exercise
A Cold
05/21/09 10:13 PM Filed in: Humor/Random
I’ve had a cold for the last week or so. It has moved from a sore throat to a cough to major sinus congestion to my chest to a stuffy nose. Well, the last few days, especially during sleeping, I am coughing a lot. While this is no fun, I’ve discovered that having a heavy cough is a great ab work out!
My abs are sore. My abs are tender. Maybe I’m coughing with poor form or something, but I use my abs each time I cough, so it is like doing 30 crunches every hour for an entire day. Blah!
Suggestion: next time you don’t feel like doing abs, just get a cough and you’ll be forced to do ‘em
My abs are sore. My abs are tender. Maybe I’m coughing with poor form or something, but I use my abs each time I cough, so it is like doing 30 crunches every hour for an entire day. Blah!
Suggestion: next time you don’t feel like doing abs, just get a cough and you’ll be forced to do ‘em
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Above the Neck
I thought this blog post from Fitness magazines senior editor, Bethany Gumper, was a good thought on whether or not to work out when ill. She says that if your symptoms are “above the neck” then it is typically okay to work-out. I like this terminology.
Typically, if I think I can at least walk for a bit, I almost always feel better having worked-out than not. If I’m sick with something other than a cold, I think it is wise to rest until your body can catch up.
I first heard about this post from Twitter.
Typically, if I think I can at least walk for a bit, I almost always feel better having worked-out than not. If I’m sick with something other than a cold, I think it is wise to rest until your body can catch up.
I first heard about this post from Twitter.
Pulldown Jerk
04/06/09 02:26 PM Filed in: Strength
While at the gym today I noticed something that I talk about in The Fat Trainer. A man was doing a lat pulldown exercise and was using such poor form. For starters, he had too much weight on the weight stack. Because of this excess weight, he used jerking motions to pull the weight down. He was pulling the bar down in front of his face, but could barely reach the top of his head.
Proper form for a lat pulldown:
You can apply most of these suggestions to most of your exercises. Get with a trainer for best results.
Proper form for a lat pulldown:
- Sit tall and align your neck with your spine. You may lean back slightly.
- Grasp the bar just past shoulder width apart.
- While keeping your body steady, lower the weight from full extension to just below the level of your chin.
- Return the weight at a controlled rate to the starting position.
- Avoid rocking, jerking or bouncing the weight.
You can apply most of these suggestions to most of your exercises. Get with a trainer for best results.
Vacation Thoughts
03/24/09 12:01 PM Filed in: Personal
Well, our wonderful vacation has finally come to an end and we’re now back home. We had a lot of fun. Disney does a lot of things right in terms of marketing, customer service, expectation management, etc. They have things set up down there to make money and lots of it. Oh, and they do provide a fun and memorable experience too.
If you care to hear, here are some of my observations from the trip.
Disney does not provide adequate sidewalks between resorts. For the very few people that would be interested in walking or cycling between the parks or hotels, there isn’t much to do besides be on the roads. As Disney becomes more health conscious and green, perhaps they will add bicycle rental to their transportation options. (Hey, it’d be another revenue stream (if anyone used it)).
While the food in the parks (and everywhere on Disney property) is very expensive, so I appreciate Disney’s open door policy when it comes to bringing in outside food and drinks.
Our hotel (All Star Sports) had no weight or exercise room, while I don’t blame them, it would have been nice. It is my understanding that the more expensive resorts have better exercise options.
Pool hours were until midnight. This didn’t matter to us, but as a child it always made me sad that hotel pools weren’t open later. This is a plus for Disney.
Allegedly, Disney has been working on improving the healthiness of their children’s menu’s. Kids can still have soda and fries as an option, but apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks and the like are commonly the standard side items for kids meals.
Maybe I’ll voice some of my gripes about the Southwest Air flights we used at a later time.
While there are certainly less expensive places to vacation, Walt Disney World provides a great time to spend with those you love. If you haven’t been, I recommend going.
If you care to hear, here are some of my observations from the trip.
Disney does not provide adequate sidewalks between resorts. For the very few people that would be interested in walking or cycling between the parks or hotels, there isn’t much to do besides be on the roads. As Disney becomes more health conscious and green, perhaps they will add bicycle rental to their transportation options. (Hey, it’d be another revenue stream (if anyone used it)).
While the food in the parks (and everywhere on Disney property) is very expensive, so I appreciate Disney’s open door policy when it comes to bringing in outside food and drinks.
Our hotel (All Star Sports) had no weight or exercise room, while I don’t blame them, it would have been nice. It is my understanding that the more expensive resorts have better exercise options.
Pool hours were until midnight. This didn’t matter to us, but as a child it always made me sad that hotel pools weren’t open later. This is a plus for Disney.
Allegedly, Disney has been working on improving the healthiness of their children’s menu’s. Kids can still have soda and fries as an option, but apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks and the like are commonly the standard side items for kids meals.
Maybe I’ll voice some of my gripes about the Southwest Air flights we used at a later time.
While there are certainly less expensive places to vacation, Walt Disney World provides a great time to spend with those you love. If you haven’t been, I recommend going.
Disney Fitness
I am at the happiest place on earth for the week with my wife and her family. It has been, and promises to be, a lot of fun. I’ve been here before, but have never stayed on Disney property. We are at the All Star Sports Resort and it is a fun hotel....but that’s not what I want to talk about.
Here are some tips we just used that you should try on your next vacation:
1. Keep exercising.
I know I’m on “vacation” but my body still needs at least some maintenance. The hotel doesn’t have a weight or fitness room, so I’m left to body weight exercises and running.
The resort claims they have a “jogging trail,” which sounded really cool when I read about it before I came. Turns out - it is just a sidewalk along the side of the road. Nevertheless, it works, and is still a nice change of scenery.
A lot of people consider all of the walking around the parks as their exercise, and while I don’t disagree that it is exercise, I find that running in the morning gives me a little extra energy to get through the day. I did a 4-5 mile run the first morning here and a 5-6 mile run this morning. My legs are tired, but I also know, I’ve done my cardio for the day (at an elevated heart rate). It also helps me counteract any excess calories I may consume from bounteous food options.
2. Bring and wear a CamelBak.
[To be fair, my “camelbak” is actually made by Trek]. Especially since Orlando is almost always warm or hot, proper hydration is vital. One really nice thing about Disney, is the ability to bring your own food. Since you can bring as much food and water as you can carry, you might as well as have it all on your back at easy access.
3. Share a meal with your mate.
We went to the Rainforest Cafe yesterday. This is a fun restaurant. To save money and calories, my wife and I ordered one meal and two plates. We saved a bunch, ate really well, and were satisfied. (We got grilled salmon w/ mango sauce and coconut shrimp with a lettuce salad (italian dressing)).
By sharing the plate, we saved at least $25 and didn’t eat more food than we needed (we were both satisfied with the portions we ate.) This kind of activity can be super useful if you’re trying to be fit and watch your wallet.
p.s. I did a report on genericide in grad school - CamelBak is a good example of it.
Here are some tips we just used that you should try on your next vacation:
1. Keep exercising.
I know I’m on “vacation” but my body still needs at least some maintenance. The hotel doesn’t have a weight or fitness room, so I’m left to body weight exercises and running.
The resort claims they have a “jogging trail,” which sounded really cool when I read about it before I came. Turns out - it is just a sidewalk along the side of the road. Nevertheless, it works, and is still a nice change of scenery.
A lot of people consider all of the walking around the parks as their exercise, and while I don’t disagree that it is exercise, I find that running in the morning gives me a little extra energy to get through the day. I did a 4-5 mile run the first morning here and a 5-6 mile run this morning. My legs are tired, but I also know, I’ve done my cardio for the day (at an elevated heart rate). It also helps me counteract any excess calories I may consume from bounteous food options.
2. Bring and wear a CamelBak.
[To be fair, my “camelbak” is actually made by Trek]. Especially since Orlando is almost always warm or hot, proper hydration is vital. One really nice thing about Disney, is the ability to bring your own food. Since you can bring as much food and water as you can carry, you might as well as have it all on your back at easy access.
3. Share a meal with your mate.
We went to the Rainforest Cafe yesterday. This is a fun restaurant. To save money and calories, my wife and I ordered one meal and two plates. We saved a bunch, ate really well, and were satisfied. (We got grilled salmon w/ mango sauce and coconut shrimp with a lettuce salad (italian dressing)).
By sharing the plate, we saved at least $25 and didn’t eat more food than we needed (we were both satisfied with the portions we ate.) This kind of activity can be super useful if you’re trying to be fit and watch your wallet.
p.s. I did a report on genericide in grad school - CamelBak is a good example of it.
Off Kilter
03/09/09 11:00 PM Filed in: Personal
Ever have a couple crappy days where you just feel off?
Well, while my spirits were fine - my body just felt a little off kilter Sunday and Monday. I think it just happens from time to time, but I also think my dinner (not that tasty and greasy pizza and cookies) from Saturday night, played into it. We were watching my nieces and nephews and we treated them to a take-n-bake pizza. There were some cookies and we had a good time playing with them.
But afterward, both my wife and I just felt ‘blahish’. So anyway, it just felt good to get to the gym tonight and get back on track. I feel so much better now that I kinda got to restart my system. Add rebounding from off-kilterness to the list of reasons to exercise.
p.s. I just looked up the definition of kilter:
“out of harmony or balance : daylight savings throws everybody’s body clock out of kilter.”
I thought that was kind of coincidental
Well, while my spirits were fine - my body just felt a little off kilter Sunday and Monday. I think it just happens from time to time, but I also think my dinner (not that tasty and greasy pizza and cookies) from Saturday night, played into it. We were watching my nieces and nephews and we treated them to a take-n-bake pizza. There were some cookies and we had a good time playing with them.
But afterward, both my wife and I just felt ‘blahish’. So anyway, it just felt good to get to the gym tonight and get back on track. I feel so much better now that I kinda got to restart my system. Add rebounding from off-kilterness to the list of reasons to exercise.
p.s. I just looked up the definition of kilter:
“out of harmony or balance : daylight savings throws everybody’s body clock out of kilter.”
I thought that was kind of coincidental