From the info in my last post you should know your family’s health history to be aware of medical conditions you are at risk for developing simply by being who you are.

Another way to keep yourself fit is to make sure that you find ways to make fitness enjoyable. you are less likely to stay committed to an activity you disllike.

Not everybody loves to exercise, and if this is the case for you, try to figure out exactly what it is about exercise that you dislike.

There are so many ways to be active and exercise, the key is finding one that gives you a sense of pleasure and fullfilment. Here are some of my tips to finding a form of exercise you enjoy.

1. Exercise with your children. I know when I am playing outside with my son, I get the best feeling when he is smiling and laughing. He is 3 years old and let me tell you I get a lot of exercise chasing after balls and him.
2. Exercise with a friend. It helps to pair exercise with something you already enjoy, like spending time with friends. This also helps because you have someone else to help motivate you.
3. Try different activities. Ask those you know who are already active and find out what they like to do. There’s always a chance you will like it as well.
4. vary your routine. I always change up my routine every 2 weeks to prevent boredom. You can change your workout as often as you like. Play around with doing different activities on different days.
5. Always progress slowly. Too often people jump into exercise and don’t give their bodies enough time to gradually adjust. This can lead to injury or extreme soreness that will deter you from doing the same activity again.

Try something, everything, whatever it takes to make exercising fun. If it’s fun and enjoyable, you are more likely to stick with it.

The Fit Nation Checklist is a list compiled by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, medical correspondent for CNN.  On his Fit nation website he has posted the following list that provides great tips on how to get and stay fit.  I will look at each component separately and provide my own take on how to utilize the list.

FIT NATION CHECKLIST

1. Learn your family health history
2. Make fitness fun
3. Get at least 30-minutes of exercise daily
4. Drink water
5. Be a role model for children
6. Take the stairs
7. Be consistent
8. Do the math
9. Eat a healthy breakfast
10. Involve the whole family

1. Learn your family health history.

  You probably already know if your parents have any medical conditions, but take a closer look at the conditions and find out how exercise can decrease your risk for developing the same conditions.  Exercise does not have to be viewed as a chore. 

Think of your commitment to exercise as an investment in your life, or better yet, your quality of life.

The average life expectancy for Americans is 77.6 years, a record high according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The longer we live the more likely we are to experience illnesses and physiological complications.  Just like a motor vehicle, the longer you have it, the more problems will arise do to normal wear and tear.  Our bodies aren’t built to last forever, but the better we take care of our bodies, just like your car, the more good or problem free years we can get out of it. 

By knowing what hereditary factors may influence your health, you can view exercise and fitness as a way to possibly, delay or avoid “family-related” health problems.

 Is it true?  Is there finally a magic pill for weight loss?

On February 7, 2007 the FDA approved an over-the-counter version of Orlistat called Alli. 

Orlistat was approved by the FDA in 1999 as an anti-obesity drug available by prescription only. Alli is offered OTC in a smaller dosage.

Orlistat works by inhibiting pancreatic lipases, which are enzymes that breakdown the fats we digest.  Inhibition of these enzymes will greatly decrease the absorbtion of fat into the body.  The thought is that by decreasing the amount of fat that is absorbed it will also decrease the amount of calories. 

Sounds reasonable as long as you don’t overcompensate by eating more carbohydrates.  Remember also that a drug that inhibits the absorbption of fat will also inhibit the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. 

The makers of the drug also recommend that Alli be taken in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet and consistent exercise regimen.  Go figure.

Alli will be available OTC this summer.  Be sure to carefully read the side effects and think…if the fat is not being absorbed in the body, it has to go somewhere.  One of the main sideffects, loose stools, and gas with a discharge might be enough to give a second look at the magic pill.

Check out the illustration by Wellington Grey describing obesity among may countries. 

 http://www.wellingtongrey.net/miscellanea/archive/2007-05-06–world-fatness.html

USA takes the cake of course at a whopping 31% obesity.  Obesity here is defined as a BMI of 30+. 

Of course BMI is not the best measure of body fatness because it doesn’t describe body composition, however, for the population as a whole, it does work since the avaerage American lives a sedentary lifestyle.

Looking at the countries with a smaller percentage of the population being obese I believe physical activity on a daily basis is the key.  The majority of people in those countries get more physical activity in their daily lives. 

After seeing this graphic, we should all go out for a walk, run, swim, bike ride, just be active.

The latest issue of Runner’s World featured an article describing a new running program based on research done at the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST). http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm

The program or programs, since they outline prgrams for distances from 5K to full marathon, are based on 3 days of running per week, and crosstraining on the off days.  Basically their are 3 key runs per weekon non-consecutive days.

KEY RUN #1- Interval training.  The focus of this workout is on short, fast bouts of running, interspersed with a short rest interval. The total distance is usually about 5 miles. 

KEY RUN #2- Tempo Training.  This workout focusses on being able to hold a fast, or moderate pace for a medium distance.  It is very similar to lactate threshold training.  the total distance here is anywhere from 5 miles to 10 miles depending on the race distance.

 KEY RUN #3- Long Slow Distance.  Here is where you work on the mental endurance needed for your race.

 Being a runner myself as you know, I have tried these programs and love them.  I truly feel like my running has greatly improved by following the 3 day program. 

When I started training for my first marathon in 2001, I was running 6 days perweek and logging an insane amount of miles.  I even ran the full distance 4 weeks before the race, and believe me I will never do that again. 

Anyways, my point here is that I was overtraining in a bad way.  The FIRST programs allow your body to recover between runs.  I do think the distance runs on day three are longer than they need to be, but I just back the distance down a bit and the whole thing works great.  The programs may be a little aggrssive for beginning runners, but I highly recommend their site and programs to any seasoned runner. 

Look them up and tell me what you think.  

    If you have been watch the news you may have caught this headline about A radical new fitness program suggested by Jim Karas in his new book, “The Cardio-Free Diet.”

I just have to ask, “is this guy for real?”  So I looked up his website to find out where he is coming from by making such an outlandish statement. 

Turns out that he is an Ivy Leaguer, graduating from the Wharton School of BUSINESS.  That’s right, BUSINESS.  No exercise physiology degree or health related degree at all.  

He is taughted as a celebrity fitness expert and trainer, but I failed to find a personal training certification of any kind, even a bad one

This guy has some guts to go head to head with established experts in the field of health and exercise science and make comments like, “It(cardio) kills your weight loss plan, your joints, your internal organs and immune system, your body composition, your time and, most of all, your motivation to stay committed to losing weight.”

What is he basing this knowledge on?  killing joints?  What joints?  killing internal organs?  Which internal organs?  I could not find the answers to these questions or a solid explanation of why cardio is bad for weight loss other than that it increases your appetite. 

Honestly, hunger and appetite are driven by a lot of factors.  Things like how long and what you ate before beginning the workout.  how long you are spending doing the workout, stress level, medication, etc. and etc.  to make a blanket statement that cardio increses your appetite is ridiculous.

I integrate both cardio and strength training into my workout regimen but I find no difference in appetite between the two.  I always make sure to eat adequately before and after.

I do agree with him in that strength training needs to be a part of any sound weight loss program.  You may refer back to my earlier posts about how “A Little Muscle Goes a Long Way (parts 1 and 2).

However, I cannot give very much credit to some guy with a business degree and no fitness certification who tells me that cardio is a waste of my time with no real scientific evidence to back up his view. 

I will be honest and say that even though I don’t know everything, I do know that cardiovascular exercise is good for you, good for your heart, and almost every organ in your body.  And it will help you lose weight!  The ultimate key to any kind of weight loss is to reduce caloric intake and increase caloric expenditure regardless of the type of activity.

   In another post I will explain the weight loss benefits of cardio vs strength training  so be on the lookout.