Tag Archive for: fitness

2018 Health Goals: Part 1

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It’s that time of year to set goals for 2018. There are many areas of your life for which to set goals, but let’s focus on your health goals. I want you take some time and write down your health goals for 2018. There are three areas that most people want to change: their body weight and shape, their fitness level, and their pain levels. Of course, there’s always smoking and if you smoke, that should be number 1.

Take some time when you read this and write down your health goals, whatever they are. I’ll be sending another Memo later today but don’t read it until you write down your health goals for 2018.

What are you prepared to do today? Prepare to write down your goals.

Dr. Chet

 

Santa, Rudolph, and Merry Christmas!

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The final question about Santa Claus has to do with his girth. How can he deliver gifts all over the world in one night while being so heavy? Here’s something that we all need to understand: just because people are overweight, that doesn’t mean they can’t be fit.

Fat and fit? You better believe it. The problem is that we have so few heavy people who move into a high fitness category. But if they do, they can be fit according to a classic definition of fitness: the amount of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight per minute. Santa most likely qualifies; he must work out hard in the off season.

Would it be better to be leaner? Probably but remember, he’s a fictional character. I think we need to worry more about ourselves. But that’s a Memo for another time.

Rudolph’s Red Nose

I got a great question related to this week’s Christmas theme: why is Rudolph’s nose red? I couldn’t pretend to figure out that one, but wouldn’t you know it, someone else did. You can read about it in this news release from Johns Hopkins faculty and staff (1). They also diagnose the Grinch’s heart and explain how Scrooge could travel through time. The writing isn’t excessively scientific, so it might be something you could share with the older kids in your life who’ve grown skeptical about the magic of Christmas.

The Bottom Line

We hope you had fun with this week’s Memos. Health news can be overwhelming. As you prepare for this holiday, safe travels, and enjoy the time with family and friends. I’ll resume the Memos next Thursday with some ideas for your 2018 health goals.

From Paula and I, Merry Christmas, happy Kwanza, happy Dhanu Sankranti, we hope your Hanukkah was happy, a belated Happy Mawlid al-Nabi, and Happy Holidays to everyone! If we missed your holiday, let us know and we’ll be sure to include it next year. What’s important is that we all enjoy our holiday festivities and our family and friends, and we get to eat our special holiday foods.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: http://releases.jhu.edu/2017/12/04/johns-hopkins-scientists-explain-rudolph-grinch-scrooge/

 

SIT to Get Fit?

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The researchers from Canada are at it again. The same group that brought you H.I.I.T now tries to go one step further with SIT. Too many acronyms? HIIT stand for high-intensity interval training; SIT stands for sprint interval training. What’s the difference?

HIIT uses intervals that last from one minute to four minutes in duration with an equivalent amount of rest between intervals; the intensity is adjusted to be able to last the interval time. In prior studies, this research group found that four 1-minute intervals with three minutes rest had positive effects on . . .

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Dancing Your Way to Fitness

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Does the way dancers train make them some of the fittest and leanest athletes? On Tuesday, we looked at heavy weights and fewer repetitions. Let’s look at light weights and many repetitions.

In ballroom and other forms of dance, the resistance is almost always body weight. Yes, there are lifts and there are powerful turns and jumps, but the only resistance is often body weight. Think of repeatedly doing half-squats, push-ups, or abdominal curls for hours on end, plus the muscle needed to hold . . .

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Do Dancers Rule the Fitness World?

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Dancing with the Stars began a new season last night, and once again Paula asserted that dancers have the best bodies: great musculature and shape without being unnaturally bulky. She wondered if dancing was the equivalent of exercising at high reps with low weight as opposed to typical weightlifting that emphasizes systematically increasing weight when a specific number of repetitions are met. I do as my wife commands, so this week I'm looking into the difference in results between high reps at low weight and fewer reps at high weight.

Let’s look at fewer reps at . . .

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Observations from the Road: Fitness vs. a Healthy Heart

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As I finish my observations from my last trip, I’m on another trip to Austin to do another seminar. I’m sure I’ll have other things to talk about because I’m always looking and listening.

During my run a week ago in Denver, I repeatedly passed two women who were out for an early morning walk. They carried on a conversation the entire time. I think that’s great; having a walking or running buddy or group can get you moving on those days when you don’t want to, and sometimes the gossip is what gets . . .

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