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Archive for October, 2009Wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be appearing on the following radio stations this coming week to discuss my new book, Women’s Home Workout Bible and other fitness topics. Monday, October 26 @ 8:20 a.m. Friday, October 30 @ 8:50 a.m. Friday, October 30 @ 11:05 AM Hope you can listen in! Stay Fit! Brad The New York Times had an excellent article about the importance (or lack thereof) with “cooling down” after exercise (and it’s good to see a publication that consistently gets it’s fact right on exercise). For years, I’ve discussed this topic in my Facts and Fallacies of Fitness seminars. And the fact is, there is scant research supporting the necessity of the post-workout cool down. As pointed out in the Times article, one of the primary theories behind cooling down is to reduce lactic acid buildup and thus post-exercise muscle soreness. Unfortunately, the idea that lactic acid causes muscle soreness has no credence. Zilch! For those interested in the specifics of post-exercise muscle soreness, see my article Understanding Exercise-Induced Muscle Soreness. Bottom line is that cooling down won’t have any effect on diminishing muscle soreness — it isn’t consistent with the genesis of how and why people get sore from exercise. Now the cool down *might* have some benefit in helping to restore blood flow after very intense exercise. Blood can pool in muscles following intense training, and gradually reducing exercise intensity can potentially help to restore circulation throughout the body. However, as Dr. Paul Thompson notes in the Times article, the vast majority of people don’t just plop down on the couch as soon as their workout ends. Rather, they walk around for at least a little while, providing the same effect as cooling down. Only a few minutes of light activity should be necessary to produce desired benefits. Certainly there is nothing inherently wrong with cooling down after exercise, but there is a cost: namely, it takes time. And time is one of our most precious commodities. Most people want to finish their workout as efficiently as possible, and the cool down is a good place to trim unnecessary time from your routine. Stay Fit! Brad In conjunction with the release of my new book, Women’s Home Workout Bible, I figured I’d take the opportunity to address some home workout issues here on my blog. One of the more common questions I’m asked is about purchasing a stability ball.
Without question, a stability ball (a.k.a. “physio ball” and “Swiss ball”) can be a valuable implement in a home gym, especially in the performance of exercises for the core. But stability balls come in varying sizes. How do you know how to choose a ball that fits your body? No prob. An easy test is to simply sit on the ball. Your thighs should be parallel to the ground. If your thighs slope down, the ball is too big; if your thighs slope up, the ball is too small. Also, keep in mind that cheap isn’t necessarily preferable when it comes to stability balls. Sure, you can get stability balls for as low as around ten bucks or so, but these models tend to be made of thin, brittle material. This causes them them to lose air quickly, sometimes in as little as a few hours — and don’t underestimate what a pain in the rear it is to have to fill up your ball every time you want to use it. Cheap stability balls are also prone to bursting at inopportune times (like when you’re performing an intense set), and several serious injuries have been reported due to exploding stability balls. My advice is to spend a few extra bucks and get a stability ball that is rated to hold at least 600 pounds. It should run you no more than about $30, pump included. Ultimately, you’ll have peace of mind and a better quality workout. Stay Fit! Brad Wanted to let everyone know that I’ve added new videos to my YouTube channel. You can view them at the following link: Exercise Video Demonstrations Enjoy! Brad
I recently did an interview with the Canadian Press on the topic that was picked up by news outlets across Canada. You can read the article at the following link: The Do’s, Don’ts of Exercise During Pregnancy. Hopefully it will open some eyes and stress the importance of maternal exercise. Stay Fit! Brad
Stay Fit! Brad If you listen to some health practitioners, you’d think that caffeine is an evil drug that contributes to a long list of diseases. Don’t believe it! Much of the When all the available research data is taken into account, there’s really no evidence that modest caffeine consumption causes any detriments to overall well being. In fact, some studies have actually found a negative correlation between caffeine and certain forms of cancer! Perhaps this is due to the fact that coffee – the primary source of most people’s caffeine intake – is replete in antioxidants. Better yet, recent research indicates that coffee consumption can help to reduce cardiovascular events in those with diabetes and improve autonomic function. For those who exercise, moderate caffeine consumption can actually help to expedite the loss of body fat. It exerts its effects by acting on the sympathetic nervous system to increase catecholamine (i.e. epinephrine and norepinephrine) production. Catecholamines facilitate the release of free fatty acids from fat cells, allowing fat to be utilized for short-term energy. By consuming caffeine before a workout, you can heighten this fat-burning effect while simultaneously improving exercise performance. Now this isn’t to say you should load up on caffeinated beverages. Caffeine is a stimulant and, at high doses, can cause a host of unwanted side effects such as hypertension, nervousness, insomnia and gastrointestinal distress. But assuming consumption is limited to about 300 milligrams a day – which amounts to approximately two cups of brewed coffee – it poses no known health risks in otherwise healthy individuals (although it can be contraindicated in certain medical conditions and during pregnancy – check with your physician if there’s any concern). Just make sure to go easy on the cream and sugar though as they can easily offset the caffeine-induced increase in metabolic rate and have a negative impact on fat storage. As an alternative, consider using skim milk and artificial sweeteners as flavor enhancers. For those who want a terrific alternative to coffee, consider herbal green tea. In addition to containing caffeine, green tea also has compounds called catechins that serve to further increase metabolism. Catechins inhibit an enzyme called catechol-O-methyl-transferase, which is responsible for degrading noradrenaline, a potent hormone that promotes the oxidation of body fat. In combination, caffeine and catechins act synergistically to enhance resting energy expenditure beyond what is achieved by caffeine alone. Considering that it also has an even greater amount of antioxidants than coffee, green tea is a terrific beverage for keeping your body in peak condition. There is even evidence that, because of its concentration of flavonoids, it helps to increase bone density and stave off cardiovascular disease. Does this sound like an evil drug? Stay Fit! Brad |
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Exercising during pregnancy is one of the most important things a woman can do, not only for her own body and mind, but also for the the health of the fetus. Staying fit while pregnant has been shown to confer an array of benefits, including improved functional capacity, enhanced mood, reduced incidence of lower back, easier labor, and the prevention of disease states such as maternal hypertension and preeclampsia. Moreover, babies born to women who exercise throughout term tend to be leaner and are more neurodevelopmentally advanced (i.e. have better cognitive function) by the age of five. 
anti-caffeine bias is predicated on a few isolated research studies from many years ago, which suggested that caffeine consumption increased the risk of cancer. However, upon closer examination, these studies were found to have serious flaws in their design. Some were plagued by errors in statistical analysis while others used enormous quantities of caffeine—far beyond what the normal individual consumes. Sure, if you feed a rat the equivalent of 50 cups of coffee a day it can have a deleterious effect on health. But, this means little to the average person.