General

With health and fitness, there is a tendency to focus solely on our body: How much do we weigh? What is our resting heart rate? How much can we lift? It’s key to also pay attention to the mental and emotional components of health: How are we feeling? What are we thinking? Now I am not a psychologist, psychiatrist or mental health professional, but it is important to be aware of the connections between our physical health and mental health. What goes on between our ears not only affects how we feel and think but also what we do and what we do not do. Recently I read the book The Soloist, and since October 7-13 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you. In The Soloist, Los Angeles Times columnist, Steve Lopez, describes his encounter and ongoing relationship with Nathanel Ayers, a homeless man with schizophrenia. Lopez is immediately taken by the fact that Ayers is playing beautiful, heart-felt music on a 2-string violin. What starts off as an interesting story in the newspaper becomes life-changing for both men and for the mental health community. This is a great read, and I look forward to reading other books by Lopez.

Are you looking to strengthen and tone your lower body, but are bored with the same old squats? Then try these three squat variations. You’ll love them!

Stand on a BOSU dome-side down with feet about shoulder width. Keep back straight and move your hips back and downward as though you were sitting in a chair behind you. When your thighs reach parallel to the floor, return to the starting position by extending your knees and hips.

Face a wall with your legs shoulder width apart. Hold medicine ball with both hands. Lean forward at your waist slightly and bend your knees so as to go into a squat. Be sure to keep your back flat. As you squat down, let your arms hang between ankles. As you squat up, thrusting from hips, thighs and low back, toss the medicine ball against the wall. Carefully catch the ball in a standing position and repeat. Be sure to exhale as you toss the ball and inhale as you catch it.

Face the inside of a smith machine and grip the bar with your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Place bar squarely on your traps and shoulders (not the neck). Carefully rotate bar off rack keeping your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Keeping your heels planted firmly on the floor and your back straight at all times, move your hips back and downward as though you were sitting in a chair behind you (knees should never extend out further than toes). 
When your thighs reach parallel to the floor, return to the starting position by extending your knees and hips and pushing through your heels.

As a native Southern Californian, I was indoctrinated into Los Angeles Lakers basketball. It was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his patented skyhook, Michael Cooper stepping behind the line for a 3-pointer, Kurt Rambis with an aggressive rebound, James Worthy driving to the basket, Byron Scott with a pull-up jumper, and of course, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, pushing the ball down the court and dishing out countless assists. It was Show Time.

I was fortunate enough to follow professional basketball when the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was in full force. It was West Coast vs East Coast, Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird. Magic was a showman with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes. He loved to be in front of the camera. Bird, on the other hand, always looked serious with his eyes downcast. He preferred to stay out of the limelight. They were team players who both earned MVP awards and lead their team to multiple national championships. What always impressed me was their selfless play. This had an impact on how I play sports and how I teach my kids today.

When the Games was Ours explores Magic’s and Larry’s childhoods, school life and passion for basketball. You’ll learn what made each Hall of Fame players. As I reflect on the book words come to mind like dedication, persistence, love of the game, growth, overcoming obstacles and celebration. I recommend this book to all sports enthusiasts and readers of biographies. It’s a slam dunk!

As a parent of two school-age children, this is a week of celebration. They’re back to school! For my boys, Kyle and Bruce, it’ll be another great year of learning and making friends. This summer we maintained a certain amount of curriculum by getting library books, doing a couple pages from workbooks every day and continuing to play the piano. Of course, it wasn’t with the same level of effort or time commitment as a regular school day. Climbing trees, playing tennis and skimming along the slip n slide were daily activities. Heather and I also found ways to “encourage” the boys with little rewards. I was amazed at how quickly they could finish a workbook when Legos are on the line.
How does this relate to you? In my round-about way, I’m talking about continuing education. Staying informed with the latest studies and current trends. How can you keep up-to-date? By reading my monthly newsletter, listening to a book on disc or taking courses at a local campus. Learning is an ongoing process. In my opinion, you don’t reach a level of knowledge and just stop. Just like you can’t stop exercising and expect to stay in shape. As I tell my clients, You can’t coast uphill. One of my favorite sources of health news is Science News magazine. It’s a great publication. That’s where I learned about the anti-cancer properties of green onions and the ongoing research here at UW Madison. I also remember reading an article about harmful bacteria in pre-washed salad mixes . . . six months before it came out in the news.
Recently, a Radiologist client loaned me a 20-disc lecture series about stress and the effects on the human body by Professor Sapolsky of Stanford University. It was very informative and helped give me a deeper appreciation for the body’s inner workings.
So what health and fitness topics interest you? Diet and nutrition? Sports specific training? Rehabbing an injury? It’s all out there to learn. Books to read, experts to listen to and websites to research.
Beyond the academic approach, a key component to achieving your health and fitness goals is to learn what movements, exercises and activities your body likes to do. Develop a body awareness. How can you do this? Experiment. To get technical, try stuff. If for example, jogging causes a sharp pain in your right knee, an achy low back or a nagging hip pointer, you’ll need to make some adjustments. What kinds? Look at the geography of your route, total mileage, running form and shoes. Need to look closer? Look at how/if you warm up and cool down, rest, hydrate, etc. Soon you’ll get a Ph.D. in body awareness.

Bruce is off to school!

Spending two hours at the gym and training to exhaustion will not necessarily get you to your health and fitness goals faster. As a matter of fact, you might be overtraining and run the risk of injury. Remember it’s all about quality not quantity. It’s about training smarter not harder. Not just being active but being productive. With my clients I often talk about “efficacy”, being efficient and effective. I’m not talking about killing yourself with a super high intensity 20-minute workout routine or following a strict 600 calorie a day diet to lose weight faster. Neither of these approaches is safe or long lasting. And isn’t that the ultimate goal, to be fit over the long term, not just for a day? From personal experience, I have fallen prey to overtraining thinking that if jogging 5 miles is good, then 10 miles is better. Well that all depends on the goal right? So how can you become more effective and efficient? Start by answering these three questions:

1. What are my health and fitness goals?
2. When do I want achieve these goals?
3. How many hours a week am I willing to commit to an exercise program?

Example Answer to #1: I want to lose 30 pounds, reduce my blood pressure, and go skiing.
Eric’s Response: Those are excellent goals. I would ask for a baseline blood pressure reading and a specific goal (ie: 120/80). Regarding skiing, it’s important to find out if they have a background in skiing, and if they do how long it’s been since they’ve been on skis.

Example Answer to #2: I want to lose 30 pounds by January 1, 2013. My doctor didn’t give me a specific deadline for my blood pressure, just by my appointment next year. I’d like to go skiing this winter, if there’s snow on the ground, by December.
Eric’s Response: I think January 1st is a great goal for the weight loss. As of today, that’s about 20 weeks. Do the math and that’s 1 1/2 pounds a week, a very realistic goal. With skiing it will depend when snow falls or if the slopes need artificial snow.

Example Answer to #3: I can commit to 1 hour a day (7 hours a week).
Eric’s Response: That’s great! Just remember it will also take time to prepare meals, drive to the gym, keep a food journal, etc.

Now that you know what your goals are, when you want to achieve them and how much time you’re willing to commit, start with small steps and slowly ramp up. Gauge yourself and see how you feel. As your strength, flexibility, endurance and conditioning improve you’ll realize that you can physically do more. You can lift heavier, stretch further and bike longer. At this point it’s key to ask yourself, “Do I need to do more to achieve my goals?” The answer lies in proper nutrition and plenty rest. But I’ll save that for another time.

When I started lifting weights over 25 years ago, I trained “old school”. Free weights (dumbbells and barbells) and a multi-station gym. Ahh, I can still remember the brown vinyl covering the padded seats and benches as well as the grinding sound the weight stack made. Like workout equipment, my approach to resistance exercises has also evolved. I focus on safety, fun, adherence and results. Incorporating a BOSU (stands for BOth Sides Up) into your exercise program will add creativity and help target core muscles. If you think balancing on one leg is a challenge, then try it on the BOSU dome-side up. It’s one of my favorite exercises. Not difficult enough for you? Then try leg squats dome-side down. When my clients finish either of the exercises and step onto the floor they often comment how grounded and balanced they feel. Why? Different muscles are working to keep you from falling. One of the best features about the BOSU is its durability and longevity. So unless you’re wearing track & field spikes, it should practically last forever.