The Fit Woman

The Key to Health Is Making Changes

2008-02-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

As many of you already know, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 5 years ago. This weekend I celebrated my 46th birthday and I am and have been symptom free since that time.
As I look back, I realize alot has transpired during that time. For one, I began competitively weight lifting as a masters weight lifter and qualified for the International Pan American Games. This means I will be competing this year for Team USA in Puerto Rico at the event-- a huge honor!
I am also the leanest I have ever been---my body fat decreased to about 16.7 percent from a dismal 29.5 percent.
I continue to pay close attention to my diet-- consuming the types of food that bolster my mind and body--without having to 'diet'. And I feel great both physically and mentally. Am I extraordinary?
I don't think so.
We all have the power to change our lives and make them better, more fulfilling. As host and executive producer of local cable t.v health show 'Fitness, Health & Healing' I've been fortunate to meet other people like you and me who have stepped out of the 'box' and changed their lives in a magnificent way--first by implementing small changes in their lives then bigger ones. and finally producing a healthy world for themselves filled with love, joy and fun. The key is knowing there are options out there for all of us to choose from and then just doing it.

Finding the Right Personal Trainer - For Your Sport

2006-11-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

While a personal trainer with a combination of professional certifications and academic background may seem 'perfect', an important question to consider is whether that fitness professional has the experience, skills and resources necessary to help you achieve your goals.

The key is finding the one who has the skill set you need.

This is particularly critical if you are training for an explosive sport such as olympic weightlifting or basketball.

I give the example of olympic lifting first because it is such a technical sport that requires precision. You are going to need a coach and/or trainer with first-hand knowledge and experience of the sport. A trainer that is a 'jack of all trades'--a generalist rather than someone who specializes and is vested in the sport of olympic lifting will not be able to help you. They will end up only wasting your time and money.

For instance for olympic lifting, you may want to ask them if they are currently coaching other lifters, and if they do any lifting themselves. For Olympic lifting, you may also want to ask if your coach is affiliated with any teams or other coaches within the sport. This is not a sport where you want your trainer to be an 'island' unto himself--or herself.

The same holds true for other sports. If your goal is to become a competitive body-builder, you may want to search for a trainer that has the experience and passion for the sport. Perhaps a trainer that is a body-builder will be better equipped to help you reach your goals.

Feel free to ask a prospective trainer if they have the specific experience you need for your sport.

My best to you all.

Linda Kravitz, CEO
TheFitWoman.com

Finding A Gym That Supports You!

2006-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Ladies!

Most of my training is currently done in a private studio with my personal trainer closely monitoring me. I am in the early stages of learning to safely perform the two Olympic Lifts and believe me, I need the monitoring. Training at home is out of the question because the type of training I am doing requires lots of space and a large wooden platform for me to perform the movements safely. My accessory work is done in a local gym that allows me to bring in some of my own equipment for my workouts. This equipment includes plastic urethane training plates(5 and 10 lbs each) that are the same diameter as the Olympic size 45 lb. plates you see in your local gym or health club. I also have been using them for deadlift training.

This has become critical to my workouts.

Most, if not all commercial gyms(and health clubs) will not have training plates available. That means that for weight trainers like you and me, we are forced to begin deadlifting at 135 lbs.(using two 45 lb. plates, one 45 lb. Olympic bar) to get us the correct height from the ground, or not lift at all!

Finding a commercial gym that allows you to bring equipment essential to fit your level of training is no easy task. It took me several months to find one that did. This gym was not the cheapest nor the closest to my home. They 'won' my membership because they ultimately left my training to me. While, lugging these plates from my car through the gym doors may seem odd to some, I know this equipment will help me with the work-out I need. Unfortunately, current industry standards still fall short for women, and we are required to go that extra step to insure the most safe, effective work-out for ourselves.

It may take longer to find a facility that 'supports' your training, but they are out there!

Best,
Linda Kravitz, CEO
TheFitWoman.com

Certified Personal Trainer, What does it really mean?? (NOT MUCH IN MANY CASES!!)

2006-07-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank the owners of the FitWoman.com for inviting me to participate in their new blog. Before I begin I just want to make sure that the readers understand what is posted here are my personal opinions (backed by first hand experience, published industry standards and common sense) and not those of the FitWoman.com

I make this disclaimer for the truth hurts and there are liable to be many outraged so called fitness professionals who will be exposed for the fakes and frauds they really are and many readers will come to realize how little they are getting for their money and how much potential danger they are in!

Having worked in the commercial fitness industry for almost 10 years I can tell you that like any health profession there are both good & bad practitioners. Unfortunately with the fitness industry there are NO NATIONAL STANDARDS OR LICENSES like other medical professions. All medical & allied health professionals must have extensive education, practical training and state licensure i.e. MD, DO, DC, RN, PT, ATC, RD, DDS, DMD, LMT are medical professionals that have passed rigorous standards.

There are almost 400 personal training and fitness certifications with the majority requiring no more than an online multiple choice test and a fee of around $50.00. In an attempt to rectify this situation IHRSA, the prevailing leader in the commercial fitness club industry, started recommending in 2001 that clubs only hire trainers with certifications that had third-party accreditation from a nationally recognized certification commission. There are currently only 5 organizations that meet this criteria of the almost 400 certifications available in the fitness industry (I will list some of them and their contact info later in the post).

Why am I bringing this up? Several reasons: first many trainers (myself included) work extremely hard at obtaining advanced degrees, the high level accredited certifications and treating our profession as a true health care field and if we do not police the industry ourselves it will never change! Second, as a health care provider I am obligated to protect the health and safety of people. I can't tell you how many people have come to me after being injured by a bad personal trainer and they are terrified of exercising for fear of more of the same! The third reason is the ALARMING new trend in commercial fitness facilities of removing the highly educated and experienced trainers who have good credentials and replacing them with young, inexperienced trainers because the trainers that are just starting out will work for less (thus dramatically increasing the club’s profit!).

Club owners and managers rarely care about your health and improving your life. They see a business that is driven by sales, sales of memberships and sales of personal training. Since the average gym member has no idea of what good certifications are or credentials that should be required of a trainer, they just work with whomever they are assigned or whose appearance they like. This can be extremely dangerous! People must become educated as to what credentials a trainer needs and what questions they must ask to ensure their own safety!

So what follows is an outline of how to properly choose a personal trainer, what credentials they absolutely must have and resources for you to verify they have these credentials. Here are 10 essential questions to ask or points to consider when choosing a trainer:

#1 DO NOT choose a trainer based on appearance, everyone is genetically different. You CAN NOT look like someone else just by doing their workout or diet! It is physiologically impossible!!!! Also drug use and cosmetic surgery run rampant in the fitness industry because it is so appearance driven; DO NOT let yourself be fooled!

#2 They should have a minimum Bachelor's degree in a health related field (exercise physiology, exercise science, athletic training, physical therapy, physical education) so as to have at least a basic scientific understanding of how the body works.

#3 They should have at least one certification from an IHRSA approved organization. The top organizations & certifications are: National Strength & conditioning Association (NSCA), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). These organizations are the top choices for they require: a minimum bachelor’s degree in a health field, both written & PRACTICAL examinations, and yearly continuing education credits from reputable sources.

Also included in IHRSA’s top third-party accreditation is the American Council on Exercise (ACE) which has recently sought to improve their qualifying standards by increasing the difficulty and areas covered in their examinations although they still do not require a college degree. (I personally would look to see if a trainer had certification through at least one of the first 3 organizations I listed in addition to ACE).

#4 Does the trainer carry personal liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 – Remember trainers are they only profession that load your body with increasingly heavier weights (sometimes double or triple your bodyweight!) this can and has spelled disaster and a trip to the emergency room for many clients! Protect yourself!

#5 Can the trainer give you references and contact info for past and current clients so you can get objective information on them and their skills? You should find out how long their clients usually stay with them and why? On average my clients stay with me for 2 to 5 years because I am constantly helping them and teaching them new skills NOT because I confuse them and make them dependent on me. I personally know of several other professional career trainers that have the same following due to their knowledge and skills. These highly skilled people are out there, you just need to look!

#6 Is the trainer familiar with your goals i.e. sport specific training, weight loss, pre-post natal, post-injury rehabilitation, special populations, pediatrics, geriatrics etc.? Most trainers that specialize in one or more of these areas go and obtain specific certifications or degrees in these areas in addition to a personal training certification. You must be the one to ask! Your health is in your hands –nobody else’s!

These are some of the top specialized credentials from reputable organizations that go far beyond personal training(in no particular order):

NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist

ACSM Health & Fitness Instructor; ACSM Exercise Specialist, ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist

ACE Clinical Exercise Specialist

CHEK INSTITUTE: Corrective Exercise Kinesiologist level I –IV; Nutrition & lifestyle Consultant level I-III

Poliquin Performance Strength Coach Level I – IV

American Academy of Health, Fitness & Rehab Professionals: Post-Rehabilitation Specialist; Medical Exercise Specialist; Medical Exercise Program Director

USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach; Club weightlifting coach

#7 Is this the trainer’s career choice? Or are they doing it part-time until something else comes along or as a second source of income? I don’t know about you but I would not feel comfortable with a part-time surgeon or dentist?

#8 Does the trainer perform an assessment of you and your capabilities as the basis for developing your program? The assessment is the most important step in designing your program for it tells the trainer what you are physically capable of doing at this time and what exercises are appropriate and which one’s are dangerous! The assessment should cover everything from an extensive health & medical history to exercise history, goals of the program, nutrition assessment and a physical exam of your posture, joint range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination and strength.

I find most trainers, especially those in large commercial health clubs do no assessment whatsoever because they DO NOT know how to perform one (filling out a health history sheet or Par-Q IS NOT an assessment!), they do not wish to learn and it was NOT part of their certification program and the club does not require it. Stupid and dangerous in my opinion! Working with a trainer that does no assessment is like going to the doctor and having surgery without an examination of what the problem is!

Exercise is like a drug! We take drugs to alleviate pain and cure illness, we do exercises to alleviate pain and cure illness. We all know that the wrong drug produces the wrong result, the same is true with exercise: The wrong exercise gives the wrong result and that can be harmful to you!

#9 Does your program incorporate the daily movements you need to live and work and the activities you wish to improve? If a workout looks like it just came out of a bodybuilding magazine then IT IS USELESS unless you are a competitive bodybuilder!

A workout based on sitting on machines is garbage! For you burn fewer calories; you do not coordinate the muscles of your body; you do not improve and maintain your balance, and the isolated strength you develop can not be applied to real world three dimensional activities that comprise life. Think about it, how much education and skill does it take to have a person sit on a machine put the pin in the weight stack and say “give me 10 reps”? NOT MUCH, IF ANY AT ALL – this is why commercial clubs are switching to the young, inexperienced trainers. The owners can cut expenses and increase profits for they do not have to pay for education, skill and expertise!

In fact isolated training on machines leads to muscle imbalance syndromes that precede injuries in most people. If your workout looks like: leg day, arm day, back day, chest day and you are not a bodybuilder then it is pure trash and has no science behind it! Worse, it will probably injure you in the long run!

Real exercise programs are highly specific to the individual and must be based on an assessment and they must incorporate at some point the following 10 basic motions. These 10 motions are what the human body is designed to do: Gait (walk or run), squat, lunge, bend, step, push (vertical & horizontal), pull (vertical & horizontal) and rotate. These 10 motions must be performed three dimensionally, NOT on machines or they will have NO carry over to improving your daily life because at work, home or in sports YOU ARE NOT SITTING ON OR ATTACHED TO A MACHINE! If you can not do any of the 10 basic motions then you are not functioning at 100% capacity for your body. That is dangerous for we get hurt in the movements WE CAN’T DO not the movements we can do!

#10 Does the trainer have an established referral network incase there are problems beyond their skills and scope of practice? Every good professional trainer I know (including myself) has established themselves a network consisting of: medical doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, dentists, massage therapists, nutritionists etc. because one person can’t know everything. Ask to see this list and contact some of these professionals, if the trainer is any good they will tell you so because these professionals WILL NOT jeopardize their reputations and practices by recommending a poor quality trainer!

Remember it is up to you to ask questions and check credentials. Every time a trainer renews their certification and insurance they receive dated cards and or certificates that state when they were originally certified and when the current certification / insurance expires. The same is true for their CPR and first aid certifications. ASK to see these cards and certificates and don’t take no for an answer. If they truly have the credentials they should be proud to present them for they work extremely hard at obtaining them and keeping them current! (I know I do!)

To help you, the following 4 links are to the NSCA, NASM, ACSM , and ACE webpage’s that allow your to verify your trainers credentials:

http://www.nsca-lift.org/trainers/locator/

http://www.nasm.org/Certification/CertificationSearch.aspx

http://www.acsm.org/certification/FORMS/online_locator.asp

http://www.acefitness.org/profreg/default.aspx

To read more about IHRSA’S trainer credential recommendations (I don’t make this stuff up)

The Curse of Questionable Certifications by Jon Feld:

http://cms.ihrsa.org/IHRSA/viewPage.cfm?pageId=2038

American Council on Exercise – Third party certifications:

http://www.acefitness.org/media/faq_ncca.pdf

I know many of you will be shocked and outraged by this post but I assure you it is the truth! I welcome any and all responses and I hope I have given you useful information that will not only allow you to achieve your health and fitness goals but protect you from harm.

I would like you leave you with 3 quotes that I use as a base for my training philosophy and I think you will agree with me they directly apply to the health & fitness industry:

1) Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.

2) Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

3) We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them

Albert Einstein
US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

Until my next post….

Gordon

About the author: Gordon Waddell, PES, CSCS, CES is an Exercise Physiologist and Health & Fitness professional with over 10 years industry experience including personal training, strength & conditioning, performance enhancement and injury rehabilitation. He holds a B.S. with honors in Exercise Physiology and is currently completing a Masters degree in Exercise Science. He is studying corrective exercise kinesiology through the CHEK Institute and Neuromuscular Therapy through The St.John Institute.

Gordon is available for personal training, ergonomic consulting, program design, workshops and seminars. He can be contacted by e-mail at gordon@advanced-fitness-concepts.com Please visit his new website: www.advanced-fitness-concepts.com

A Stretch of Nervous and Indiscreet Eating

2006-07-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I've returned to life in a NYC law firm. For the past year, I have been working my own hours to help develop The Fit Woman website with Linda, and to write our e-book, Why Weight to Train? (which is complete - we are just working on programing the book's security features before sending it out). I was able to focus on my workout and diet.

Now, back in Downtown Manhattan, I write, argue and brief, then I go for a falafel sandwich and ice cream cone. I have also decreased my workouts just until I can acclimate to my new work schedule. This has been going on for three weeks, and it is no surprise that I have put on a few pounds.

But the amazing thing is that the extra pounds did not go to my thighs - they did not go to my belly -- in fact, the extra pounds doesn't seem to have traveled to any fatty tissue at all. Instead, it shot right to my biceps and shoulders! In other words, the extra calories turned into muscle!

I am not going to push my luck - this week I will be returning to my greens and tuna fish with low-fat mayonaise (which I actually do enjoy). But it is nice to know that a temporary stretch of nervous and indiscreet eating will not do much harm once you lower your body fat to a certain percentage and replace it with lean muscle. I am sure my lean muscle to fat ratio works better than any diet pill could to protect me from getting portly.

Ciao for now, Janet

Why Weight to Train? - Our New E-Book Soon to Launch

2006-05-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

Shortly, we will be selling our new e-book -- Why Weight to Train? A woman's guide to strength, physique and age reversal. If anyone would like to get it for FREE, visit our site at The Fit Woman - and click on the free e-book hypertext on the right sidebar - you will be brought to a 2-minute survey of 8 short items.

Or, if you are real eager to get your name on the free e-book list, you can click here to go directly to the survey.

We would like to learn more about online fitness equipment shoppers or would-be shoppers.

Ciao for now! Janet

Rehabilitative Exercise

2006-04-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

If you are in a corrective phase of training, you may relate to Zoe. She has lower back problems and is partially paralyzed from the waist down (yes, dogs do have waistlines) due to a traumatic injury when she was a young pup. She has had surgery to prevent the injury from worsening. Essentially, she had lower back impingement that caused a number of slipped discs and dying nerves - she lost a good deal of motor control.

I work with her almost every day, assisting her to perform squats. I pick her up, rest her on her two back feet and push her down and up for 3 sets at 10 reps each. Then I give her a little massage and stretch.

I am amazed how this keeps her well tuned and preserves what she has left. When I miss a few days, she just goes around dragging her back legs. After resuming our sessions, she is back bouncing around.

If squats do this much for Zoe, think of what they can do for you!

By the way, our e-guide, Getting Started with Weight Training is almost here. Stay tuned.

Ciao for now - Janet

Chaz Picks Up a Dumbbell!

2006-04-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Gordon worries about obese children. See The Fit Woman: Holy Nation of Fat F@#%S Batman! But what about fat dogs? (And you thought you came to a women's fitness blog).

Chaz has acquired a beer belly. Lately, he has been noticing me at home doing concentration curls and overhead triceps extensions. He also has been watching Talia the cat (his difficult roommate) pick up catnip toys with her two paws and throw them overhead. So now Chaz is attempting new feats. I found him trying to wrap his two little arms around the dumbbell bar, roll it on to his tummy and attempt a dog version of bench press. I am so glad he is modeling the healthy behavior of his parents and siblings. Nonetheless, he still must go on a diet, doggie bench presses and all.

Janet

Holy Nation of Fat F@#%S Batman!

2006-04-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the special news report I just saw! A new study shows that 1/4 of all amercian children are considered obese! The kids are so fat that they can not fit into regular sized child car safety seats; so "quick to make a buck" two seat manufacturers are making new "hefty size" seats for fat kids!

From the Associated Press (because I don't make this stuff up!)

Updated: 7:39 p.m. ET April 3, 2006
CHICAGO - Many young children are too heavy for standard car-safety seats, and manufacturers are starting to make heftier models to accommodate them, according to research on the obesity epidemic’s widening impact.
More than a quarter of a million U.S. children ages 1 to 6 are heavier than the weight limits for standard car seats, and most are 3-year-olds who weigh more than 40 pounds, the study found.
Unless exceptionally tall, a 3-year-old weighing more than 40 pounds would generally be considered overweight.
Lead author Lara Trifiletti said researchers at a safety center at Johns Hopkins Hospital became interested in the topic because they saw children “who were very obese and our car-seat technicians were having a hard time finding car seats to fit them.”
She did the research at Johns Hopkins but now works at Ohio State University’s Children’s Research Institute.
Using inadequate car seats for heavy children could put them at increased risk for injury in a car accident, the researchers said.
“We don’t recommend that a parent use a restraint system for a child that has outgrown that system,” said Eric Bolton, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “It is risky.”
Based on national growth charts and the 2000 Census, at least 283,305 children ages 1 to 6 are too heavy for standard safety seats. That includes nearly 190,000, or almost 5 percent, of U.S. 3-year-olds, the researchers said.

These kids are going to grow up and suffer the same obesity related diseases in their teens that adults do now:

Type II diabetes (Type II diabetes -USED to be called adult onset diabetes, but no more due to the rapid increase in teen diabetics!)

high blood pressure

heart disease

Cancer

What's the problem? It is twofold: Parents who do not care or know what healthy food and good exercise is (easy way to see this - look at people on the street, do they look fit and healthy??) I firmly beleive "you can only teach what you know" If parents don't know how to be healthy, how can they teach their kids??

Second, you have the damn FDA food pyramids and university nutrition courses created and funded by General Mills. So of course who do think is going to dictate what healthy food is (its not that processed crap that comes in boxes, cans etc.!) and of course the research supports the FDA because it is funded by ....... General Mills and other multi-billion dollar industries!!!

I will post lots more with references on this later! but for now here are some simple nutrition guidelines that you need to follow:

If you can't pronounce words on the label - DO NOT EAT IT!

If it wasn't living or growing 10,000 years ago - DO NOT EAT IT!

Your body is approx 70% water, you need to drink clean water daily! There is no clean tap water (EVEN WITH WATER FILTERS!)

You must convert all the food you eat into your own organs & tissues (we replace all the cells in our body once every 7 years), the poorer quality your food intake, the poorer the quality of your own body and internal organs. The less processed foods are the easier it is for your body to make them into new tissue and the healthier that tissue is (this is a major reason 80 million people have low back pain!)

Remember "YOUR HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS!" Do you really trust big business and the government to tell you what healthy foods are? It would ruin the economy! You must become informed and educate yourself or you will suffer the same fate as the rest of the population: Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, auto-immune disorders etc.

Hope this gave you something to think about!

Gordon

About the author: Gordon Waddell, PES, CSCS, CES is an Exercise Physiologist and Health & Fitness professional with over 10 years industry experience including personal training, strength & conditioning, performance enhancement and injury rehabilitation. He holds a B.S. with honors in Exercise Physiology and is currently completing a Masters degree in Exercise Science. He is studying corrective exercise kinesiology through the CHEK Institute and Neuromuscular Therapy through The St.John Institute.

He is available for personal training, ergonomic consulting, program design, workshops and seminars. He can be reached at: Gordon@Advanced-Fitness-Concepts.com.

www.Advanced-Fitness-Concepts.com

Weight Training Is Not Aerobics

2006-03-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

We (Linda Kravitz and I) conducted another class recently on Weight Training for Women. This class expected that we were going to have a "group" weight training class. Imagine 30 plus newbie women in one small classroom pumping heavy iron all at once - I'm sure we'd be sued for 30 plus back and neck injuries.

Weight training is a relatively solitary activity - the group gym classes that involve lifting light weights are aerobic - a 3 lb. dumbbell in the hand doth not a weight training workout make!

I often worry that as women, we tend to seek "communal experiences". We are put off by weight training because it can't take place in a group setting. Well, lest we all end up in group injury, group weight training is off limits. Meanwhile, maybe we women should work on being more narcissistic and less "communal" - - -

Ciao for now! Janet

Reply to 52 Year Old Anonymous Woman

2006-03-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

A Reply to one of our comments by the 52 year old Invisible Women deserves a front post. "Anonymous" asked:

How many times a week should I be doing weight training versus how many times cardio? I am 52 years old,in good health and would like to start a fitness program that's sensible and does not overtake my life.

Fitness Professionals will have varied responses to this question - but here are some rules of thumb:

Cardio

Do 2 to 3 times per week, 30 minutes each time (I hear some gasping in the audience - feel free to comment if you believe cardio needs to be any more than this).

Weight Training

Start out with 2 times per week for about 45 minutes to get your body conditioned to strength
training. Do one exercise for every major muscle group. First train the larger muscles (chest, legs, back) and then the smaller muscles (shoulders, arms and abs).

After 3 to 4 weeks of steady training, move to a "split" routine for 3 times per week. An example of a split routine is Upper Body one day (chest, shoulders, upper back and arms) and Lower Body/Core the next workout day (legs, low back, and abs).

NO SPOT TRAINING EVER! UNLESS YOU ARE FOLLOWING A PRESCRIBED PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM, NEVER WORK ONE MUSCLE GROUP MORE THAN THE OTHER. And, stay off those adductor/abductor machines - they stink and prey on women's thigh-dysphoria.

Muscles develop, not during your workout, but during the times inbetween. So avoid working out the same muscles on sequential days, or you will not get any benefit from your weight training.

Overtaking your Life
As to the concern about fitness overtaking your life - this is legitimate. The internet message boards are filled with amazing tales of what people do daily in the name of fitness and beauty. I believe the antidote to fanaticism is to start slowly, and build up to a level that feels right to you.

No one (not even Jane Fonda) knows your mind, body and spirit better than you. Listen to your own cues when it comes to fitness.

Ciao for now!

Janet
http://www.thefitwoman.com

Dog Loving Fitness - Meet Chaz!

2006-03-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

My dog is half Chihuahua and half Schiperkee (Dutch barge dog that goes "yap, yap") - His name is Chaz. I am thinking of transforming his status from mongrel to pedigree by making more of him, and submitting his sired children to the AKC for a new breed status, called the "Chaz." What do you think?

Which Is The Better Exercise - Weight Training or Aerobics?

2006-02-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

I bet you all think that because we are a website committed to getting more women involved in weight lifting, we poo poo aerobics. Well let me immediately set the record straight. The answer to the question - "Which is better, weight training or aerobics?" is NEITHER. Both accomplish different things for your body and mind and both are essential to your health. We emphasize weight lifting only because fewer women are involved with it - we don't mean to downplay the importance of cardio-respiratory fitness.

General Benefits of Cardio-Respiratory Exercise
Whether you train on machines or jog in the park, cardio-respiratory exercise provides a critically important component to your fitness regimen. It increases both heart and lung capacity and causes your body to produce an increased number of blood vessels. As a result, more nutrients and oxygen are delivered to every cell, while toxins and waste products are quickly removed from your body. The net result is you gain increased energy and ability to perform physically as well as mentally. Cardio fitness helps your strength training program by enabling you to lift with greater intensity for longer periods before the fatigue of lactic acid burn overcomes you. Oh, and one other thing - cardio exercise burns fat!

Cardio vs. Strength Training
While strength training directly impacts your metabolism, muscles, bone density and body fat composition, cardio-respiratory fitness trains the lungs, heart and vascular systems. Although fleeting exercise fads will often tout one over the other, both cardio and strength training are important.

One interesting difference between cardio-respiratory exercise and strength training lies in the equipment we use to assist our workout. Although the matter is subject to debate, it appears that strength training is best assisted by non-machine-based equipment (free weights, dumbbells etc.), while cardio activity is better assisted by machines. The reasons for this weight training "simplicity rule" are explained in a number of our weight training articles.

Cardio-respiratory exercise, however, carries the opposite rule - shall we call it the "Complexity Rule"? Why? Unfortunately, some of the most effective aerobic workouts involve high-impact force, which over time causes joint injury and decreased functional capacity. Machines will often buffer the high impact of cardio activity. A bicycle, for example, is a machine that enables us to perform aerobic activity through pedaling off the ground, protecting our joints from the high impact we would experience if our feet were allowed to repetitively pound a hard surface.

Low-impact, however, usually means low-intensity. Low-impact exercise therefore will often fail to achieve the same level of benefit as higher-impact exercise, and must be performed for longer durations to get any benefit at all in terms of cardio-respiratory fitness and weight control. Despite myths to the contrary, science has proven that walking a mile is not the same as jogging a mile.

The latest development in cardio machines have enabled the fusion of low-impact and high intensity cardio training. You are able to train intensely and effectively without jeopardizing the integrity of your joints. The machines that we will be featuring on our site are examples of such advanced technology. Right now, we have found a superb stair climber. We are one of the few retail dealers that the manufacturer, Health Care International, is selling to - they normally sell in bulk to health clubs and hospitals. The great thing about this commerical machine is it's unimposing size that enables it fit beautfifully into the home. Yet it is a power dynamo that gives you a high-intensity, but cushioned workout. I suggest you take a gander at our latest discovery.

Anyway, let me go before I wax into long-winded jabber again - until next time.

Why Do We Get Fat As We Get Older?

2006-02-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

We get heavier as we get older. And if that's not bad enough, we women suddenly find ourselves growing a "beer" belly without even having to imbibe (you'd think we were sufficiently punished by the portly thighs and butt we sported during our reproductive years!). Why? Can we do anything about it? Rich Fitter, A.C.E., explains the reasons for the encroaching weight gain and describes ways we can prevent it --

Most people have heard that our metabolism changes after we hit the big 3-O. The reasons why, and what we can do about it is often misunderstood. After the age of 30, the average person begins to lose 1/2 lb. of muscle per year. This condition is called Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle. One reason for this is related to the loss of nerve stimulation to the muscle and decreased protein synthesis (a necessary process for muscle development). Other factors include dietary changes such as dieting, under-eating, poor nutritional choices, hormonal changes and decreased physical activity. Muscle is a very active tissue – much more active than fat tissue. In some instances one pound of muscle may burn up to 500 calories per week. As we lose muscle and gain fat, therefore, we automatically gain weight, unless we do something different to challenge our body and improve our diets.
While it is possible through proper nutrition and strength training to continue to build muscle well into later life, Mother Nature requires we work at it. Let's say at age 30 a woman gets into the best shape of her life. Her diet is perfect and she exercises regularly. She then decides she will keep doing the same things for the rest of her life, expecting to stay in perfect shape because of it. The following year, 31 rolls around and she loses 1/2 lb of muscle. The year after that, another 1/2 lb is lost, and so on. Even though this person is doing the same things she did at 30, by the time she hits 38, she will have lost 4 lbs of lean muscle and her body will be burning 2000 calories less per week. One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Because this woman's body is burning this many calories less every 10 days, in a one year period she may gain approximately 30 lbs of fat!

Performing her same exercise program over and over for years is not effective in halting this weight gain because your body has not only adapted to it, but has also increased its need for greater challenges. Following the same eating patterns also is not logical because your needs for calories and nutrients are also different as you get older.

The Solution – Avoid Very Low-Calorie Diets and Do Challenging Strength Training Programs -- Overall, the factors that most affect a person's metabolism are age, gender, size, body composition (fat to lean mass ratio) and physical activity. The above-mentioned factors minus our physical activity determine our resting metabolic rate. Our resting metabolism is the number of calories our bodies expend performing the most basic physiological functions such as breathing, temperature, circulation and respiration. Surprisingly, our body uses about 65% of our daily calories doing just these necessary tasks. This is one of the primary reasons very low calorie diets do not work well for losing body fat. You need to provide your body with adequate calories for energy and nutrients to perform at the very least these functions. If you fail to do this, your body will fear starvation and lower its heart rate, respiration and temperature to burn less calories. In the absence of proper nutrients your body will feed off of its own muscle and bones, further slow metabolism and contribute to muscle loss. Depriving your body of calories and nutrients is not the answer.
A challenging and varied weight training program, in combination with good diet, helps to prevent muscle loss as well as increase protein synthesis and metabolism. Overall, proper eating and increased physical activity is the answer to life long fitness and wellness.

Author:
Rich Fitter, A.C.E. Certified Trainer, Weight Lifting Champion, WNBF Body Building Champion, is an expert consultant to TheFitWoman.com, a website of fitness equipment and weight training for women.

Fitness is Not Rocket Science - It's Character and Motivation

2006-02-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

The "How To" is simple. The "Why Do" is hard. It is the "why do" that helps us keep with an exercise plan that is difficult to initiate and often has no inherent fun attached to it. Many have already crapped out on their New Year's Resolutions. Some are still "planning" to begin them. To keep myself motivated, I often ask myself the following questions.

Do I want to stay young looking?

I am vain enough to be motivated by this factor. Weight training is the only activity that conclusively preserves youth and even reverses signs of aging. See Weight Training and Its Effects on Aging. Not only does vanity motivate me but, as I always say, staying younger longer gives you opportunity to live almost two lives. I don't know about you, but after I tire of being an online fitness store owner, I think I'll go on to becoming an astronaut. Or maybe a brain surgeon! If my health stays good, who knows?

Do you believe aging is just something that happens to you?

Most aging that we witness is not a natural occurrence, but a result of chronic disease, which is often totally avoidable. Before antibiotics, vaccines and improved sanitation, most illnesses were sudden, acute and uncontrollable . Lives were taken swiftly and well before the end of the human life span. Now we die from heart disease and other illness that develop slowly, and are caused largely by our eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. This is good news, because we now can do something to prevent and even reverse age-related frailty.

What and whom do you want to attract this year?

Are you noticing some trolls in your life? If you workout three times this week, you will feel and look better immediately. Looking and feeling better attracts different people, places and things into your life, because outward appearances does reflect inward dynamics.

Have you written down realistic and specific fitness goals for 2006?

I have not done this for 2006. But, research studies show that those who write down their goals, and are specific about what they want to achieve, are more likely to accomplish their desired outcomes. For instance, telling yourself "I want to exercise and look better," constitutes vague and ineffective goal setting. Instead write down, "in the next three months I want to lose 12 lbs. and reduce my waistline to 30 inches. I will accomplish this by weight training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for an hour each session." You must have a clear vision of where you want to go if you are to get there at all.

Do you believe that fitness is something you can cram into your hectic life?

There is a very lucrative industry that preys on the many hopefuls looking for fast and easy fitness. It sells all kinds of gadgets and books claiming you can get fit in just minutes a day. The truth is, something must change inside yourself that helps you shift your priorities and organize your life in ways that make space for your new fit-consciousness.

Over and out, for now. Janet

Women's Fitness, Exercise Equipment and Extended Living

2006-02-05T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, I am Janet Ford, a co-owner of TheFitWoman.com website. Linda Kravitz and I run this site together with an eye toward keeping women young throughout their entire lifespan. We do this by providing you information and fitness equipment that will help you plan an effective program involving both strength training and cardio-vascular fitness.

No infomercial hype appears on our website - neither do such lies as getting six-pack abs in only a few easy minutes each day. You, however may present any topic on fitness and personal development you want here - whether it be to laud the latest Suzanne Sommers booty gadget (gasp!), muse about the body you want, deride the perfectionist American values imposed upon women's appearance, or discuss your successes with weight loss and body composition. This is a place to collect your voice.

Did you ever wish you had a second chance at life (without having to be reincarnated and assume all that nasty karma)? Well you are probably going to get it whether you want it or not! We women are living a very long time - two lives for the price of one. While our parents and grandparents generally succumbed to age-related frailities and sagging skin, we probably will not want to do the same. Medical science will keep us alive well beyond our ancestors' ages. It's time to ask yourself how do you want to live this extended life.

Perhaps you can get a second career, write a book, have more children (oh no!), run for public office, or do many other things that wiser individuals are better suited to do. Life need not be continually wasted on the chronologically young and inexperienced.

We will post articles and other writings on which you may comment or ask questions. Candor (without obscenity) is welcome! Feel free to start commenting now.

If you would like to be a primary author on this site, please email us at info@thefitwoman.com. Otherwise, feel free to start commenting now.