Fitness Products Recommendations

I originally posted this on the 6th but realized yesterday that it had disappeared from the blog. I didn't know how long it had actually survived so I decided to repost it. After a frustrating search for a cached copy, I finally found one. My apologies to anyone who may have already read this info.


I often see people on the internet asking about different fitness products. Sometimes there's little difference between the cheap brand and the more expensive brand; sometimes there is.

You don't need a ton of equipment to get a good workout but there are some items that I definitely think can enhance the experience.

Here are a few items I recommend:


GymBoss Interval Timer

I'm not usually not one of those people who gets off on gadgets but I love my GymBoss. If you're a regular reader, you know that I'm a big proponent of interval training. Cardio intervals, bodyweight intervals, Tabata training, etc. The GymBoss is an inexpensive and convenient way to keep track of your intervals.

You can set it for 1 time or 2 different times. For example, you can program it to beep every 30 seconds if you're doing a bodyweight circuit or you can program it for a 20 second work and 10 second rest Tabata workout or any combination of times for other interval training. There is also a handy clip, which is helpful when I'm running outside.

To get the most out of your workout, you need to focus on the exercise at hand. Trying to keep track of the time is an unnecessary distraction which the GymBoss eliminates.

You can get your's here.


Plate Mates

In lower weight dumbbells, you can easily find a slightly heavier weight to progress to. At Body & Soul, I have 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 pound dumbbells. However, once you hit 15 pounds, the dumbbells increase by 5 pounds.

That can be a big jump, especially for some exercises and that's where Plate Mates come in. Each pair contains two 1 1/4 pound magnetic weights that attach to each end of the dumbbell. So, instead of trying to jump from 15 pounds up to 20, you can make 17.5 pound dumbbells using Plate Mates.

Just a reminder- because they are magnetic, they only work on metal dumbbells. Also, you'll need to get two pairs because you need two Plate Mates per dumbbell.

PlateMate Micro Loading 5/8 Pound Hex Weight Plate - 1 Pair


Thera-Band Stability Balls

When I first saw exercise balls popping up at gyms, I thought they were probably just another gimmick. I was wrong. While I have no use for the crazy acrobatic "functional" exercises some trainers have their clients perform, I have found stability balls to be a valuable addition to any gym. If you work out at home, an exercise ball is an excellent way to greatly increase the number of exercises you can do.

I have always used Thera-Band stability balls at the gym. They're a quality product used by many physical therapists and they're very sturdy.

I've read comments by exercisers who had to constantly refill their balls or whose cat had burst multiple cheap exercise balls, etc. I very occasionally need to top off my Thera-Band balls with some air but they get used every day by many members.

If you are 5'1" - 5'6", you would get a 55cm (red).

For those 5'7 - 6'1", go with the 65cm (green).

If you have exceptionally long legs and are close to the upper height range, you may want to go with the next size up.

Thera-Band Exercise Balls


Spri Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are another item you can find at many discount stores and they may be fine. I haven't had a lot of experience with different brands. An aerobics instructor once told me that she had tried different kinds in her classes and found Spri bands to be the most durable. They're the ones I use at Body & Soul and I've been happy with the quality.

Each band below comes with a door attachment and exercise chart. Regardless of which brand you buy, you will probably do best to get at least two different resistances because you'll be able to use more resistance on some exercises than others- just like with dumbbells. (Please don't tell that you do all your exercises with the same weight. If so, you're definitely doing yourself a disservice.)

The different colors signify different resistances, going from "light" to "very heavy"

SPRI ES500R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Green, Light)

SPRI ES501R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Red, Medium)

SPRI ES502R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Blue, Heavy)

SPRI ES503R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Purple, Very Heavy)

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Kids and Exercise - Safety First

I stumbled upon this video yesterday. It was so cute I decided to do a quick search for other videos with kids exercising. Big mistake.

I was surprised at the number of videos I saw with kids goofing around on cardio equipment. It's bad enough that parents allow, and even encourage kids to "play" on potentially dangerous equipment, but the fact that they advertise it on the internet blows my mind.

Exercising with your child is great and I applaud parents who encourage children to be active. If more parents did so, we wouldn't have the childhood obesity epidemic that we have. However, I would like to see some common sense used where adult sized equipment is involved.

From the Consumer Product Safety Commission website:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that each year about 8,700 children under 5 years of age are injured with exercise equipment.There are an additional 16,500 injuries per year to children ages 5 to 14. Types of equipment identified in these cases include stationary bicycles, treadmills, and stair climbers. Fractures and even amputations were reported in about 20 percent of exercise equipment related injuries.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5028.html

That's over 25,000 injuries and that's just kids up to 14.

I saw very small children on ellipticals. I saw a kid totally goofing around on a fast moving treadmill while barefoot. These are accidents waiting to happen.

All it takes is one slip.

The Fountain of Youth is Made of Iron by Joseph McCaffrey, MD, FACS

This article should be required reading for every doctor who only advises his/her patients to walk for exercise and for every person who thinks walking, running, biking, aerobic classes, and other cardio exercise is all they need to be healthy.

The Fountain of Youth is Made of Iron
By Joseph McCaffrey, MD, FACS

Aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, bike riding and such) has long been the darling of the wellness folks. For years, these people wouldn't consider lifting weights. They somehow thought they'd morph into a bodybuilding freak if they so much as touched a dumbbell.

As if…

They also didn't think that muscle mass and strength had much to do with health. More and more evidence shows the error in that way of thinking. A recent long-term study reported in the British Medical Journal adds to this body of evidence.1

In this study, researchers followed 8,762 men between the ages of 20 and 82 years of age for an average of 18.9 years (as I said, this was a long-term study).

When the men signed up for the study, their comprehensive evaluation included measuring upper and lower body strength as well as their performance on a treadmill.

Adjusting for age, the risk of death during the course of the study was highest in the weakest men and lowest in the strongest. This difference persisted even when other factors such as lifestyle, family history, and other medical conditions were allowed for.

The difference persisted even allowing for cardiovascular fitness. That is, the men who were both aerobically fit and strong did better than men who were equally fit aerobically but not as strong.

(Emphasis mine.)

As I said, this ties in with a lot of other evidence supporting the importance of strength training.

It used to be taught that losing muscle mass and strength was an inevitable part of aging. We now know this isn't the case at all.

Training with weights minimizes the strength loss that would otherwise occur. Studies show resistance training benefits even nursing home residents.

The image of an ideal exercise program has shifted dramatically in the last decade. Gone are the long hours of repetitive aerobic exercise sessions at 60-80% of maximal heart rate.

The new model rests on shorter, more intense, and highly varied exercise periods. It definitely includes resistance training.

Body weight exercises such as squats and pushups are a great beginning. And you'll find many good fitness programs recommended here on the pages of Total Health Breakthroughs. The main thing is to begin. The "use it or lose it" maxim definitely applies to muscle mass and strength.

Reference

1. BMJ. 2008; 337:a349.

[Ed. Note: Joseph F. McCaffrey, MD, FACS is a board-certified surgeon with extensive experience in alternative medicine, including certification as a HeartMath Trainer. His areas of expertise include mind-body interaction and cognitive restructuring. Dr. McCaffrey strives to help people attain their optimum level of vitality through attention to all aspects of wellness. For more information, click here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com

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Healthy Lifestyle Motivation

Recently, Scott Colby recorded a 7-call teleseminar series to raise money for some needy kids who live in an orphanage.

The subject of his first call was motivation and mindset. The roundtable included experts Scott Tousignant, Kevin Gianni and Jim Katsoulis.

Previously the call was available only to participating donors but Scott has now made the information available to everyone. Even better, you can listen online or download the call and listen at your convenience.

Skyrocket Your Motivation

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What The Restaurant Industry Doesn't Want You To Know

The other day I wrote about a study where people who kept an accurate food journal lost twice as much weight as participants who didn't. You can find it here.

Below are quite a few reasons why that's the case. I think most people know when they're eating high calorie food but many times I don't think a lot of folks realize how many calories are in those foods.

For example, Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion contains 2210 calories. Even if you split it with 2 other people you've just consumed over 700 calories on just an appetizer.

Want to go one worse? Another Outback appetizer, their Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing has 2,900 calories! It ranked #1 on Men's Health list of The Worst Food in America.

Here are some more:

Burger King Whopper with Cheese - 770 calories

Dunkin' Donuts Supreme Omelet Cheese Croissant Sandwich - 490 calories with more than half (270) from fat

Dunkin' Donuts Egg Cheese Bagel Sandwich - 470 calories and 1130 mg of sodium

Dunkin' Donuts Sausage Egg Cheese Croissant Sandwich - 1300 mg of sodium and 630 calories, 400 of them from fat (a whopping 68%!)

So you're smarter than that, right? You know better than to order a sandwich on a croissant or bagel if you're trying to cut back. Think you'd be safe ordering a Turkey sandwich at Dunkin'? Think again. Their Turkey and Cheese Sandwich contains 510 calories and 1380 mg of sodium.


Are you a fan of the Dairy Queen Blizzard? Of course, everyone knows that ice cream is not diet food but do you know how much that DQ splurge could cost you? Here are calorie counts for a variety of large Blizzards:

Thin Mint Blizzard, the July flavor of the month - 1080 calories and 31 teaspoon of sugar.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard - 1300 calories

Heath Bar Blizzard - 1260 calories

Oreo Cookie Blizzard - 980 calories

M&M's Blizzard - 1150 calories

Banana Split Blizzard - 780 calories

Snickers Blizzard - 1140 calories

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard - 1060 calories

Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard - 930 calories


Think you can't go wrong with a salad? Guess again. Check out the calorie and fat count in these popular chain restaurant salads.

Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad - 970 calories

Pizzaria Uno's Chicken Waldorf Salad - 920 calories and 62 grams of fat

Arby’s Santa Fe Salad - 844 calories and 55 grams of fat

T.G.I. Friday's Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad - 750 calories and 50 grams of fat


I'm not saying you should never enjoy a Blizzard or other less than perfect food choices but if you're interested in dropping fat you need to be aware of exactly what you're taking into your body. How something is prepared - deep fried, drenched in high calorie cream sauce or salad dressing, battered, etc. makes a difference. Even fat-free and sugar-free muffins, including bran muffins, still contain about 600 calories and are not your best choice.


Here's an eye opening article to check out:
16 Secrets The Restaurant Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

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More Benefits of Interval Training

I've been singing the praises of cardio intervals for fat loss for quite a while now. However, if you've ever wondered whether intervals produce heart related benefits like those of slower cardio training, check out the article link below.

Don't get hung up on the fact that the study participants performed all-out 30 second sprints. Regardless of your age or current fitness level, you can do interval training.

For example, if you currently walk on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes at 3.4 mph, you could instead try walking at 3.7 for 60 seconds and then slow down to 3.0 for a 60 or 120 second recovery. That's considered one interval. Repeat that pattern 6 times, cool down and you're done.

(Obviously, you need to prepare your body properly for this type of workout. If you're doing nothing but cardio that day, warm up for at least 5 minutes before your first interval. If you're doing intervals after a a strength training session, you can probably get by with just 3-5 minutes on the treadmill before starting the intervals. Listen to your body. If you feel like you need to warm up longer, do it.)

You just need to understand that performing cardio intervals is not a matter of speed; it's about intensity. The goal is to challenge yourself in short bursts at a intensity that you couldn't maintain for longer periods.

Everyone is different. While 3.7 mph for 60 seconds would be a challenge for one person, it would be too slow for someone else but it doesn't matter. The actual speed or resistance you use isn't important.

On a scale of 1 to 10, you want to feel like you're working at an 8 or 9 during the hard part of the interval. If you're currently really out of shape, work up to that level.

The recovery (slow) part of the interval should be performed at a much easier level of 3 or 4 out of 10.

So if 3.7 mph challenges you, that's what you should do. If it's too easy go faster; if it's too hard, slow down.

Because of the intensity of this type of exercise, limit interval training to 3 times a week.

Fat loss, time saving, and cardiovascular health benefits. If you're not currently doing cardio intervals, why not?


Brief, Intense Exercise Can Benefit The Heart, Study Shows
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Randy Pausch October 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008

Randy Pausch lost his battle with pancreatic cancer one week ago today. Originally, I hadn't planned to post anything about it, thinking that almost everyone had already seen his now famous "Last Lecture" (or at least his abridged version on Oprah), had bought his book or had seen him on any number of TV appearances.

After thinking about it, I decided to post the entire 76 minute lecture and the Oprah version for those who haven't seen it or those (which would include most of us) who could use a refresher.

I didn't know Randy Pausch but when I think of his life and death it reminds me of the final lines of Brian's Song:

Brian Piccolo died of cancer at the age of 26. He left a wife and three daughters. He also left a great many loving friends who miss and think of him often. But when they think of him, it's not how he died that they remember - but how he lived. How he did live!

If you aren't aware of this very talented man with the tremendous attitude or if you could use some inspiration regarding reaching your goals, take the time to watch this video.

You can go here for an article on Randy from Carnegie Mellon University, where he had been a professor.

The Last Lecture



If you don't have time to watch the entire lecture, you can check out the 10 minute abbreviated version he delivered on Oprah.