Osteoporosis Prevention

The constant instability of the weather on the prairies has made things quite interesting to say the least. The cold winter and sudden warm days then freezing has left the roads like ice rinks. Everyone I’ve talked to knows someone who has slipped and fallen. Many resulting in breaks and fractures. Aside from staying inside or learning how to do break-falls there’s not much else you can do. Not about the weather anyhow.

Did you know that 50% of women and 25% of men over age 50 will suffer at least one bone fracture in their lifetime! And this excludes those caused by slips and falls.

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone that can lead to fractures. Bone mineral density becomes reduced or brittle. Your body continuously breaks down bone, releases calcium in the blood and reforms again. This breaking down and replacement is necessary for growth, for repair, and for maintenance of a properly functioning body. Osteoporosis means “porous bone” and is a result of bone loss exceeding what is need for new bone.

Did you know that women are five times more likely than men to develop the disease? Part of the reason could be because woman do not focus on weight training as much as men.

And this is not just a disease of the elderly. Current research shows that kids are putting themselves at risk now for osteoporosis later in life. Bones need calcium and physical activity to become strong. The most crucial time for bone building is during the pre-teen and teen years, but many young people are not getting enough calcium or physical activity.

According to the Heart & Stroke Foundation Report on Canadian Kids only 63% of 6-12 year old kids are active. In addition Canadian children watch TV for an average of 2.4 hours each day! Not only that, but soft drinks and other beverages often replace calcium-rich foods.

Achieving a higher peak bone mass through exercise and proper nutrition during adolescence is important for the prevention of osteoporosis. By maintaining dense, sturdy bones, you can stay active and independent into your 80s, 90s, and beyond!

Prevention
The best prevention relates to Lifestyle. Exercise and proper nutrition are the most important factors to not only delay bone degeneration, but also increase or improve bone density.

Exercise
Regular weight-bearing exercises help stimulate bone mass. Resistance (weight) training and activities that involve impact like stair climbing, jogging, aerobics and racquet sports are best. Intensity is the key to success and emphasis should be on activities that require your muscles to work against gravity.

If you do have osteoporosis high impact exercises and bending and twisting of the trunk are NOT recommended. These activities increase compression in your spine and can lead to fractures of weak bones.

Nutrition
Calcium rich foods are necessary to maintaining strong healthy bones. Follow the Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating by including;
2-4 servings of milk products (yogurt, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, tofu, etc)
7-10 servings of vegetables and fruit (broccoli, rutabaga, orange, navy beans, greens, etc)
2-3 servings of meat and alternatives (salmon, shrimp, oysters, almonds, seaweed, etc.)

Caffeine (coffee or pop) and salt (sodium) have a negative impact on bone mass. Substitute with milk, water and calcium fortified soy or orange juice.

Cut back on processed foods and limit foods and beverages high in calories, fat and sugar.

Other factors

Avoid smoking.

Reduce or eliminate alcohol intake.

Vitamin D. About 20 minutes a day of unfiltered sunlight on the skin is best. Of course this is quite difficult at this time of year so oral supplementation is sufficient.

Vitamin K. Found in dark-green, leafy vegetables, this vitamin helps get calcium into your bones and helps prevent bone from breaking down.

Be active as a family.

And PLEASE – be a good role model for kids!

Summary

It is estimated that between 35-50% of women over 50 have had at least one vertebral fracture. Twice that of men. Of this, only about a third are recognized. By strengthening your back you help to reduce your chance of vertebral fractures, increase your posture and helps relieve lower back pain.

If osteoporosis is suspected, have your doctor take a Bone Mineral Density test to see if you have the disease. Ask about options and what exercises are recommended.

Prevention is far better than treatment. By living a healthy lifestyle you can help reduce your chance of osteoporosis and its resulting problems. Remember the old LifeCall commercials? “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” I know that when I hit my 70’s & 80’s I will still want to participate – not just sit on the sidelines watching and wishing…..

BAKER BENEFIT SOCIAL - March 20, 2009

There will be a benefit social on March 20th 2009 at the Pyramid Cabaret for Jackson Dale Baker.

Dale died suddenly on December 13th from a snowmobile accident.

Part-owner of Dale & Ron's Auto Service on Roblin, he was known for his honest and upfront nature.

The benefit social is to not only help out his wife and children but to remember Dale for the great type of guy he was. Dale was well known around the St.James community where he grew up and was always willing to lend a hand.

If you'd like more information feel free to send me an email or phone call.

J.D. Baker Benefit Social
March 20, 2009
Pyramid Cabaret
176 Fort Street
Silent Auction
$15

FITNESS BOOTCAMPS THE BEST OF ALL WORLDS

Today we seem to be over-stressed, have less time, and obesity and diabetes are on the rise. Most of us spend a great deal of time hunched over a computer, in a vehicle or slumped on the sofa. Prolonged sitting results in tight hamstrings, stiffness in the lower back and weak muscles.

Most people say they do not have time to spend working out. Being extremely active with a career and family life is enough - you may feel that strenuous exercise would push you over the edge. Or, you may think that you’re too old to start exercising. Those who do commit time mistakenly believe that hours of cardio are the best way to lose weight while others believe that training muscles with heavy weights are the way to go – both can stress vulnerable joints more than necessary. So then what?

What’s the best way to help you get in shape, burn fat and get those six-pack abs?

Well…..

- You can hire a personal trainer for $50plus and hour and meet with them and add up a hefty bill (Gee….pick me…pick me…)

- You can do it yourself spending time and money either online or on fitness magazines

- Buy your own home gym and hope to keep the space available without collecting dust

- Spend money on a gym membership and hope to get “good” advise from the regulars.

- My choice – a fitness "bootcamp". This is why I teach and practice what I preach.

A fitness bootcamp is great for all. It is not gender or age specific. No matter what fitness level you are at you, will benefit from such training. This type of vigorous, strenuous, regular activity is mentally and physically exhilarating.

Dynabody Fitness Classes does not use machines or long cardio but rather functional and body weight exercises along with interval training - which is best for conditioning the body, burning fat and improving your heart health. You can’t ask for a better way to refresh your body, restore your energy and beat stress!

Functional training stresses movement over muscle and relies on neurological adaptation to strength and mobility. The key to functional training is integration - it teaches your muscles to work together. This is different from your conventional weight training routines which isolate muscle groups. Functional training bridges the gap between strength, power and speed to achieve peak performance. By using unsteady surfaces, agility drills and quick stop and start drills you are not only improving your skill with exercise but your muscles continue to learn and improve while reducing the chance of injury.

One of the most important parts of a bootcamp is the emphasis on training the core. Your heavy upper body is only joined together by your thin spine (vertebral column) and is supported by the small band-like muscles (erector spinae) and your abdominals. Most exercises ignore the transverse plane of motion, or rotational movements. People have no problem working other planes of motion, while omitting twisting and rotation -which is used constantly in everyday life and sport. Training functional core movements works the whole body and incorporates all planes of motion.

Mostly overlooked is the importance of your stabilizer muscles. By recruiting your stabilizer muscles along with your prime muscles it will result in better posture and control, both in your daily life and sports. Most injuries aren’t from your major muscles but rather the smaller hidden ones. Your lower back, rotator cuff, knees or ankles are more acceptable to injury. A properly run fitness class helps to work these muscles, which in turn reduces the chance of injury.

Another advantage of my fitness classes is that you don’t do the same exercises over and over again. Your body is very good at adapting to workouts. This way it is highly unlikely that you will plateau. If you do the same type of workout all the time, you’re going to get the body you’ve always gotten. By adding variety, you keep things fresh and challenging, you shock your muscles into improving and you never get bored. Because of this, the chances are that you will continue to exercise.

Isn’t looking forward to your next workout sound great?

What’s involved in a Fitness Bootcamp?

Any fitness routine should be hould be intelligently designed. A training program includes the following components or parts; (1) Warm Up The warm up is necessary to increase body temperature, blood flow & oxygen exchange. This involves an aerobic component along with bodyweight exercises.

(2) Cardiovascular training (aerobic)

Regular aerobic exercise is important for both the circulatory (heart) & respiratory (lungs) systems. Not only does aerobic exercise improve your body’s ability to take in and use oxygen to produce energy but it improves your stamina as well.

(3) Muscle Conditioning/Resistance Training

In order to get stronger and tone or reshape your body, resistance training is a must. Something that cardio alone can’t do. This not only keeps your bones healthy but burns fat after a workout.

(4) Cool-down

A cool-down decreases body temperature & remove waste products from working muscles.

(5) Flexibility.

Included as part of a cool-down, stretching helps to decrease body temperature, remove waste products from muscles and increase range of movement. Performing static stretches at the end of a workout helps to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness.

A proper bootcamp will involve all of the above mentioned components of fitness.

The emphasis is on coordination and timing using speed and agility drills and power exercises through circuit training. A set number of circuits are involved, incorporating resistance training (Dumbells, Kettlebells, etc) and core exercises (Medicine ball, exercise ball, etc) for muscular conditioning. This type of training burns more fat and has a larger cardiovascular effect than the longer hum-drum steady-state cardio.

Plus you don’t feel like a hamster running on a wheel.

What to look for

Most fitness classes last an hour. Unfortunately, with limited time one or more of the fitness components become compromised. Each are as important as the other. This is why I prefer to run 1 ½ hour programs. This way you are not rushed. It also gives enough time to incorporate team games and my favorite – martial arts.

Any bootcamp that you get involved in should focus on proper form, posture and control.

Exercises should be adaptable to each participants fitness level. Ideally intensity rules, however safety should come first.

Take Action!

Remember, your body adjusts to lower levels of physical activity the same way it adapts to higher levels. This is the REAL reason why people “get old” or out of shape. USE promotes function. DISUSE promotes deterioration. You choose…..

Don’t fool yourself that a once a week workout routine will get you in shape. According to Canada’s Physical Activity Guide, you should accumulate 60 minutes of activity per day. Plus, you will never get the wash board abs without proper nutrition.

If you want improve your fitness level you must exert yourself – BUT KNOW YOUR LIMITS. Staying fits takes more than one or two workouts a week. If you want to maximize your time and get the best out of your workouts incorporate a fitness bootcamp once or twice a week. Add in two resistance/weight training workouts and round it out with participating in an aerobic or sports activity.

A Fitness Bootcamp is an economical way to workout with a trainer while getting the motivational and social support you may need. Research shows that if you work out with a partner you stand a better chance of sticking to a fitness lifestyle. It’s not only one of the best ways to get and stay in shape but it’s fun too!

If you always thought about it, join in on the camaraderie, challenge yourself for the ultimate in fitness conditioning and fat loss! Join a Bootcamp – take action to change your life!

Winter Winners

Congratulations to Candace Y. the Fitness Challenge Winner with 114 points!
On average, that’s 16 points accumulated each week. Great job Candace – you win the pot!

I’d like to thank everyone for participating in the Fitness Challenge – keep up the good work!

As promised, I have offered a free fitness assessment to one of my newsletter readers that has signed up for the Winter Fitness Bootcamp session. The winner for the free fitness assessment is Tonya R. – a regular bootcamper!

Make fitness a regular part of your life – You’ll look & feel fantastic!

Resolutions & Dieting

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Happy New Year Everyone!

Were you one of the majority that gained weight during the holidays? Now it’s time to take action.

Did you know that the most popular New Year’s resolutions is starting to exercise? This is followed by eating better. Losing weight and getting in shape has always been at the forefront of resolutions. But did you know:

- Half of the adult population makes a New Year’s resolution.

- 75% of those who make a resolution fail on their first attempt. 50% give up within 3 months. Only 10% actually make it to the end of the year.

- Fewer than 20% have a plan on how to accomplish their new year’s resolution. Only 5 –10% ever write anything down during the process. Those who succeed? The same number that write things down – 10%.

- Diets basically have a 100% failure rate.

- Only 20% - or 1 in 5 dieters sustain a loss of 10% of their body weight for a year or more.

Before you spend your valuable time, energy and money on the latest diet fad, read up on “Diets do NOT work.” in the January Newsletter.Before you spend your valuable time, energy and money on the latest diet fad, let me tell you that Diets do NOT work.

Diets have almost a 100% failure rate.

A July 2007 UCLA study concluded that most efforts at calorie restriction result in only very short-term weight loss, and, could even ultimately lead to weight gain.

Diets are dangerous to your health.

Diets put a strain on your body. Cutting calories results in depression and low energy levels.

Diets slows down your Metabolism.

By cutting calories and skipping meals, your body can’t differentiate between deciding not to eat and real famine. Your body believes it is starving and slows down in order to maintain every critical calorie it has.

Diets create fat. When your metabolism slows down, it is more like to store fat. Then, when you do eat, your body realizes it is now getting the food it needs to survive and stores it as fat.

Diets lead to eating disorders. It is very easy to binge or overeat when you are on a diet. Most dieters become part of the chronic or Yo-Yo dieters. Others become obsessed with controlling what they choose to eat.

Diets are Negative thoughts. People dieting are more critical of themselves and become more miserable eroding confidence and self-respect.

Diets result in muscle shrinkage. Muscle helps burn fat. Diets creates water and muscle loss.

Any person that loses weight rapidly (faster than 1-2 pounds a week) is mainly due to water loss.

Diets are synonymous with Weight Loss.

Focus on FAT LOSS rather than weight loss. Rather than thinking of your weight, focus on your body composition. Your body fat percentage and hip to waist ratio are two of the best indicators of your lean body mass.

Losing fat is not easy. Your body wants to stay the way it is and requires hard work and willpower to succeed in a person’s quest to become leaner. There are no magic pills or fads that are effective in the long run. Models and Movie stars that endorse products are there to make money. Don’t waste your hard-earned money.

It is important to realize that weight is meaningless as an index of fitness or health. It is best to focus on FAT LOSS rather than weight loss.

Rather than Dieting do the following:

Focus on Calories in vs Calories out.

Exercise - Burning off the fat is much healthier and effective than starving the fat.

Nutrition - Proper nutrition is 60% of the effort in building a healthy strong body. Follow a properly balanced eating schedule. Eat 5 or 6 meals of fruits, vegetables and lean cuts of meat per day. Stay away from processed and fast foods.

I hope you do not fall in the Diet Trap and become part of the yo-yo phenomenon. You can’t stay on a diet forever. It is important to find a lifestyle that works for you. The best results come from a long-term strategy involving permanent change in both eating and activity habits.

If you’ve made losing weight your New Year’s resolution do NOT diet. Your ultimate goal should be to improve your energy levels, be free from illness, and achieve your personally desired body composition.

Here are 5 steps for Setting & Reaching your Goals:

1. Determine your goals – set focus - clarify your vision. What is your #1 goal you want to focus and attain this year? If you fail to plan…you plan to fail. By reviewing and reevaluating progress, your goals become engrained into your mind. Daily reflection turns dreams into reality.

2. BELIEVE you can accomplish it. You can do anything you put your mind to. You must become accountable for your own results. In no time you will see your self-confidence increase as your capabilities improve. This becomes habit forming.

3. Associate with positive people. Align yourself with role models that have done this before. Build a support group of friends and family that will help you.

4. Commit to action. Do something everyday to get you closer to your goal. Unfortunately, people blame the effect rather than the cause. Forget “tomorrow” because tomorrow never comes. In order to get motivated you need to COMMIT.

5. HAVE FUN & ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!!! Remember to look at what you are doing while living rather than what you do for a living. Enjoy life

A JELLO BELLY WON’T MAKE YOU JOLLY LIKE SANTA

Weight Gain season starts now and runs straight through New Year's. Before you know it you know it you’re waistline has grown….

Whether you celebrate – Kwanzaa, Hannukah or Christmas –the Holiday season can create havoc on with your health regime. The work parties, family gatherings and tons of food and drink make it difficult to maintain a healthy diet.

Many people chose to overindulge because of the holiday season. Here’s an interesting statistic. Did you know that most North Americans will gain up to 10 pounds of weight during the holidays?

Here’s a Kicker:
The average person has about 30 billion fat cells. If you are overweight or obese you can have over 100 million fat cells!. When you eat all that great Christmas baking, chocolates and kielbasa, those fat cells can expand--up to 1,000 times their original size! Unfortunately a fat cell can only get so big and once it reaches it’s limit it multiplies. Plus, once you have a fat cell – you have it for life! You can NEVER burn it off. So remember this when you grab for that next short-bread cookie.

Here are some Tips for the Holidays

MAKE A PLAN

NOW is the time to plan for the weeks ahead. Once the holidays begin you will be too busy to put a plan into action. But people make the mistake of trying to fit their regular workouts into a busier and more unpredictable schedule. Outline a plan before the season starts – get into a routine now, because you won’t later.

EXERCISE

Since you’ve outlined a plan – make sure that you fit your workout in.
Take some time off for yourself and exercise – you’ll be glad that you did.

MAINTAIN YOUR METABOLISM

Don’t starve yourself. Eat a good breakfast. Maintain a healthy eating schedule which includes protein during the day. Your metabolism slows down from the long absence of food. Avoid this yo-yo of starvation and overindulgence by carrying healthy snacks with you and eating something every three hours.

With the holiday season, it’s easy to indulge in a high calorie meal. EAT SMART

Aim for 5 or 6 evenly spaced meals a day. This isn’t just for the holidays. Not only is this the best way to burn fat but helps to maintain muscle, Eat a good portion of vegetables and stay away from the processed foods, white bread & pasta. Choose whole grain products.

Limit the booze. Alcohol intake can quickly add hundreds of calories. And guys, it significantly increases estrogen and reduces your testosterone levels.

Drink water. Along with your regular hydration requirements, drink a glass just before the big meal.

Wait a good 20 minutes before going for a second helping. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to realize that the stomach is full.

Remember – all things in moderation. If your Aunt keeps hounding you to grab seconds – politely decline. Offer to take a goody bag home instead.

If you’re hosting the party - present food in various locations to encourage activities and mingling as well as eating.

Stick with your exercise program. Don’t fall into a rut.

The point of holiday gatherings is to celebrate. Mingle with friends and loved ones instead pigging out. Unless you have a high metabolism like myself, you are going to regret going overboard.

Not sure what to do when faced with temptations – take the Heart & Stroke Foundation Quiz and see how well you fare Go to: http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?src=healthline&c=ikIQLcMWJtE&b=4016859&ct=6345681

This is a special time of the year. Enjoy it with your friends and family.

Wishing you all the best this Holiday Season!

Doug.

FITNESS MYTHYS - PART 2

As you recall from last month’s newsletter that there is a lot of great marketing ploys that are far from the truth – they are nothing but hype.

Did you know that only 3% of the population lives a healthy lifestyle. That’s 97% of people that are only “fooling themselves”!

To help you sort out facts from fiction I’ve included a number of popular myths.

Myth: You will bulk up with resistance training

Most guys may want this but many women shy away from doing resistance training because they don’t want to get big bulky muscles.

Bulking up is not easy work – no matter if you’re a male or female. Men have about 30 times the amount of muscle building hormone testosterone as women. And unless you’re doing steroids it just won’t happen. If a woman does look bulky, it is because they have excess body fat and have not been eating correctly when building muscle.

You cannot get “toned” without doing resistance training. Sure you can lose fat by focusing on just cardio workouts, but you’ll lose lean muscle mass and strength to boot. Muscle building factors include (1) Testosterone (2) Illegal Drugs and (3) Genetics. Remember that it’s your muscles and weight training that gives men the “V” body shape and the women the nice “hour-glass” figure.

Myth: You can get a six pack from crunches

Unfortunately you cannot get a chiseled midsection by just doing crunches. I’ve seen it time and time again where someone will spend way too much time on dong abdominal crunches or sit ups to work their stomach.

If you want to sculpt your midsection you first need to be active. Perform core and functional exercises and stay focused – quality or quantity. Tense your abs – squeezing the muscle on contraction – just like you would do for any other muscle of the body.

And, most important – EAT PROPERLY. This is a must. You have to lose body fat, not weight, in order to “see” your abs and this can only happen when you eat high quality foods. This will help you control your blood sugar levels, insulin levels, and energy levels. Insulin management will help you lose fat and prevent you from gaining fat.

Myth: Chest Training will increase or decrease my boob size.

Boy, some of those things you women tend to believe….

Weight training cannot make your breast shrink or get larger. Breast tissue is made up of fat tissue. By burning fat you may decrease your breast size. You can also increase your a bra size by gaining fat. Remember, you cannot choose where your body will lose it’s fat.

A proper strength training program will help develop your chest muscles giving it a more appealing shape to your breasts and upper body.

Myth: My Low Back is sore …..I must have slept wrong

More than 31 million Americans have low back pain at any given time.

Back pain and sciatica doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that take weeks, months, or even years to develop.

Your body has to adapt to the weight going through your hips and pelvis and it’s your muscles that take the brunt of the abuse. Low back pain is mainly the result of a muscle imbalance.
By sitting all day your hip flexors get tight from being in a shortened position and your glutes become weak. These imbalances put your pelvis and spine into an abnormal position.

To offset this you must exercise to strengthen these areas. Squats, Lunges and Deadlifts (done properly) will help. In addition, because these muscles are contracted the majority of the time, you must stretch these muscles also. Hamstring and Hip Stretches should be done daily.

What puts fat-loss and fitness myths in our minds? It’s mainly the overkill of conflicting information alogn with the “quick-no-effort-needed” advertising that we are getting bombarded with.

One of my favorite sayings is “Use it or Lose it.” We are meant to move. There are no magic pills, no short-cuts, no special diets, machines or routines that will result in “getting into shape” Strive for an overall plan to increase your health, fitness, well-being and quality of life. Keep it simple, don’t over think and most importantly – have fun!