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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Barefoot Training

Why barefoot training?

Basically because shoes destroy your body. I know that's a harsh statement, however If you don't believe me just walk around barefoot for a while and tell me what you discover. The key word here is "discover", so I'm not asking you to be mindless about being barefoot, I'm suggesting that you heighten your awareness of how your body feels. I know for me it changed the way I move and healed all sorts of pain.

I remember many times over the past 30 years of lifting weights in the gym with running shoes and not understanding why my back, knees, hips, and neck were always in pain. For example, one day while on vacation in Ocean City, MD in 2005 I was doing barbell squats with heavy weights and hurt my right knee (which still bothers me sometimes). What had happened was my posture was out of alignment because I was wearing a brand new pair of high end running shoes with a thick cushion on the heal. The elevation threw off my posture, which put pressure on the bottom of my knee cap and obviously strained something.

This is just one example of so many I can provide for myself and my clients. The bottom line is that I feel the body functions much better without shoes. When I began Tae Kwon Do in 1984 we did not wear shoes. It felt great to feel the earth connection while moving the body through the various kicks, stances, and strikes.

At my studio where I teach kettlebells and also train clients using TRX, sandbags, battling ropes, and body weight we do not wear shoes for any of the training unless we go outside."Rooting" or "grounding" are a big part of martial arts and Kettlebell Training.

What if the kettlebell falls on your foot?

Unless you have steel shoes it does not matter. Besides I have never seen anybody drop a kettlebell on their foot. This is why the safety, awareness, and mindfulness come into the equation. Seriously, not only is is a bad idea to wear any shoes that have a thick cushion for kettlebell training, you also don't want to be training with a kettlebell instructor who does not educate you on how to use them properly. Besides if all you think about is the kettlebell falling on your foot is probably will. Thoughts should be on lifting the weight.

Benefits of barefoot TRX and Kettlebell Training:

* Grounding or Rooting of your energy - watch this video.

* Heightened Awareness of the body

* Posture Alignment to prevent injury to all joints

* Agility and being able to move more freely

* Mobility and expansion of the hips

* Decrease of joint pain

* Enhanced movement patterns

* More flexibility

* Increase of energy

* Increase of strength and power

* Able to leap tall building in a single bound - I actually do have this dream quit often.

* Here is a more in depth article Kettlebells and Barefoot Training

Other movement systems that train barefoot:

* Bodybuilders and powerlifters- Take a look at the pictures from the bodybuilders on 60's and 70's and they train barefoot. Watch the movie Pumping Iron and you see it there as well

* Martial Arts

* Yoga, Pilates, Gymnastics, swimming...

* I'm sure there are many more - please list others in the comments section below

Running Barefoot

I am not a runner so I am going to leave this to the experts or anybody who wants to leave a comment about this.

Dale Buchanan
Certified T'ai Chi Chih Teacher
Certified Seijaku Teacher
Fitness and Wellness Specialist

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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Circular Strength Training - A Complete Exercise System

Circular Strength Training (CST) combines modern science with ancient training methods to create a system that meets people at their current level of strength. Scott Sonnon created CST to develop a health first exercise system that trains people to be movement specialists. CST covers three main areas: joint health and mobility, compensating yoga sequences, and resistance training with Clubbells. The great thing about CST is that it is scalable to the individual's skill and level of training.

CST is a health first training system that uses incremental progression. The person's ability and strength set the pace and as they regain mobility and increase strength so increases the challenge of the program. This increasing sophistication allows the challenge of CST to evolve with the individual which keeps the program from getting boring as it continually pushes the individual's limits.

The first area of the system is joint mobility which is addressed by combining specific drills into movement sequences. This provides needed nutrition to the joints which speeds recovery. Search for Intu-Flow on YouTube for demonstrations of the drills. The second area is Prasara Yoga which provides compensation for the individual's training or just the strain of daily living. The third area is progressive resistance which is done by using the Clubbell. Scott Sonnon took the oldest fitness tool, the club, and training methods from ancient Russia, Persia, and India to develop swinging patterns done using the Clubbell. The torque from swinging the Clubbell strengthens both the muscle and connective tissue of the associated joints. These three areas create the system but the individual's goals are set by using a unique Training Hierarchy Pyramid created by Scott Sonnon.

The Training Hierarchy Pyramid (THP) which CST is built upon, develops stages to address the individual's current state compared to their goal state. Think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Need, but for training. The four stages or levels, starting from the bottom of the pyramid are General Preparedness, Specific Physical Preparedness, Activity Specific Preparedness, and at the top is Mental and Emotional Preparedness. These four levels allow the individual to develop a path to achieving their goals. The first level creates work capacity and strengthens deficits in mobility. The second level creates sophistication of movement and increases range of motion. The third level focuses on the specific activity by morphing training into practice. It also shifts from volume of exercises to quality or sophistication of exercises. The final level develops the mental fortitude. Working through the THP improves the person's skill acquisition, allows them to break personal records or just get back their health.

THP provides the framework for the training but the Fitness Value Hierarchy of CST provides the five priorities. From first to last, the priorities are Health, Mobility, Function, Attributes, and Physique. CST places health as the top priority and you can see that physique is last. As the individual works through the system, physique is almost a by-product. The health first priority is exemplified in the four day pattern of the routines, which revolve around a rest day, recovery day, moderate intensity day, and high intensity day.

CST provides a system to cover every aspect of an individual's health, fitness, and sports performance. The most important thing for me is that you don't get bored with the program as it has such variety.

For more information on CST visit richardshealthmusings.com richardshealthmusings.com/

Richard is a health and fitness blogger. Richard focuses on systems that will improve his quality of life, but also provide the most bang for the buck! He has been involved in weight training and athletics for over 15 years and has also been practing yoga for the last 10 years.

Home Gym - Using It To Full Potential

You have you home gym set up. You are ready to use it. Now, you want to have effective workouts. You want to reach your goals, just like you would have in the community gym. The good news is, you can and will. Get your exercise program together. Then go for it. At your personal gym, there is no waiting. You can just hop from one exercise to the next. Get a rhythmic flow to your workout. Rest the same amount of time between each set. This is good for adding on muscle, and also has cardiovascular benefits. This is often a challenge in the community gym, where you may have to wait to get on with the next exercise on your agenda.

Intensity is something you will use at the home gym. Intensity is affected by time under tension. Intensity is the amount of time a particular muscle group is required to contract. The longer you take in performing a repetition, the more intense it is. A slower 6 second repetition puts the muscles under more tension than a 3 second repetition of the same exercise using the same amount of weight. The results yield larger, more powerful muscles. So, if you think you do not have enough weight to perform a particular exercise, use what you have. Use it more intensely. You will not be disappointed with the results.

The negative motion of the exercise is important. Many people neglect this part of the exercise. You do not want to neglect it. You want to use it to your advantage. Studies have shown that using the negative and positive parts of an exercise has positive effects on the muscles and body parts being used. There is increased strength. Better overall fitness is shown. And increased energy has bee shown in individuals using this technique compared with those only focusing on the positive motion. This is better for your joints. Since your exerting energy in both directions, the tendons and ligaments, and the muscles connecting in the joint, become stronger. This reduces your chance of injury.

Exactly, what is the negative motion of and exercise? In the bench press or any press, it would the motion toward the body. On the lat machine, it would be the machine pulling away form the body. In curling, the motion downward, away from your shoulders would be the negative motion. Every exercise has a negative motion connected with it. Accentuate the positive motion. Also give attention to the negative motion. Do not just let your arms fall. Slowly, lower them. Struggle against the force of gravity. This will make you stronger and your joints less prone to injury. Such injuries could be a muscle tear or pull, tendon or ligament tears or pulls, or even a pinched nerve.

And if you think you may have injured something. Stop. Ice it, immediately. Keep it iced for 20 minutes. If it does not feel better, do not exercise the body part for two or three weeks. During this time, ice it every 4 to 6 hours, for a while. Taper it off to once daily as you are feeling better. When you go back to training that part of your body, start light and slow. Again, ice it after your workout. Professional baseball pitchers ice their arms between inning in the dugout.

Work out hard and smart. Gain muscle. Lose fat. Stay healthy and achieve your personal goals.

Written by John Markus at [feelmorelife.com] John had been a pharmacist for 33 years. His wife has type I diabetes. Also, his eight year old granddaughter has diabetes. He and his family have been dealing with these type of problems for a long time. Tough at times, but successfully in end. John has also been a student of exercise, and their effects on the body, and medical conditions affecting the body for over 30 years.

Staying Fit on the Road

As a frequent traveler, I know there can be a lot to think about when you are preparing to hit the road again. A little planning can go a long way and keep your exercise program active. It has got quite a bit easier over the years to do this, whether what is necessary during the time away from home is cardio, resistance training or stretching. Most hotels have a fitness room, but you still have to pack right to take advantage of it. Also, just in case you end up not wanting to leave your room, it is good to have the necessary accessories so that you can still get exercise in. You are likely going to want to be extremely efficient about your time while on the road. Furthermore, packing in-room exercise gear gives you options.

As for travel-ready exercise gear, there are items to support all 3 categories of exercise. For cardio, there's the jump rope. The problem with jump ropes is the overhead clearance required for swinging the rope! In many hotel rooms, you'll get about one jump in and then the rope bangs the ceiling (or something on the periphery). Nonetheless, it's a worthwhile option and you can always head into an open area like the hallway to do it. This is one cardio exercise you can do without bringing your sneakers, which takes up valuable packing room if you don't wear them in transit. I wouldn't attempt running or using hotel gym cardio equipment without sneakers. A little warning, however... If you have not jumped rope ever (or in a long time), 5 minutes will feel like a long time! You'll want to stretch this out by alternating rest and jumping. Oh well, as long as you bring sneakers, shorts and a t-shirt, the better option is the hotel gym's cardio equipment. Those so inclined and in an acceptable area (and weather) for it, can also hit the road for their cardio. Often the hotel staff can recommend a route.

For stretching, it's easy enough to bring a yoga DVD and play it through your laptop. Here's one. Many yoga videos combine stretching, cardio and resistance training as well so you're getting all three in one. You need no other equipment. You don't even need to pack shorts - just wear your pajamas. Also, DVDs can pack up to a couple hours of sessions, so you can pick and choose segments according to your energy, need and time allotment.

Resistance training is usually as easy as hitting the hotel gym although many hotel gyms have only cardio or just a few dumbbells. Using a travel band, like this one, allows you to at least do some resistance training in your room. You hook these to a leg of the bed or something heavy and pull away in all directions. I've been quite creative with this when the bed isn't bolted down. Last time, I had the ironing board wedged between a closet door and a dresser and the band stretched around it. It wasn't elegant, but hey...

As for timing of exercise, I know many are morning people, but do not care to go to a public hotel gym without showering first and since this will create 2 showers in the morning, it doesn't happen. Well, first, I would say not to worry about it. People are there to exercise and the business day hasn't started yet where you have to have "the look" on. Secondly, you can bring a ball hat and even sunglasses depending on the depth you wish to camouflage yourself. You'll also need to eat something before exercise so pack a few protein or energy bars and call that breakfast. Of course, you can always do the in-room stuff I have mentioned here and skip the morning-hair disguise routine.

Finally, eating on the road is a whole different topic, but suffice it to say eating out each meal on the road indiscriminately can be counter-productive to exercise goals so be mindful of this as well.

William is Sr. VP of Data Warehousing at Conversion Services International. William is a Southwest Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist, a best practices judge, widely quoted on BI issues, and has authored more than 100 articles/white papers and given over 100 seminars. William sold McKnight Associates, Inc., which placed #306 in the Inc. 500, to CSI in 2005. William is a former Fortune 100 IT VP of a recognized Best Practices BI Program, a former engineer of DB2 at IBM and holds an MBA.

He blogs at b-eye-network.com/blogs/mcknight b-eye-network.com/blogs/mcknight

FAQs Pertaining to Yoga For Pregnant Women

Pregnancy being a unique experience in itself, it is representative of one of the most crucial periods in a womans' life and hence is often viewed with great trepidation by most women. It is owing to this reason that pregnant women who have been touched by the wisdom of yoga strongly recommend this form of physical activity to other women who are usually at crossroads and confused about the changes taking place within them. However, common sense deems that all new phases as well as their solutions should first be thoroughly studied before being embarked upon and this is applicable to yoga for pregnant women as well.

As it is a new concept, evidently there would be a number of questions which the women would like to ask as regards this course and some of the frequently asked questions pertaining to this field are discussed as follows:

Why is yoga for pregnant women considered so special? Yoga for pregnant women is considered as being special because apart from providing the expecting mother with the requisite amount of physical activity necessary during this phase, it results in spiritual and emotional strengthening as well. A widespread belief during pregnancy is that the emotional state of the baby depends upon that of the mother and hence if the latter feels stable, well balanced, relaxed and stress free, chances are high that the baby would be the same as well.

As an exercise during pregnancy would it be safe? Yes, if performed under the able guidance of an experienced instructor who is well aware of the special conditions of pregnancy, yoga for pregnant women is not only safe but beneficial as well.

Does it have any abstract influence on the expecting mother? Yoga is based on the principles of cultivation of insight and development of self awareness both of which is achieved through meditation and regulated breathing exercises. Therefore, acquisition of training in these aspects during pregnancy will not only ensure the sound mental health of the mother but also make a valuable contribution to the little life within.

How long before the delivery should one stop exercising? Ideally, yoga for pregnant women is meant to last throughout the three trimesters but this depends entirely on the individual circumstances in the sense that if the expecting mother experiences discomfort then the program should be discontinued and the doctor's advice sought on the matter.

What are the additional health benefits which can be accrued through yoga for pregnant women? Apart from the physical fitness during the entire tenure of pregnancy, there are a number of other lifelong benefits which can be accrued by practicing yoga for pregnant women, the foremost being getting rid of the extra flab as well as the ugly stretch marks.

Mayas' passion has been yoga ever since she started yoga during her pregnancy. She now wants to give the right signal about squidoo.com/yoga-and-pregnancy yoga and pregnancy. Discover the nasty details of yoga for pregnant women on her website yogaforpregnantwomen.com yogaforpregnantwomen.com.

How To Avoid DVT

How to avoid DVT

DVT is a serious condition where blood clots develop in the deep veins of the legs. It should be distinguished from blood clots in superficial varicose veins in the legs, called phlebitis, which is much less serious.

One in every hundred people who develop DVT dies. The cause of death is usually a blood clot, travelling from the legs to the lungs. This is called pulmonary embolus or PE. When PE is severe it causes the lungs to collapse and heart failure.

What causes DVD?

Flying causes fluid in the blood to move into the surrounding blood vessels and the clotting mechanism gets switched on. Eating foods rich in saturated fat can encourage this process. As does any alcohol and caffeine, which are all dehydrating. Think of what is on your meal-tray during the flight – cheese, pats of butter, creamy sauces, sausage, bacon, croissants, all rich in saturated fats. Some airlines are taking steps to offer lighter options – but it is up to you to make your own choices, complain to airlines, eat before you fly etc.

What are DVD-friendly flight options?

If you can, take your own food with you on board. Oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna); soups, fruits and vegetables; butter free, salad sandwiches are ideal (use a olive oil based dressing instead; also water, (a glass every hour); fruit salad and anything water-rich.

Treatment

Aspirin in low doses, can act as a blood thinning drug and is used to prevent clotting conditions in the arteries like coronary thrombosis. Its benefit in preventing DVT is debatable however and if you are unsure ask a qualified medical doctor. DVT combined with PE or other blood clots is often referred to as Venous Thrombo-Embolism or VTE.

According to government sources, DVT has been associated with any form of long distance travel, whether by air, car, coach or train. In particular long-haul air travel (flights lasting longer than five hours) where passengers remain immobile in the seated position for long periods of time, may be associated with an increased risk.

Who is most at risk?

People with heart conditions.

Pregnant women.

Women taking HRT or anything containing Oestrogen compounds (ie contraceptive pill).

Anyone with a family history of DVT.

The risk of DVT and PE is greater in those...

over 40

if you have had blood clots already

with a family history of blood clots

suffering from or who have had treatment for cancer

with certain blood diseases

being treated for heart failure and circulation problems

who have had recent surgery especially on the hips or knees

who have an inherited clotting tendency.

Consult your doctor before travelling if you have:

ever had a DVT or PE

a family history of clotting conditions

an inherited tendency to clot (thrombophilia)

cancer or had treatment for cancer in the past

had major surgery in the last three months

had hip or knee replacement within the last three months or

ever suffered a stroke.

Some airlines are introducing simple instructions during your flight to encourage movement during your journey. These are usually movements of the feet that stretch the calves, many people ignore this advice.

Yoga Exercise

If you can, stand up and do some yoga stretches, even if you have to queue for the toilets and do them in there.

Preferably standing in bare feet, lift the heels off the floor and come up on the toes. At the same time rise the arms in the air, overhead. Do this 20 times in all, using the in-breath to rise and the out-breath to lower.

Next, pointing the toes away from the body lift the leg a few inches off the floor and rotate the ankle, 10 times in a clockwise direction and 10 in an anti-clockwise direction, change feet and repeat on the other side.

If possible, do these every hour, as well as practicing periodically in your seat, avoiding the arm raises!

Turn your head to the extreme right, 3 times and 3 times to the extreme left, with your shoulders pressed against the back of the seat. Hold the arms straight out in front, one at a time. Make twisting movements from the shoulders, 10 times each side.

Flight socks:

These are next to useless unless they have been measured specifically for you. Some people buy the socks at an airport, and make the mistake of thinking they can eat what they like and not make any movements for several hours.

This reply was written with the help of the British government website on this important subject.

[doh.gov.uk/blood/dvt/index.htm]

Dee Lawton is a yoga teacher and writer on health and fitness related subjects.

Great Fitness Results From P90X

If you are an individual who is interested in health and fitness you are very likely aware of one of the hottest home workout programs out there. P90X or Power 90 Extreme is an extreme home exercise program that was developed by Tony Horton in conjunction with Beachbody. This best-selling fitness program debuted in 2004 selling via infomercials on TV. In April of 2008, P90X became the best-selling infomercial product of any type ever sold in the United States.

This extreme fitness program promises an improved and "ripped" physique in just 90 days if you commit to and follow the program. The program consists of 13 weeks of 6-day routines with an optional stretch on the 7th day. It emphasizes a balanced full-body workout and consists of strength training, stretching and cardiovascular routines. You will find a great variety in the fitness routines from the program ranging from strength training for all the different muscle groups to plyometrics or "jump training", along with Yoga and Kenpo.

Many people have tried the P90X fitness program and the success stories abound. It is largely successful because it is based upon the concept of "muscle confusion". Muscle confusion adds variety to your fitness plan by using cross training and periodization. There are three 30-day phases at which time new exercises are incorporated and the order of exercises is switched up. This forces your body into continual improvement because you will not hit a plateau because your body never has time to adapt to the workload.

While you will need a few pieces of equipment to complete the program many of the exercises are based upon the resistance of your own bodyweight. However, you will need a few dumbbells, a pull-up bar or some resistance bands and a sturdy chair. You will probably also want to invest in a heart-rate monitor for the cardio workouts and a yoga mat for Yoga. Optional equipment would include push-up bars to increase your range of motion and protect your wrists while working out your chest muscles.

The workouts are all approximately an hour in length, with the exception being the Yoga workout, which is 90 minutes long. There is also a 15-minute abdominal workout, appropriately called "Ab-Ripper X". The Ab program is recommended on the three days a week that you do strength training.

The first phase consists of weeks 1 through 3 and during this time you will be doing strength, cardio and Yoga. The mid-phase of the program are weeks 5 through 7 and they consist of a different version of the strength, cardio and Yoga programs. Weeks 9 through 12 are the "extreme muscle confusion" weeks and during this last phase you will be doing a hybrid version of the first and mid phase. Week 4, week 8 and week 13 are "recovery and ab focus" weeks, but that does not mean these weeks are any easier. Weeks 4 and 13 feature a workout called "core synergistics", which many feel is one of the most challenging routines of the program.

Many people have had great success with the P90X program. Over 1,000,000 copies have been sold and if you want to see some of the results firsthand you can just do a search on YouTube. Right now, there are over 7000 testimonials on video that you can watch. People of all ages and all fitness levels have had success with the program. You don't have to be fit to start but you will be fit when you finish.

P90X is probably the most successful home workout video series in history because you can't argue with results. If you want to get fit in 90 days and you can make the commitment to work the program you will see results.

For more information about the my-health-n-fitness.com/3170/p90x-review-does-px-90-deliver-as-promised P90X Extreme Home Fitness Program visit my-health-n-fitness.com my-health-n-fitness.com