A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows women need 60 minutes a day of moderate exercise to prevent weight gain as they age if they consume a normal diet. This is an increase in exercise time from the current guidelines of 30 minutes five days a week of moderate to intense activity. I don’t know about you, but this seems like a lot! That’s seven days a week! But it really isn’t the whole story. [Read more…]
Do We Need to Exercise More as We Get Older?
June 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Quote of the Week: “When I Run I Feel His Pleasure”…
June 9, 2011 by 4 Comments
On Monday I wrote about endorphins, those neurotransmitters in the brain that have been known to induce euphoria. Today I am writing about another kind of euphoria that can also come from running and exercising…the spiritual kind. Although we have all heard of the slogan “mind, body, spirit“, it can sometimes seem strange to integrate the three in a literal way. One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie, “Chariots of Fire”. In the movie, runner Eric Liddle of Scotland (a missionary and winner of the 400 meters in the 1924 Olympics in Paris) is explaining to his sister his desire to run in the Olympic Games. He says, “God made me for a purpose. But he also made me Fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” [Read more…]
Fitting in a Workout While on Vacation
May 31, 2011 by 4 Comments
I am writing this in the airport waiting for our return flight from Florida, where my husband (James) and I got away for four days. While there, we fit in some exercise. James is not the exercise enthusiast that I am, but he does like to run and is wonderfully supportive of me and my fitness “habits”. So while we were away, I ran three times (twice with James along Beach Road in Jupiter with beautiful ocean views, and once by myself for 8 hot, humid, and flat miles). I also went to a Kettlebell/TRX class taught by a friend, Josephine Bunn. Technically James and I did this together, since he dropped me off, went to Dunkin Donuts, and brought me coffee and a donut after the class (as I said, he is very supportive). Of course without our children with us, it was easy and fun to fit in a few workouts while on vacation. However, this is not our typical vacation (it was the first time we have gotten away for more than an overnight in 22 years). The other 99% of the time that we get away our children are with us. Yet, I still manage to squeeze in fitness most of the time. So with summer fast approaching, and the start of family vacations, I am sharing five ways to fit in a workout while away…or not! [Read more…]
Quote of the Week: Eternal Father, Strong to Save…
May 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
There is really only one thing to say on this day, and that is “Thank you”. Thank you to all the men and women who died serving this great nation of ours. Thank you to all of our military, both living and deceased. Thank you to those who are in foreign lands serving at this moment. Thank you to all of our retired veterans. Thank you to those in military training who will serve our country in the future.
Thank you for your bravery and commitment and especially, for your sacrifice. I hope on this day, we can all take some time to think about those men and women who are presently in harms way, and remember those who fought and who died so that we can continue to live in the Land of the Free. Yesterday at church we sang what is known as “The Navy Hymn” in honor of Memorial Day. With a son at the United States Naval Academy, I have grown to love this hymn and so use it as my Quote of the Week. The following are just a few of the verses:
Eternal Father, Strong to save, [Read more…]
The One Minute Torture Session…I Mean Bodyblade.
May 25, 2011 by 2 Comments
I never believed you could get a decent workout in ten or fifteen minutes until I tried the Bodyblade. Imagine a samurai sword with a grip in the center and flat rubber ends. I used the Bodyblade this morning (as a part of a routine where I do exercises for about one minute each), however it can be used by itself for a complete workout. If you have never used the Bodyblade, it is an experience! It takes a while to get the hang of it, but when you do, the exercises use the whole core, take focus and concentration, and are exhausting (I can usually only last about 15 seconds before I have to take a break). [Read more…]
My Favorite Workout: The Cardio/Core Combo
May 18, 2011 by 3 Comments
The other day I wrote about my least favorite workout…Plyometrics. Lest I appear like a whiner, I will write today about my favorite kind of workout…the Cardio/Core Combo. I like this kind of workout because I never have time to get tired of one thing. Typically I don’t use weights for this, just my body and a few extras (like bands and a medicine ball). However, it is still considered “strength training”. Using a timer, I only do each exercise for about one minute, but I am always amazed how hard this can be. By doing Cardio first, I feel warmed up and ready for the Core exercises. The other reason I like to get the Cardio out of the way is that I am forced to do the Core work under time pressure. I usually don’t have much more than about an hour and 15 minutes to exercise, so I have to work fast and I don’t have time between sets. My first choice for Cardio is always running, but I don’t like to run more than four days a week if possible. When I can’t run, I usually do the elliptical machine or the exercise bike (we have a Lifecycle at home…but no elliptical). One thing I like about the elliptical or bike is that I can read while I workout. Since it is difficult to find time during the day to read (and I usually fall asleep immediately after I open a book before bed), I love the chance to fit it in. [Read more…]
My Least Favorite Exercise? Anything That Starts With the Word “Plyo”
May 10, 2011 by 5 Comments
Yesterday morning I decided I needed some kind of group exercise. I wasn’t up for working out alone and I didn’t want to run two days in a row. I knew I couldn’t do too much arm work with my bad shoulder. There is a small group that meets at 6 a.m. to do P90X at a neighborhood gym, and I figured that was a good option. I got there a little late (not that surprising) and they were already into the warm-up. There are usually about five or six people who show up, but yesterday it was me and three men. By the time I grabbed a mat and started to join in on the warm-up, I heard Tony Horton say this was the “mother of all P90X workouts”, Plyometrics. Oh, great. [Read more…]
Sorry To Say, Spot Reduction Doesn’t Work!
May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
It would be nice if spot reduction worked, but it doesn’t. While most of us know this, sometimes we can’t resist the temptation to believe it does. Stronger abs is your goal? Abdominal work is the way to go. A smaller waist? Work on the diet and overall fitness. Is it your bottom half you’re frustrated with? Doing 50 lunges everyday won’t “spot reduce” your thighs. A combination of regular cardio, strength training and nutritional changes is the only tried and true answer. Not spot reduction.
An article I recently read pointed out that if spot reduction worked, professional tennis players would have one arm that was smaller than the other. It would make sense that the circumference of the dominant arm would be less if this logic were correct. We know the facts do not support this (the dominant arm may be a little stronger, though). Why then do we often fall for the myth that says that if we do more elliptical, we will have a smaller bottom half? [Read more…]
Are You Getting Enough Protein?
April 27, 2011 by 4 Comments
Many of us are not getting adequate protein. If you exercise regularily (5-6 days a week for at least an hour) you might be one of these people. I’m certain I am. As an athlete, I am always on the lookout for good sources of protein to eat after a workout. Also, I am not a three meals-a-day girl. I eat more often than that; spreading my calories throughout the day, and so I find that getting enough protein can be difficult since I typically eat smaller meals.
I recently talked to Alan Tyson, physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports about finding good sources of protein. He suggests a ratio of 2 to 1 (carbs to protein) for a post exercise meal. He admits that this is harder to do than it is to say! Some of his suggestions are an apple with peanut butter (good source of fiber too), a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, Greek-style yogurt with berries and nuts (almonds are great), or a protein shake (with skim milk) or bar with the above ratio. While Power Bars and other “energy” bars are great for endurance events or for before an extra long or hard workout, they are high in sugar and usually low in protein, and are typically not ideal for a post exercise meal. [Read more…]
Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels): A How-To Guide
April 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The following is a guest post from physical therapist, Barbara G. Green, P.T., M.S. I have mentioned the Kegel exercise a few times on 9 Kid Fitness, and one of the things that I have discovered after working with Barbara is how much of a difference these exercises can make in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. A sad fact is that stress incontinence (leaking urine) is one of the main reasons for admittance into nursing homes. [Read more…]
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