model for the people is phenomenal! So let's give a pause to consider how busy this guy is...on his campaign trail also...whew. Wife, two kids, campaigning for a little office called President of the United States of America...yeah, he might have his hands full. So what does he do? He knows that his fitness is important and not negotiable, so he works out for 45 minutes 6 early-mornings a week. It's not so important to me WHEN he works out just that he does. And that he doesn't compromise his health.
When you're as busy as this man is, do you have time to be ill or under-the-weather? Probably not, productivity falters if you're constantly blowing your nose and your head is pounding right? With all the research (and inherent knowledge given to us by our forefathers) we know that health, fitness, and proper diet go hand in hand and um..hand.
So the more practicing, fit & healthy role models we get onto the streets the better!So are you fit and healthy? Then get out there and flaunt it! Jog where people can see you and be proud!
So yeah. I can tell you that I am very hopeful for good changes in the upcoming years. Especially with all the exercising hotties taking to the streets! :^)
Monday, November 3, 2008
What's the point?!
So one of the MOST commonly asked questions is, "Why are you making me do this?!" Usually it comes in an breathless tone during a rest period during the workout.
We are so accustomed to the globo-gym workout method now that when we are asked to do something real it's both difficult and strange. You can see it at your gym, just watch the person on the leg-extension machine giving funny looks to the dude doing squats. Problem is that the leg-extension machine doesn't train you in context (amongst other inherent problems with the machine, but we'll save that for another time). So if you always train your muscles individually, they are never learning to work together. This is a hugely important distinction and it should be obvious why training muscles in context is more beneficial to our lives and athleticism than is isolation muscle training.
Another thing I hear is, "Why do I need to exercise to do my daily tasks that I can already do?" Alright, valid point...ish. My sister put it best when she said,
That is what this type of exercise program can do for you! Some people notice the difference when they go grocery shopping and realize the 50lb bag of dog food doesn't give them the same trouble it once did. One girl realized it when she out lasted her classmates in her Fencing class; everyone was winded and needed to take a break and she was still standing and ready for more!
Almost immediately you feel a change in your wind and in your strength. Over time your daily tasks become less taxing which ends up making each day less stressful, both on your body and on your mind. It's really so very nice :)
We are so accustomed to the globo-gym workout method now that when we are asked to do something real it's both difficult and strange. You can see it at your gym, just watch the person on the leg-extension machine giving funny looks to the dude doing squats. Problem is that the leg-extension machine doesn't train you in context (amongst other inherent problems with the machine, but we'll save that for another time). So if you always train your muscles individually, they are never learning to work together. This is a hugely important distinction and it should be obvious why training muscles in context is more beneficial to our lives and athleticism than is isolation muscle training.
Another thing I hear is, "Why do I need to exercise to do my daily tasks that I can already do?" Alright, valid point...ish. My sister put it best when she said,
It's like always driving your car, from the second you learned to drive, in second gear. You can get around just fine; from point A to point B and back. Driving is good. Then all of a sudden you find you can put your car into 3rd. Oh my God! You never knew the car could work SO well! It's more powerful on hills, it's faster and so much smoother!
That is what this type of exercise program can do for you! Some people notice the difference when they go grocery shopping and realize the 50lb bag of dog food doesn't give them the same trouble it once did. One girl realized it when she out lasted her classmates in her Fencing class; everyone was winded and needed to take a break and she was still standing and ready for more!
Almost immediately you feel a change in your wind and in your strength. Over time your daily tasks become less taxing which ends up making each day less stressful, both on your body and on your mind. It's really so very nice :)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Not-so-great Halloween Candy Debate
Tomorrow is that blessed holiday that allows children (and some adults) to dress up as their favorite ghoul or character and march happily around in public! Just for some icing on top of their cakes, they are also encouraged to visit stranger's homes and ask for sweets! What a great tradition, huh?
With childhood obesity on the steady rise, there has been a push from toy companies to give out toy treats instead of caloric ones. Nutritionists say to avoid dishing out candies and instead give boxes of raisins (which are also sweet like candy, they argue). Now, when I was 5 I would have been very happy to receive a package of Play-Doh! So I am not saying that these suggestions are absurd, don't misunderstand me. But have you ever recieved a box of raisins in your huge bag of loot? Even if you enjoy raisins every other day, it's like finding a cat turd in your bag! It's just AWFUL and they'll get thrown out with the open wrappers and Necco wafers. ugh!
I appreciate that the idea behind the raisins is "have a more healthy holiday, and don't forget that fruit is nature's candy!" But a single box or two of raisins mixed in with 6 pounds of candy bars isn't going to save a child from diabetes. The natural raisin sugar will be digested as a simiple carbohydrate just like the ones in the Twix. No different. The 1/2 oz of fiber found in that box of raisins is also, not likely to help(as in WON'T) balance blood sugar.
So what do you do when you and your conscience are standing in the grocery with a JUMBO mixed bag of candy in one hand and a bag of boxed raisins in the other? My advice is to get the bag of candy. I'm going to be strung up by my nutritionist cohorts, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one. I do not see it as the responsibility of the neighbors to give out healthful treats, not when the goal is to acquire a mountain of garbage, as my mother always put it.
I believe it to be the responsibility of the parents to have rules at home regarding what, how much, and when the loot can be eaten. My brother and I always worked very hard to get as much candy as we could, but then my mother allowed us to only eat a certain amount that night. We would spend more time dividing it all into piles and trading with each other. Over the next few days she kept her eye on it and soon the allure of the candy waned. By Thanksgiving we still had more than half of what we had brought in, and it was by then that we had to throw out the rest. I think she told us that it had gotten too old. Very tricky, way to go Mom!
From this I had learned that it was more fun to dress up and GET the candy than it was to actually eat it all. After one or two bad stints during which I snuck 10 too many pieces and got ill I learned that the dream of the eating all the candy was much nicer than the reality. It's a very important lesson to learn and to carry with you forever!
But that's just MY opinion. If you want raisins you'll have to go next door because I'm giving out chocolate bars.
With childhood obesity on the steady rise, there has been a push from toy companies to give out toy treats instead of caloric ones. Nutritionists say to avoid dishing out candies and instead give boxes of raisins (which are also sweet like candy, they argue). Now, when I was 5 I would have been very happy to receive a package of Play-Doh! So I am not saying that these suggestions are absurd, don't misunderstand me. But have you ever recieved a box of raisins in your huge bag of loot? Even if you enjoy raisins every other day, it's like finding a cat turd in your bag! It's just AWFUL and they'll get thrown out with the open wrappers and Necco wafers. ugh!
I appreciate that the idea behind the raisins is "have a more healthy holiday, and don't forget that fruit is nature's candy!" But a single box or two of raisins mixed in with 6 pounds of candy bars isn't going to save a child from diabetes. The natural raisin sugar will be digested as a simiple carbohydrate just like the ones in the Twix. No different. The 1/2 oz of fiber found in that box of raisins is also, not likely to help(as in WON'T) balance blood sugar.
So what do you do when you and your conscience are standing in the grocery with a JUMBO mixed bag of candy in one hand and a bag of boxed raisins in the other? My advice is to get the bag of candy. I'm going to be strung up by my nutritionist cohorts, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one. I do not see it as the responsibility of the neighbors to give out healthful treats, not when the goal is to acquire a mountain of garbage, as my mother always put it.
I believe it to be the responsibility of the parents to have rules at home regarding what, how much, and when the loot can be eaten. My brother and I always worked very hard to get as much candy as we could, but then my mother allowed us to only eat a certain amount that night. We would spend more time dividing it all into piles and trading with each other. Over the next few days she kept her eye on it and soon the allure of the candy waned. By Thanksgiving we still had more than half of what we had brought in, and it was by then that we had to throw out the rest. I think she told us that it had gotten too old. Very tricky, way to go Mom!
From this I had learned that it was more fun to dress up and GET the candy than it was to actually eat it all. After one or two bad stints during which I snuck 10 too many pieces and got ill I learned that the dream of the eating all the candy was much nicer than the reality. It's a very important lesson to learn and to carry with you forever!
But that's just MY opinion. If you want raisins you'll have to go next door because I'm giving out chocolate bars.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Have solid, tangible, quantifiable goals.
This past weekend has to have been one of the most beautiful that I have seen in quite some time! The leaves were gorgeous, the air was brisk, the sun warm, the sky crystal clear. I was just a giddy grinning fool all weekend!
Saturday was one of my best friends' wedding. Just stunning! Autumn theme, so we wore truffle brown gowns and carried bouquets of yellow, orange, red flowers and real fallen maple leaves. After the ceremony and all the pictures were taken, the bridal party and groomsmen all went back to our own seperate reception room while all the rest of the guests were enjoying their cocktail hour. The selection of food we were offered made me think about how we are contstantly defending our beliefs.
In this case, what one believes is healthful to eat. But this applies to lots of things. Anyone ever say you were crazy for working out 3 times a week or going grocery shopping every other day?
Sometimes it's very tough to stick to your guns. With mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, sesame chicken bits, meatballs and spanikopita looking at you it can be difficult. What seems to be MORE difficult to me is having others eating the hors d'ouevres! It's a social cue that eating now is appropriate and for some reason it's easy to feel that if you don't take part it will be misconstrued as rude. Why?! Gotta love cultural and social cues that are embedded in our brains right?
I think that is why it's extremely important to have a real reason for the way you choose to eat, or a real goal in mind. It is easier to avoid the fried ravioli if you know them as health saboteurs that will make you feel sick (too much frying for me, makes me feel ill)then as something that you need to avoid because they'll make you fat. We can all dispell the latter argument easily, "ONE fried ravioli never hurt anyone."
So if your exercise goal is "to lose weight" you need to sharpen that up. How much weight? Think realistically and take muscle gains into account. If your goal is "to eat clean for one month" as a diet jump start then that's a quantifiable goal. That approach would make it easier to avoid that mozzarella stick!
Does this make sense? If you're not really sure what I'm getting at just write me a quick email and let me know what your goal is. I'll give you examples of how to sharpen it up so they can be really achievable! It'd be nice to check those off your to-do list huh?
Saturday was one of my best friends' wedding. Just stunning! Autumn theme, so we wore truffle brown gowns and carried bouquets of yellow, orange, red flowers and real fallen maple leaves. After the ceremony and all the pictures were taken, the bridal party and groomsmen all went back to our own seperate reception room while all the rest of the guests were enjoying their cocktail hour. The selection of food we were offered made me think about how we are contstantly defending our beliefs.
In this case, what one believes is healthful to eat. But this applies to lots of things. Anyone ever say you were crazy for working out 3 times a week or going grocery shopping every other day?
Sometimes it's very tough to stick to your guns. With mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, sesame chicken bits, meatballs and spanikopita looking at you it can be difficult. What seems to be MORE difficult to me is having others eating the hors d'ouevres! It's a social cue that eating now is appropriate and for some reason it's easy to feel that if you don't take part it will be misconstrued as rude. Why?! Gotta love cultural and social cues that are embedded in our brains right?
I think that is why it's extremely important to have a real reason for the way you choose to eat, or a real goal in mind. It is easier to avoid the fried ravioli if you know them as health saboteurs that will make you feel sick (too much frying for me, makes me feel ill)then as something that you need to avoid because they'll make you fat. We can all dispell the latter argument easily, "ONE fried ravioli never hurt anyone."
So if your exercise goal is "to lose weight" you need to sharpen that up. How much weight? Think realistically and take muscle gains into account. If your goal is "to eat clean for one month" as a diet jump start then that's a quantifiable goal. That approach would make it easier to avoid that mozzarella stick!
Does this make sense? If you're not really sure what I'm getting at just write me a quick email and let me know what your goal is. I'll give you examples of how to sharpen it up so they can be really achievable! It'd be nice to check those off your to-do list huh?
Monday, October 13, 2008
CrossFit CERTIFCATION COMPLETED!
Happy Monday to you!
I just spent my weekend in Toronto at the CrossFit Certification Seminar. I can say that we all had a great time and learned such an incredible amount! It's all extremely applicable and we also learned how to pass it on to our clients as well as to ourselves. All of us, we're all should always be in a state of improving and active learning right?
Toronto is, from my experience, a tremendously friendly and inviting city. I think I'd go there over NYC if given the choice. I did notice though, how much slimmer overall the population of the city was. I had lunch one day in a mall food court, did some people watching and there was a NOTABLE difference! I got talking to a woman I partnered with in some groups and she said, about a trip she had recently taken to the States, "I was surprised at how many heavy children there were." Not even adults, which she was also surprised by, but more specifically the children were whom shocked her. I agreed. Childhood is a great time to learn skills that we get too afraid to do as we get older: knee swings on the junglegym, cartwheels, tree-climbing etc. We learn that running around and getting sweaty and tired makes us feel good!
Exercise is to make us fitter for our lives. If someone gets winded walking around the grocery store, they aren't fit enough for their life-demands. We learn how our bodies move when we are young; running around the playground and throwing ourselves down hills. That may sound silly but can you skip across the room without putting alot of thought into HOW to skip?
This Certification Seminar weekend involved ALOT of moving. And I had an absolute blast. I'm sore today, but I know it's from having done something good. Let's all work to make sure the youngest generation grows up knowing that active movement brings good things and that being sedentary is just no fun :)
Hugs,
Sweat Angel
I just spent my weekend in Toronto at the CrossFit Certification Seminar. I can say that we all had a great time and learned such an incredible amount! It's all extremely applicable and we also learned how to pass it on to our clients as well as to ourselves. All of us, we're all should always be in a state of improving and active learning right?
Toronto is, from my experience, a tremendously friendly and inviting city. I think I'd go there over NYC if given the choice. I did notice though, how much slimmer overall the population of the city was. I had lunch one day in a mall food court, did some people watching and there was a NOTABLE difference! I got talking to a woman I partnered with in some groups and she said, about a trip she had recently taken to the States, "I was surprised at how many heavy children there were." Not even adults, which she was also surprised by, but more specifically the children were whom shocked her. I agreed. Childhood is a great time to learn skills that we get too afraid to do as we get older: knee swings on the junglegym, cartwheels, tree-climbing etc. We learn that running around and getting sweaty and tired makes us feel good!
Exercise is to make us fitter for our lives. If someone gets winded walking around the grocery store, they aren't fit enough for their life-demands. We learn how our bodies move when we are young; running around the playground and throwing ourselves down hills. That may sound silly but can you skip across the room without putting alot of thought into HOW to skip?
This Certification Seminar weekend involved ALOT of moving. And I had an absolute blast. I'm sore today, but I know it's from having done something good. Let's all work to make sure the youngest generation grows up knowing that active movement brings good things and that being sedentary is just no fun :)
Hugs,
Sweat Angel
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Feel like hibernating?
It's autumn for sure now! A most notable sign of the season is the changing leaves, the cool breezy days (with bright warm sun) and the evenings are downright cold!
So maybe you're feeling the urge to hibernate! I get hit with various autumnal-desires: snuggling with a book under a big blanket letting my nose get a little chilled, cooking hearty stews and apple pies, and napping. I'd be a great bear I think, I know what to do!
But now is a GREAT time to be active OUTDOORS...or start if you haven't been all summer. During the summer it may be hard to motivate yourself to get outside when the humidity has turned the world into a damp sponge. It feels a little icky when it's like that, I can't lie! Autumn in New England is usually pretty dry, cool and breezy though. You won't get the same overheating feeling from going for a hike as you would during the summer, so you may last a little longer on the trail!
One of my favorite parts of Autumn is the trail running! Just like for hiking, it's cooler and dryer so you can go a little bit further or longer. And getting to a special vista can be so rewarding when the trees are all lit up for the season.
A little safety note though, the top two.
Bring WATER with you please. Just because you're not sweating like you would on a 96 degree day doesn't mean you aren't! Rehydrate while you're out exercising ALWAYS!
Also, if you got it alone tell someone where you're heading off to and how long you expect to be out.
If you have a favorite trail that you already hike in the summer, make sure you visit it during the other seasons and see how it changes during the year. You be disappointed! If you DON'T have a favorite, try going to www.mountaintravelguide.com and type in your area and get a recommended listing. You can also hook up with the Appalachian Mountain Club for your local chapter and their recommended hikes. They're a great group of folks and have a lot of hikes to choose from!
I personally enjoy Mianus River Gorge near the Stamford/Bedford, NY border and Pound Ridge Reservation in New York. If you have a recommended hike nearby Stamford, CT, please let us know!
So maybe you're feeling the urge to hibernate! I get hit with various autumnal-desires: snuggling with a book under a big blanket letting my nose get a little chilled, cooking hearty stews and apple pies, and napping. I'd be a great bear I think, I know what to do!
But now is a GREAT time to be active OUTDOORS...or start if you haven't been all summer. During the summer it may be hard to motivate yourself to get outside when the humidity has turned the world into a damp sponge. It feels a little icky when it's like that, I can't lie! Autumn in New England is usually pretty dry, cool and breezy though. You won't get the same overheating feeling from going for a hike as you would during the summer, so you may last a little longer on the trail!
One of my favorite parts of Autumn is the trail running! Just like for hiking, it's cooler and dryer so you can go a little bit further or longer. And getting to a special vista can be so rewarding when the trees are all lit up for the season.
A little safety note though, the top two.
Bring WATER with you please. Just because you're not sweating like you would on a 96 degree day doesn't mean you aren't! Rehydrate while you're out exercising ALWAYS!
Also, if you got it alone tell someone where you're heading off to and how long you expect to be out.
If you have a favorite trail that you already hike in the summer, make sure you visit it during the other seasons and see how it changes during the year. You be disappointed! If you DON'T have a favorite, try going to www.mountaintravelguide.com and type in your area and get a recommended listing. You can also hook up with the Appalachian Mountain Club for your local chapter and their recommended hikes. They're a great group of folks and have a lot of hikes to choose from!
I personally enjoy Mianus River Gorge near the Stamford/Bedford, NY border and Pound Ridge Reservation in New York. If you have a recommended hike nearby Stamford, CT, please let us know!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Browsing through magazines...
You bet, I absolutely adore wandering through the periodicals and browsing the fitness/health magazines. I love reading the articles on how to "lose that last 10lbs" and in the men's magazines how to "add inches to your biceps". (haha yup, I will also read the guy magazines. If you need a giggle ladies, pick one up and look at the ads!) Unfortunately, I don't always agree with their recommendations.
Over the last year or so the mainstream women's magazines have started to pick up on the new trends in fitness. They are incorporating more multii-joint exercises and recommending tougher and shorter workouts. I commend this nod to progression! One particular magazine this month had a workout system that looked pretty good and real...the exercises included a deadlift with push press! So I was impressed at first. THEN I looked at the weight and rep suggestions. It said "use an 8-20 lb bar or weight".
Um...
Do they mean per hand? No! Total! Who is it that they're trying to firm up with that suggestion?
Okay, before I go nuts I'll say that I realize that the company may want to avoid legal issues from all the somebodies out there that don't really know what they're doing and that could get hurt. That's fine. But that's not an excuse to me when next to this mag that's playing it safe you have the men's mag that's saying go as heavy as possible! This just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
Okay, yes there are people out there that this recommendation is a real work out for. That's GREAT if they do this then. But my point is that this magazine says it is geared towards women that are living the fit life. So maybe they should also gear the workouts they suggest to the women that are living the fit life? Just maybe!
They often will have the cardio workouts scaled for beginner up to more fit. They should especially do that for workouts where they're suggesting weights. That way women out there that use these magazines as they're primary source of connection to the world of health and fitness aren't deluded into thinking that a 20lb deadlift is difficult or as heavy as you should ever go. Worse would be having women out there buying this magazine, doing the workouts as prescribed, not seeing results, then getting frustrated and depressed not knowing what else to do. THAT is giving the wrong impression that fitness is only for "other people".
If you see an exercise in a magazine that you'd like to try out and aren't sure how to perform it correctly or what weight YOU should be using, contact me and we'll get you set up right!
Over the last year or so the mainstream women's magazines have started to pick up on the new trends in fitness. They are incorporating more multii-joint exercises and recommending tougher and shorter workouts. I commend this nod to progression! One particular magazine this month had a workout system that looked pretty good and real...the exercises included a deadlift with push press! So I was impressed at first. THEN I looked at the weight and rep suggestions. It said "use an 8-20 lb bar or weight".
Um...
Do they mean per hand? No! Total! Who is it that they're trying to firm up with that suggestion?
Okay, before I go nuts I'll say that I realize that the company may want to avoid legal issues from all the somebodies out there that don't really know what they're doing and that could get hurt. That's fine. But that's not an excuse to me when next to this mag that's playing it safe you have the men's mag that's saying go as heavy as possible! This just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
Okay, yes there are people out there that this recommendation is a real work out for. That's GREAT if they do this then. But my point is that this magazine says it is geared towards women that are living the fit life. So maybe they should also gear the workouts they suggest to the women that are living the fit life? Just maybe!
They often will have the cardio workouts scaled for beginner up to more fit. They should especially do that for workouts where they're suggesting weights. That way women out there that use these magazines as they're primary source of connection to the world of health and fitness aren't deluded into thinking that a 20lb deadlift is difficult or as heavy as you should ever go. Worse would be having women out there buying this magazine, doing the workouts as prescribed, not seeing results, then getting frustrated and depressed not knowing what else to do. THAT is giving the wrong impression that fitness is only for "other people".
If you see an exercise in a magazine that you'd like to try out and aren't sure how to perform it correctly or what weight YOU should be using, contact me and we'll get you set up right!
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