The Balance Board

The Beer Belly

We've all seen it. The guy on the subway, or at the corner store. Maybe he's sitting beside you right now...And he looks...Pregnant! Not in the beautiful way either. This is commonly called a "beer bellly" or central obesity.

What is a beer gut?

A beer belly is not actually caused by beer alone. It's not found on just men either. It's caused by overeating and not exercising. There are two kinds of fat. The first is called subcutaneous fat. It sits below your skin, on top of your abs. The second type is called visceral fat. This is the "beer gut." Visceral fat sits between the abs and organs and is worse for your health than subcutaneous fat.

Health Concerns Linked to Central Obesity:

-Higher risk of heart disease

-High blood pressure

-Insulin resistance

-Type 2 Diabetes

-Makes a person "apple shaped" which is not a flattering physique.

To get rid of your "beer belly" it all comes down to a good diet and exercise. Lose the belly not only for a more appealing bod, but for your long term health and well-being.

Say Bye To The Beer Gut!

Chronic Pain - Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Most people experience back, shoulder and neck pain at some point in their lives. Chronic pain is aches and pains that will not go away. Some people suffer for many years without relief.

Some Causes of Chronic Pain

-Improper lifting

-Falls

-Bad posture

-Muscular imbalances

-Herniated discs

-Sleeping with an uncomfortable mattress or pillow

-Regularly carring a shoulder bag

-Uncomfortable foot wear, such as high heels.

-Obesity

-Osteoarthritis (the wear and tear arthritis caused by many years of physical activity)

-Osteoporosis

Many times, people wait until they are are immobilized to seek treatment and they will usually reach for the pain killers, which not only stop working once your body adjusts to the dosage but are also addictive. Ask your doctor for pain killers as a last resort.

Here are ways to prevent back pain:

-Lift with your legs. To do this, squat down toward the object and lift like you are performing a squat instead of bending at the waist and lifting with your back.

-Be especially careful. Hold on the railing all of the time on stairs. Make sure your winter boots have good traction for ice.

-With many people working desk jobs or spending a lot of hours at a computer, make sure you sit up straight and stretch every hour.

-Don't sleep on an old mattress with your body's imprint moulded in to it. Don't sleep with a flat, lifeless pillow. Sometimes it helps to put a pillow in between your knees to keep your hips aligned.

-Wear a well fitted backpack instead of a shoulder bag. Try to pack light whenever possible.

-Wear comfortable shoes with support. Wear platforms instead of high heels.

-Don't try any activity that your body is not ready for. For example, don't attempt a back flip if you have never had training in gymnastics.

-Lift weights to strengthen bones, joints and ligaments.

-Lose weight to take pressure off the spine.

-Get your recommended daily intake of calcium to keep bones strong and healthy.

Even with prevention accidents happen. Here are ways to treat chronic pain:

-Strength training. It amazes me how many people complain of pain but won't try to fix it with strength training. A lot of the time back pain is caused my a weak core. When the abs are stronger than the back or vice versa the stronger side is forced to over compensate causing imbalances. Gentle exercises like crunches and back extensions will help to repair.

-Try pilates. Pilates was invented as rehabilitation for World War 2 veterans. It is fantastic for correcting injuries and imbalances.

-Heat. A heat pad will warm up the muscles. A heat pad in combination with an anti-inflammatory before bed will work wonders.

-Acupuncture and massage. Sometimes all you need is to get the blood circulating in the problem areas.

The good news is most pain (at its worst) goes away in a few days. The best thing to do to avoid a recurrence is prevention and treatment that doesn't hide symptoms but fixes the problem at its source.

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Dance Your Way To Fitness

The term "dancer's body" doesn't come from nowhere! Dancing is a fantastic way to get great abs, legs, a strong back and arms. I'll bet that everybody wants to learn at least one style of dance. From line dancing to breakdancing, there is something out there for everybody.

Benefits of Dancing

-Weight loss

-All over strength and tone

-Reduce stress

-Increase energy

-Increase balance and co-ordination

-Decrease blood pressure

-Lowers risk of heart disease

-Strengthens bones

-Increases blood flow to the brain

-Improves posture

-Improves flexibility

-Helps to prevent lower back pain

-Increases stamina

-Reduces toxins in the body

You can learn to dance a specific style at a dance school. Or you can try dancing fusion classes at your gym.

Here are some styles to consider:

-Belly dancing

-Hip hop

-Salsa

-Ballroom

-Square dancing

-Ballet

-Jazz

-Swing dancing

-Latin

-Breakdancing

-Ceremonial dances from various cultures

When you dance, it is so much fun you forget that it's exercise. You can dance to your own beat at home, purchase instructional DVDs or even get some friends together to learn a style that goes with your crowd's preferred music. That way the next time your group goes out, you will rock the dance floor.

Dance Your Way to Fitness!

Strength Training For Runners At Home

Strength training can supplement a runner's speed, endurance and prevent common injuries in the knees and hips. Lifting weights also helps to avoid a long distance "runner's physique" which can look stringy and waif-like.

Training for running should include the legs for endurance and strength. The core is trained for stability and running posture.

It's ideal to train 2-3 times a week. Include endurance and strength training for the lower body and abs, (see example below) and full body resistance workouts.

At-home strength training workout for runners:

Lower body: Endurance and Core Conditioning

Time: 30 minutes

Equipment: Stability ball and dumbbells

Body weight stability ball squats on the wall

20-25 reps, 2 sets

Body weight lunges

15-20 reps, 2 sets

Seated Squats (put a chair behind you, squat until you barely touch the chair and rise) with dumbbells at the shoulders

12-15 reps, 2 sets

Lunges with dumbbells at your side

12-15 reps, 2 sets

Stability Ball wall squat timed in seated position

See how long you can hold the squat x 2

Stability ball leg curl

15-20 reps, 2 sets

Stability Ball Crunches

15-20 reps x 2

Bicycle Crunch

15-20 reps x 2

Plank

Timed until failure

Side Plank

Timed until failure

Stability ball alternating back extension

15-20 reps X 1

Always warm up for approximately 5 minutes before a routine and stretch afterward. The best time to train your lower body is right before a run. Take the next day off from both strength training and running, for proper recovery.

Strong Bodies = Strong Runs!

Eating Before and After Weight Lifting

The pre and post meal is a huge factor in whether or not your routine will be as successful as it should be.

Pre Lifting Meal

Eating approximately 30 minutes before a workout ensures you have the energy to complete a purposeful lifting routine. If you have ever tried lifting weights on an empty stomach, and again with the right food in your system you can feel the difference in energy, strength and endurance.

30 minutes before you lift eat a combination of starchy carbs and protein. A fantastic choice is 1 cup of oatmeal mixed with protein powder. This combination is light enough that you won't feel weighed down, but more than enough carbs for energy and protein for muscular fuel. Drink a glass of water to wash it down for adequate hydration.

If you eat 1-2 hours before a workout then it is perfectly fine to eat a plate of whole wheat pasta or a bagel with peanut butter.

Post Lifting Meal

After you lift it's important to eat. This starts the proper recovery process. Rest and recovery are crucial for building mass. After a workout you are left feeling drained and depleted of all strength and energy.

30 minutes to 1 hour after lifting, drink a simple sugar to raise insulin levels. This helps carry nutrients in the muscles more quickly. Your muscles also need the glycogen put back in to them. If they don't have this restored, you risk muscle tissue breaking down for this purpose! Muscle glycogen can be restored by drinking fruit juice. Even better, mix some dextrose (glucose, a simple sugar derived from corn) in to juice, water or a protein shake.

Also eat protein to help build and repair torn muscle fibres so they will build back up to be stronger and bigger than before. 30-50 grams of lean proteins such as fish, brown rice, tofu and eggs will be more than enough to feed your muscles for recovery and growth.

Eating before and after a lifting routine helps aid the recovery process and gives you energy and strength. This way you don't feel tired and drained for the rest of the day. If you don't eat, your muscle size and strength will not progress nearly as much as it could and all your hard efforts in the gym will likely go to waste.

Eating and lifting go hand in hand. They are critical to success.

Eat For Results!

Fabulous Free Days

After losing 50 lbs, I wanted to eat junk food again. I also wanted to keep the weight off. What could be a bigger weight loss nightmare than gaining it all back? I felt like I deserved to indulge after a year of absolutely no fatty/sugary treats. I had to summon all of my willpower and more to stay away, especially with my sweet tooth! Now I wanted to enjoy myself a little bit.

I like the idea of a "free day." A free day is allowing yourself to "let go" one day of the week. It's permission to give in to the cravings without any guilt of ruining or cheating on your diet.

Benefits Of A Free Day

-If you have trouble staying away from junk food, having a free day to look forward to, will force you to control your cravings until that day.

-Many times I noticed that by the time the free day came around, I had lost the craving. Free days can teach you patience and control managing your nutritional habits.

-Having a free day is psychologically comforting. Being on a "diet" can seem restrictive and suffocating. Knowing that there is a day to be your old self makes for an easier transition in to a healthy lifestyle.

-A free day can stop you from "cheating" during the other six days of the week. If you are prone to giving in to cravings then it's much better to give in once, rather than seven times.

A free day still needs to be handled with your goals and progress in mind. It doesn't mean you should eat thousands of calories worth of sugar in a sitting. You don't want to blow a whole week of work and progress in a single day.

Eventually you will find that the new healthy you, starts to overpower the old unhealthy you. Even on a free day you will find yourself getting Becel on a small bag of popcorn at the movies, instead of butter on a large.

A free day is simply a security blanket and one day, you won't need it anymore.

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