Jump n Pump

When's the last time you picked up a jump rope?
You were probably a child the last time you enjoyed a jump rope.  I was just like you until just over two years ago at the gym when i was put in my place.  As a fitness professional i see some cool things at the gym on a daily basis.  I also see some pretty awful things going on as well.

Wandering around the gym I saw some women jumping rope.  Intrigued I walked up and watched for a moment.  A few minutes past and she didn't stop, she actually started doing some moves I'd never seen before.  When I opened the door to talk to her I noticed it was none other than Ruthie, our juice bar manager, doing her thing.  You would NEVER think a middle-aged women who didn't look like she was in great shape would be doing; crosses, doubles-unders, backwards double crosses, and so on!!!

That's how my jump rope fitness started....

The Workout Enigma

Recently, researchers in Finland made the discovery that some people’s bodies do not respond as expected to weight training, others don’t respond to endurance exercise and, in some lamentable cases, some don’t respond to either. In other words, there are those who just do not become fitter or stronger, no matter what exercise they undertake. To reach this conclusion, the researchers enrolled 175 sedentary adults in a 21-week exercise program. Some lifted weights twice a week. Others jogged or walked. Some did both. Before and after the program, the volunteers’ fitness and muscular strength were assessed. At the end of the 21 weeks, the results, published earlier this year in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, were mixed. In the combined strength-and-endurance-exercise program, the volunteers’ physiological improvement ranged from a negative 8 percent (meaning they became 8 percent less fit) to a positive 42 percent. The results were similar in the groups that undertook only strength or only endurance training. Some improved their strength enormously, some not at all. Others became aerobically fitter but not stronger, while still others showed no improvements in either area. Only a fortunate few became both fitter and more buff. As the researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla wrote with some understatement, “large individual differences” exist “in the responses to both endurance and strength training.”

Hidden away in the results of almost any study of exercise programs is the fact that some people do not respond at all, while others respond at an unusually high rate. Averaged, the results may suggest that a certain exercise program reliably will produce certain results — that jogging, say, three times a week for a month will improve VO2max (maximal oxygen capacity) or reduce blood pressure; and for almost any given group of exercisers, those results are likely to hold true. But for outliers, the impacts can be quite different. Their VO2max won’t budge, or it will fall, or it will soar.
The implications of such wide variety in response are huge. In looking at the population as a whole, writes Jamie Timmons, a professor of systems biology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, in a review article published last month in The Journal of Applied Physiology, the findings suggest that “there will be millions of humans that cannot improve their aerobic capacity or their insulin sensitivity, nor reduce their blood pressure” through standard exercise.

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But what is it about one person’s body that allows it to react so vigorously to exercise, while for others the reaction is puny at best? One answer, to no one’s surprise, would seem to be genetics, although the actual mechanisms involved are complex, as a recent study by Dr. Timmons and others underscored. In that work, researchers accurately predicted who would respond most to endurance exercise training based on the expression levels of 29 different genes in their muscles before the start of the training. Those 29 genes are not necessarily directly associated with exercise response. They seem to have more to do with the development of new blood vessels in muscles; they may or may not have initiated the response to exercise. Scientists just don’t know yet.
In other words, this issue is as intricate as the body itself. There is a collection of compelling data that indicate that about half of our aerobic capacity “is genetic,” Dr. Timmons wrote in an e-mail. “The rest may be diet,” or it could be a result of epigenetics, a complicated process in which the environment (including where you live and what you eat) affects how and when genes are activated. “Or it could be other factors,” he said. Although fewer studies have examined why people respond so variously to strength training, “we have no reason to doubt,” he said, that genetics play a similar role.
But none of this means that if you once took up jogging or weight lifting and didn’t respond, you should take to the couch. It may be that a different exercise regimen would prompt beneficial reactions from your particular genome and physiology, Dr. Timmons said. (Although scientists still have a long way to go before they can say, definitively, who needs what exercise, based on genetic and other differences.) In the meantime, Dr. Timmons stressed, even low responders should continue to sweat. Just as scientists don’t yet understand the complicated underpinnings of the body’s response to exercise, they also don’t necessarily understand the full range of exercise’s impacts. Even if you do not increase your VO2max, Dr. Timmons said, you are likely to be deriving other benefits, both big and small, from working out. Exercise does still remain, “on average,” he said, “one of the best ‘health’ treatments we have.”

via NYtimes.com

Here's my take:
Interesting article, however, I would have assumed that would happen.  It's nearly impossible to monitor nutrition and hard to get people to push themselves.  Most of what this study shows is there is a vast difference in will-power.  For example, if i workout just twice a week lifting weights or endurance training according to ACSM I wont see positive change at all.  In my case I'd decline my fitness level rapidly.  For a sedentary person they may improve, but they may also not want to push themselves since they aren't accustomed to doing so, nor want to.

Did this study take into account; exercise history, medical history, age, desire for positive change, nutrition, injuries???

Just food for thought.

The dark side of caffeine and alcohol

By Amanda Gardner

 

TUESDAY, November 16 (Health.com) — Caffeinated alcoholic beverages such as Four Loko have come under fire from lawmakers and public health officials in recent weeks, following reports of hospitalizations and even some deaths tied to the potent drinks.
Now, a new study suggests that combining caffeine and alcohol can pose a risk to young people even when the substances aren’t mixed in the same can or cup. College students who consume nonalcoholic energy drinks such as Red Bull at least once a week are more than twice as likely as their peers to show signs of alcohol dependence, including withdrawal symptoms and an inability to cut back on drinking, according to the study.
“The odds were fairly strong, especially when you look at the dose of energy drink used,” says the lead researcher, Amelia Arria, PhD, director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, in College Park.
The study, which appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, was based on interviews with about 1,100 college seniors. The findings do not show cause and effect, and it’s unclear whether energy-drink consumption is directly linked to alcohol problems.

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For instance, students who spend a lot of time partying may simply be more likely to resort to energy drinks to help them pull all-nighters and cram for tests, the researchers say. On the other hand, energy-drink consumption could be a more immediate symptom of alcohol problems—if a student often drinks Red Bull in the morning to shake off hangovers, say.
Another possibility is that energy drinks actively contribute to problem drinking. If mixed with alcohol—a common practice among college students—caffeine-laden energy drinks can prolong drinking sessions and mask the feeling of drunkenness, potentially raising the risk for dangerous binges and behavior. (This has been the main concern with caffeinated alcoholic beverages, including Four Loko.)
“Caffeine keeps you awake but just as impaired,” Arria says. “You may feel as if you can get into a car or play a risky game. That’s why this feeling of wide awake drunkenness is more dangerous.”
A similar dynamic can exacerbate alcohol problems over the long term, says Jeffrey Parsons, PhD, a professor of psychology and public health at Hunter College, in New York City. Consuming energy drinks “masks the extent of the drinking in such a way that it can sneak up on people,” he says. “They don’t realize that they’re developing the problematic patterns that are characteristic of alcohol abuse and dependence.”
Nearly two-thirds of the students in the study reported having an energy drink in the past year, and just over half said they consumed the drinks about once a month or less. About 10% of the students consumed the drinks weekly, and roughly 3% did so daily, or almost daily. Red Bull was the most popular drink.
Compared to those who consumed energy drinks rarely or not at all, students who consumed them at least once a week drank alcohol more frequently and in greater amounts, on average. They were also more likely to experience blackouts, skip class or other activities due to hangovers, be involved in a fraternity or sorority, and meet the criteria for alcohol dependence.
The researchers took into account a number of other student characteristics, including sex, race, socioeconomic status, depression symptoms, and total alcohol consumption. Factors such as depression were associated with alcohol problems, as expected, but energy-drink consumption was independently linked to alcohol dependence even after controlling for all risk factors.

Challenge

When is the last time you really challenged yourself?
Pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone?

With the New Year approaching quickly can you set out to do something you haven't done before?

My challenge comes in adding a new hobby to my existing ones.  I'm going to take some time away from my workouts and DJ'ing to do something I've never done, but have always wanted to do.  What is that exactly?

You'll have to wait to the New Year to find out, but my question to you is what are you going to do?

Weeks End

Take a minute to reflect on your week; your high, lows, and everything in between. Is there something great you accomplished this week, or left on the back-burner for another day? Don't fret, just plan ahead!

"Failing to plan is planning to fail"

...Can you make a short, doable list for this coming week?
Need help to get started?

The 3 R's for your body this weekend - Respect, Rest, Recover

"Healthy mind in a healthy body. You’ve worked and worked out really hard this week but also clogged your mind and body with lactic acid and stressful thoughts. Have a relaxation party this weekend and do nothing, which can have wondrous health benefits!"

 From Fitness Guru Angie Lee

 

Stress Management

Article written by, Dr. Richard Palmquist

In 1981, I sat quietly at the table in our favorite hangout bar in Fort Collins, Colorado, the blonde across the table smiled. My heart sped, the blood vessels in my face dilated and a feeling of warmth filled my whole body. I didn't know it then, but the woman across from me would eventually become my wife. Remembering that day still makes me smile and flush. My office manager thinks it's cool that I light up when she drops by our office for a quick visit even though we have been married three decades.

Romance is fun, but this story makes me acutely aware of how subtle changes can have powerful effects in our body, mind and spirit. Sometimes, a very delicate communication is far more powerful than a much more forceful one. We see this in dosing herbs, homeopathics and drugs, as well as in our relationships with other people and animals.

This really isn't a surprise. The body works naturally on very small levels of chemical mediators. Here are a few of those:

1. A tiny amount of thyroid hormone brings about vast changes in the condition of the tissues. A small fluctuation in blood sugar changes the actions of the pancreas as it secretes insulin to regulate the uptake and usage of sugar.
2. When one of the body's immune cells -- called a macrophage -- ingests a foreign protein, it secretes a few molecules of powerful substances known as cytokines. Cytokines act as communication particles which direct a host of immune responses. A storm of cytokines can kill a patient rapidly. A few of them direct and bring about healing.
3. A single tiny puncture of the intercellular matrix triggers an instantaneous response involving the entire body. That tiny reaction rapidly amplifies into the response that is one reason why acupuncture works in assisting healing.
4. The miniscule alteration in electrical potential leads to cellular electrical changes that allow the immune system to function, the heart to beat, the brain and nervous system to function, and as Huffington Post blogger Dana Ullman recently wrote, modern science is just beginning to discover how to measure and research how subtle energies are part of the normal functioning of our bodies. Without these subtle energies the entire body may not function optimally. And we can use this information to create health and support healing.
5. By simply shining a red light on a small spot of skin can bring about changes in blood supply and cellular repairs. Fibroblasts move and change their action quickly when exposed to pulsing light. Those photons from the light cause effects that no drugs can.

In medicine we frequently get caught up in the fancy machinery and powerful drug therapies, but we should always remember that health and healing begin with gentle, subtle energies, communication and control systems that work on very small changes. This is more than philosophical. It's life-saving. Let's look at emotions for a minute. The word "emotion" means energy in motion. Our emotions reflect our thoughts and intentions. Our animals are very perceptive of the emotional states of those around them. Dogs, as pack animals, will mirror our emotional content as they normally would mimic the emotional response of their pack leader. That means if we are happy then they tend to reflect that emotion. That is creating health. When my wife to-be smiled at me in that bar, a host of physiological changes took place. This happens when any one smiles at us and we see them and smile back. Happiness makes our immune systems work better, and it does the same thing for our pets. Chronic fear, grief, anger and stress makes our immune cells less effective. When a body is stressed it releases cortisone. This hormone assists the body initially by increasing sugar levels and allowing the body to live under difficult circumstances. If the stress lasts too long then the cortisone suppresses the immune system, damages the gastrointestinal lining, makes the body less responsive to other hormones like insulin, and blocks the body from being able to cycle through its normal fluctuations of acid and gel phases. A stressed body cannot heal optimally. It cannot repair properly. Such a body ages prematurely, but if we diminish the stress, reduce the fear, increase our understanding, improve the communication and take other steps toward addressing the correct cause of the stress, then the body can begin to manifest its normal care, control and repair systems. I've seen clients who are constantly terrified that their pets will get sick. These people continually worry and every time they look at their pet, they get nervous and fearful. The pet can become stressed by this behavior and because it is stressed, its hormonal pattern changes and it can become ill. In many of these cases simply informing the owners of the fact that their pets mirror their behavior can lead to rapid improvement in the pet's condition. That knowledge leads them to awareness of how their actions can positively affect their pet's health. It is empowering to know you can do things or stop doing things to create healthier conditions.
Here are some simple ways to handle stress in our lives:

• Associate with people who help us live better, understand things more clearly and who don't sell things that depend upon our fear but rather on our improved awareness and ability.
• Search for data that supports the natural, biological mechanisms of the body. Things that are toxic or suppressive may have therapeutic use, but healing comes from cooperating with biology, not by fighting it.
• Stress is part of life, but be aware of your emotional state and the fact that you can change it by choice. If you find yourself afraid or worried, seek out correct information and understand the area more completely. Relax and smile joyfully for your breath and then once you note your breathing, then proceed with whatever you are working on.
• Realize that the larger part of damage from stress comes from feeling there is nothing you can do about a situation. This is rarely true, so if you are stressed smile and state, "I will learn more about this and take steps to improve the condition." The moment you stop worrying and begin acting effectively your stress levels begin to fall, and your chances of being effective increase.
• Separate your emotions from outcomes. Be happy because you are alive. Be happier when you are moving towards your goals but realize that your goals are not you, but rather the results of your decisions and actions. These can always be adjusted to improve your survival potential.
• Connect with others spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Take those connections as your most valuable and cherished treasure. You are never alone if you have these connections. There is a reason that those who pray experience less stress. Spiritual health creates ease and relieves "dis-ease" (dis-ease -- meaning "not at ease."). Many of my clients find this simple prayer is helpful in reducing stress. Simply ask, intend or command, "Divine Intent Manifest," then relax and see what happens.

And that all begins with a smile, a caring, healing touch, a gentle conversation that effectively conveys how the body works, how powerful and amazing life's systems of repair truly are and a realization that we can do simple things to improve health. And simply realizing that there is SOMETHING that can be done actually reduces stress and helps us transition from stress and anxiety to more constructive emotions and actions.
If we seek truth we find healing. Bodies like that. So do I.