Summers are precious here in the Northwoods. The long winters are wonderful for winter sports, but not everyone enjoys the thrill of nostril icicles.
Once that sun starts to warm things up, more of us try to spend as much time outside as possible. We go to beaches, play outside with the kids and visit friends.
Often times, with this rush to enjoy the summers we put aside our fitness routines. The rationale of course being that we’ll pick it all up again in the fall once the weather is not as alluring. So we favor lounging in the sun to lunges and swatting mosquitoes to squats.
But why not combine the joys of being outside with the benefits of a workout?
There are a million opportunities to add some physical challenges to your summer activities. Things like swimming, walking and biking are natural links between having fun and working out. Not only can you spend some time with friends and family, but you can give your metabolism a boost in the process.
It doesn’t even require intense planning. Just a few small bursts up a hill in your still leisurely bike ride can be enough to jump start endorphins and burn a few extra calories. Challenge your friend to race to the next telephone pole or do an extra lap.
Although summer is definitely a time for relaxing, it is also a great time for keeping up with your fitness goals. Get and have fun!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Boomertitis
You will get older. Even if you are not there yet, (as if there were an exact point that it happens) it will come. It is just a fact.
One of the keys to aging healthfully is to know the limits of your aging body. If you treat your 50 year old body the same way you treated your 25 year old body, you will inevitably meet with some resistance.
Aches, pains, and strains are some of the more mild ways your body can protest being treated like a kid again. Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, and complete physical blow outs are some of the more extreme.
Doctors are seeing more and more people in their 50s and 60s coming to their offices with joint and muscle issues. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries are the number one reason for a doctor’s visit, with the majority of visits from baby boomers.
This is the generation, now ages 45 to 63, that is determined to stay young forever. They take to heart the idea that aging is all about mind over matter, and because they don’t mind it shouldn’t matter. But it does matter. Your body simply cannot take the abuse it did in your 20s.
Dr. DiNubile from the University of Pennsylvania, prompted by problems with his own aging body, has started to look at the issues surrounding continued physical activity in a maturing frame. He coined the term “Boomeritis” to cover the host of injuries and ailments common to those attempting to get and stay active in this generation.
The main thing to remember is that it is much easier to prevent injuries than it is to fix them once they occur. Although exercise can be a cause of aches and pains, done properly it is also the best means of preventing them. Moderation is vital to avoiding boomeritis.
Here is a brief, top five list of ways to prevent boomeritis:
• Always warm-up and stretch properly with every exercise session.
• Avoid being a “weekend warrior” by cramming a week’s worth of workouts into two days.
• Develop a well-rounded routine including cardio, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.
• Follow the 10 percent rule and increase the intensity of your workouts by no more than 10 percent a week.
• Listen to your body.
Unfortunately as we age we tend to look backward when training; comparing our 50 year old body to our 25 year body. This is just setting ourselves up for disaster.
Train your 50 year old body like a 50 year old body and you will greatly increase the likelihood that you will continue to train for many years to come. Happy training!
One of the keys to aging healthfully is to know the limits of your aging body. If you treat your 50 year old body the same way you treated your 25 year old body, you will inevitably meet with some resistance.
Aches, pains, and strains are some of the more mild ways your body can protest being treated like a kid again. Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, and complete physical blow outs are some of the more extreme.
Doctors are seeing more and more people in their 50s and 60s coming to their offices with joint and muscle issues. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries are the number one reason for a doctor’s visit, with the majority of visits from baby boomers.
This is the generation, now ages 45 to 63, that is determined to stay young forever. They take to heart the idea that aging is all about mind over matter, and because they don’t mind it shouldn’t matter. But it does matter. Your body simply cannot take the abuse it did in your 20s.
Dr. DiNubile from the University of Pennsylvania, prompted by problems with his own aging body, has started to look at the issues surrounding continued physical activity in a maturing frame. He coined the term “Boomeritis” to cover the host of injuries and ailments common to those attempting to get and stay active in this generation.
The main thing to remember is that it is much easier to prevent injuries than it is to fix them once they occur. Although exercise can be a cause of aches and pains, done properly it is also the best means of preventing them. Moderation is vital to avoiding boomeritis.
Here is a brief, top five list of ways to prevent boomeritis:
• Always warm-up and stretch properly with every exercise session.
• Avoid being a “weekend warrior” by cramming a week’s worth of workouts into two days.
• Develop a well-rounded routine including cardio, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.
• Follow the 10 percent rule and increase the intensity of your workouts by no more than 10 percent a week.
• Listen to your body.
Unfortunately as we age we tend to look backward when training; comparing our 50 year old body to our 25 year body. This is just setting ourselves up for disaster.
Train your 50 year old body like a 50 year old body and you will greatly increase the likelihood that you will continue to train for many years to come. Happy training!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Just say "YES!"
Positive thinking. You know what it is. You know how to do it. Sometimes you may even do it without trying. But how many times to you make an effort to think positively when you do not at all feel positive?
Now, I’m not going to get into the debate of whether positive thinking can influence health or cure cancer, which many think it can, but I would like to challenge you think about your thought patterns.
Going past the basic philosophy of human thought, (Ego cogito, ergo sum; Descartes famous line “I think, therefore I am.”) proponents of positive thinking believe that how you think influences how you are.
If you have ever seen the movie “Yes Man” you know where I’m going with this. In the beginning Jim Carey’s character is caught in a cycle of his own negativity. A series of events leads him to, (as the name implies), say “Yes” to everything that comes his way. “No” is no longer part of his vocabulary. He is introduced to new foods, new friends, and new experiences that his previous mindset would never have allowed.
Aside from being a pretty funny movie pitch, it’s interesting to consider how perhaps just changing one simple word in your vocabulary could change your life.
Can you imagine heading into situations knowing that no matter what, you are going to say “Yes!”
Think about a group fitness class where the instructor decides to introduce some crazy move you’ve never seen. Rather than thinking, “Ugh. No way I’m doing that. I’m too uncoordinated.” You say “Yes! That looks awesome!” How different would that class be for you?
What about a new vegan recipe a friend brings over. Do you think, “Oh no, this is going to be awful.” or do you say, “Yes, I’d love to try some, Thanks!”
I’m not suggesting that you walk around constantly with a phony positive attitude or that you take “No” completely out of your vocabulary. But I do believe that if you open up your thought patterns to accept not just the possibility, but the probability, that something will be a good experience, that it will be a good experience.
So my challenge to you is to simply take pause before you dismiss a new experience (even, say, this very challenge!) with a quick “No way.” Imagine yourself saying “Yes!” and it being a great event. You may completely surprise yourself and open up an entirely new world of fun. Happy “yes”sing!
Now, I’m not going to get into the debate of whether positive thinking can influence health or cure cancer, which many think it can, but I would like to challenge you think about your thought patterns.
Going past the basic philosophy of human thought, (Ego cogito, ergo sum; Descartes famous line “I think, therefore I am.”) proponents of positive thinking believe that how you think influences how you are.
If you have ever seen the movie “Yes Man” you know where I’m going with this. In the beginning Jim Carey’s character is caught in a cycle of his own negativity. A series of events leads him to, (as the name implies), say “Yes” to everything that comes his way. “No” is no longer part of his vocabulary. He is introduced to new foods, new friends, and new experiences that his previous mindset would never have allowed.
Aside from being a pretty funny movie pitch, it’s interesting to consider how perhaps just changing one simple word in your vocabulary could change your life.
Can you imagine heading into situations knowing that no matter what, you are going to say “Yes!”
Think about a group fitness class where the instructor decides to introduce some crazy move you’ve never seen. Rather than thinking, “Ugh. No way I’m doing that. I’m too uncoordinated.” You say “Yes! That looks awesome!” How different would that class be for you?
What about a new vegan recipe a friend brings over. Do you think, “Oh no, this is going to be awful.” or do you say, “Yes, I’d love to try some, Thanks!”
I’m not suggesting that you walk around constantly with a phony positive attitude or that you take “No” completely out of your vocabulary. But I do believe that if you open up your thought patterns to accept not just the possibility, but the probability, that something will be a good experience, that it will be a good experience.
So my challenge to you is to simply take pause before you dismiss a new experience (even, say, this very challenge!) with a quick “No way.” Imagine yourself saying “Yes!” and it being a great event. You may completely surprise yourself and open up an entirely new world of fun. Happy “yes”sing!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
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