Is the BOSU Balance Trainer worth the investment?

I have been using the BOSU for a few years and I love this piece of equipment. It’s portable and versatile - it can be used as a bench, step, and core trainer all in one.  It can be used for everything from sports drills to cardio workouts.

BOSU stands for both sides up which means it can be used with either side facing up and each side provides a completely different workout.  There is a rounded dome like half ball and a hard flat surface that is equally unstable but in a very different way.

Benefits:

• This is a unique way to train for strength and balance which is great for the stabilizers in the legs
• All ages can use it; it’s great for beginners, athletes, young and old
• You can use it through a dynamic range of motion which means in all directions
• You can use it for cardio, strength training and/or balance workout
• Can be used for everything from cardio to yoga

My hands swell when I do cardio, especially outdoors, WHY?

This is a common side effect of exercise and is called vasodilation.  This medical/ technical sounding term really just means your blood vessels are opening up and there is an increase in blood flowing to the layer of dermis or skin closest to the surface which leads to swelling. 

Believe it or not, this reaction your body is having is to try and reduce its temperature.  Like sweating, it is a way to cool you down.  You may also find this happens more when you run or jog as compared to when you ride a bike because of the position of the hands.  If your hands are below the level of your heart fluid becomes trapped in the hands and cannot find it’s way back out.  This will occur less in the legs and feet because of the ability of the larger muscles to get the excess blood and fluids out of the legs and continuing to circulate throughout the body.

If you are having concerns about your swelling, go see your doctor.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Does soy affect my thyroid functioning?

Interestingly, the research shows that yes, soy products do affect your thyroids ability to function properly.  Polyunsaturated oils such as that found in soybean oil are composed of long-chain triglycerides, or LCT’s.  An LCT has the ability to block the absorption iodine by thyroid cells.  You can also find LCT’s in s\low fat salad dressings and crackers. To make an educated purchase, check the labels the next time you are at the grocery store and see how many of your items have soybean or its by-products in the list of ingredients.  It’s okay to continue have soy protein, just try limiting the amount if you know you have a sluggish thyroid.

I sneeze every morning when I first wake up, why?

While I cannot be sure why you sneeze at the break of dawn, assuming you are up early, I can tell you why we sneeze.

Sneezing typically happens when the nerve endings in the mucous membrane inside of the nose are irritated. This may as a result of a swelling of the membrane, like what happens when we are sick, or when a foreign body, such as pepper, invades our nose, or when allergy and pollen season strike.  Sneezing can even be brought on when the optic nerves in our eyes are exposed to bright light.
Regardless of the reason, the membrane is irritated, sneezing is a reflex act, completely beyond our control, by which the nose expels out air in an attempt to eject  the irritating bodies.

What is the connection between lack of sleep and my eating habits?

I am a poor sleeper as are millions of Americans.  I am up too late at night working, get up too early to start the day preparing lunchboxes, taking care of the dogs, preparing my work for the day, checking emails, taking that all important 5 minute me time for coffee and CNN viewing. By 630am I am ready to get the kids up and moving and get myself to the gym where I start everyday.  This schedule does not bode well for a good night’s rest; how does that affect my dietary habits, if at all?

Research suggests that when we don’t have enough sleep, our energy is very low which gets the brain thinking that it requires more food to replenish its energy stores. It is for this reason that we tend to eat more. Not only that we tend to crave high energy foods such as ice cream, cakes or sugar filled soft drinks.

As if eating more sugar weren’t bad enough, the effects of sleep deprivation can lessen the body’s ability to process glucose efficiently leading to an increased tendency to put on weight. That’s a double whammy - more calories and decreased ability to process it.

Lack of sleep also produces higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lowers the metabolic rate which means we burn less kilojoules or calories. One way to increase the metabolic rate is to workout - that’s my preferred method of metabolic stimulation.

If you are concerned about losing or maintaining your weight, the amount of sleep you get is paramount. Here are some tips:

• Don’t nap for long periods during the day. This will upset your natural circadian rhythm and lead to wakefulness at night
• If you must eat late make it a light yogurt, herbal tea or the like
• Increase your exercise
• Plan your day better - Start winding down in the evenings and use the mornings for energetic chores

Healthy habits are within your reach, just commit to doing what you know your body needs. Eat healthy foods, get rid of stress, exercise more and sleep your weight away!

Can you please explain the heart rate training zones?

Have you seen people running down the road with those black chest straps wrapped around them? Those are heart rate monitors and they serve to let you know exactly how fast your heart is beating with every step you take.  These monitors range from basic to wow!  You can purchase a heart rate monitor that only tells you your BPM, beats per minute, or you can purchase monitors that link to your computer and create graphs and charts which keep track of your workout, your intensity, your caloric burn and even compare the results to previous results. 

An exercise zone is a number range that measures the lower and upper heart rate limits. It is expressed in terms of beats per minute (bpm) or as percentages of your maximum heart rate (HRmax). Your heart rate maximum is the highest number of heartbeats per minute during maximum physical exertion. The following is a description of each zone:

Heart Rate Target Training Zones

There are three exercise intensity zones. Each zone correlates to various health and fitness mechanisms in your body.

Light Intensity Zone - Characterized by a 60-70% of your heart rate max, this is a fairly easy intensity to maintain. This zone is where you will spend much of your time whether you are a novice or a regular fitness enthusiast. Fat is the body’s main source of energy at this level of intensity; therefore this zone is also good for weight control. The benefits to light intensity work are:

• Assists in weight loss 
• Increases endurance
• Increases aerobic capacity

Moderate Intensity Zone - As you continue pushing yourself, you reach the next stage, the 70-80% of your HRmax, which is called the Moderate Intensity Zone. This zone is where you will spend some of your workout once you have established a fitness base. This zone is characterized by a quick pace which is still maintainable.  This zone is desireable if you are looking to increase you aerobic capacity.  Carbohydrates are the main fuel source here if your body if not accustomed to pushing harder than the light zone. As your fitness level increases, your fuel source becomes fat again.  Benefits to moderate intensity are:

• Increases aerobic capacity
• Increases endurance
• Assists with weight loss
• Builds a base for you to begin working at a faster pace
• Begins to raise the speed you can maintain without building up lactic acid

Hard Intensity Zone

At 80-90% of your HRmax, you are breathing heavy and cannot maintain the same intensity for long. This zone is characterized by heavy breathing, tired muscles, and feeling fatigued. This intensity is recommended occassionally for fit people. The benefits to hard intensity work are:

• Increased muscle tolerance to lactic acid
• Improves sprint like or hard, short effort ability

Alternate between intensity zones to improve your fitness and get variation in your exercise. Remember that the lower the intensity the longer you can comfortably exercise in it. Exercise in the higher intensity for shorter periods. As always, ask your doctor before you begin or radically alter your workout routine.

Can yoga really help my sex life?

Yoga is well known for its ability to increase your flexibility, enhance your muscle tone, and assist in stress release but did you know it might also help with your sex life? That’s right, yoga offers a myriad of physical and emotional benefits that add up to a more fulfilling, meaningful sexual relationship with your partner.  I love yoga so whatever it takes to get people to practice, I am all for it!

Sensuality

Yoga helps you to develop an awareness of sensations inside of your body. Learning to feel the weight rolling into the inside edges of your palms in downward dog, (love downwards dog), for example, teaches you to savor every sensation in your body. Yoga also helps keep you focused in the moment, in your body and out of your head, where your non-stop thoughts can keep you from enjoying the experience at hand. 

Confidence

People who practice yoga, or any exercise for that matter, gain less weight as they age than people who don’t do anything. And while feeling more fit is an undeniable turn-on, a sustained yoga practice also encourages you to develop respect for your body. You learn to love who you are and what you look like; confidence is definitely sexy.

More Energy

A recent survey done by the National Sleep Foundation found that 33% of women say their being tired was a main reason they have less frequent sex. Yoga actually helps to improve sleep quality significantly therefore one can conclude: practice yoga, sleep better, have more sex.

Intimacy

Yoga helps us to connect to who we are beyond what we look like. It helps us to be comfortable in our skin which in turn helps us become more comfortable in vulnerable (yoga) positions whether that’s a full backbend or chakrasana during your yoga class or a deep, meaningful talk in bed at night.

Better Orgasms

On a purely physical level, many yoga poses increase the blood flow to the pelvic region. For example wide-legged straddle pose (sitting with your legs apart and reaching forward) increases blood flow to the pelvis. In yoga there are energy locks which are held up throughout the practice.  Mula Bandha is the pelvic lock and it’s a kegel you maintain for the duration of the class. 

Whatever your reason to practice yoga, it’s all good. Enjoy everything you do.

Can I do hot yoga/ Bikram Yoga while I am pregnant?

As a Personal Trainer and thrice pregnant exercise enthusiast, it is sometimes frustrating that there is not specific information on what we can and cannot do during pregnancy with regards to fitness.  The standard, “do what you normally do,” coupled with “watch the heart rate, type of activity and body temperature,” make for a scary cocktail of advise.  With Bikram or heated yoga, the concern is the heat of the room and how that may affect your unborn baby. Pregnancy increases core body temperature, and so does exercising. Add the additional varible of a heated room and you have a bit more to think about.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) puts forth the guidelines on exercising during the pregnant and postpartum period. As with any field, things change, research uncovers new truths and the rules are modified.  One such change relates to heart rate and exercise during pregnancy.

ACOG originally recommended the mother-to-be’s heart rate remain under 140 beats per minute during workouts. The reason for this is that an increase in heart rate results in blood being sent away from the torso and sent to the working muscles. This, they feared, would reduce the blood supply to the uterus to an undesirable stressful level.  After researching, they found this was not the case, and they modified that in their 1985 committee opinion, suggesting moderate exercise intensity.

What is truly amazing is that the change was discovered over 20 years ago and I am still reading about the 140 bpm today.  Increasing your body temperature past 102 degrees is also considered dangerous and so if you consider the Bikram studio is 102 and your own body temperature is elevated from the pregnancy and you are exercising so more increase is expected, it may seem like you need to really consider how much you want to do heated yoga.

The best advise with the heated yoga and fitness in general is to ask you physician. He or she knows you and your body best and can guide you safely.
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What is the best time to workout?

I believe the best time to exercise is whenever you can.  Most of us have family and work responsibilities which may mean that regardless of what the studies say, we need to get our workout in whenever we can. Here are some of the latest specific research findings regarding the best time to exercise:

Late Afternoon is Best for Exercise - Research shows that the optimal time to exercise is when our body temperature is at its highest, which, for most people is 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (body temperature is at its lowest just before waking).

Strength workouts are best in the Afternoon - We have more strength as the day goes on. Strength output is 5% higher at around mid-day and anaerobic performance, such as sprinting, improves by 5% in the late afternoon.

Endurance is Greater in the Afternoon - Aerobic capacity also referred to as endurance is approximately 4% higher in the afternoon.

Injuries Are Less Likely in the Afternoon - In the afternoon we are at our most alert; our body temperature is the highest so our muscles are warm and flexible; and our muscle strength is at its greatest. The combination of these three factors make it less likely that we will get injured in the p.m. 

Morning Exercisers Are More Consistent - Even though afternoon exercise might be optimal from a physiological standpoint, research also shows that morning exercisers are more likely to stick to it that late-day athletes.

For many years I was an afternoon/ evening exerciser and could not imagine having to workout first thing in the day.  During the past few years I have found that due to scheduling issues I have switched to early workouts and now I much prefer a 530am workout now to anything after 9am.  In the end, anytime you can get yourself motivated and moving is all that matters.

Be safe and always check with your doctor before you start any program of exercise.

  

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Which is best: low fat or low carb?

Americans keep getting heavier and keep searching for ways to fight it. Millions, if not billions, of dollars are spent each year in an attempt to shed pounds. A major study published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers some long-awaited advice.  The study was conducted to determine which is best: the low-fat or the low-carb diet. 

Low-fat diets are endorsed by the American Heart Association and emphasize grains, whole wheat pasta and bread, fruits and vegetables. Low-carbohydrate diets, emphasize meat, fish, chicken, eggs, and just a few vegetables. Dr. Meir Stampfer, the study’s senior author and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, declared “The low-carb diet was the clear winner in providing the most weight loss.”
The study consisted of 322 obese patients who were randomly assigned to a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet or a third eating plan, a Mediterranean diet, which includes lean protein and vegetables, along with lots of olive oil and nuts. The study went on for two years making it the longest lasting study of this type.  

The results showed the low-fat group lost an average of 7.3 pounds over the two-year period, those following the Mediterranean diet shed 10.1 pounds. The low-carb dieters peeled off the most weight, losing an average of 12.1 pounds.  Eating a diet rich in protein makes you feel fuller so you’re not as hungry that means it’s easier to stick to that diet long term.   Amazingly, the people on the low-carb diet, even after two years of dining on meat and cheeses and eggs, did not have increased cholesterol levels. In fact, it actually lowered the cholesterol numbers of study participants.

The findings knock low-fat diets out of the top spot and raise the question: Should everybody follow a low-carb diet? And would everyone want to? To many Americans, giving up bread and pasta and potatoes is no easy task. The reality is if there is a diet that is too difficult for you to stick to, you won’t be succesful so it’s not a great diet.  However if you can reduce the amount of carbs you are taking in, you are likely to see a reduction in your weight.