Body Wedge Chest Exercises

1. Lie down with your head at the big part of the wedge. Grab free weights that are light yet heavy enough to give you a workout. Have your arms straight to your sides, but do not lock your elbows. Exhale as you bring the free weights close together over your chest and inhale as you bring them to starting position. This is the butterfly or fly exercise. Do five sets of ten repetitions.

2. Repeat [1.] with your palms facing away from you.

3. Repeat [1.] starting with your elbows bent and straightening your arms up at each repetition without locking your elbows.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com.

What Else to Do With a Medicine Ball

1. Chest - Throw

Play watch and throw the ball with a partner. Keep the ball chest-level. Exhale when you throw the medicine ball and inhale when you catch the medicine ball.

2. Chest - Out and In

Hold the medicine ball at chest level. "Push" out with out locking your elbows and bring back one inch from your chest. Exhale when you push out and inhale when you bring it back.

3. Rotator Cuff

You can do rotator cuff exercises (see the previous rotator cuff section) with a small medicine ball that has a place to grip it.

4. Shoulders and legs: Put your legs shoulder-width apart. Lift the ball high with your arms straight. Do not lock your elbows. Bring it slowly to your waist, then lower it almost to the floor between your legs. Keep your back as straight as you can keep it, and make sure your knees do not extend beyond your toes. Exhale when you lift the medicine ball. Inhale when you bring the medicine ball down, and exhale when you bring it all the way down to an inch on top of the floor.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/.

Vitamins

Most people, with the exception of some infants, children, sick individuals, the poor or malnourished, pregnant women, and elderly, get more than enough vitamins in their daily diet. Vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in fat so that if we do not get a daily allowance of one in a given day, our bodies obtain those vitamin molecules from fat. Other vitamins, like Vitamin C, are passed out in urine. This means that if we drink three glasses of orange juice a day, it will not make any difference; we will get the required vitamin C and get rid of the rest when we urinate. (That may p-off those of you who spend a lot of money buying vitamin pills that contain water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C. I could not resist. ha ha ha)

Unless one eats potato chips for three meals a day, they should be getting the correct amount of vitamins. Even a bowl of cereal (depending on the cereal) can have nearly all the vitamins and minerals you need for the day. Consult your physician and do your own research. You may want to try some pills once in a while like omega-3 fish fat pills, flax seed pills, and the like. But for most of the time, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

An article in today's AMNY newspaper (page 23) wrote about a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial that concluded that too much folic acid (an artificial version of folate or water-soluble vitamin B9) can be harmful. It may not prevent precancerous colon polyps, and may even increase the risk of developing them. The journal article "Folic Acid for the Prevention of Colorectal Adenomas" by Bernard F. Cole et al published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)can be read at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/297/21/2351#AUTHINFO .

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com,/ http://www.amazon.com/, and http://www.bn.com/. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/.

Post an Inspiring, Funny Reminder

This is my shortest blog so far. I have seen that little mementos make a difference in reminding you to do something like go to the gym or forget about a memory.

Here are two examples:

1. I put a gym bag magnet on my refrigerator door. I am not sure if I found it or bought it. It must have been about 12 years ago. It is so cute, complete with a little roll-on stick, barbell, and towel.

2. I used a keychain with the words "Get Over It" to get over a relationship.

They worked!

Have they and will they work all of the time? Maybe they will not. But they will work at least most of the time.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com, http://www.amazon.com, and www.bn.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com.

Excuses Not to Go to the Gym

People have all sorts of excuses not to go to the gym. After seeing eight-month-pregnant women working out and people working out before work at 5:30 am, I do not want to hear any excuses. Here are some popular ones.

I have no time.

Um, you do have time most likely to eat, watch television, go out, and sleep late sometimes. Walk instead of drive to the store. See a television show at the gym instead of at home. Work out while you watch television. Take turns with friends cooking for the day to give the other
friend(s) time to go to the gym.

2. I do not like it.

With all of the classes, cardiovascular equipment and varieties of weights and machines, there is something that you will like. Explore. Try it out and see. And after a while, there is something or many things you will like and not want to do without!

3. I am embarrassed because of how I look.

Well, that is like saying you are too old to look for work after the children are grown or you are let go. The situation will persist if you do not get into action and do something about it. Besides, many other people at the gym think the same thing! And if anyone stares or comments about you, she or he is not anyone whose opinion you should care about anyway. Most likely, people will be too into caring about how they look, working out, reading, watching television or finishing their work out to get out of there! Do not worry until you cross that bridge.

4. I do not have the money to join a gym.

There must be some affordable gym in your area. If there is not, buy some free weighs from a sporting good store, do calisthenics, or use a friend's gym as a guest. You can also dance, jog, bicycle-ride and swim.

5. I will beef up and look like a man. (women)

I have already discussed that women not on steroids will not bulk up like men, and muscle tone looks good and burns more fat than fat tissue even when sleeping.

6. It hurts.

It may hurt when you do an exercise you have never done before, or when you increase weights or repetitions or sets. But there is a difference between good and bad pain, as I have written about in several blogs. And only by working out and getting to know your body more will you be able to tell the difference. The adage "No pain, no gain" is often true in working out and in life. The more in shape you become, the less pain you will feel. And unless you are working out like an animal, chances are you are just scared and you will not feel much pain anyway.

Start.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/.

Lift Your Pelvis!

You can do some moves for your glutes on a mat. Here they are:

1. Lie on your back. Leave an inch or two between your lower back and the mat. Bend your knees and put your feet on the floor. Lift your buttocks as much as you can from the floor in a slow movement. Count at least three seconds up, then three seconds down. Do four sets for ten repetitions.

2. Extend your right leg. Repeat the above exercise. Now put your right foot down and lift your left leg. Repeat the above exercise.

Here is a great stretch for your glutes.

Stretch: Bend your right knee so that your right knee is to your right and your right foot is to your left. bring the leg in that position close to you. Put your left knee behind your right ankle and use the left leg to bring in the right leg. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat for the left leg. Bend the left leg so that your left knee is to your left and your left foot is to your right. You can put your right knee behind your left ankle so that your right leg helps to bring your left leg toward your torso. Hold for ten seconds.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.Authorhouse.com and www.Amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories. These two books are on my Web site www.louizapatsis.com.

Don't Get Too Hot!

Now I do not mean do not look good. You know you do already! And there is no limit to how sizzling you can be. But summer is coming. And jogging, running, climbing or even walking in the sun, especially around noon, can be dangerous to your health. There is a reason that some people in Mediterranean climates take a nap in the afternoon. The most fit individuals can get knocked out by those sun's rays.

It is important to drink plenty of water and to wear a hat to protect your from the sun in the heat. Remember, the sun is many times bigger than the Earth and it is the most powerful body of energy in our solar system.

There are three types of hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature: heat cramp, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat cramps are caused by a high rate of sweat that depletes the body of moisture and salt. The low salt causes muscles to cramp. These cramps can be a symptom of the more serious heat stroke as well, so be in tune with your body to know what is going on – certainly if the cramps persist for more than a few minutes, get indoors to a cooler place, and call an ambulance if need be. Drink water immediately! Taking a cool shower also helps.

Heat exhaustion usually comes from being outdoors in the heat for more than one day. People who are sick, old or exercising are more susceptible. Here are some symptoms: heavy swelling, paleness, muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, weakness, a feeling of dehydration, slow and shallow breathing, and fainting. If symptoms last for half an hour, seek medical help. this could progress to heat stroke, which is sometimes fatal.

In extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous exertion under the sun, the body may not be able to dissipate the heat from the body by sweat, and the body temperature rises much higher than the normal 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Often victims are dehydrated if they do not drink enough liquids and they have not been sweating enough to dissipate heat. The very young or elderly and the sick are the most susceptible,
Here are some symptoms of heat stroke: high body temperature, the absence of sweating, hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure or coma.

Have someone call 911 immediately. The person with heat stroke must be taken
to a shady area or to a cool indoor area, preferably with air conditioning. They must drink water. Clothing must be loosened and excess clothing must be removed. Remember, it is best not to wear dark colors or black in excess heat. They absorb heat.

For all three conditions, beverages with caffeine or alcohol must be avoided.

Some information for this blog was obtained from http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm%20on%20May%2014, 2007.

Check out my new book Pocket Guide to Fitness and my other books by looking up my name on www.authorhouse.com.

Some Ballet-Type Moves: Point and Flex Your Feet

You can do some ballet-type moves to get off a plateau and to sculpt your legs. Doing small, controlled movements is good for these goals.

Here are three exercises:

1.Do ten set five sets of ten repetitions of pliettes. You may need to place your hand on a bar or the wall if you are a beginner. Keep your neck and back straight. Point your knees and toes outward, with your heels about two inches apart. Bend down for three counts, and come back up for three counts. Do not extend your knees beyond your toes and do not lock your knees.

2.Lay on your back. Lift your legs 90 degrees from your body. Point the back of your knees and your heels toward each other. Bend your legs with your heels about an inch apart. Flex your feet, soles facing each other. Bend your knees to about 45 degrees. Now extend your legs, not locking your knees. The first time have your toes pointed, and the second time have your feet flexed. This is one repetition. Do five sets of ten repetitions.

3. Stand. You may want to put the palm of a hand against the wall for balance. Be parallel to the wall. Keep your neck and back straight. Lift your right thigh 90 degrees to your upper body. Extend your leg, pointing your toes. Do the same with feet flexed. This is one repetition. Do five sets of ten repetitions. Repeat for the left leg. Now repeat for the right leg, and then the left leg, while keeping each leg at a diagonal position. In other words, "twist" it so that the top of your foot is almost parallel to the walls of the room.

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

Negative Wanting

I was on the subway the other day and a woman sat next to me who read Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings by Lynn Grabhorn. I was curious and asked if it was good. I told her about my book Pocket Guide to Fitness, that can be found with my other two books on www.authorhouse,com and www.amazon.com. She recommended the book.

I bought it and almost finished it. Some of what it is about is in line with The Secret and the Law of Attraction. I believe that there are many ways of looking at situations, such as scientific and mystery, and the Law of Attraction is not the whole truth. But there is a lot of Truth to it. I can write volumes on all of this.

One thing that stuck out is that she writes not to want something as a negative want. A specific want such as "I do not want to drive; I will take the subway so I can read and nap" can be effective. You know what you want and you choose responsibly to get in action for what you do want. But other wants may not be so great and may create an energy around you that defeats your goal. This happens a lot in fitness. Earlier blogs are about being grateful and appreciating yourself. This is essential. You will not get in shape and stay in shape effectively if you are not accepting and loving who you are now and day to day.

The negative want concept falls in the same category of concepts. If one says "I want to be fit", it automatically implies one is not fit or happy where they are. Struggle then and fixing what is wrong will ensue. This will not lead to ease and commitment to a fitness regimen that works for you and lasts.

Benefits of Massage

Massage has many benefits and should be incorporated into your fitness regimen. Sometimes after working out, besides stretching, you need a massage to have you feel relaxed, to rid your muscles of knots and tension, and to soothe your muscles, joints, and tendons.

There is a lot of information in books and the Internet on massage, so I will not list them all here. Some of the benefits of massage are:

Provide psychological relaxation
Stretch muscles
Increase blood circulation efficacy
Relieve tensions
Increase joint flexibility
Release endorphins
Emotional sense of calm and being cared for

You can view lists and information on the benefits of massage here http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php and http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php.

My book Pocket Guide to Fitness is now available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/. Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/!

Thin Outside and Fat Inside

A small article in h daily AM paper caught my attention. “Diet: Thin People May be Fat Inside”. I have thought this countless times. I was at someone’s home last year. She was thin. On second look, she was flabby. This or straight does not mean fit, especially if one has excess fat in their waist area when they are straight elsewhere. I searched the concept on Yahoo! and right away came up with a news article form medical writer Marcia Cheng. A body fat index may not even be reliable, the article on Yahoo! news writes.

Cheng's article was about a London study of 800 people, who were given magnetic resonance imaging. Internal fat deposits, including around organs, were detected, although these people looked thin on the outside. In fact, Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London, said: Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat."

Physicians believe that exercise is vital in maintaining and good weight without having big fat deposits inside. Physicians are not exactly sure of the dangers of internal fat, but many believe that it contributes to heart disease.

Here is the link to the Yahoo! news article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070510/ap_on_he_me/thin_fat_people .

Here is the small AM news article: “If it really is what’s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble. Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs such as the heart, liver or pancreas could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath eh skin.

“Being thin doesn’t automatically y mean you’re not fat,” said Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London.

According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim.

My book Pocket Guide to Fitness is now available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/. Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/!

Can You Spot Reduce?

*No, you cannot spot reduce! People would love that! When the first personal trainer I had, "Skooter", the man who co-wrote the exercise book with LL Cool Jay, told me that, I was flabbergasted! I wanted to lose weight at some points of my body, without losing any more facial fat. I did not want to lose my chest. I think that fake breasts are unhealthy and do not look good, and should not be had unless one has had a body-altering surgery.

A person can have a six-pack, for example, but it will not show unless one sweats doing aerobic and cardiovascular work, revealing the muscles. But if someone does that, they may also lose weight in a part of their body that they do not want to lose from, like their face, or chest or hips. If one targets an area, it may help reduce inches: If you build muscle, surrounding tissue will pack tighter. But there is no guarantee you will lose exactly where you want to lose.

Genetics plays a role in where you lose weight from first. A person can work out and lose a few pounds in their abdomen, then a few in their thighs and then a few in their chest. They can work out for five years and lose weight, and the same thing can happen. Experiment with your body, and, as usual, get in touch with yourself to see what works, such as different foods, exercises, and workouts. Use your spirit and mind to affect your body.


Check out www.louizapatsis.com and look for my books, including the new Pocket Guide to Fitness, here: http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~40325.aspx.

What Good Are Fats?

Fatty molecules are composed of glycerol and a fatty acid. They can be liquid (oil) or solid at room temperature. Some fats are actually good for you, such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Fats are needed by your body, so it is not wise to be very skinny, especially for a woman.

Uses of fat:

• Vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in fat. Vitamin A deficiency may lead to blindness. Vitamin D deficiency may lead to osteomalacia (soft bones), osteoporosis, or rickets. Vitamin E deficiency may lead to body wasting diseases such as cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, and cholestasis (bile-flow obstruction). Vitamin K deficiency may lead to bleeding disorders, fractures, and osteoporosis.
• When muscle glycogen is depleted, fats often serve as energy. they are broken down into glycerol and fatty acids. The glycerol is converted to glucose.
• Fats protect organs from damage.
• Fats promote healthy skin and hair.
• Fat protects nerves by making up the largest part of the myelin sheath.
• Fat is used often to store foreign molecules that may be harmful to the body until they are metabolized excretion, accidental or intentional bloodletting, sweat, or hair growth.

Check out www.louizapatsis.com. Look me up on Authorhouse.com for my books, including Pocket Guide to Fitness.

What Is Fitness?

I think fitness is about energy, endurance, flexibility, strength, and seeing the physician for statistics. EEFSP

It is not about only looking good, being thin, or fitting into smaller jeans. First, you need to get in touch with yourself, largely from working out, to see how your energy, endurance, flexibility, strength are. What good is strength if you have no endurance? Taking care of a child, moving furniture or even walking would not last long. What good is endurance if you have no strength? You would be able to walk for miles, but not lift anything or hold onto something with your arms and support your weight to prevent failing. What good are endurance and strength if you have no flexibility and are as stiff as a block, not being able to bend or reach to get anything or have healthy, flexible muscles?

And what good is all of this if you have high blood pressure and cholesterol?

Incorporate twice-yearly physician visits, and EEFS into your workout, and feel your body. That is fitness.

My book Pocket Guide to Fitness is now available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/. Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/!

Medicine Balls for the Waist

Pick a medicine ball that is a challenging weight and a doable weight. For each of these exercises, hold the medicine ball steadily about the height of your belly button.

1. Hold a medicine ball with both hands by the front of your waist. Keep your legs a little more than hip width apart and twist from side to side, for about 190 degrees slowly in each direction. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

2. Hold a medicine ball with both hands by the front of your waist. Keep your legs a little more than hip width apart. Drop down slowly until your medicine ball touches your shins. Come back up slowly. Do four sets of ten repetitions. Inhale when you come up and exhale when you bend.

3. Repeat [2.]. Twist when you bend forward so that the medicine ball touches the shin of the right leg, then come up slowly and repeat for the left leg. Do four sets of ten repetitions. One repetition includes touching each leg one time.

My book Pocket Guide to Fitness is now available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/. Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com!

Using Weights with Cardiovascular Machine Work

You can combine cardiovascular machine work with weights. You can easily use free weights and hold them, or do exercises such as biceps curls while on the treadmill, stairmaster or other cardiovascular machine.

You can use weight bars as well. An advanced move to use would be a heavy medicine ball. To start, holding it would man that you cannot lean on the cardiovascular machine. This means that your core - abdominal muscles and back muscles - will do more work. You may even sweat more just from not being able to lean on the cardiovascular machine. If you do an exercise such as pectoral muscle extensions or shoulder exercises with the medicine ball, you will burn more calories. Keeping stable and in balance, you will use more muscle fibers.

Using weights while on cardiovascular machines is also a great way to get off a plateau.

My book Pocket Guide to Fitness is now available on www.authorhouse.com, amazon.com and www.bn.com. Check out my Web site www.louizapatsis.com!

Possible Three-Month Abdominal Exercise Program VI

Here are some more abdominal exercises. Rest for a day in between these exercises.

Day One:

This exercise may look simple. You can do it on a hard chair at home or at work. Sit up straight. Flex your feet, bend you legs 90 degrees, and have your knees close together. Bring up your feet up one or two inches over the ground. It is not so easy, right? Do this for four sets of ten repetitions.

Here is a harder version, to do once you can do the above exercise for at least four weeks. You may need to put your hands flat under your upper hamstrings with the palms facing down for support. Bring your legs up about an inch so that your thighs are 180 degrees out from your hip socket. Now bring your legs up one or two inches. This is really hard, right? Start off doing this for one set of ten repetitions until you can do four sets of ten repetitions.

Day Two: Pilates Plank

Get a mat and get on it face down. Have your arms 90 degrees down from your shoulders. Rest on your elbows and knees your thighs should be bent 90 degrees. Now straighten your legs. Rest your legs on your toes. Your legs should be close together, knees about two inches apart at most. Keep your back straight. Do not have your but higher than your back. Keep this position for ten seconds. Do this four times. Work up to ten times. This is another exercise that looks easier than it is.

Day Three:

Do abdominal crunches as per the first abdominal blog. Keep your legs straight up, at a 90 degree angle from your hips. This will vary the lower abdominal muscle fibers used.

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com in about three weeks.

Possible Three-Month Leg Exercise Program IV

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

1. Do lunges one time a week. See the lunges blog.

2. Matt Exercise “It-Seems-Easy-But-It-Is-Not-Exercise

This exercise is great for abdominal muscles, leg muscles and glute muscles. Place your left knee on the mat. Place your left palm flat on the floor by you. Keep your left arm straight. Do not lock your elbow. Rest on this hand. Bend your body only as much as our need to when you rest on your hand. Bring your right leg bent so that your thigh is parallel to you right hip socket. Straighten and then bend your leg. Do this for two sets of ten repetitions. You read correctly – two sets of ten repetitions. This exercise seems easy, but it most likely will not be easy for you. Change legs and repeat.

Next, keep your right leg straight. Do not lock the knee. Do circles of about six inches in diameter forward, and then backward. Do each direction for two sets of ten repetitions.
Change legs and repeat.

3. Lie down on your left side. Put an elastic ban around your ankles. You can leave your left arm straight and rest your head on it, or bend your elbow and rest your head on your left hand. Keep your legs straight. Do not bend your knees. Bring your right leg up. Exhale when you bring your leg up, and bring it down, inhaling, without touching your legs. Do four sets of ten repetitions. Change sides and legs and repeat.

Rest your legs one day between each exercise or set of exercises. This does not include aerobic and cardiovascular work that you do.

Marathon Training

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

If you would like to run a good time in the Marathon, you need to train months ahead of time. Some people start three months ahead of time. I recommend six months, especially if you are a beginner. First, get clearance from a physician. It is a good idea to see her or him a week or so before the race as well.

In summary, start running about four days a week. If you have never ran more than five miles, it would be a good idea to train for a half marathon first. I did my first marathon with no training, with a goal to finish, and I did, even after little sleep, but I had trained in a gym for five solid years and knew my capabilities. Use what is on this blog to get close to your body and "hear" what it can do.

If you have run more than five miles and you are training for a marathon, start training for a month running five miles four days a week, about six months before the marathon the first month of training. Up this to running seven miles four days a week for two weeks, and then 10 miles four days a week for two weeks. For a month, run 10 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for a month. Then run 15 miles three days a week and 12 miles one day a week for a month. Slow down during the last month of training. Run 15 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for three weeks. For the last week of training, run ten miles four days a week. Include one long run of at least 20 miles at the beginning of this last month to get yourself ready for the marathon. Make sure to eat starchy carbohydrates before each run.

There are different combinations of these runs. Ask a veteran marathoner. Get a coach. Above all, do what feels right for you. You may feel you need to lose weight. Do so until you get to your comfortable running weight for your time goal.

Keep up with your weight training before the race. You may not want to bulk up and add weight to your running weight. You will want to keep your muscles toned. Most muscles will work in some way during the race.

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com in about three weeks.

If you would like to run a good time in the Marathon, you need to train months ahead of time. Some people start three months ahead of time. I recommend six months, especially if you are a beginner. First, get clearance from a physician. It is a good idea to see her or him a week or so before the race as well.

In summary, start running about four days a week. If you have never ran more than five miles, it would be a good idea to train for a half marathon first. I did my first marathon with no training, with a goal to finish, and I did, even after little sleep, but I had trained in a gym for five solid years and knew my capabilities. Use what is on this blog to get close to your body and "hear" what it can do.

If you have run more than five miles and you are training for a marathon, start training for a month running five miles four days a week, about six months before the marathon the first month of training. Up this to running seven miles four days a week for two weeks, and then 10 miles four days a week for two weeks. For a month, run 10 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for a month. Then run 15 miles three days a week and 12 miles one day a week for a month. Slow down during the last month of training. Run 15 miles two days a week and 12 miles two days a week for three weeks. For the last week of training, run 10 miles four days a week. Include one long run of at least 20 miles at the beginning of this last month to get yourself ready for the marathon. Make sure to eat starchy carbohydrates before each run.

There are different combinations of these runs. Ask a veteran marathoner. Get a coach. Above all, do what feels right for you. You may feel you need to lose weight. Do so until you get to your comfortable running weight for your time goal.

Keep up with your weight training before the race. You may not want to bulk up and add weight to your running weight. You will want to keep your muscles toned. Most muscles will work in some way during the race. Keep up with your cardiovascular training. Swimming is good to do.

There are many programs out there. Here is one resource from the New York Road Runners Club: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/training/trainingprogram.php .

Here is what not to do:

Do not weight train three days before the Marathon, especially large muscles like the quadriceps or hamstrings. No matter how trained you are, you will feel it on race day, in ways that you do not like!
Do not wear old, tight sneakers. No matter how trained you are, you will feel it!
Do not have long toenails. No matter how trained you are, you will be in danger of having a loose toenail which will fall off eventually. Your old toenail will regrow, but the loose one will hurt during the race. This happened to me in two races. One was a marathon. Where would you be without me telling you my tips?

After the Marathon, do not run for at least five days. Let your muscles rest and rebuild. It is a good idea, two days after the race, to do some light cardiovascular work, especially if you are used to it, or swim, so your muscles will not “crash” and so your blood circulation will keep flowing. This last sentence is guided more by my intuition and experience than science! Doing some kind of workout the week after the marathon will also keep your confidence high and not allow you to slump mentally or physically!

Caffeine

Caffeine has been shown in some studies to have adverse effects on the human body, while other studies show no significant or beneficial effects. Do your research on such Web sites as www.pubmed.gov, www.nih.gov, www.cdc.gov, www.webmd.com, and on Yahoo! and Google.

Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system (CNS), having the effect of temporarily reducing drowsiness and restoring alertness. This is useful for some people while studying, working and driving. Beverages containing caffeine include coffee, tea, many soda drinks, and some energy drinks. They are very popular.

According to Wikipedia, caffeine is the most widely-used psychoactive substance, and it is legal. Caffeine is used to prevent lung disorders of newborns, and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Caffeine has been shown to increase blood pressure. See http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/062305_caffeine_bp.shtml and http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20020517/caffeines-effect-on-blood-pressure.

On the other hand, caffeine can be useful in treating patients with hypotension, as was shown in the medical journal article "Caffeinated Beverage Intake and the Risk of Heart Disease Mortality in the Elderly: a Prospective Analysis" by Greenberg J.A., Dunbar C.C., Schnoll R., Kokolis R., Kokolis S., and Kassotis J., published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on February 2007, volume 85, number 2, pages 392to 398. Some studies have shown that caffeine boosts metabolism and so would be beneficial to take before a workout. You can try this for yourself.

Different foods have different effects on different people. However, you should not feel you need to use this or supplements to be healthy and fit and to sustain being healthy and fit.

Check out the Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com andhttp://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

Cellulite

You see posters in pharmacies and other stores on how to get rid of cellulite, especially in Europe. Women of all ages and sizes, as women can see in locker rooms, have varying degrees of cellulite. Many so-called solutions to cellulite ranging from lotions to surgery exist. You can easily search for this online.

Conclusions on what cellulite is exactly have not been made. In fact, only 79 medical articles come up if plugging in "cellulite" in the search box of www.pubmed.gov, and not all of these articles have to do with cellulite. Some have to do with cellulitis, for instance. Cellulite appears when fat protrudes through connective tissue. The condition may largely be genetic, which is one reason that dieting, exercise and cosmetic lotions and procedures usually do not work. Diet and exercise will reduce fat in general, and so can reduce cellulite. Increasing muscle will also decrease the appearance of cellulite to an extent, and to a varying degree for different people and taking into account But often, especially in women, if a low body fat percentage cannot guarantee no cellulite. Thin people can have it. Women have it more often than men. One study suggests "Current evidence suggests that structural differences in fat architecture between the sexes account for its appearance". The study title is "Cellulite: Is There a Role for Injectables?", and it was written by Rotunda AM, Avram MM, and Avram AS. It was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy in December 2005, volume 7, numbers 3 to 4, pages 147 to 154.

Mesotherapy, employ the technique of multiple injections of pharmaceutical and homeopathic medications, plant extracts, vitamins, and other ingredients into the subcutaneous fat, has been found by at least one study to have some effectiveness. The study is "Histological Cha nges Associated with Mesotherapy for Fat Dissolution" by Rose PT and Morgan M, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Laser Therapy in March 2005, volume 7, number1, pages 17 to 19.

Conclusions from the medical study "Effect of Weight Loss on Cellulite: Gynoid Lypodystrophy" is: "Conclusions: Cellulite is a complex condition, and treatments such as weight loss have variable effects on the improvement or worsening of this condition. Additional studies are required to understand how the factors that influence and modulate cellulite severity, particularly those at the level of the subcutaneous tissue septa, can be manipulated to improve this condition". The study is by Smalls LK, Hicks M, and Passeretti D, et al. in Plastic Reconstructive Surgery August 2006 edition, volume 118, number 2, pages 510 to 516.

Looking over the first page of cellulite medical journal articles on PubMed, I found the techniques of the VelaSmooth system and Triactive system to be effective, although only 20 patients were studied. These procedures cost a significant amount, so keep this in mind when doing research. This study was called "A single center, randomized, comparative, prospective clinical study to determine the efficacy of the VelaSmooth system versus the Triactive system for the treatment of cellulite" was written by Nootheti PK, Magpantay A, Yosowitz G, Calderon S. and Goldman MP and was published in Lasers Surgery Medicine, in the December 2006 edition, volume 38, number 10, pages 908 to 912. This is not a product endorsement.

A main point of this blog is to first love your body, and to take care of your health. Go for your physicals. Be and stay in shape. If you have a little cellulite, it is not the end of the world. I happen to think that some of it is feminine and cute. Little babies usually have it. Do your research and have a good attitude.

Some information for this blog was obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulite.

Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com andhttp://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

"Where Do I Start to Get Results?"

On these blogs, I have written how you can eat what you want without gaining weight, increasing metabolism and knowing when you feel real pain or lazy pain. Some of you may think that this is unbelievable, or that you yourselves can never do it.

How do I start?" you may ask. Read the blogs. Buy my book Pocket Guide to Fitness, that will be on www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and www.bn.com in about two weeks. Read it two times. Internalize it. Live it. You will see results.

You need to be grateful for your body, take the first step, acknowledge and appreciate yourself, commit to a future goal, which may be vague in the beginning of your workout adventure, and listen to your body.

In the beginning of your workout adventure, you will need to sweat. Do the aerobic and cardiovascular work, and lift the weights. Drink plenty of water. Work through the pain. Weeks later, get off the plateaus. Challenge yourself. Listen to your body.

The Pilates Method

Joseph Hubertus Pilates, a gymnast of Greek and German parents, in the early 20th century, developed several exercise to strengthen what he called the "core" muscles of the abdomen, back, hips and buttocks. These muscles are important in balancing and in serving as stabilizers for many moves of other muscles such as the arms and legs muscles. He wrote Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education. Many Pilates studios have popped up, especially in the past ten years. They offer instruction in matt exercises as well as with the Pilates reformer, a machine with bands and movable parts to assist in Pilates movements. A person must do research as to how qualified instructors are and how comprehensive classes are, and what level classes are appropriate. Pilates is great for many reasons: 1. Your mind will be developed in the Pilates principles of mind over matter, breathing, centering, concentration, control, precision and fluidity. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilates_Principles) 2. Your mind will be developed in working through pain, especially in the beginning, and in producing slow, flowing movements. 3. It is important for overall strength and for the spine to strengthen the core muscles. 4. Many Pilates moves "hit" muscles in unique ways and work on muscle fibers not used in other exercises. 5. Doing Pilates exercises is great for getting off a plateau. (See the first blog.) Some disadvantages of Pilates include: 1. Doing Pilates exercises does not provide for an aerobic workout. 2. Doing Pilates exercises does not provide for a workout of non-core muscles, and so is not an overall strength workout. 3. Doing Pilates exercises can develop oversized muscular midsection, sometimes even diminishing the waist-to-hip ratio. Ladies especially may not like this. This would occur, however, only if someone use Pilates for at least an hour five days a week or so and did not balance it with other exercises, such as internal oblique and external oblique exercises. Pilates exercises are definitely worth a try! See if they are right for you! You can easily do library or Internet research on Pilates. My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

Kenn Kihiu’s Dance X DVD "Everybody's Workout"

I watched Kenn Kihiu’s Dance X "Everybody's Workout" DVD. Generally, I thought it was a great DVD. It is a wonderful workout, especially for beginner and intermediate exercisers. As with every workout, consult a physician first. The workout will keep your heart rate up and will target many muscles of your body. Staying with the workout for weeks may well increase your energy level, as you see the workout get easier and easier.

There are some areas that can take some improvement. I will list what I liked a lot first.

Kenn is a man who seems to really care about people and to be excited to show people his fitness tips and workout moves.

The music is great — I found it hard to sit still. I also liked the ethnic music intertwined with the house and techno beats, such as the Irish and Latin tunes.

The workout is easy to understand and fun!

I liked the people’s testimonies, colors of the DVD such as in people’s clothes, and the upbeat feel of the DVD.

The nutrition tips were simple and great.

Some subtle variations of moves target different muscle fibers in a muscle group, enhancing the workout and future muscle definition. One subtle type of variation is varying the arms’ and hip’s level while exercising certain moves.

Several moves of the legs lead to a great oblique workout.

Some areas for improvement:

I would like to see more credentials on Kenn’s part.

I would like to see a follow-up DVD with more original and difficult moves, and with moves on the floor or against the wall for resistance. He can even incorporate light weights to use with the moves!

Some muscles like the neck and back could be used more, since in the beginning of the DVD Ken said each muscle would be used.

More specific stretches could be done before and after the workout.

I would love to see more and varied dance movements.

A wider variety of beginner to advanced abdominal movements can be shown.

In one or two moves, Kenn did not specify if the lower body should move. Some dancers kept steady in the lower part of their bodies, while others moved their hips and even legs slightly.

I do not believe that people need supplements like juice, except for once in a while, if they eat a good diet.

Overall, I think this is a great workout, especially for beginner and intermediate exercises. It is mainly an aerobic workout. Where the heart rate is increased in some instances, the workout can be considered cardiovascular. The workout should be combined with at least three days a week of resistance weight training. Building muscle will increase endurance and strength, and speed up the metabolism. Aerobic workouts and weight training should be used together. This is a good buy, and I look forward to a follow-up DVD. To order, go to http://grouponefitness.com/dancex/.

Check out my Web site http://www.louizapatsis.com/! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com/ in about three weeks.

Is Barbecued Meat Bad for You?

Yes, barbecued meat can be bad for you, especially if it is full of black burnt pieces of meat, also in overly well-done meats, or charcoal. Chemicals in meat, that are often harmful in themselves, are made more reactive when superheated. Burnt pieces of meat can stay in our digestive systems for a long time, subjecting us to these often cancer-causing chemicals.

Different for ms of the blood enzyme Cytochrome 450 are activated, and can cause over- or underproduction of various chemicals, sometimes leading to cancer. Many possible cancer-causing molecules are changed to forms that can easily intercalate or combine with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and can cause one of the two mutations need to form cancer, if they are not corrected by certain DNA enzymes. These enzymes already work every day to correct naturally-occurring mutations. Excessive induction of Cytochrome P450 can lead to porphyria, characterized by excessive accumulation of intermediates in the heme biosynthetic pathway. If people are taking medication, it can interact with these compounds in a harmful way.

Charcoal-broiled meat is a source of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that intercalate with DNA, sometimes leading to cancer, along with other factors. Some polycyclic hydrocarbons induce some cytochrome enzymes.

Information for the above was obtained from: Curtis D. Klaassen, Mary O. Amdur and John Doull, eds. 1996. Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons. Fifth Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 151 and 159.

Heterocyclic amines are other possible cancer-causing molecules found in cooked meats. Knize, MG, Dolbeare FA, Cunningham PL, and Felton JS. Princess Takamatsu Symp.1995;23:30-8).

Carcinogens are often more active when heated to the high temperatures of barbecuing. A 1999 study found that what sauce you cook with affects carcinogens, and found that barbecue sauce can increase amounts of harmful chemicals in barbecued meat. Beef steaks marinated with teriyaki sauce had 45% and 67% lower pyridine (PhIP) level at 10 minutes and 15 minutes of cooking time, and 44% and 60% lower quinoxaline (MeIQx) levels at 10 minutes and 15 minutes, respectively, than unmarinated meat. Turmeric-garlic sauce –cooked meats showed lower levels of PhIP and MeIQx. Marinating with barbecue sauce caused a 2.9- and 1.9-fold increase in PhIP and a 4- and 2.9-fold increase in MeIQx at 10 and 15 minutes, respectively.

The above information was taken from: Mottier P, Parisod V, Turesky RJ. Quantitative determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in barbecued meat sausages by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Apr;48(4):1160-6.

If you have questions bout any molecules mentioned, look them up at www.pubmed.gov, www.wikipedia.org, or on Yahoo and Google.

Check out my Web site www.louizapatsis.com! My book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be out shortly, and will be available at www.authorhouse.com (best buy), www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

What Do You See?

When you see a gym, what do you see? Do you see a center for torture? Do you see business that you would rather not start and do not think that you will ever finish?

When I see a staircase I get excited! I see potential - a place to exercise. If it is outdoors, especially if the scenery is pretty, I see an exciting new place to exercise. Go - one at a time, two at a time, and three at a time. Unless I have just drunk a lot of juice or coffee, or have just eaten more than a snack, or have a big injury, I never take the escalator. Why do that? Am I old? No! Am I sick? No!

Take advantage of natural ways to exercise. Transform what you see first and then see what arises. This, like everything, requires the yin - yang approach. Intend and receive that you will transform how you see things and that this will transform what you do, and also do it, all in a balance!

Check out my Web site at www.louizapatsis.com! My new book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be out shortly. It will be available at www.authorhouse.com (for the best value), www.amazon.com, and www.bn.com.

"Where do I start?" Create Your Future!

Many of you will get stopped by thinking where to start! This can be overwhelming for fitness, as for a new life transformation, studies, a new home, and more! The answer is usually to take the first step. Live into your commitment that you see for the future. Know that each step counts and you start - now!

Create what you want your future to look like and start. This can be consulting with a physician and personal trainer, which I advise to do for anyone first starting to work out or for anyone one time a year, even if they are a physician or personal trainer! It can be walking instead of driving to work or doing 50 abdominal crunches a day while watching your favorite television program every other night.

Use everything you learned in these blogs like being grateful for your body and your actions, being committed, and being creative.

Come on, come one, take that first step - now! You can do it! Do not lie to yourself that you can't!

Check out my Web site at www.louizapatsis.com! My new book Pocket Guide to Fitness will be out shortly. It will be available at www.authorhouse.com (for the best value), www.amazon.com, and www.bn.com.

Do Not Overeat! Here Is What Else You Can Do!

Everyone loves to eat. Most people do some emotional eating. I am not saying to not enjoy that silky lobster and butter sauce or those popping berries atop the whipped cream of your dessert once in a while. This blog is about getting in touch with your body and feeling your needs and what you can eat or not. But do cut down on your emotional eating until it is not the major way you eat.

One thing to think about is that millions of people, and many of them children, are starving and cannot get their basic nutrients. Yet many people in First World countries throw out lots of good food every day. Why don't you calculate how much money you spend on food each day on average, and how much you would save if you cut down on emotional eating. Do this for four weeks. Then take that money each week and give it to a children's charity.

Bread for the World Institute "seeks justice for hungry people through research and education on hunger and development", according to its Web site http://www.bread.org/about-us/institute/ . According to Bread for the World Institute , 854 million people across the world are hungry, and almost 16,000 die each day from malnutrition-related complications. That is one child every five seconds! Complications include vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which leave children susceptible to illness.

For more information on children's malnutrition, see the Web site of the United Nations Children's Fund www.unicef.org. According to UNICEF, 10.9 million children under five years old die in developing countries each year, and malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of these deaths.

You can find out more about world malnutrition at the World Food Program Web site www.wfp.org.

Some information from this blog was taken from http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html.

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More Abdominal Exercises

These are advanced abdominal exercises to be done after doing each of the prior abdominal exercise programs for three months each, or if you are an advanced exerciser of more than two years working out your abdominal muscles at least two times a week.

1. Sit on a mat with your left knee bent and left foot flat on the mat. Place your right ankle over your left knee and your hands behind your head. Rest your head on your hands and keep your back straight. Do an abdominal crunch and then more your midline to your right knee, without touching, for a left oblique workout. Repeat this for four sets of ten repetitions. Then do the same while changing position: Bend your right knee with your right foot flat on the mat. Place your left ankle over your right knee. Rest your head on your hands and keep your back straight. Do an abdominal crunch and then more your midline to your right knee, without touching, for a right oblique workout. Repeat this for four sets of ten repetitions.

2. The "Rotator" - Sit on a mat and bend your knees. Imagine a pole from your belly button to the ceiling. You will rotate about a foot around this pole with your hands behind your head. Rest your head on your hands and keep your back straight. Move from the back position right and forward, left and back to the first position. You can go left for variety. Do this for five sets of ten repetitions.

3. Use a medicine ball of ten pounds or less — whatever you can handle and that gives you workout. Sit on a mat with knees bent. Hold the medicine ball with your arms straight over your head. Do regular abdominal crunches while holding your arms straight above your head as you complete the move. Do this for five sets of ten repetitions.

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Take the stairs!

Weeks ago I entered a blog on what exercises you can do while watching television. There are many “exercise” you can do in everyday life that will not set back your busy schedule, and that may, especially if combined with a good, individually-tailored diet and a work out program, lead you to achieve fitness goals such as losing weight and gaining muscle. I call these exercises “integrative exercises” since you can integrate them into your daily life.

Here are some of these integrative exercises:

1. Take the stairs, not the escalator or elevator.
2. Do a dance while you vacuum or wash the dishes.
3. Jog or skip to the grocery store.
4. Stretch your arms, legs or midsection while you sit reading, studying or watching television.
5. Walk, do not take the subway or taxicab, for ten or twenty blocks.
6. Rearrange furniture every once in a while. It will give your place a new look too!
7. Play with a child or pet, including sports-like activities.
8. Do not use the television remote control.
9. Do yoga every morning or evening.
10. Jog or bike ride for some blocks every morning or evening.

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Some Easy Food Substitutes for Dieting

Hey, I thought of writing this yesterday. I have not written for a while. I am in a Ph.D. program and editing my fitness book The Pocket Guide to Fitness, which will be out soon. You will be able to buy it on www.authorhouse.com, www.amazon.com and www.bn.com. How are you all? Have you been using any of my tips?I do not have a nutrition degree, but know a thing or two on nutrition. I looked up calories since I was nine years old!

I am Greek and they say we have one of the best diets. Greek people balance it all, from the wine and salad, to the fruit and dessert. Again, I believe in seeing a physician first for a checkup, and then getting to know your body and what you need. If you are dieting, as in a low carbohydrate diet, here are some perk-me-up foods you can have while you are dieting, partly as substitutes for other foods and partly to perk up your food.

1. Cinnamon
2. Ketchup
3. Mustard
4. Coffee, including decaffeinated
5. Egg whites
6. Diet Soda
7. Sweet'N Low®
8. Jell-O®
9. Light yogurt pops
10. None-fat cheese
11. None-fat cream cheese, including with vegetables
12. None-fat whipped cream

There may have been studies that some of these are bad for your health. This is no doubt when they are used in excess, and this varies by person. Do your research!

Check out my Web site at www.louizapatsis.com! I have two great books, the children's book The Boy in a Wheelchair and the poetry and short story book Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories that make great holiday gifts!

Body Mass Index

Knowing your body mass index (BMI) will give you one indication about your health. It has been shown that having a heavier middle or belly is more indicative of a health problem than having heavy hips or legs, especially for women. Your BMI takes this into account. It is calculated by dividing your weight by the square of your height. If you use feet and inches for height, use pounds for weight. If you use meters and centimeters for height, use kilograms for weight. If you are really muscular, your BMI may be high for someone who is fit because muscle weighs more than fat. Consult a physician and personal trainer for the interpretation of your BMI, along with other factors.

BMI Weight

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5 – 24.9 Normal

25.0 – 29.9 Overweight

30.0 and Above Obese

Obese BMI correlates to weight, with differences among gender and age. There are charts on the CDC Web site that will give you information on correlating weight to BMI. If you work out and are toned, and you have a BMI that indicates overweight or obese, check your body fat percentage. You may not have a high body fat percentage. Your BMI may be high due to the weight of your muscle.

Women and older people are more likely to have a larger body fat than men for the same BMI value, and older people are more likely to have more body fat than younger people with the same BMI, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A high BMI may be indicative of: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, diabetes and some cancers, according to Calle EE, et al.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to take the place of medical advice, examination and/or diagnosis.

Some information for this blog was obtained from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/about_adult_BMI.htm#Athlete and Calle EE, et al. BMI and mortality in prospective cohort of U.S. adults. NEJM 1999;341:1097–1105. Accessed on MaNOvember 2, 2006

Some Swiss Ball Chest Exercises

The Swiss Ball can be used to train muscle groups. Here are some exercise for the chest. Vary the size of the Swiss Ball to work different muscle fibers and to get off a plateau. Swiss Balls are great in that they cause more muscle fibers to be engaged for balance and stability, and incorporate a good amount of abdominal and back muslces for balance and stability. Ladies, do not be afraid to do chest exercises. Once again, you will have to do a lot and eat a much higher than average mount of protein to grow huge pectoral mucles!

1. Raise your elbows to shoulder level. Let your palms face each other as you hold the Swiss Ball. Extend your arms. Do not lock your elbows. Bring the Swiss Ball to your chest. Do ten sets of ten repetitions. Stretch the chest after five sets by holding your hands behind your back as high as you can.

2. Repeat 2, and throw the ball back and forth with a partner or against a wall.

3. Do Swiss Ball push-ups. Use the push-up blog. This time, keep a Swiss Ball under your ankles.

4. Repeat 3. This time, put the Swiss Ball under the palms of your hands. Your arms should be shoulder-width apart.

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Glycogen

Carbohydrates in food are digested. They are degraded into glucose. As blood glucose rises after a meal. The pancreas secretes the hormone insulin. This causes the liver cells to stimulate glycogen synthase, as well as other hormones. Glycogen is formed. Glycogen is made of about 30,000 glucose units.

After a meal has been digested and glucose levels begin to fall, insulin secretion is reduced. Glycogen synthesis stops. About four hours after a meal, the enzyme glycogen phosphorylase begins cause glycogen to be broken down to be converted to glucose for fuel.

The pancreatic hormone glucagon counteracts insulin. When blood glucose levels fall, it is secreted in increasing amounts. It stimulates glycogen breakdown to glucose when insulin levels are high.

Muscle cell glycogen seems to be an immediate reserve source of available glucose for muscle cells. Muscle cells cannot pass glucose into the blood, so the glycogen they store internally is destined for internal use and is not shared with other cells.

The body usually cannot hold more than about 2,000 kilocalories of glycogen. Marathon runners commonly experience a phenomenon referred to as "hitting the wall" around the 20^th mile (32^nd kilometer) of a marathon. This calculation is based on an average of 100 kilocalories used per mile, varying by the size of the runner and the race course. When experiencing glycogen debt, runners many times experience fatigue.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is intended to take the place of medical advice. Please consult a physician before taking part in an exercise plan, sport, physical therapy, or massage.

Some of the information from this blog was obtained from: http://www.wikipedia.org

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Massage

Massage helps to increase circulation, alleviate stress, and soothe muscles. It has proven beneficial to many chronic conditions such as low back pain, arthritis, and bursitis. It is good for athletes, and for sedentary people.

People often take their bodies to new limits when they exercise. This may involve tearing down muscle fibers. They need to recover for a day or two after exercise, and then build up stronger than ever. Trigger points in muscles and tendons are stress points that may cause muscle soreness and decreased flexibility. They cause pain when pressed, and which may radiate pain to a larger area. They are thought by some to be small areas of spasm.

Trigger points may be caused by mental, emotional or physical stress, such as repeated exercise on a muscle or exercise at a higher-than-normal level or weight or repetition. Heavily exercised muscles may also lose their capacity to relax. This causes chronically tight (hypertonic) muscles, and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is often linked to muscle soreness. This predisposes you to injuries, especially muscle pulls and tears. Blood flow through tight muscles is poor also causes pain. There are several sports massage techniques.

Traditional Western or Swedish massage is currently the most common approach used for conditioning programs. It can be supplemented by other massage therapy approaches including deep tissue, trigger point work, and acupressure. The use of one or more of the following techniques can occur:

Deep Swedish Massage: muscle-specific applications of the standard effleurage, petrissage, vibration, and tapotement techniques;

Compression Massage: rhythmic compression into muscles used to create a deep hypremia and softening effect in the tissues. It is generally used as a warm-up for deeper, more specific massage work;

Cross-Fiber Massage: friction techniques applied in a general manner to create a stretching and broadening effect in large muscle groups; or on site-specific muscle and connective tissue, deep transverse friction applied to reduce adhesions and to help create strong, flexible repair during the healing process;

Trigger Point or Tender Point Massage: combined positioning and specific finger or thumb pressure into trigger or tender points in muscle and connective tissue, to reduce the hypersensitivity, muscle spasms and referred pain patterns that characterize the point; and

Lymphatic Massage: stimulation of specialized lymphatic-drainage pathways, which improves the body's removal of edemas and effusion.

Regular sports massage can: reduce mental and emotional stress levels; reduce pain; reduce the chance of injury; improve range of motion and muscle flexibility; shorten recovery time between workouts; maximize the supply of nutrients and oxygen through increased blood flow; and enhance elimination of metabolic by-products of exercise.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is intended to take the place of medical advice. Please consult a physician before taking part in an exercise plan, sport, physical therapy, or massage.

Some of the information from this blog was obtainedfrom: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/mental/massagebenefits.htm and http://www.holistic-online.com/massage/mas_sports.htm.

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Breathing

Breathing is very important. For all of the exercises in the blog, the breathing instructions are to inhale when a muscle is stressed or weight is lifted and to exhale upon release of muscle force, pressure or weight.

Oxygen is used by muscles to contract. Oxygen is needed to release energy from ATP. Often people do not breathe deeply. When we breathe, oxygen passes from our nose or mouth, into our trachea, then into our bronchi, then bronchioles, then alveoli ducts, and then into the alveoli sacs at the end. These sacs are filled with capillaries, or tiny blood vessels, that exchange oxygen. It is best to breathe in through the nose where germs and dust are extracted in mucus and small hairs.

As you can see, air does not simply go from our nose to our blood. If we do not breathe in a strong, deep manner, we will get less oxygen into our blood. This is especially true if we are sick and our lungs are congested. The muscles will have less oxygen and less energy. Our exercise performance and the benefit we get out of it will suffer. I did not even mention that oxygen needed for other important reactions of the body will not be there.

Some yoga classes feature breathing exercises geared to strengthening your diaphragm and to training you to breathe in a healthy fashion. The diaphragm is a muscle which separates the thoracic part of the body, that holds the heart and lungs, from the abdominal part that holds the stomach, liver, intestines, spleen and gall bladder, among other organs. These yoga exercises focus on using the diaphragm to breath. Then inhaling, the diaphragm moves down and the tummy expands. When exhaling, the diaphragm moves up and the tummy shrinks.

Here is an exercise that you can do at least one time a week:

Stand, sit in a chair or assume the cross-legged yoga pose with the ankles as you feel comfortable. Breathe in and out rapidly using your diaphragm consciously and having your tummy move in and out as far as you can. Do this for ten sets of ten repetitions. After a month or at least four times of doing this, do two sets of 50 repetitions.

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Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is intended to take the place of medical advice. Please consult a physician before taking part in an exercise plan, sport, physical therapy, or massage.

Adaptations to Strength Training Blog

Strength training actually changes your body. Weight training, especially when the weight is periodically increased, results in adaptations by the muscle, connective tissue and nervous systems.

Muscles become bigger; i.e. the amount of muscle fibers increases. His is called hypertrophy. The hormone testosterone lays a part in this so men hypertrophy easier and faster than women hypertrophy. A high-resistance, lower repetition weight-lifting program will result in hypertrophy, while a low-resistance, high-repetition program will lead to little hypertrophy. Hypertrophy increases the amount of protein in a muscle. This adds to muscle strength. Unused motor units are activated with strength training. The recruitment of these motor units is responsible for much initial increase in strength.

The connective tissue changes with training. These are the three types of connective tissue: cartilage, which serves as a padding between bones at a joint; ligaments, that connect bones to bones at a joint; and tendons, which connect skeletal muscles to the bones, transmitting the force of muscle contraction to the bones. Tendons are an extension of connective tissue that weaves a network of support around and between the muscle fibers of a muscle, giving strength and stability to the belly of the muscle by holding the fibers of the motor units together. With weight training, connective tissues become thicker and thus stronger. They withstand greater contraction forces.

The Golgi tendon organ is part of the nervous system in the tendon. If it senses that the tendon contracts too much, it causes the muscle to relax. Strength raises the threshold of force at which the Golgi tendon organ is stimulated, probably because the overload of training causes more connective tissue protein to be added of the tendon. The associated muscle can then generate greater contractive force before the tendon organ is stimulated.

Some information from this blog was obtained from Personal Trainer Manual: The Resource for Fitness Instructors, from the American Council on Exercise, 1991, pp. 24-26.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is meant to take the place of medical advice. Talk to a physician before starting an exercise program or implementing anything in this blog.

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Exercises for the Older Adult

Older adults aged 65 and over may need to “take it easy” when working out, depending on their exercise level. Adults of this age that have trained on an intermediate level of at least 30 minutes a day five days a week my not need to be overly careful. As usual, they need to start working out on a beginner level and feel their body to see what it tells them about pain and endurance.

Concerns of the aging include osteoporosis, especially for women; loss of height; loss of lean body mass; decreased cardiovascular strength; decreased respiratory capacity; lower stroke volume and maximal heart rage; high blood pressure; and increased weight. Not everyone has these symptoms of age, or at least has them at the same time Exercise generally prolongs them. Working out make the heart and all muscles stronger, and keeps bones dense. At the same time, genetics and habits such as eating styles affect these “symptoms”. A physician must be consulted if someone has high blood pressure, osteoporosis, or difficulty breathing.

Older adults especially need to see a physician before starting and new exercise program especially if they are beginners. For beginners, people with cardiovascular and respiratory difficulties or physical such as joint injury, can do the following:

Exercise at a lighter intensity
Swim
Do the stationary bicycle at a low intensity level
Use a longer warm-up
Use a longer cool-down
Do repetitions slowly
Avoid extreme interval training
Avoid plyometrics

At least five sessions with a personal trainer are useful for older adults with the above concerns. Many gyms offer aerobics classes taught by aerobics instructors with special certifications for older adults.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is meant to take the place of medical advice. Talk to a physician before starting an exercise program or implementing anything in this blog.

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Childrens' Exercise

Children are often obese these years in the United States. Some children still are very active. However, many of them eat a great amount of junk food. I recommend exercise of at least five days a week. Children will often play games like hide-and-go-seek and tag. They will play in the backyard or in quiet neighborhood streets or playgrounds. Children should be supervised whenever possible, especially in situations such as weight-bearing activities and swimming.

Children’s exercise intensity and duration should be lighter than adults’. Forty minutes or less of cardiovascular activities are a good idea for children. If a child does this, they should not engage in weight-bearing activities for more than 20 more minutes. Of course, for teenagers over 14 years old, especially for those that have mature bodies of strong muscles and bones and who have at least three months experience working out at an intermediate level.

Medical clearance for children is especially important. Proper breathing techniques are especially important. They should drink plenty of fluids and rest at least one minute between sets. It is very important for children to rest a muscle group engaged as a primary mover in an exercise the next day. Children should not perform single weight maximum exercises or sudden explosive movements.

Children’s exercise equipment should be safe. Mats are necessary under machines and playgrounds. Adults should make sure that children know to report fatigue or other symptoms of exercise.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is meant to take the place of medical advice. Talk to a physician before starting an exercise program or implementing anything in this blog.

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One-Repetition Maximum

The one-repetition maximum (ORM) is how much weight in a certain exercise a person can lift, push or pull without being able to perform one more repetition of the same exercise with the same muscle right afterwards.

For beginners, this should be performed only with the supervision of a personal trainer, physical therapist of physician. Implementing the ORM is not a good idea for an exercise routine It is a good idea to do a few times a year for each muscle group, such as once very three months, to measure strength progress. It can also be done at the beginning of an exercise program for the same purpose, but only with supervision for beginners


It is useful to break muscle fibers up so that they can grow bigger and stronger. During the night’s sleep and the next day’s rest, these muscle fibers will grow back bigger and stronger. If someone uses a twenty-pound free weight for a biceps curl for one or more repetitions, for instance, and a minute or a few minutes later uses a five-pound weight for the same exercise, the five-pound free weight will seem like a feather. In the same way, ORM done a few times a year for each muscle can ready the muscle for lighter weights that are still an advance over the last weights used for a certain muscle. Always be sure to stretch the muscle used before and after the ORM.

The ORM measures muscle strength. Muscle endurance is the ability of a person to perform many repetitions with a sub-maximum resistance. Usually, a person can perform 10 repetitions using 75% of the weight of their ORM. For instance if the ORM for someone in doing biceps curls is 20 pounds for each arm, they can perform 10 repetitions at a time with 15 pounds.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this blog is meant to take the place of medical advice. Talk to a physician before starting an exercise program or implementing anything in this blog.

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Metabolic Equivalent (MET)

A metabolic equivalent (MET) is a multiple of the resting oxygen consumption, or the metabolic rate consuming 3.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute, or the metabolic rate consuming 1 kilocalorie per kilogram of body weight per hour.

The intensity of exercise is determined by a specified percentage of the client’s maximal oxygen consumption or functional capacity (50 percent to 85 percent) and then choosing activities that are known to require energy expenditure at a desired level.

A functional capacity is the maximum amount of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight. Working at, let’s say, 50% of functional capacity of 10 is working at 5 METS. Several activities are around 5 METS. These include walking a moderate pace.

Some sports at times of excursion, such as hockey or football, are 7 METS and higher. Running on a treadmill at a high speed and intensity would be 7 METS and above. Other factors are taken in with METS to determine exercise difficulty. These factors include sickness, oxygen in the air, hills, heat, humidity, and air pollution.

Some information for this blog is taken from http://www.sizes.com/units/metequiv.htm.

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How Many Pounds Can You Lose in One Week?

A total of 3,500 calories are in a pound. Carbohydrates and protein have 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram.

An intense level of exercise for 1 hour will be about 600 calories per hour. This varies. A person who runs very quickly and does interval training will burn more. This is an average. If someone works out at an intermediate or advanced level at least 1 hour five days per week, they can burn at least 500 X 5 = 2,500 calories per week. If they cut down calories that they eat by 500 calories a week, that is an additional 2,500 calorie deficit a week. You can also do this by working out 2 hours per day for 5 days at a lower intensity of 250 calories per day. Cardiovascular equipment usually tells you how many calories you burn after you fill in statistics like gender and age. You can also consult textbooks and exercise such as those by the American Council on Exercise.

Women and men differ by gender, age, health, stress levels and pregnancy (for women) in how many calories they burn per week. Usually losing more than 3 or 3.5 pounds per week is not healthy. It may mean a large cut in calories or too much intense exercise, especially if you are a beginner. Also, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. You may want to actually gain weight per week while losing inches in certain areas!

Again, try out your nutrition and exercise plan and see what works and feels good for your soul, mind and body!

Disclaimer: Information on this blog is for information purposes, and is not intended to take the place of medical advice.

Some Bar Exercises

Gyms usually have several bars of different weights: 8 pounds, 10 pounds, 12 pounds and 16 pounds. You can use these bars for a variety of exercises with your arms, abdominal muscles and legs. Use a bar weight that will work out your muscles, and will not give you pain. Here are some of these exercises:

1. Biceps: Do biceps curls as per the biceps section.

2. Triceps: Hold the bar over your head Keep your elbows straight above you without locking them. Your arms are facing forward. Bend your elbows so that the bar is lowered beneath your head. Return to start position. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

3. Shoulders: Keep your legs shoulder-with apart. Bend your knees slightly. Hold the bar with your palms facing you and your hands touching. Bring it under your chin as you exhale and inhale when you extend your arms. Do not bend your elbows. Do five sets of ten repetitions.

4. Abdominal muscles: Do abdominal crunches with the bar on your belly. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

5. Transverse obliques: Hold the bar behind your neck. Keep your legs a little more than shoulder width apart and bend the knees slightly. Twist side to side slowly. Twist behind on each side beyond 180 degrees without feeling stress on your side. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

6. Either stand up straight or support yourself against a wall with one arm. Lift up one leg at a time, as a sort of leg extension. Hold the bar wit one or two arms over your quadriceps muscle. Lift your leg from the floor to a little more than 90 degrees above your waist, or start about one an a half feet from the floor and lift to the start. Do four sets of ten repetitions with each leg.

7. Lean a little forward and place the bar over the back of one leg. Hold the bar with one arm. Repeat [5.], but lift your leg backwards. Do four sets of ten repetitions with each leg.

8. Do leg abductor exercises by holding the bar, suing both arms, so that the bar is “inside” the knee of the leg that you will extend outward, and “outside” the ankle of that leg. Do four sets of ten repetitions with each leg.

9. You can try to hold the bar so that you can do adductor exercises, but holding it in a way that will keep it in place and will give you a work out may be difficult to do. If you can do this, do four sets of ten repetitions with each leg.

10. Do squats with both hands holding the bar over your quadriceps. This is like a pliette ballet move. Keep your legs shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight. Sit down and then come up as in a squat. Do five sets of ten repetitions.Some of the information for this section was taken from http://www.self.com/.Accessed in 2005

Some Swiss Ball Abdominal Exercises

Swiss balls can be great to use because one often needs to incorporate many muscle fibers and muscles to keep one's stability and balance during performance.

Here are some abdominal exercises one can do with a Swiss ball:

1. Get a medium-sized Swiss ball and balance yourself so as to "lie down" on it with your lower back as a pivot point. Place your feet on the ground, with your knees bent 90 degrees. Proceed with abdominal crunches, as described in the first abdominal exercise blog. Do five sets of ten repetitions.

2. “Lie down” sideways on the Swiss ball. One let will be in front of the other on the ground for balance. Put your hands behind your head. Do side abdominal crunches for your obliques. Exhale when you move upward. Do five sets of ten repetitions one each side.

3. Lie down on the ground. Put the Swiss ball between your ankles. Keep your palms facing downward on your side. Use your lower abdominal muscles. This is a subtle and effective exercise. Bring your hips off the floor about two inches. When you lower your hips, do not have them fully touch the floor. Keep them off the floor for about an inch. When you lift your hips, lift them up two about two inches from this position. You want to target your lower abdominal muscles. Do not use your legs or back to lift the Swiss ball. Do ten sets of ten repetitions. After every five sets, stretch your lower abdominal muscles by hugging your knees for ten seconds.

TV Exercises!

Many times people complain about not having the time to work out. Here you will see that there are no excuses! There are exercises that you can do while watching television! Here are just a few:

1. Get five-pound weights and do some biceps curls, even while sitting on the couch. Sit on the edge of the couch with your back straight and proceed as per the biceps blog.

2. Get five-pound weights and do some triceps extension exercises, even while sitting on the couch. Sit on the edge of the couch with your back straight and proceed as per the triceps blog.

3. Use free weights for any of the shoulder exercises described in the upper arm and shoulder blogs.

4. Use free weights to work out your latissimus dorsi as describe in the latissimus dorsi blog.

5. Do jumping jacks! Do four sets of ten repetitions, and walk around for ten seconds in between sets. This basic interval exercise can work out your cardiovascular system quite well!

6. Sit against the wall That's right, sit against the wall. Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle. This is an isometric squat exercise. It may seem easy, but it may nto end up being easy for you! Sit with your back against the wall for ten seconds. Do five sets of ten repetitions. You may break out in a sweat, more than you would jogging!

7. Do the good old abdominal crunch exercise described in the abdominal blogs.

Educate yourself!

There is so much power in knowledge. And there is even more power in knowledge and experience and knowing yourself. I was t a recent gathering of beauty queens and their consultants. I was so happy to hear these young women talking about inner beauty, eating what they want in moderation according to what they need and not wearing a lot of makeup.

Much of health, fitness and beauty is about loving and standing for yourself. One way to do this is to spend the time to go to the library, search the Internet or ask an expert like a physician, dietician, yoga teacher and personal trainer about fitness. There is so much power in knowing what is happening inside your body when you eat or exercise, in knowing about different exercises and in knowing your body and how it works with food and exercise.

As with working out, there may be a hesitance or phobia of science or reading or doing the work. Remember, the only way to know how anything is going to be and if you will like it is to take the step and do it! You may find out that you love learning, researching and working out! They are your power! And they are fun!

Payoff

We all have payoffs in doing or in not doing something. Often the payoff for putting something off is to have the opportunity to whine about it and to have others make us feel better. Another way in which a payoff can be used is that we want what we want now. I have the same characteristic. My father told me to be humble and to be patient. I am still working on those virtues.

We often want to see results soon. For instance, we may want to see that "cut" in our triceps when we look backward into the mirror. We can work out those triceps each day, but chances are that they will fatigue and that we will not want to work them out for months. I believe that the pendulum with everything swings back the other way when there is no balance.

We can learn yet something else by working out: patience. We can work out those triceps and rest them a day or even two in between. Then we can wait months to see those "cuts" in the back of the arms. And you know what, all that work and time will be worth it! And we will have greater confidence ahead!

Setting Goals: Don't Stop!

I love chocolate! Sometimes it can be the best thing in the world! I especially like Italian semisweet chocolate! Did you ever think that you cannot reach the goal of, let's say, losing that final five pounds, giving up smoking, giving up sugar, or losing a clothing size?

I have written a lot about accepting and loving yourself. That does not mean not reaching for your goals! Now if you did not meet a goal, acknowledge yourself, and set another goal! That's right! Do not give up!

It may be true that you had to work extra late for work and could not find time for the gym. It can be valid, or it can be an excuse. After some months of working out, you should know the difference, just like you can know the difference between real and "excuse" pain. For instance, if you had to work a lot, perhaps you could have eaten less fats or found time in the morning for a short run.

You have to love yourself and be committed, but with no action, often there are no results! So do what the Nike commercial says: Just do it! Get up and recommit!

Often for Lent, I give something up. That can be something I love or am used to, like chocolate or red meat. (I do not eat a lot of red meat, but usually do not exclude it entirely.) After a day or two, it gets to be easy. The same can be said for a new diet, like a low-carbohydrate diet. For the first few days, you probably will probably be irritated and drowsy and go to sleep at around 7:30 pm. But after a few days on the diet, you will get used to it and love it!

Often what blocks our goals is psychological. Get to the source of it by getting to know yourself, listening to your intuition and talking to a friend or a professional.

Either way, forgive yourself for not reaching a goal, create another one, and seriously go after it with fun!

Forearms

The forearms are composed of several flexion and extension muscles. For a quick anatomy of forearms, go to www.wikipedia.org and look up "forearms".

Here are simple exercises for wrist flexion and extension.

Wrist flexion - use a barbell:

Preparation -

It is best to sit. Keep your body stable. Wrest your elbows on your thighs. Grasp bar with an underhand grip. Let the barbell to roll out of the palms down to the fingers. Grip the barbell back up and flex your wrists. Lower steadily and repeat. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

Reverse wrist curl - use a barbell:

Preparation -

Use the same arm and body position. Grasp bar with narrow to shoulder width overhand grip. Rest forearms on thighs with wrists just beyond knees. Hyperextend your wrist and return until wrist are fully flexed. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions.


The information from this blog was obtained from http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/WristFlexors/BBWristCurl.html .

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is not intended to replace medical diagnosis, advice or treatment.