Thursday, February 18, 2010
Oprah Comes up Lame-
Friday, February 5, 2010
Super Bowl Deaths -
Special advisory for ISPA professionals to use for their clients and to disseminate in their communities:
You have undoubtedly noticed that I love the New York Times. I found another valuable piece of information in that paper in one of my favorite sections, Science Times. In the Feb. 4, 2010 edition of the NYT, reporter Anahad O’Connor wrote about studies that showed the increase in deaths and cardiac emergencies during Super Bowl Sunday. It appears as though the extra stress of this highly emotionally charged event places additional stress on those already at risk for cardiac incidents. Couple this extra stress with the traditional over-indulgence in eating and drinking and you have a recipe for disaster.
I would suggest that the responsible professional urges caution to all their clients and to their communities during this high risk day/weekend. Please pass along the message to those you encounter in your professional practice to exercise caution in their enjoyment of this sporting event. I am treating this weekend as I would the upcoming prom weekends each spring. I am passing along the message to everyone to celebrate and enjoy this event responsibly. Please help spread the word and save lives.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Burning Fat in Winter Workouts -
Burning Fat in Winter Workouts
I researched a great tip to pass on to your clients:
The age-old question is, ‘Do we burn more fat exercising outdoors in colder weather or in hotter weather?’ I have heard professionals banter back and forth on this issue for as long as I been a gym rat. During this brutal Midwestern winter I decided to do some research on this and I gave up with the definitive answer. I found the definitive study on this in the journal, Sports Medicine1991 issue. The study was conducted at the Naval Medical Research Institute. They found that fat metabolism was actually slowed down in cold weather. They hypothesized that the slow down in metabolism could be linked to the constriction of blood vessels in the peripheral fatty tissues when exercise is done in the cold. The study also found interesting results on breathing outside. (Don’t we all feel that are breathing is so much deeper and cleaner when we run in the cold weather?) They found that indeed, upon initial contact with cold weather the volume of air inhaled and exhaled in the first minute is higher but soon after continuing to exercise (run) in the cold it returns to rates comparable to what it is when we exercise (run) in warm weather. (Hmmmmm……) They also found that heart rate is generally lower in cold weather exercise.
This is great information to pass onto clients at all levels when they ask this question of you. Now you have the definitive response and the research to cite. Run with it. (Excuse the pun.)