Archive for December, 2011:


The Benefits of Yoga

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Fitness on December 8th, 2011
Your practice of yoga is a journey of self-discovery. Yoga is a holistic approach to good health and well being. Your yoga session will include relaxation, breathing, posture alignment, strength conditioning, and flexibility. The results can include better sleep, less stress, more energy and stamina. Yoga empowers you to seek your true inner self, and wipe away the needless thoughts and anxiety that cloud your mind and constrict your spirit.
Each yoga experience is the same, yet different. It has been compared to entering the same river and the same spot along the bank. However, as the water flow is constant, the place you enter is always changing. You are where you need to be right now to enter the flow of the river! Yoga reminds us that we are not alone in the universe. We are part of a universal cosmic energy that, once tapped into, can greatly enhance our outlook on life and our ability to fully experience all of life’s wonders.
So ask yourself, what do you desire from yoga? What amount of free time do you have to practice yoga? How does your body feel to you? Armed with these answers and still having

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many questions, try a yoga class and experience the stillness and joy of yoga. Gradually you can pick a style of yoga that suits you best and draw on the concepts of yoga that appeal to you. Keep an open, playful mind and feel the new vitality you’ll have in your everyday life. People who practice yoga eventually believe they are doing yoga 7 days a week, 24 hours a day as they are in the “yoga mind and spirit” continually.

For example, you can bring awareness and calmness into a stressful situation at home or work. Remember “yoga” in Sanskrit means “union” so yoga unites mind and body. Living yoga daily means applying the knowledge of yoga to everyday life situations and staying aware and present each moment. When you are able to practice the yoga postures in a state of awareness of breath and relaxation then yoga will be part of you. The posture and the meditation are finally joined.
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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Brain Power

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Health on December 8th, 2011
Fitness professionals speak of the benefits of walking for the body and how it can lead to weight control and a healthy life style.  Let’s also take our mind for a “walk” and exercise and energize it.  There are many methods for stimulating the mind.  When we exercise the body we are delivering new, fresh oxygen to the brain as well as requiring it to coordinate our physical movements.  Walking outside allows our senses to “feast” on various sights, smells, and sounds.  When walking near flowers, close your eyes and let your sense of smell operate fully as you try to identify the type of flower by its scent.  While sitting in a park, close your eyes and identify by sound the various birds and animals you hear. 
 
Our brains can be stimulated through games such as bridge, scrabble, crossword puzzles and concentration.  You can play the following game with yourself whenever you meet and have a conversation with someone.  After the conversation is over and the person leaves, try to recollect in detail what they were wearing and their physical description from hat to shoes.  Repeat telephone numbers to yourself of your close friends.
 
Another fun think to do is recognizing body language.  Read a book on the subject and observe two people talking and look for signs of optimism, frustration, and joy.  Watch a television show without the sound and read the actor’s lips.  Learn sign language on your own or take a college class on that or any foreign language.  Teach yourself to play one simple key on a piano or guitar.
As you exercise your body, don’t forget to take the brain for a “walk” as well.  It desires stimulation just as much as your back and chest muscles.  Keep the weight low however, so you don’t get a big head!
 
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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Body Mass Index (BMI) and the Metabolic Syndrome

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Health on December 7th, 2011
For those of us who love statistics, this article will list some numbers and calculations related to BMI. 
 
BMI is calculated by dividing your weight by your height in inches.  For example a 160 lb person with a height of 70 inches has a BMI of 23.  A 180 lb person with a height of 61 inches has a BMI of 34.  The standards of the National Institutes of Health in 1998 advised that anyone with a BMI of 25 or above is overweight and anyone with a BMI of 30 or above is obese.  In March 2005 researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that 56% of the players in the NFL are obese by these standards. 
 
NFL players are a very select group of individuals.  For the vast majority of the population, the standards for overweight and obesity can be used as a helpful guideline to watch for unwanted waistline expansion.  Athletes in training and body builders will weigh more due to their muscle mass.  Also remember the BMI chart doesn’t take bone mass, age or gender into account.  Some health professionals refer to the circumference of your waist as an indicator of future health risks or measure body fat to determine the percentage of lean muscle mass to fat tissue in the body.  These may be better guides as to a person’s exercise and nutritional habits.  For men a waist size 40 inches or greater and for women 35 inches or greater is considered at risk for certain health problems.
 
The reason these statistics are currently in the news is due to the attention being given to the metabolic syndrome.  This fairly new term is being applied to a group of risk factors that may lead to an increased chance of having diabetes, hypertension, and various types of heart disease.  Poor nutrition, lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle leading to obesity, puts one at risk for some of these factors.  Most charts of the metabolic syndrome identify several risks and indicate if one has three or more of them, the chances increase for the syndrome.  The factors are:  Blood pressure 130/85 or higher; HDL less than 40 mg (men) less that 50 mg (women); triglycerides 150 mg or higher: waist circumference 40 inches or higher (men), 35 inches or higher (women); and fasting glucose 110 mg or greater.  Concerning our life style, there are additional risk factors over which we have no control such as age, gender, and family history of heart disease.  We do have control over smoking, stress level, nutrition, exercise, rest and alcohol abuse. 
 
At a recent conference on health and wellness, Dr. Neil Gordon, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Emory University mentioned that there is a way to treat the metabolic syndrome.  The answer is TLC – Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, which include weight management, exercise, dietary modification, and smoking cessation.  TLC fights all the risk factors mentioned above.  Another point mentioned by Dr. Gordon is that it is better to be slightly overweight and exercise than to be thin and inactive.  Being thin does not mean you are healthy.  An overweight person without a very large waist circumference, who exercises regularly, can be very healthy.  Physical activity effectively targets waistline fat.  Dr. Paul Ribisl, Chair in the Department of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, has written extensively on the value of using the waist circumference measurement as predictive of health outcomes for an individual.  He believes this is a better measurement than the hip waist ratio or BMI alone.
 
You may have seen recent newspaper articles indicating that being slightly overweight was not necessarily a high risk factor for poor health or chronic disease.  These articles were referring to what I mentioned above.   The bottom line seems to be that just being thin does not indicate good health and being overweight alone does not indicate poor health.  The two main ingredients that need to be added are physical activity and proper nutrition.  If you would like further information on BMI or the Metabolic Syndrome, check with your doctor.  Some statistics can be good for us to know. They are BMI, waist size, body fat, and scale weight.  Armed with these numbers one can easily check progress monthly to determine a level of success toward a healthy lifestyle.
 
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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Smoke Free

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Health on December 6th, 2011
If you want to stop smoking, here are a few ideas that may help in the process. List your reasons for smoking and note the time and place where smoking most often occurs. Determine what you will do instead during those times. Remind yourself of all the health benefits of not smoking and how thankful your heart and lungs will be for allowing them to breathe clean air.
Tell your family, friends and co-workers of your plan and write down the date you will begin to live smoke free. As the date approaches, clean the house, send your clothes to the cleaners to rid them of the smell of cigarette smoke and throw out all the cigarettes and matches. Go for a walk each day and take some deep breaths congratulating yourself on a new healthy plan for the

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rest of your life. Consider giving yourself a treat with the money you’ll save not having to buy cigarettes. Keep very busy during the first few weeks of not smoking and have someone you can reach out to when you need to talk.

Change old habits by instituting new ones to replace them. For example, if you smoke while watching television, then have a pretzel nearby to hold or chew as you enjoy the show. Try brushing your teeth often with a peppermint flavor to give a different taste to the mouth. If you are using the nicotine patch or gum or any medication, consult with your doctor for the best advice and treatment available. Savor the food you eat and recognize new flavors you may have missed while smoking.
Two great resources are the National Cancer Institute’s Smoking Quitline: 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848) and the website at http://smokefree.gov. The toll-free number provides helpful messages 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Here you can learn about nicotine craving and solutions, the benefits of not smoking and numerous other related topics. During working hours, you can speak with a counselor as well. Congratulations to you on embarking on such a health-worthy venture.
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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Should I Walk Or Jog?

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Fitness on December 5th, 2011
You may have heard that walking at a moderate intensity will burn as many calories as jogging. That is true, but it will take longer. For example, walking for 40 minutes is roughly the same as jogging for 20 minutes as far as the amount of calories used during the exercise session. Walking is gentler on the joints and can be done by most people anywhere or anytime. Consider safety concerns when walking alone, at night, along busy roads or in extreme temperatures.
The most important item for walking is your shoes. Get a good pair that fit well and keep then for walking only. Shop for shoes later in the day when your feet are at the fullest extent and wear the socks you intend to use. In warm weather wear light colored clothes that wisk away sweat, not hold it as cotton does. The outside layer can be a light wind breaker. Use a hat and sunscreen as necessary. In cooler weather add gloves, a scarf, and layer a shirt or sweater under the windbreaker. Consider carrying water in a bottle that straps onto your belt or over your shoulder in a carrying case. You may like to use a pedometer to measure your distance, a heart rate monitor to record your heart rate, and a small flashlight for evening walks.
If you walk with a friend, you can practice the “talk test” to determine the intensity of your effort. If you can carry on a full conversation with few pauses for breaths, you are probably walking at a very light intensity. If when you talk you are gasping for air, you are at

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a high intensity level. Pick a moderate level in which a small conversation can be accomplished with slight breathing effort. Walk about 30 – 45 minutes on level ground to begin. Later add a few hills and work up to 45 – 60 minutes. If all you have one day is 15 minutes then enjoy a shorter, quicker paced walk in that time. Have fun by changing the walking route or trying a different walking buddy. Dog walking is good if the dog is actually walking and not stopping every few seconds. If you feel light headed, develop chest pains, or become short of breath, stop walking, rest, alert your buddy and consider your options. If you carry a cell phone, use it if necessary. Tell someone where you are walking and your expected return time.

Some normal soreness may develop if you are new to walking. Stretch tired muscles at the end of your walk as you cool down. When you begin to walk start slowly and use this time to warm up your leg muscles and get into good form and posture. Most people use the heel-toe walking technique where your heel strikes first followed by the rest of the foot and finally pushing off the ground using the big toe. Have a comfortable stride which allows you to lean forward slightly, head erect, arms pumping at your sides and feet moving straight forward. If you want to add jogging to your walk, then every 10 minutes jog for 1 minute and return to walking. See if you like that variation.
Sources:
Walking Medicine, Gary Yanker and Kathy Burton.
Walk Shaping, Gary Yanker.
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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Weight Loss With A Passion

Published by in Corporate Wellness, Nutrition on December 2nd, 2011
Did you ever notice that when you are involved in a project you love, time passes by rapidly, meals are forgotten, and your focus is totally directed to the work at hand?  Could you try to have such a passion in your life, that whenever you are engaged in this passion all else is pushed to the background?  Let’s use the examples of walking and painting.  There is a certain ritual you follow to prepare for walking such as putting on your sneakers, placing a CD in the walkman, and stretching.  Before you paint, the brushes are cleaned and the lighting is set.  The smell of the paint triggers your brain that it is time to begin.  The feel of the pavement under your feet motivates you to walk.  Whatever the triggers are that you use they form a habit so when you put on the sneakers, you’re body and mind are ready to exercise.  It is your passion and all else is forgotten. 
 
This process can be used for proper nutrition and weight management.  This is how it works.  Let’s associate our actions with our feelings.  For example, associate opening the refrigerator with having a piece of cool, refreshing fruit.  Think energy time when the kitchen clock strikes 12 noon.  Make it a habit to walk at 3 pm or do sit-ups when a commercial is running on the television screen.  If you do this 10 times, it may be habit forming!  When the clock is at 12 noon, you will think of doing something physical which gives you energy.  Whatever you choose, do it with a passion losing all other thoughts and distractions and totally focusing on the activity.  Once you know the triggers which start the activity, you can use them anytime.  For example if you are hungry, then opening the refrigerator will cause you to reach for a piece of fruit, not a bowl of ice cream.  If you are tired at 3 pm, you will go for a walk, because you have made that your habit.  You will feel energized! 
 
Think of something you love to do and how it makes you feel.  Take those feelings and use them in your new healthy life style to trigger a response to exercise and eat the proper foods.  I remember a radio program I listened to every day at 12 noon, and when the program’s music began, I thought about a tuna fish sandwich.  Every time I heard that show I visualized having tuna for lunch.  Today, 10 years later, I still think of tuna when the music plays.  Create healthy associations in your life and let the music play.  Make healthy nutrition your passion and watch the pounds drift away with your music. 
 
Article by Bob McDowell, Certified Personal Trainer.
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