July 2010

Our clients ask us all the time if thirty minutes is really enough time to put in at the gym.  The answer is both yes and no.  Yes, it is enough time to spend in the weight room or working with a trainer.  But NO, it is not enough time to include ALL of your exercise for that day.  The Surgeon General recommends that you get ”one hour of physical activity most days” … so, that’s double the time that you are spending with a trainer and that’s usually only two or three times per week … not  “most days.” 

 The reason we do thirty minute workouts is so that you have to take responsibility for your fitness program.  Let’s do a little math … let’s say you see a trainer two times per week, that’s about one hour.  There are 168 hours in a week, so that means your commitment to personal training is equal to about  .5% of your week.  Doesn’t really sound like enough to effect much change, does it?!  That’s where you come in! 

Now let’s bump that total number of hours exercising to 6 hours per week … that’s equal to about 3.5% of your week.  Now we’re getting somewhere!  If we compare that to some of your other weekly activities…you spend about 10.5 hours at meals (6.25%), 40 hours at work (yeah right … like we  believe that! 24%), and 56 hours sleeping (33.3%).  This kinda puts the whole exercise commitment thing into perspective.  Six hours is a minimum! 

Let’s start thinking of exercise as movement … so this just means we need to move more!!  All kinds of movement counts: walking the dog, cleaning the shower, mowing the lawn (triple points in this heat! Just kidding).  But two of your six hours must be higher intensity exercise that is done for the sake of doing exercise.  Let’s all start keeping a log of our exercise week.  We’ll break it down into minutes.  So we have to get 300 minutes this week with 100 of those minutes being higher intensity.  And let’s sweeten the pot a little bit … your Saturday night glass of wine or your piece of chocolate cake is conditional upon your success.  Let’s all go get moving!  If you need help knowing what “intense” means, ask your trainer for help.

Let me know if there’s a topic you would like me to discuss in my fit tips.

Joe Montgomery
Owner, Personal Trainer
Industrial Strength Inc.
704-996-0411
INStrengthinc@aol.com

They found that a single serving of some fruits and vegetables have as many a NINE different
pesticides in them! Wow! I definitely don’t want to put that into my body. So they compiled a list
of the twelve produce items with the highest levels of pesticides on them…the number one
offender?? Peaches! Seems that peaches require a lot of pesticides just to grow… so organic is
definitely the way to go when buying them. Here are the other eleven top offenders that you
should steer clear of and spend the extra bucks on organic:

Apples, Bell Peppers, Celery, Cherries, Nectarines, Strawberries, Kale, Lettuce, Imported
Grapes, Carrots, Pears

I also found another list on the web entitled “The Clean Fifteen.” You guessed it…it’s a list of the
produce items that contain the least amounts of pesticides and therefore purchasing conventional
is OK. Here they are:

Onion, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Mango, Asparagus, Sweet Peas, Kiwi, Cabbage,
Eggplant, Papaya, Watermelon, Broccoli, Tomato, Sweet Potato

Let me know if there’s a topic you would like me to discuss in my fit tips.

Joe Montgomery
Owner, Personal Trainer
Industrial Strength Inc.
704-996-0411
INStrengthinc@aol.com

Health Benefits
Because the human body is 90% water, its density is very similar to the density of water. That’s why you feel weightless when swimming. And why swimming is a great form of low-impact exercise, making it extremely popular with people who are elderly, pregnant, recovering from an injury, disabled or overweight. Swimming is also a great cardiovascular workout that elevates the heart and respiratory rates, improving overall health.

When you swim, you exercise all of the muscles in your body. However, your upper body and arms get more of a workout than your legs. If you want to use your legs more, try doing the breast stroke, which generates greater leg movements than the front crawl. If you are supplementing your swimming with exercise on land, where the legs are used more, do the front crawl to give your arms an additional workout.

Burning Calories
When you swim breaststroke or backstroke, you burn about the same number of calories as you would by walking fast or jogging slowly. More vigorous swimming will burn more calories. Doing the front crawl vigorously for 30 minutes will burn about 350 calories.

Swimming During Pregnancy
Swimming is a completely safe and excellent exercise for expectant mothers. Be sure to check with your doctor before you jump into the pool. If you swam before your pregnancy, you should have no problem. If you didn’t exercise at all before your pregnancy, start slowly with gentle stretching, go easy and listen to your body. Stay out of the hot tub or sauna. Extreme heat can sometimes slow the development of the fetus.

Swimming as Rehabilitation
Swimming is a great way for athletes to quickly bounce back after injuries. After suffering an injury to her Achilles tendon, professional runner Mary Slaney, trained only in the water for 3 weeks. A week later she set a world record in the 1000 meters.

Aqua fitness and Aquaerobics
Aqua fitness and aquaerobics are both excellent aerobic workouts without high impact. Incorporating many movements seen in dry-land aerobics with specialized equipment for deep-water workouts, many people, including expectant mothers and the elderly, use aqua fitness to stay healthy and improve or maintain their cardiovascular fitness.

Mix it Up
Swimming is undoubtedly good exercise, but it doesn’t use the leg muscles as much as exercising on land. Because it is low-impact, swimming is not good for maintaining bone density or preventing osteoporosis. Make sure to include exercise on land, such as lunges, running, walking, or cycling, plus weight training 2-3 times a week to help ensure total fitness.

Professional dancers have known the benefits of Pilates for decades. Top athletes use it for strength, flexibility, and injury prevention. Hollywood celebrities and supermodels use it to maintain beautiful physiques.

Visit Industrial Strength Unwind, our new Pilates studio at the YWCA.

The Benefits of Pilates

A refreshing mind-body workout

Pilates gets your mind in tune with your body. By emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and complete concentration on smooth, flowing movement, you become acutely aware of how your body feels, where it is in space, and how to control its movement. The quality of movement is valued over quantity of repetitions. Proper breathing is essential to help you execute movements with maximum power and efficiency, and to reduce stress.

Build strength without “bulking up” – gain long, lean muscles and flexibility

Conventional workouts tend to build short, bulky muscles – the type most prone to injury. Pilates elongates and strengthens, improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with balanced strength and flexibility is less likely to be injured.

Develop a strong core – flat abdominals and a strong back

Pilates exercises develop a strong “core,” or center of the body. The core consists of the deep abdominal muscles along with the muscles closest to the spine. Control of the core is achieved by integrating the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.

Create an evenly conditioned body and prevent sports injuries

In conventional workouts, weak muscles tend to get weaker and strong muscles tend to get stronger. The result is muscular imbalance – a primary cause of injury and chronic back pain. Pilates conditions the whole body. Your entire musculature is evenly balanced and conditioned, helping you enjoy daily activities and sports with greater ease and less chance of injury.

Learn efficient patterns of motion

Pilates exercises train several muscle groups at once in smooth, continuous movements. By developing proper technique, you can actually re-train your body to move in safer, more efficient patterns of motion – invaluable for injury recovery, sports performance, good posture and optimal health.

Be confident and safe

No other exercise system is so gentle to your body while giving it a challenging workout. Many of the exercises are performed in reclining or sitting positions, and most are low impact and partially weight bearing. Pilates is so safe, it is used in physical therapy facilities to rehabilitate injuries.

Be challenged

Pilates is also an extremely flexible exercise system. Modifications to the exercises allow for a range of difficulty ranging from beginning to advanced. Get the workout that best suits you now, and increase the intensity as your body conditioning improves.

Trying to fit exercise in to your holiday to-do list can be stressful. But, staying active will give you energy, lessen holiday tension, and work off some of the extra calories you’re most likely eating.

So, how do you find time? These quick tips will help you stay active the holiday season.

Plan Ahead

If you’re traveling, take time to figure out what your options are beforehand so you’re ready for anything. A few ideas:

• Find out about walking or park trails nearby
• Find out if your hotel has an exercise room
• If you’re staying with family, ask if they have fitness equipment
• Find out if there’s a nearby gym and if there is a fee for visitors
• Talk to your family in advance and suggest an activity together
• If they aren’t into fitness, tell before you visit that you want to squeeze in a workout. Ask what they recommend so that you don’t interfere with family plans or hurt their feelings if you take time away from them.

Get Prepared

Plan for the worst-case scenario. That may be staying in grandma’s basement with no equipment and only 10 minutes to yourself. Try these quick tips for squeezing in a workout when you only have minutes to spare:

• Plan a 10-minute routine…10 exercises, each for 1 minute (squats, lunges, pushups, jumping jacks).
• Bring resistance bands. They travel well and you can use them for quick strength exercises.
• If you have a laptop, bring along a workout DVD or try streaming workouts online such as demandFitness.com.
• If guests are staying with you, move your equipment (weights or bands) into your bedroom so you can sneak in some exercise at night or in the morning.
• Wear your running or walking shoes as much as you can. You may find a 20-minute window when people are napping or before dinner for a quick walk or run.
• Invite family members for a walk.

Use Every Opportunity

Get creative and find ways to move your body any way you can:

• Walk as much as possible. Take extra laps at the mall, use the stairs, volunteer to walk the dog.
• If you’re hanging out with kids, set up a game of football, tag or hide and seek.
• Offer to help with the housework, vacuuming or raking leaves.
• If everybody’s sitting around watching football, get on the floor for some situps or pushups. If that’s too weird, try isometric exercises — squeeze and hold the abs, the glutes or even press the hands together to engage the chest.
• Pick up full water bottles or soup cans for quick lateral raises or overhead presses.

Doing something is better than doing nothing! You aren’t always in charge of your schedule during the holidays so remember that the holidays are about enjoying yourself and your family. Relax and get your mind and body ready for the new year.

We know about liver disease, drunk driving, hangovers and things we did that we don’t want to talk about, but what about the actual effect on our body?

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, causes dehydration, and therefore impairs the body’s cooling system. Dehydration in general causes overall fatigue. So if you enjoy a cold one even the night before you exercise, expect to not be at peak performance, to feel tired and have muscle cramps while exercising.

The diuretic effects of alcohol deplete the body of valuable electrolytes such as magnesium, calcium and potassium, as well as B vitamins and minerals such as zinc. So the hangover cure is not more alcohol…contrary to popular beliefs, but to drink as much water and Gatorade as possible to replace fluids and electrolytes and eat foods high in B vitamins and zinc.

Do your joints hurt more after a night out drinking? Alcohol will not only dehydrate you and keep you from sleeping well, but it will also increase swelling around your soft tissues. It will delay your recovery if you have been injured. So don’t sulk in your misery, do your physical therapy instead.

Why did you eat so much at that party last night? Alcohol weakens your body’s ability to convert food to energy (which is why we eat) and reduces your blood sugar levels causing you to feel hungry. Alcohol has no nutritional value AND has seven calories per gram so excess consumption can lead to weight gain as well.

If you’ve made the time and effort to improve your physical conditioning and your overall health with exercise, why take steps backwards and impede your improvements? If you consume alcohol, do so in moderation – men, 2 per day – women, 1 per day.

Why lower the sodium recommendation? You probably know of sodium’s close connection with high blood pressure. But studies also find high sodium intake can lead to heart and kidney problems, as well as osteoporosis and other bone disorders.

Surprising fact: Only 25 percent of your daily supply of salt comes from the saltshaker. Most of the rest comes from processed and packaged foods. Manufacturers add loads of sodium to food, both for flavor and to keep it fresh.

What is blood pressure (BP)? BP is composed of 2 numbers. The first is the systolic BP, which is the force that is exerted on the artery wall when your heart beats. The second is the diastolic BP, which is the force between heart beats (the time when the heart is filling with blood and resting). Normal BP is 120/80. Best BP is 115/75. Hypertension is BP over 140/90.

Tips to reduce sodium and lower blood pressure:

• Lose weight (blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol will decrease too)
• Limit alcohol
• Exercise daily
• Avoid using table salt, garlic salt, onion salt
• Avoid buying canned vegetables, processed and packaged foods
• Say no to sports drinks unless you are an endurance athlete
• Choose unsalted nuts, low fat milk, low sodium cheese
• Buy fresh, frozen or low sodium canned vegetables
• Use spices and herbs rather than salt to enhance flavors
• Check food labels. Buy foods with less than 480 mg of sodium per serving. Also check for non-salt sources of sodium (Na, monosodium glutamate or MSG, sodium citrate, baking soda, baking powder, and sodium bicarbonate).

Get outside. On a nice day, instead of hitting the gym take your workout outdoors. The only energy required is yours. Walking, hiking, biking and jogging are all great cardiovascular activities. Along the way, stop to strength train by using your body weight for resistance with lunges, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, dips and step-ups.

Not only will you get a great workout, you’ll also have lots of fun connecting with the natural world and your community. You can go it alone, enlist a workout partner or even start a workout group in your neighborhood.

• Walk or bike to work, to the gym, to school, etc.
• Mow the lawn.
• Weed your garden.
• Go for a hike. Pick up trash along the way.
• Take your dog for a long walk. Use biodegradable bags to pick up after them.
• Chase your kids around the yard.
• Join a group that clears trails in local hiking areas.

Unplug. If outdoor exercise is not an option, try using equipment that requires you to generate the power. Some examples: dumbbells, tubing, kettle bells, jump ropes and self-powered cardio machines such as spinning bikes and rowing machines.

• Buy used exercise equipment on Craigs List.
• Give the power generated treadmill or stair climber a break. Run up and down the steps in your home or office.

Dress the part. When choosing your workout clothes and accessories, consider those made of organic cotton, bamboo or other natural fibers — even coconut shells! You could also look for clothes and shoes made of recycled materials, such as sneakers with recycled rubber soles.

You also can shop for eco-friendly fitness products such as yoga mats made of natural rubber and yoga mat bags made of hemp.

When you’ve worn out your clothes, recycle them. Patagonia has a program that allows you to recycle old workout clothes and turn them into new ones. Nike has a recycling program that turns old sneakers into basketball courts, running tracks and playgrounds.

• Use a reusable water bottle.
• Buy workout clothes made in the USA

Don’t forget to fuel your body with local and organic foods before you exercise, and have fun!

1. Choose high folate and vitamin C dark leafy greens instead of iceberg lettuce. Choose spinach, endive, mixed “baby” greens containing multicolored lettuces and romaine.
2. Choose colorful vegetables: red radishes, peppers and tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers and broccoli, yellow peppers, purple cabbage, orange carrots, and tan (fresh) mushrooms. Eat smaller quantities of canned veggies such as artichoke hearts and olives, because they are high in sodium. (Olives are a source of monounsaturated, heart-healthy fats and can be enjoyed in moderation.)
3. Choose colorful fresh fruit:  they contain vitamin A and C, carotinoids, fiber and potassium. Most have 0 fat as long as they are not bathed in syrup. Just be mindful of the serving size.
4. Add beans: 1/2 cup of chickpeas or kidney beans add about 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. This will help fill you up.
5. Choose lean meats and fish such as chicken (not breaded), turkey, tuna without mayo, or shrimp. Cured meats, such as bacon, ham, and salami, are high in salt.
6. Use just a sprinkling of highly flavored cheese like parmesan, feta, or blue, otherwise you’ll be adding a lot of fat calories and salt. Choose low-fat options if they are available.
7. Avoid creamy sides, like pasta salad, tuna with mayo, coleslaw, or potato salad.
8. Limit toppings such as croutons, nuts & seeds, and fried noodles & onions.
9. Avoid creamy dressings. Choose vinaigrette, Italian, reduced calorie dressings, or lemon, vinegar and olive oil. Use only 2 tablespoons.
10. Choose a whole grain bread to eat with your salad, increasing your fiber and B vitamins.