Resveratrol's Healthy Effects

Resveratrol is a simple polyphenol found in red wine, chocolate and coffee. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol

Yesterday I attended a talk by Joseph Baur, Ph.D. at the New York Academy of Sciences about it. See http://www.nyas.org/events/Detail.aspx?cid=2b52eab3-4139-4629-87ee-e0431b58c9b5

Several studies were mentioned where resveratrol's effects on gene SIRT-1 were similar to the effects of a lowered daily calorie intake on mice and other rodents. The effects included bringing the rodents' health back to pre-obesity conditions with better cardiovascular and liver health and increased amount of muscle cell mitochondria.

Resveratrol has been found to have anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects.Below is a list of some studies that the speaker mentioned or that I found. The speaker stressed that results are not conclusive and more studies need to be done. This is not an excuse to drink or eat too much. I may update this post shortly.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8593887.stm

http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131%2811%2900386-X

http://ard.bmj.com/content/71/Suppl_1/A90.2

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15832402


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. 

Dr. Oz's Metabolism Speed Up Tips

http://www.oprah.com/health/How-to-Increase-Your-Metabolism-All-Day/3

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. 

Washington Post Article on Obesity in the United States

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-need-for-new-thinking-in-attacking-our-weight-problem/2012/05/10/gIQAHNYbGU_story.html


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. 

Plank with Block

Place the long side of a  block between your adductors or inner thighs. Get into plank position on your elbows and toes. Keep your head, neck and back aligned. Pull your pelvis toward your navel and lengthen your tailbone toward your heels, engaging your abdominal muscles. Simultaneously squeeze the block. Hold for at least five breaths and five times. Rest in Balasana or child's pose, after this exercise.

More difficult version: Hold free weights that will give you a workout and that you can use for at least two sets of ten repetitions. As you are in a plank position with the block between your thighs, keep your arms straight, without locking your elbows, and lift one free weight off the floor at a time.

This exercise is in an article by yoga teacher trainer Jason Crandell, in the June 2012 edition of Yoga Journal, page 52.

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. 

Variation of Boat Pose for Core Muscles

Lie down on a mat with your knees bent and toe tips on the floor. Place a block between your thighs with the longest side of it parallel to your inner thighs. Feel your sitting bones on the floor. Draw your lower abdominal muscles toward your spine, lifting your feet and legs. Simultaneously squeeze the block between your adductors, or inner thighs. Your torso and thighs will be about 45 degrees diagonal to the floor. Your abdominal muscles, inner thighs, and hip flexors will contract together. Reach your arms forward at the same level as your shoulders. Keep the pose for about five breaths. Repeat five times.

More difficult version: Use free weights that will give you a good workout and that you can hold up with your arms parallel to your shoulders as you hold the block between your legs and bring your torso and thighs together as alternate type of sit ups. Perform for at least two sets of ten repetitions.

This exercise is in an article by yoga teacher trainer Jason Crandell, in the June 2012 edition of Yoga Journal, page 52.

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. 

Warm Up Core -- Abdominal Muscles

Lie down on the floor with bent knees. Use your abdominal muscles to keep your lower back on the floor. Place a block between your legs so that the long side is parallel to your adductors or inner thighs, and squeeze for 10 to 20 seconds, depending on your ability. Your pelvis will be in a posterior tilt: They will be up and away from the top of your thighs until your lower back is on the floor.Feel as if you are pulling your navel toward your spine. Do this at the  same time for 10 to 20 seconds, according to your ability, at least five times.

This exercise is in an article by yoga teacher trainer Jason Crandell, in the June 2012 edition of Yoga Journal, page50.

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. 

Iliopsoas Muscle Stretches

1. Sit on the edge of a hard surface with your gluteus maximus on the edge of the surface. Hug your left knee. Keep your right leg relaxed. This will stretch your right iliopsoas muscle and rotate your hips backward, the opposite way of which they are usually tilted forward. Breath into the stretch and keep it 10 seconds. Repeat as needed.


2. Go on the floor in lunge position, with your knees bent at 90 degrees. If your left leg is up, invert your right ankle. Bring your arms up to shoulder level and externally rotate your humerus and wrists while you extend your wrists. In this position, lean forward toward your left knee. Do not extend your knee beyond your ankles. Keep the stretch for at least ten seconds. Exhale each time you stretch beyond what seems to be your limit. Do this in a steady, not ballistic way. Keep each elongated stretch for 5-10 seconds. Repeat for the opposite leg. Repeat as often as you need.


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. 

From www.CallingintheOne.com

Dear Friend,   Hi, this is Katherine with a Calling in "The One" Tip to support you
in attracting your soulmate.

Now, In a perfect world, the search for your soulmate would be
filled with a sense of possibility, excitement, anticipation and joy.

However, many of us, deep down inside, harbor doubts that we
will ever find true love, and have countless reasons why love is
for other people, and not for us.

This sense of non-possibility can make looking for love a
confusing, anxious and maybe even painful process.

One of the ways we feel powerless to find love is around the
insecurities we carry about our weight, our age or our looks.
We may even feel shackled to a life of loneliness or invisibility
because of some perceived physical imperfection.

If you've ever felt this way, please know that the real obstacle
to love is never about your weight, the perceived imperfections
of your body, or even about the wrinkles looking back at you in
the morning mirror.

The external reasons we tell ourselves about why we may never
find love are unique to each of us...

My hair is too thin, my thighs too big, my nose too long, my waist
too thick. And the hardest part is that we actually believe them to
be true! Until, that is, we take a closer look.

So right now, I'm going to invite you to set them all aside and begin
to stand in a place of possibility.

And to help you enter this space of limitless possibility for love, I'm
going to share with you a story about a woman I coached recently
who was convinced, like so many of us, that love was for others...
but not her.

Stephanie knew her pattern in love was to never be noticed by men.

She felt invisible to men and she blamed this entirely on her weight.
She admitted with a deep sense of shame in her voice that she would
go out often to social events with her girlfriends and that everyone
else got hit on and asked out... except for her.

Yet rather than collude with her sad story, I asked her how she might
be showing up in ways that would actually cause men to avoid her
and not even try to approach her.

She thought about it for a moment before replying, "Well, I think I
avoid eye contact. I pretend to be interested in something else. Or I
just focus on my girlfriends and the people I'm with. Or I talk to people
who I'm not really interested in."

She admitted that overall, "It's been kind of hidden to me, what it is
I'm doing and how I'm relating to men in ways that may actually be
creating what I don't want to happen."

You too may find, as Stephanie did, that as you begin to dig deeper
into the ways you're co-creating your reality, that you may be relating
to others in ways that are impacting how they see you, or whether or
not they actually see you at all!

As she and I continued to peel away the layers of her experience, she
began to see how she was the source of her seeming invisibility.

Even though it occurred like it was happening to her, she could suddenly
see how it was happening through her.

The obstacles to finding love, she discovered, had to do with all the
ways she was limiting her own possibilities for love and were not
necessarily about her weight at all!

As a preemptive strike against being rejected, Stephanie had been
putting up walls and signaling to the men she found attractive that
she wasn't available to be approached.

And so, without meaning to, she shut men out who might otherwise
have been interested in her.

Your First Step Toward Finding Your Soulmate
Just like Stephanie, the most powerful first step you can take towards
finding love is to look to see how you can take personal responsibility
for how you are showing up in ways that are keeping it at bay.

These ways will often be invisible to us, so consider asking your closest
friends for insights into how you may be co-creating your experience.

Such feedback may be hard to hear at first, but you'll be so glad!
Because these are things you have control over.

They are things you can change.

If you relate to Stephanie, I invite you to imagine for a moment, what
life and love could be like for you if you just actually fell in love with
your body, and with your life...  just as it is. Just as you are.

Because when you do, without changing a thing about your external
experience, you will be shocked to discover that in having this whole
new relationship with yourself, that suddenly you become irresistibly
magnetic to others and you will begin to have a completely different
experience!

Because people can sense it when you don't like your body.

Both men and women are most attracted to people who are comfortable
in their own skin, who feel confident, at ease with themselves, and
sensual in their own bodies.

You can cultivate this delicious relationship with yourself, and this
magnetic presence with others, without losing any weight or fixing
whatever you think is broken or wrong with you.

Believe me, I've seen it countless times!

One of my favorite Calling in "The One" stories is about another one
of our students, a lovely woman in her late thirties named Anna who
weighed over 300 pounds.

Anna had a big story like you might have about how she was not
attractive enough to find love, and why she would never find a man
to build a life with.

Yet, we recently received an email from Anna telling us that because
of the work she did with us, and the shifts she made in her relationship
with her own body, that she's now coming up on her fifth wedding
anniversary with a wonderful man.

They're very happily married, and even though he himself is not a big
man, he loves Anna just the way she is.

So I encourage you to just throw away those old ideas about what's
possible!

Just be willing to hang them up in the closet for a while. Immerse
yourself instead in the space of total possibility. I assure you, you can
create exceptional love right now, just as you are!


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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Great Video on Shoulder External Rotation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utflNBD3DRw&list=PL7E0BAAA9082D6FA8&index=1&feature=plpp_video

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Great Video on Serratus Anterior Isolated Activation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsEVM_MKG9I&feature=autoplay&list=PL7E0BAAA9082D6FA8&lf=plpp_video&playnext=1

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

The One-Minute Workout

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/one-minute-workout-good-sounds-153700286.html

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Piña Movie

Pihttp://louizaspiritualityandreligion.blogspot.com/2012/02/pina-movie.htmla, an Oscar-nominated 3D movie I saw recently, was an experience. I did not like the first third of the film, with the dance seeming like some kind of comment on menstrual pain (for some women). I think that our 3D technology leaves a lot to be desired. I did enjoy comments her students said she made, the earthy, passionate performance of the dancers, and the beautiful, diverse male dancers.

Some of what she has said:

Keep searching.
Be a stand for each step you take.
What do you long for? Where does it come from?

For the movements, including psychological connotations and interpretations, you will have to see the movie. The dancers seemed ordinary at first, and then came to life. This post is also posted on www.louizaspiritualityandreligion.blogspot.com. I posted it here because of the wonderful spirit-mind-body connection shown in the movie.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Intermittent Fasting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

Sounds good -- like getting off a plateau or interval training. Will look more into it.


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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Gym Dangers -- Oprah

http://www.oprah.com/health/7-Unexpected-Dangers-to-Avoid-at-the-Gym/2

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Training a Thin Client

I did a training session with a healthy, tall size four 30ish graduate student the other day. We did basic sit-ups, squats against the wall, the plank, spiderman walk (see post) and jumping jacks. Although she looked thin and in shape, she was out of breath and sweating. The workout was not too rigorous. This goes to show: health and energy are most important. Being in shape is endurance, streangth and flexibility. Genetics are involved. The rest is work. It is not about fitting into a certain size.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Swiss Ball Rotations

Here is an easy exercise that targets the abdominal muscles. Sit on a Swiss Ball. Keep your torso straight and steady. You can put your hands on your waist. Rotate clockwise until you fatigue. Rotate counterclockwise until you fatigue. The Swiss Ball should remain as steady as possible.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness. 

Extreme Workouts from Science Times

Remember: Balance and rest most used muscles for a day after a workout. Use working out to connect with yourself to know what your limits are. They change over time, not to slowly with plateaus, but not too quickly with shock. Massages and warm showers and baths work too.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/personal-best-workouts-have-their-limits-recognized-or-not/?ref=science


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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness. 

Study on the Beneficial Public Health Effects of Taxing Soft Drinks

http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=73809&cid=XEM_573955

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness. 

Great Advice from the Sunday Times about New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I especially like the reward point.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/sunday-review/new-years-resolutions-stick-when-willpower-is-reinforced.html?pagewanted=all

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Sit Up with Octagon Weight

Pick an octagon weight that will give you a challenge and that you can use for four sets of ten repetitions.
Perform a standard sit up. Start lying on the floor, lower back pressed against the floor, holding the octagon weight straight over your head with both arms. Come up for a sit up with your arms straight, the weight straight over your head. Your head, neck and spine should be aligned.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Stand Up and Get Down Variation

As I have posted before, working with body weight may be the most effective means of training for strength and endurance. Here is one variation?

Stand on the edge of a mat with legs shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and get down toward the floor by placing the palms of your hands in front of you. You are now extended horizontally over the floor. Keep your head, neck and spine aligned. Do not have your hips or butt be higher than your back. Now extend the right arm and then the left arm straight outward in front on you, aligned with your shoulder. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions. Each repetition extends each arm out one time.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/PocketGuidetoFitness.

Oblique Muscles

Here is a sit up variation: Lay on your back with your legs bent, knees 90 degrees. Push back with your abdominal muscles so your lower back is on the floor. Put your hands behind your neck with your elbows out. Keep your head, neck and spine aligned. Come up for a sit up. Extend your right arm and bring up your bent left leg straight up so that your hand touches your left ankle. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions. Now extend your left arm and bring up your right bent leg straight up so that your left hand touches your right ankle. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions.

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.Visit and like, if you so see fit, my book page at www.facebook.com/pocketguidetofitness.

Chicken and Free Weights

I do not mind some fat. In fact, I think for women it is essential to have some in the arms, legs, chest, and hips. One little piece of fat I can do without when it creeps up is front underarm fat, right between the shoulder and breast. Here is an exercise for both men an dwomen to firm up this area.


Grab one free weight with each hand. They must be heavy enough to give you a workout but light enough to finish four sets of ten repetitions. In a slow movement while keeping your shoulders down and keeping your elbows bent at 90 degrees, lift your arms as if doing a chicken clucking move. Lower the elbows back down to the waist. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions.


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.

Variation on Quadriceps Using Leg Extension Machine

Raise and lower your legs at two-second intervals for each motions. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions. You may find you will break into a sweat and get more good pain from one set of these than you get from four sets of regular one-motion repetitions.

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Variation on Squats Using Swiss Ball

Take a medium- or small-sized Swiss ball and place it between your thighs. Squeeze. Sit and stand up form a seat. It is more difficult if you go up to an inch over the seat, not completely sitting down. Repeat for four sets of ten repetitions.

This primarily works out your inner thigh and gluteus maximus muscles.

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Skin and Food from Martha Stewart

Food and Nuts from Martha Stewart Living


December 2011 Issue, page 49

Watercress: A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that daily serving of watercress increased blood cells’ ability to resist DNA damage

Cinnamon: stabilizes blood sugar, may help to prevent diabetes, contains longevity-promoting properties that enhance cell function

Berries: contains the pigments anthocyanins that activate cell protective mechanisms that prevent collagen breakdown

Turmeric: contains curcuminoids that trigger activity of cell-protective enzymes and inhibit microscarring of collagen that leads to wrinkles

Cocoa: inhibits wrinkle-producing chain of reactions, stops production of inflammatory arachidonic acid protects skin from sun damage

Salmon: is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and high in collagen-building protein and anti-oxidant that prevent DNA damage from free radicals

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Nuts According to Martha Stewart

From the December Martha Stewart Living,

December 2011 Issue, page 58
Nut Health Facts

Almonds: vitamin B riboflavin, vitamin E, anti-aging antioxidant, magnesium, and molecules that prevent oxidation that leads to heart disease

Peanuts: folate, oleic acid, resveratrol – a heart anti-oxidant also found in red wine and chocolate

Pistachios: potassium, may reduce stress

Walnuts: alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 that boosts cognitive function, and disease-fighting gammatocopherol, a type of vitamin E

Hazelnuts: proanthocyanidins that may help strengthen blood vessels, reduce heart disease and boost brain health

Pecans: high ORAC score (antioxidant measurement), may delay age-related cognitive decline

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Body Over Mind?

This can be true at times...Or spirit, mind, and body change places in what is "ruling" at a given moment. Perhaps it is best for spirit to usually prevail. Check out the video by Kimerer Lamothe, Ph.D.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsRym4RiLk8&feature=share

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Tips on Motivation

From Linked In Boo Sadikot

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=952287971&gid=99695&type=member&item=83272922&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Ffitnesstogethernovi%2Ecom%2F2011%2F12%2Ftips-in-motivating-yourself-for-weight-loss-success%2F&urlhash=W0rU&goback=%2Egde_99695_member_83272922

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

From Healthcare-Now: US Ranks Last on Preventable Deaths Among High-Income Nations

http://www.healthcare-now.org/u-s-ranks-last-among-high-income-nations-on-preventable-deaths/

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Is Pizza a Vegetable?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/17/pizza-as-vegetable-congress-proposes-new-school-lunch-bill/

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Molecules in Proteins That Keep Us Awake

http://medicaldaily.com/news/20111116/7920/keeping-us-awake-protein-amino-acid-sugar-orexin-cells-glucose-sugar-blocks-orexin-cells-dr.htm

My fourth book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, Edition II, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.  

What Happens When You Don't Exercise

This was posted by a LinkedIn contact and is attributed to Jack Lalanne. I would add that if you do not exercise, you lose valuable time to yourself, to reconnect with your center and release hormones that relax you. You lose time to clear your mind through your body, at times when the people and circumstances around you may not be the best.

Well, for starters, lets look at the muscular skeletal aspect. Your muscles, when not properly engaged in vigorous exercise, start to atrophy and become weaker without regular activity. All of that affects your body’s capacity to work efficiently. This in turn translates to the bones as well as they’re not getting enough physical activity to keep them strong and this eventually weakens them, leading to osteoporosis in older people. That’s why resistance training is important, not only in your younger years, but also as you age and aim to sustain strength in your bones. It’s never too late to start exercise and the benefits for you are immense, allowing you to have a better quality of life.

Without exercise your cardiovascular system is diminished, especially your heart and lungs. You can greatly improve them with a proper set of exercises. Remember that your heart is a muscle, so the stronger it is the more blood it can circulate through the body, thus keeping you healthy just the way the human body was designed to do. Also via exercise you eliminate toxins from your body by sweating. So, the more we move, the more toxins are flushed out of our bodies. The less we exercise or move, the more toxins are stored in the body. Take exercise as an investment for better health and saving your medical bills down the road.
Exercise is one of the key tools along with good sensible eating habits in sustaining or losing weight. Without it, we have seen whole populations become overweight through the years, accompanied with easy access to processed, junk foods and bad eating habits. This is leading to higher medical bills and earlier deaths. Some of these death may have been prevented with simple regular exercise and proper food education.

Those are a few reasons why exercise should be a part of your life just like breathing, eating and drinking, all of which is fundamental for a healthy life. It becomes quite obvious what happens to the body if you don’t exercise. Last, but not least, I quote a gentlemen who is a legend in the fitness/nutrition industry. Jack Lalanne, who at 94 years old still workouts 2 hours a day!

“Yes, exercise is the catalyst. That’s what makes everything happen: your digestion, your elimination, your sex life, your skin, hair, everything about you depends on circulation. And how do you increase circulation?” – Jack Lalanne.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.  

Alcohol and Breast Cancer: Good Morning America Video

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/higher-breast-cancer-risk-linked-alcohol-14863985

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.  

Work Out the Abdominal and Latissimus Dorsi Muscles Together

Select free weights that are heavy enough to give you a workout but not too heavy that you cannot do four sets of ten repetitions on each side. Get on the floor with the palms of your hands and toes and balls of your feet. Use one free weight at a time. Stay as straight as you can, with your neck, back andf hips aligned. Lift the weight at your side until your elbows "passes" your waist for about four inches. Repeat a set with the other arm. You will use your abdominal muscles as stabilizers and also work out your latissimus dorsi muscles.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.  

Ten Ways to Stretch Strained Calf Muscles

I went hiking yesterday to Bear M ountain after not going for some years, and not warming up. My toes hurt. You can't get away from that with Timberland steel-tipped boots. I have a slight pain on a thin side calf muscle, the fibularis longus muscle . Here is a great Web site for calf stretches.

http://www.theflexibilitycoach.com/articles/8_10_ways_to_stretch_tight_calf_muscles.htm

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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. 

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

http://fitnessfest.org/health-benefits-of-pumpkin/

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

High Rates of Unsaturated Fat and Exercise Linked to Early Menopause

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=836417478&gid=134566&type=member&item=75084629&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Estonehearthnewsletters%2Ecom%2Fhigh-levels-of-exercise-polyunsaturated-fat-linked-to-earlier-menopause%2Fexercise%2F&urlhash=x8uR&goback=%2Egde_134566_member_75084629

Perhaps women need some fat to maintain estrogen levels.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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. 

Contributing Article: Exercise for Cancer Patients

Exercise for Cancer Patients

Staying active during cancer treatment is not the first thing to cross someone’s mind but it is proven to have enormous benefits. Exercise can boost immune systems, reduce fatigue, and reduce stress levels and depression.  Staying active has been revealed to help lessen effects from cancers such as liver cancer, breast cancer and even unusual cancers such as epithelial mesothelioma.

Types of exercises that are especially beneficial for cancer patients:

• Flexibility exercises like stretching, yoga and pilates. These are good for patients who are not ready for vigorous exercise but still want to maintain mobility and reap the benefits of working out.
• Aerobic exercise such as swimming, jogging, or playing a sport. These types of exercises increase lung capacity and build cardiovascular fitness which can lower the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attacks.
• Resistance training, like weight lifting, is particularly important for cancer patients because there is often a loss of muscle through cancer treatment.

It is best if there is a combination of all of these types of exercises to increase the overall well-being of cancer patients. If these seem too overwhelming there are ways to increase physical activity without hitting the gym. Using the stairs instead of the escalator is a good way to start. 

It is essential, for cancer patients especially, to proceed with caution when it comes to their exercise routine. An oncology team can help when deciding on the right activities. Patients must stay in tune to their bodies and act appropriately.

People go through many challenges in life and exercise will always be a healthy way for people to cope and improve their conditions both physically and emotionally.  

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She became particularly interested in ways cancer patients can cope with the side-effects of their treatment after her mother became an oncology nurse for lung cancer.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Article: Men Don't have to Be as Fat as Women to Get Type 2 Diabetes

Check out this article:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/235375.php

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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. 

Spiderman with Push Ups

Get ready for pain.

See the former Spider Man with Weights blog post. You will not use weights. Crawl on the floor. Keep your spine aligned and hips-butt down at spine level. Crawl with right arm and leg forward first, then left. That is one motion. Now do a push up. It is all right if your hands-arms are not parallel. That makes it harder. Crawl again and repeat 10 times. Rest. Do as many sets as you can.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

Article on Loving Your Body First to Lose Weight

This was posted in  the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=642177980&gid=99695&type=member&item=62326191&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gloveman.co.uk%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1887&urlhash=4jMT&goback=.gde_99695_member_62326191

My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=patsis+louiza&sprefix=patsis+louiza 

Sit Ups with Medicine Ball

Grab a ten-pound medicine ball or higher and hold it with your arms straight. Lie down with bent knees and do four sets of ten abdominal crunches or sit-ups. Keep your chin facing the ceiling and your spine aligned. When you rise, exhale and bring your arms out holding the ball toward your knees. When you sit back down, inhale and bring your arms to starting position, with the medicine ball resting over your tummy. Do not go all the way back to the floor. Rather, rise back up again after you are one to two inches from the floor.

www.louizapatsis.com
My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=patsis+louiza&sprefix=patsis+louiza 

New Study on Chocolate

Note the type of chocolate and servings.

http://tv.ibtimes.com/new-study-proves-chocolate-treats-reduce-risk-of-heart-attack-and-stroke/1755.html

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My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
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Wall Street Journal: Calorie Counts on Menus

Wall Street Journal:  Calorie counts in restaurants make little difference

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/07/27/nyc-menu-calorie-labeling-law-not-prompting-big-changes/

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My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
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Reverse Abdominal Crunch

Lie down on your tummy and contract your abdominal muscles so as to bring up your lower back off the floor. If you are strong enough, deepen your contraction to bring your upper arms and upper pelvis off the floor. Do four sets of ten repetitions.

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My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
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TODAY Show: Children and Bodybuilding

The TODAY had an excellent segment on children bodybuilding. It's all about balance. You do not want them obsessed with their bodies early on, and heavy weights can injure their growing tissues. However, light weights with many repetitions can condition them for life and sports and going to the gym regularly if they choose starting at 18 years old. I advocate more walking, calisthenics and sports for children.

The psychologists's and doctor's comments at the end are great.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43770379/ns/today-today_news/t/child-bodybuilding-how-buff-your-kid/

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My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
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TODAY Show: Women's Bodies and Breasts

The TODAY show yesterday continued its excellent coverage of women's health and body image with a show on American's "breast obsession". I think that Europeans are less obsessed with that as they are less likely to get drunk (depending also on the country) than Americans because it is not so forbidden. Women go topless on the beach, including grandmothers with their grandchildren, and people drink a little as teenagers or younger, not having to binge drink at the magical age of 21 years old.

A psychologist and other guest stalked about how breasts are power and how trends are changing to a more curvy look. I am happy about the latter. I am an advocate of women having a balance of thinness, muscles and fat. Some are healthier or look better taller, shorter, bigger or smaller, but as an average, the middle road is healthiest and most beautiful.

What is interesting, however, is that women often run to be the latest "fad", as they put it, using extreme dieting and exercise, plastic surgery, bogus lotions, laxatives, and more. What people must do first is to accept their bodies, put health first, connect with themselves through meditation, nature and working out, and then choose for themselves what energy level they want and how they want to look, while loving themselves along the way. Anything other than these is in a context of not good enough, something is wrong with me, getting there, making it, and other various such elements. See my blog post "Choose Your Body" from years ago. Here is the TODAY show link:

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2011/07/18/nbcs-today-wonders-why-americans-are-obsessed-breasts-then-shows-breas

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Excellent Information on Stretching

Posted by Greg Brookes on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=621027250&gid=134566&type=member&item=60929236&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gbpersonaltraining.com%2Fexercise%2F10-things-you-didnt-know-about-stretching&urlhash=O8N9&goback=.gde_134566_member_60929236

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Read New Report on Americans and Obesity

By the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=72575&cid=XEM_1095291

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Check out My Meetup Group Page

http://www.meetup.com/Manhattan-and-Queens-Fitness-Group/

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My new fitness book Pocket Guide to Fitness Edition II is out now!
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Good Morning America: Little Girls Thinking They Are Fat

When will we stop the mass mentality of women having to be rail thin or close, or show all of their muscles to be thin? So many are too thin or overweight or obese (the latter due to a backlash often) because of this groupthink. Here is the GMA link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/body-image-issues-year-girl-worries-fat/story?id=13880833

Check out my profile on www.neighborhoodtrainer.com and book page on Facebook!

http://www.neighborhoodtrainer.com/SearchResult.aspx

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Field of Excellence: Caring and Non-Attachment (Cross-Post)

I recently went to a SoHo cognac-tasting event by the House of Louis XIII, makers of fine champagne for decades. We sat in red velvety seats and saw film of how the House has operated. The French host was polite and beaming. Of course he wanted to sell the product at the end, but the overall atmosphere was that of caring, caring for the long process of picking the best soil, finest grapes, and best cask for the product. A high percentage of the grape product went into making excellent Remi Martin cognac, while a tiny percentage went into Louis XII cognac. He showed us how the cask was imperfect on certain edges, to show it was hand-made. He was proud of the 15-year-old barrel, made of 250-year-old oak, and revealed to us at a heightened moment when the film screen went up to the ceiling.

Caring will make it more likely you have a higher level of integrity, a higher level of success in what you do, and love life along the way. Bring this caring to your fitness routine. Here's the catch: What you care about is your choice. It may even change. How you want to look, as long as you are healthy, is your choice.

Most of this post will be cross-posted to www.louizaspiritualityandreligion.blogspot.com

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Recording by Educator on Health

Rick Jarow is a professor at Vassar College in New York State who also gives seminars on creating work you love. He has a weekly radio show. Hit this link, scroll down and hit the link for his June 12 show to hear about balance in health: Do not rely too much on diet, vitamins, drugs, physicians or yoga.

http://www.dreamvisions7radio.com/hosts_archives.htm

Inspiring Article about Cyclist in Sunday Times

It was wonderful to read J. David Goodman's article about Damian Lopez Alfonso in Sunday's Times. Believe in yourself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/nyregion/cyclists-embrace-a-handless-cuban-who-wants-to-race.html

\

New York Times Article on Farm Animal Antibiotics and Congress

Nicholas Kristoff wrote a great article for today's Sunday Times. Here is the URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/opinion/12kristof.html

He makes a good point about animals often growing in filthy conditions, needing antibodies, developing resistant strains, and passing them to us. Lobbyists protect this. I say spend money for the animals to live in humane conditions and give antibodies only if necessary. Do research on how this affects us and provide for cautionary measures.

Christiane Northrup on Aging

http://www.drnorthrup.com/monthlywisdom/archive/jun2011.php

She talks about how taking on spiritual, mental and physical growth has many women be and feel 10-20 years younger than their Moms were or felt.

Butt Lift with Swiss Ball

Way back I blogged about a standard exercise where you lift your hips from the floor. Want to make it harder? Try it with a small- or medium-sized Swiss ball!

Lie down on the floor. Have your arms by your side or a little away if you want to support yourself with your hands. Keep your lower back on the floor. This will engage your abdominal muscles. Put your feet flat on the ball. They should be about shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees at a 90-degree or close to a 90-degree angle. Lift your hips off the floor in a steady pace. Repeat for five sets of ten repetitions. Trying to keep the Swiss ball in place will engage your abdominals as secondary muscles while you work your gluteus maximus.

Do you want to make it more difficult? Use one foot and leg at a time to lift your hips. Your other leg can be straight or almost straight up, or have the ankle of the passive leg rest over the knee of your more active leg. Repeat for five sets of ten repetitions for each leg.

Sitting at Work Promotes Obesity

See link for new research

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0019657

New York Times Article Bikini Ready? Who's Judging?

Catherine Saint-Louis wrote a great article in yesterday's New York Times about bikini season preparation. Health is number one. After that, feel good about yourself. Don't go to extreme (or any really) diet or exercise plan. Have integrity in health and connect with yourself and intuition to know what is good for you. Feel energetic and love how you look whether you are there yet or on your way. If you really feel bad about an area of your body and want a procedure or surgery, that is your call. But first be healthy, feel good and be in action. Then silence yourself and know what you want.

Remember, many people out there feed off people whose lives are not going how they want. Many life coaches, plastic surgeons, etc. are good people and want to help other people. But money is always a motive and sometimes the number one motive. So be careful. Feel good about yourself!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/fashion/the-bikini-as-a-badge-of-fitness.html

Side Lunge

Conduct a lunge to the side. Start with the right leg. Keep your head and spine centered and back straight. Keep your left leg straight. Do not lock your knees or put the toes of your right foot beyond your right knee. Come back up slowly. Repeat to the left.

You can incorporate arm exercises with free weights. For instance, do biceps curls or overhead press, butterfly or chest press while you lunge.

Do four sets of ten repetitions.

Never Too Old to Lift

Check out this 86-year-old gal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9baGr99bvA&feature=share

Check out my Facebook book page for Pocket Guide to Fitness!

http://www.facebook.com/louiza.patsis#!/pages/Pocket-Guide-to-Fitness/194203747271646?sk=wall

Video on Human Being Dietary History

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dw1MuD9EP4

Check out my Facebook book page for Pocket Guide to Fitness

http://www.facebook.com/louiza.patsis#!/pages/Pocket-Guide-to-Fitness/194203747271646?sk=wall

Study by American Academy of Physicians Shows That Exercise Boosts Children's Adademic Success

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/pas2011/movementsun.pdf

Check out my Facebook book page for Pocket Guide to Fitness

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Ten Health Tips from Mayo Clinic

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=508705466&gid=134566&type=member&item=53115222&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stonehearthnewsletters.com%2F10-fresh-health-tips-from-the-mayo-clinic%2Fproactive-prevention%2F&urlhash=U-JE&goback=.gde_134566_member_53115222

Check out my Facebook book page for Pocket Guide to Fitness

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I Recommend the Insanity DVDs

I saw [most of] an infomercial on this. I rarely watch them. Many fitness equipment infomercials are for gimmick products. You can exercise well on a mat. I have not bought these products, but, judging from the infomercial, they are excellent training DVDs. One must be fit to do the exercises and will only get more fit, all other factors like diet remaining the same or being enhanced. Many exercises involve interval training and plyometrics. If you are a beginner, get a physician's approval before you start. Do not forget to stretch before and after the exercises.

http://blog.extremefitnessresults.com/workout-guides/insanity/

Fat Returns

There is an interesting story in the New York Times today about fat returning after liposuction. This may have something to do with a gene from the caveman times where food was not so plentiful. Our body wants to be ready for cold or days of little food. I am sure people differ here, too. It seems that, after liposuction, the amount of fat cells will increase in other areas. If one has had liposuction in the hips and thighs, the fat usually appears in the abdomen. I recently read that fat stores increase in the abdomen for menopausal women. These fat cells make estrogen as the hormone's levels decrease. In this article, physicians explained that fat cells do not reappear in the thighs because liposuction destroys the surrounding structures that would allow that.

To read the article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/weekinreview/01kolata.html

Goals and Statistics

A very early blog post was about acceptance. Yes, accept yourself and your body how you are: If you are angry, get a pimple, gain or lose weight. Feel fabulous! You are!

As a personal trainer, I support people to have healthy goals without being at a too skinny or a fat extreme, and without excessive dieting and exercise. Then it is up to them to choose. I then support that. There is again a yin yang balance between flow (yin) and goals (yang). Acceptance with commitment can be the context.

Once you have your goals, you can have the goals be strict and hard or not depending on your personality, wanting to set a firm time schedule, etc. Once you create that (and it can change), choose measures. These can be heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, waist-to-hip ration, BMI index, tape measure and caliper measures, weight, strength, flexibility, energy and more. Any of these measures alone mean nothing. Together, and with your intuitive connection with yourself, you will know if you are progressing or not.

There is nowhere to get, but don't just stay there. If you consciously want to maintain and stay at the same level, that is fine. But I recommend not to do it for more than a few months at a time. A healthy human nature is to grow spiritually, intellectually and physically. If you are on a plateau (see very early blog post), do something different like yoga, Pilates, jogging, dance, martial arts, or something else you have not done.

Orthorexia

Great post: When does too much dieting or caution become a sickness?
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/new-eating-disorders-are-they-real

Myths of Aging

This is a great Oprah post. There is a difference between number age and biological age having to do with health, energy, and yes, looks! One can be 40 and younger than a 25-year-old, or 60 and younger than a 40-year-old.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Aging-Body-Changes-Aging-Myths

Push Ups with a Step

Do you think that push ups are hard? Try this: Use a step, on other little steps to make it harder. Do push-ups. Go for four sets of ten repetitions. Or do four sets of five repetitions if that is all you can do. If you must at first, have your knees be on the floor. Breathe out when you go down and in when you rise.

NY Academy of Science Talk on Cancer by Dr. Siddharta Mukherjee

I attended a great talk by Dr. Mukherjee, author of the new book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. I attended part of his talk, but liked
what he said about medicine encompassing everything from psychology to nanotechnology. I believe in integrating ideas.

Some MD/PhD students later told me that he said that he met a man he needed to meet in India, when it was more logical they would have met at Harvard. That may be synchronicity. For instance, I like balancing science with religion, synchronicity, intention etc.I thought when I was an undergraduate that medical school education needs to encompass genetics, and that it would take years to do so, especially in such a developing field, and alternative medicine.

Some interesting points are that diet probably affects some cancer not all. As I thought, the extreme of dieting or eating organic in order to prevent cancer is a not a cure-all strategy. In addition, there are some links to certain cancers and obesity but not certain links from obesity to all cancers. It was mentioned that one twin studied got cancer while another did not get it. there are spontaneous mutations. Unfortunately, cancer cells are usually not found until there are several in a tumor. It would be great to find a cell as soon as it turns cancerous and pinpoint the processes more.

I have not read the book, but it encompasses stories of many cancer patients and the history of cancer from what was found in early hieroglyphics. It is interesting how science and medicine, at a certain level, are very creative, and one can use both left and right brain for ideas and cures.

Science Times: Rabbis and Anorexia

Rabbis are reporting increased cases of anorexia and other eating disorders among young Orthodox Jewish women. This may be in response to the pressures of 1. being asked by prospective suitors or their families what their sizes, or even their mothers' sizes are, and 2. needing to start families early while pursuing careers. This happens in spite of their concealing garb.

Read about it here:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/eating-disorders-among-orthodox-jews/

Articles on Social Theory and Women's Plastic Surgery

These are by sociology professor Victoria Pitts-Taylor at the City University of New York. I have not read them, and thought she was a little too left for me (to be general) at one talk I heard her say, but they do sound very interesting! I am sure I back some of the points!

http://soc.qc.cuny.edu/faculty/pitts/

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. 

City University of New York Body Image Meeting Saturday

I went and it was good. It was the first such event there and could have been organized better. For instance, in the schedule, people were not listed in the order they would speak for each room. Some did not show; that happens, I guess. The very last speech was a little too post modern for me. Lectures encompassed everything from disability to [a lot on] pressure on women to be thin.

An interesting questions was raised in a room: To what extent are we free to have the body WE want. I talk about this in early blog posts. First comes health, then look like you want, and don't try to look like anyone else. (You probably won't anyway.) We can pose similar questions like to what extent are we free to be ourselves, have the life we want, etc. People stressed how women are supposed to be thin, even in an unhealthy way, or way where they are pre-pubescent or pubescent, like some Macy's commercials in New York City I see lately. One woman did a study where she showed breast implants to women in Senegal and they thought they were atrocious. They'd come here if they had money to talk sense into us. they believed women, especially mothers, should let their natural breasts be, even without a bra. Many Western women, asked why they wear a bra, had no answer. (That is another discussion.)

I believe in the natural look myself: hourglass for women, and toned for men if you can have it.

Check out my books:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=louiza+patsis&x=0&y=0

Video How to Do a Sit Up

This was done at about 2:00 am with an old camera. The content is simple and true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHNbrlefAE

Globalization of Fat Stigma

http://www.thirdage.com/news/fat-stigma-spreading-across-globe_3-30-2011

Middle Aged Women Seeing Increased Pressure to Fit Thin Stereotypes

Today in the Science Times of the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope wrote today that many women that are middle-aged or older are involved in extreme dieting and extreme exercising. I see anorexic or too-thin-looking women at the gym all the time. I have asked gym managers why they don't stop them from working out due to legal reasons. Cynthia Bulik, director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says that half the clients since 2003 have been adults, rather than adolescents: "Even in their 50s and 60s -- and, believe it or not, beyond -- women are engaging in extreme weight- and shape-control behaviors."

Tamar Pryor clinical director of the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, who studied 200 cases of midlife eating disorders, says there are more that are under the radar because people are so functional in other areas of life. Older women, she says, are more adept at concealing the problems, and people may attribute symptoms to aging.

I have a client in her 60's who diets to the extreme. Yet she does not overexercise, and is realistic in terms of certain thing she cannot do with exercise that have to do with skin characteristics. She is overall balanced, yet she restricts any sweets, milk and more because she is afraid this will lead to overeating. She has not mastered this in herself or found that balance. She cannot change this unless she want to change. Her overall goal, though, is health, energy and abilities, so I would not say she is at the extreme that these ladies are.

Ibuprofen and Parkinson's Disease

In a recent study, published in Neurology, scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health showed a link between ibuprofen, found in Advil® and other drugs, and reduction of the chance of acquiring Parkinson's disease.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/parkinsons-disease-ibuprofen.html

Harvard School of Public Health: Mercury Exposure and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

"... large-scale study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), researchers found no evidence that higher levels of mercury exposure were associated with higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or total cardiovascular disease in two separate studies of U.S. adults."

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/mercury-exposure-cardiovascular-disease.html

Robert Wood Johnson Study on Health and Social Factors

What Shapes Health-Related Behaviors? The Role of Social Factors

This includes education, where we live, diet, exercise, smoking, and more.

http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/sdohwhatwhapeshealthrelatedbehaviorsissuebrief20110324.pdf?cid=XEM_206603

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Short Study on Stress and Health

How Social Factors Shape Health: The Role of Stress
This covers the impact of family and work situations, low income, and more.

http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/sdohstressandhealthissuebrief20110324.pdf?cid=XEM_206603

Gym Etiquette

Here are some major points about gym etiquette:

1. Wipe your sweat from the machine or mat after you use it.

2. Return weights to how they were prior to using the machine.

3. Do not use your cellular telephone and keep it on only for incoming emergencies.

4.Do not interrupt someone during a set, like to use the machine, unless perhaps they are facing you and can easily nod.

5. Do not speak or moan (if lifting heavy weight) too loudly.

6. Do not drop weights to the floor. This makes noise and can even shake the floor.

Push Up with Oblique

This is a tough exercise. Try it. I haven't.
Search for my push up blog post from years ago for the proper way to perform a push up. Hold a free weight in one hand. Use a weight that is doable and will give you a good workout for four sets of ten repetitions. When you are on the "up" part of the push up, twist your right side to the right in a controlled motion, using your right oblique, then return to starting position. Exhale when you go up, and inhale when you go down. Repeat for the left side. On repetition consists of twisting one time on each side.

Lunge with a Twist

Here is a variation on a lunge where you use a medicine ball to twist for your oblique muscles. Search for the lunge blog post for the proper way to do a lunge. Grab a medicine ball with a high enough weight to give you a workout and that you can use for four sets of ten repetitions. If this is too many repetitions for you, do two sets of ten repetitions. One repetition consists of lunging once with your right leg and once with your left leg.

Hold the medicine ball in front of your waist. Once you are down in the lunge position, twist right and left, and return the medicine ball to center as you are getting up to the original position. Repeat for the other leg. Make sure to keep your back vertical. This further engages core muscles. For a harder workout, hold your arms straight out chest level with the ball.

Tuesday Science Times Article on Self-Compassion

Tara Parker-Pope wrote in the Science Times section of the New York Times this week about a new book by Dr. Kristin Neff, associated professor of human development at the University of Austin in Texas. The book is about self-compassion. Dr, Neff points out that, while most people show compassion for friends, they show little for themselves, when they make a mistake. I can relate: I recently lost a bracelet. I am not sure if it was real if I’d found it or it was a present. I had allowed a man to get on my nerves. As I took off my jewelry at the gym and was not present. I remember thinking that I am not being careful where I am putting my bracelet, and would lose it. I then recalled several items, including heirlooms, I lost lately. I just looked for a pair of gorgeous shoes and can’t find them. Well, usually things turn up when you don’t look for them. I tempered this with thinking of how much I handle each day well.

The article author went on to say self-compassion is needed when one goes off a diet (although I believe in dieting once in a while, but not diets) or missing a workout. I have written about this in Pocket Guide to Fitness and the Acceptance and Being Grateful blog posts. Do a search. She writes accepting imperfection, although I advocate thinking of oneself as perfect. Who can tell you otherwise?

A key point is that, if one is not self-compassionate, they may get emotionally, and then give up on their nutrition and workout regimen. In a 2007 Wake Forest University study of two groups and diet, the group with the instructor who said: Everyone in this study eats this stuff, so I don’t’ think there’s any reason to feel real bad about it” ate less candy It is important to remind yourself that everyone has feelings of inadequacy once in a while. Dr. Neff will conduct a controlled study to see if self-compassion can reduce anxiety, depression and stress.

You can take a self-compassion test at www.self-compassion.org

This was cross-posted on www.louizaspiritualityandreligion.blogspot.com

How to Rejuvenate Your Brain at Any Age

Sharon Begley wrote an article in Newsweek about having your brain get younger and sharper as you "age". You do this, according to the article, through exercise, meditating, and even video games. Look up the subject on http://www.pubmed.gov.

You can have your cells become younger with exercise too. Look up my telomere blog post.

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/03/can-you-build-a-better-brain.html

BNL: Some Food Stimulation Increases Dopamine Levels in Binge Eaters

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) conducted a study to differentiate obese form binge eaters. The sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine in binge eaters, but not in the "normal" obese. The findings are published online in the journal Obesity and suggest that the dopamine spike may play a role in triggering compulsive overeating.

The main scientists, Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, said:"These results identify dopamine neurotransmission, which primes the brain to seek reward, as being of relevance to the neurobiology of binge eating disorder." A similar dopamine spike has been shown in drug addicts' brains when shown images of drugs. Wang said that dopamine spikes were associated with people feeling a pike in hunger.

The subjects were 10 obese people with a clinical diagnosis of binge eating disorder, based on evaluations at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, and 8 non-binging obese subjects. The scientists used positron emission tomography (PET) to scan the subjects' brains after injecting a radiotracer designed to bind to dopamine receptors in the brain. Subjects fasted for 16 hours prior to the study. They were scanned 4 times in 2 days. Heated food, which subjects could taste with swabs, made up the food stimulation condition. For the neutral stimulation scans, non-food-related pictures and inanimate objects such as toys were displayed for subjects to see and smell.

The subjects who had the highest binge eating levels also experienced the highest dopamine spikes. The amount of dopamine receptors between the two groups did not differ significantly. Dompamine spikes were present in the caudate region of the brain, which is involved in the in reinforcement of action potentially leading to reward, but not in processing of the reward.

"That means this response effectively primes the brain to seek the reward, which is also observed in drug-addicted subjects," Wang said.

In contrast, dopamine spikes in drug addicts were found in the brain's reward center.

Hire Me Online as a Fitness Trainer

Click here to get exercise and diet day-to-day schedules: http://trainers.fitorbit.com/trainers/LouizaP

Check out my new Pocket Guide to Fitness edition II!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=patsis+louiza&sprefix=patsis+louiza

My New Book Is Out and Michelle Obama'sComments on Today Show

I am so excited to report that the new and improved second edition of Pocket Guide to Fitness is out!!! It can be purchased here:

www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=292938

Michelle Obama told Matt on the Today Show, in response to his inquiry on Barak's fatty Super Bowl diet, that it's all about BALANCE, not extremes or deprivation, what I've been preaching on this blog for years. She likes French fries and so do I once in a while. The key is balance: 1. Know yourself; 2. Work out; and 3. Each healthily most of the time.

Testimonial from Pocket Guide to Fitness Book Reader

Louiza Patsis's book Pocket Guide to Fitness made a huge difference in my life. I was stressed from kids, my sister's illness, and job insecurity, and I had gained weight. I am always confident and felt great, but wanted to take care of my health. The book had me see the mind-body connection around how I feel, accept myself, and commit to fitness. I learned science facts and useful exercises that I did at home with little or no equipment. I also started to run. Result: I lost 50 pounds in less than six months, got healthier, and feel more confident and secure in my life. My friend read it and also lost weight. Most importantly, we feel healthier and stronger. The book is an easy and at the same time valuable read for anyone serious about getting in shape.

- S. Padron, Queens, New York
The book is available on www.Authorhouse.com, www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

Training Testimonial from Client

I was working with the same home trainer for years. I was having trouble paying the high fee and I felt that we were in a rut, doing the same exercises week after week. I began searching for someone new, especially for a female trainer.

I found Louiza Patsis on the Internet. She has provided me with exactly what I was looking for; a competent trainer who offers both affordable rates and an exhilarating exercise routine. In the past, I did mostly upper body and leg work, but I was unaware of how underdeveloped my abs are, until Louiza worked me out. Louiza is now helping me to correct this problem. She uses a variety of workout techniques, including professional dance moves and stretches.

Louiza’s attitude is personable, supportive and motivational. She frequently inquires as to how I am feeling, both during and after exercising. She is willing to modify a routine according to my personal fitness level, while encouraging me to go beyond my “comfort level” to achieve improved endurance, strength, and flexibility.

For me, a commercial gym is not an option. It is very important to have a home trainer to keep me on track and help me to reach my goals. I own various kinds of exercise equipment, and Louiza puts them all to good use. She inspires me to exercise and exert myself even between our training sessions. She also likes my cat Silky. I am glad that I found her and I hope that we will continue our association for many years to come.

Thanks, Louiza!

Sincerely,
J. Amann
Flushing, New York

New York Academy of Science Experts Panel on Obesity

Enjoy the following information and podcasts about obesity, including prevention and policy. Experts include those from Harvard University and John Hopkins University. For podcasts, look under "Media".

http://www.nyas.org/Publications/Ebriefings/Detail.aspx?cid=d9de3417-16fb-4f61-9197-4253bf9767bf

Exercise and AIDS

People with AIDS should be extra careful working out. They may be at the stage of their muscles atrophying. Each person will have different reactions to different drugs. Their physicians must be conducted before they start any exercise endeavor. You can find articles on this on www.pubmed.gov. Someone suggested I write a post on this, which I am doing but I am not conducting immense research. The above link will show you the latest, as well as older, studies.

Exercise is not a cure for AIDS. People that are HIV-positive may not have full-blown AIDS. The disease manifests itself differently in each person. However, some studies have found beneficial effects of exercise in HIV-positive individuals. Studies showed that the CD4 cell count increased after 24 months of exercise. See this link with information from Dr. Veljko Velkovic.

The LA Times article today HIV and AIDS Patients Find Exercise Improves Their Health shows that exercise helps persons with AIDS feel better and do more physically. They also cited several studies: a 2006 Massachusetts General Hospital study found that exercise manages symptoms of "metabolic syndrome," which as many as 45 percent of HIV-positive people have. This syndrome increases the likelihood of heart and diabetes complications. A 2005 Columbia University study found that moderate exercise with antiretroviral drugs, led to improved nervous-system function and circulation in HIV-positive persons.

Because I believe there is a lot of truth in mind over matter, exercise can’t be bad for HIV-positive or other people to feel better, breath better, be happier and thereby affect their cells, so I recommend it!

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.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.

Great Web Site on Supplements

Here is a great Web site on supplements, posted by fellow fitness trainer, Joe Canone, who has a degree in biochemistry. Joe, as I do, thinks that the Food and Drug Administration, or another body, should regulate supplements. Many people are gullible or may experience side effects, especially if they take too many supplements. Already, the first post on Vitamin B12 is great. http://www.google.com/search?q=joe+canone+supplements&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.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.

Microbes in Our Guts

In the December 17, 2010 issue of Science was great in summing up the past year's events. One article was about all the microbes we have in our gut. I have been using sterilizer for a while, even before it became common in libraries, schools and gyms. I saw a news show portion weeks ago about how it is not good to overuse it, since we may then not build up immunity to microbes on our own, and since we have many microbes in us anyway.

I thought of that when I read the Science article by Elizabeth Pennisi. She talked about 200 Nobel Laureate's Joshua Lederberg's call to think of organisms like us with many tiny ones living symbiotically with us as superorganisms, rather than the we are good and they are bad usual thinking.

I was amazed to read that nine out of 10 dells in our body are microbial! This is more than I had thought. Only a few species of them make us sick. Others help us digest food and serve other functions as well. In 1999 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, David Relman and others found 3,956 types of bacteria, two-thirds new to science, in culture from human gums. Does this make you want to kiss anyone? In 2006, Steven Gill of the University in Buffalo, New York and in 2010 Jun Wang of BGI-Shenzhen in China did genetic studies to show that many gut bacteria genes complement our own and so together break down fiber, amino acids and drugs. This is fascinating.

Some bacteria help us fight disease. For instance Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has anti-inflammatory properties and may protect us against Crohn's disease. According to Sarkis Mazmanian of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Baceteroides fragilis keeps mice from getting colitis. Other bacteria form healthy gut cured diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. Bacteria can protect against other bacteria and viruses. Herbert Virgin of Washington University School of Medicine found that dormant herpesviruses pushed the immune system of mice to protect them against certain bacterial infections.

The more researchers learn about this, the more they can use bacteria and viruses, or their genetic material, to prevent and fight disease, and also to help humans and animals in their bodily functions. I am so excited about the new genetics building opening up shortly at New York University!

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.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.

Great Post on Types of Fat

As I have written before, fat is not bad and many people have a phobia about it. It is needed, and even helps with maintaining the proper function of insulin and a good heartbeat.

Here is a good post by a North Carolina personal trainer and author Darvis Simms. Isn't it great how the Internet connects us? http://personaltrainersunited.com/all-about-fat/

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on  http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.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.

Come Join My New York City Fitness Meetup Group

The first meeting is on Saturday January 15th. We can schedule an individual session prior to that.

http://www.meetup.com/Manhattan-and-Queens-Fitness-Group/

Bar for Abdominals and Obliques

Get a bar with a weight that will work you out and that you can use for five sets of ten repetitions. Hold the bar vertically with both hands in front of you. Push down on it so it can be secure in the ground. This is part of the workout. Keep your hips steady and legs shoulder width apart. Rotate for half a circle clockwise "around the bar". Do the same counterclockwise. This is one repetition.

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on http://www.Authorhouse.com, www.BarnesandNoble.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.

New York Times: Placebo May Work Even If Patients Know About It

In a recent study, docotrs told patients they'd receive a placebo. The placebo still made a difference. To me, this may show how powerful language is and how mind presides over body and may be some extension of a law of attraction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/health/research/28perceptions.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=placebo%20effect&st=cse