Stand Up For Your Waist

Technology has helped us master the art of convenience. To talk to a colleague, we send an IM or email instead of walking to her office. If we don’t like what’s on the TV, we push a few buttons on the remote sitting next to us. We don’t even need to drive to and then walk into the record store or movie rental store anymore… we access iTunes or Netflix and voila: new music and movies immediately in our hands. But all of this technological advancement is leading to another advancement… that of our expanding waistlines.


A recent study published in the European Heart Journal (January 2011) showed that individuals who spend most of their day sedentary had waistlines that were 4 cm larger than those who frequently moved around. Those 4cm do more than just require one buy a larger size pair of jeans. Waist to hip ratio and waist circumference are two measurements that are key indicators of cardiovascular health.  Excess fat located in the abdominal area has been linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increased risk for diabetes.


So how sedentary are you?  Do you spend the majority of your work day in front of a computer? Do you frequently veg out in front of the TV or video game console?  Let’s calculate:  assuming you get 7 hours of sleep (during which you’re probably horizontal) and you spend 8 hours working at a sedentary job and then another 3 hours on the couch catching up on The Bachelorette, True Blood, Glee, or Grey’s Anatomy, you’re left with 6 waking hours in your day. Are you active enough during those 6 hours? Other studies have shown that even exercising for the recommended amount per day (minimally 30 minutes of moderate exercise) is not enough to combat the sedentary nature of our lives.


What can you do? Find ways to increase your activity throughout the day. Simply taking short breaks each hour during work to stand, stretch, and pace can be helpful. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Have walking meetings if possible. While working on a laptop, place it on a counter or table that will allow you to stand while you check email or surf the internet. Park your car a little further from the entrance to the store. Get up and move around the house during commercials of your favorite TV show… and if you DVR’d it just to skip the commercials, then watch a decent portion of your show standing up or while lifting some dumbbells in front of the TV. When you walk to the mailbox, circle around the block before going back inside. There are numerous, easy ways to increase your activity throughout the day… you just have to be creative.


And knowing your waist/hip ratio is a great health initiative too. Use the Waist-to-Hip Ratio Norms chart below to see where you fall.  To accurately measure your waist, find the narrowest part of your torso, above your belly button. For your hips, measure the area of your hips with the maximal circumference of your buttocks.  Divide the measurement for your waist by the measurement for your hips:  W/H.

Gender	Excellent	Good	Average	At-Risk
Males	<0.85	0.85-0.89	0.90-0.95	>0.95
Females	<0.75	0.75-0.79	0.80-0.86	>0.86

Source:  American Council on Exercise. (2010). ACE Personal Trainer Manual: 4th edition (pg. 188). San Diego: Author.

The Fitness App You Must Get

If you have an iPhone, iPod, iPad or iAnything, there is one app you need to get ASAP:  Nike Training Club (NTC).  You can find it under the health/fitness apps in the Apple App Store and it currently is FREE.

NTC offers a wide variety of workouts including cardio and strength training ranging from 30 minutes to an hour in length, as well as 15 minute specific body toning workouts (arms, legs, abs, etc). The app can sync to your music library and will play your music behind the voice guided workout. There are pictorial instructions of each exercise as well as an in-motion video, which is super helpful for complex moves. NTC offers workouts for all levels of fitness enthusiasts, from beginners to advanced exercisers.
NTC also charts your progress and stores your workout information. As you complete workouts and amass your total workout time, you can unlock bonus content, including recipes and even more workouts. For example, after completing 60 minutes of workouts, you can access special smoothie recipes as a reward.  Did I mention all of this is free?

The only equipment required for some of the exercises are dumbbells and medicine balls – no gym machines needed. The majority of the exercises involve body weight only, so it’s great to use at home or while travelling.

If you need a change in your workout routine, if you’re looking to start a fitness regime, if you want a semblance of a personal trainer without paying, or if you just want to try something new… get this app now! Nike Training Club… FREE… you’ll thank me for this later. :-)

Geography for Your Health

Do you ever wonder how your state compares to the other 49 when it comes to matters of health? Apparently someone wonders, hence the website America’s Health Rankings. It is a super cool, yet pretty sobering, website offering state by state statistics related to all things health. Check out a few stats below and then be sure to hit up the website if you want even more data.

Top 5 States for Physical Activity:  Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Arizona

The 5 States that Consume the Most Fruits/Veggies: Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, California

The 5 States with the Highest Levels of Obesity:  Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahama

The 5 States with the Lowest Levels of Obesity: Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont

Healthiest State Overall: Vermont!  (For my devoted cross-country readers: Minnesota ranked 6th, Utah 7th, North Carolina 35th, Florida 37th, Kentucky 44th, Alabama 45th in terms of Overall Health Status.)

The Motivation to Move: Music

For the third garage sale in a row, my very first MP3 player did not sell. Each time, I've reduced the price. It's in great shape, has decent storage capacity, and comes with all the accoutrement you'd need to use it (armband, computer program, etc). And yet, it still sits in the pile of "did not sell" in my garage, feeling the sentimentality that I attach to it contrasted with the bitterness of my spouse ("why can't it just go to Goodwill!?"). Seeing my MP3 player not sell again made me walk down memory lane and remember how my exercise life changed when I started using it during workouts. Alas, this post is not about garage sales or my proclivity toward being a packrat. It's about motivation... and the amazing things that music can help you accomplish.

I got my first MP3 player in 2005. Prior to that, I would walk with my CD player in hand. I couldn't run with it because it would cause the CDs to "skip" and it's also just plain hard to run with a portable CD player... not to mention at that time, I didn't even think I had the physical ability to run. When I'd go to the gym, I'd place the CD player on the treadmill or elliptical console and more than once suffered the embarrassment of it toppling off and rolling across the cardio theatre. Imagine how much my world opened up when I got my MP3 player that attached to my arm!  I could jog, run, lift weights... I could listen to more than one artist at a time... I could program my own exercise playlists... I was no longer that girl chasing after the rolling CD in the gym! It was AMAZING.

It was then, in 2005, with the companionship of that MP3 player, that I jogged for the first time since childhood. I jogged for just a few blocks at a time, gradually increasing to 5 and 10 minute increments, and eventually to a continuous 2.5 mile loop around the University of Florida campus. I felt powerful... accomplished... inspired by an ability that I NEVER thought I had. And even though I was jogging in a literal swamp, sweat dripping off me as I pounded the pavement in 95+ degree heat and 80%+ humidity, gosh darnit I felt sexy! All of this, courtesy of my MP3 player.

Music is empowering. Research has shown that when people exercise while listening to music, they work harder and exercise longer than those who work out sans melodies. Music makes the time pass quicker... we zone out listening to Britney or Lady Gaga and the next thing you know, your 30 minutes on the treadmill is over. Music makes exercise fun and keeps your mind off of the fact that you are indeed "working."

Music is a great pseudo-personal trainer. You can use the variation in songs to help you set up intervals: jog one song, walk one song, repeat. Or pace yourself according to the tempo of the music.  There are many ways to build a playlist to suit whatever workout you choose... slower music for flexibility/stretching, quicker music for jogging/running/elliptical machine, your favorites of any tempo for strength training/weight lifting. And definitely choose uplifting energizers for getting through tough workouts.

If you're not currently using music during your workouts, I encourage you to try it... then let me know if you see/feel a difference. I guarantee you'll enjoy your workout more! And if you don't have an MP3 player... I do have one sitting in my garage for sale. ;-)

In case you need some recommendations to start building your exercise playlist, here are some of my favorite "energizer" songs that help me crank through a tough workout:
Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins        
Gimme More - Britney Spears
Runnin' on Sunshine - Grey's Anatomy Cast version         
Raise Your Glass - Pink
ABC - Jackson 5    
Peacock - Katy Perry        
Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
Monster - Lady Gaga        
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga      
Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
Extraordinary - Liz Phair
All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson       
Single Ladies - Beyonce    
Closer - Ne Yo
Right Round - Flo Rida     
Only Girl (in the World) - Rihanna    
If I Had You - Adam Lambert       
Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5  
September - Earth, Wind, & Fire

Awesome Website: 101 Revolutionary Ways to Be Healthy

Check out this website for 101 tips to be "revolutionary" about the way you approach and think about health matters. There is also an app you can download for your iPad/iPhone that includes all 101 tips with links to further information on each subject. 

My favorite tip:  #54 Reframe Exercise as a Privilege!   What's yours?

Note: There is a toggle switch on the top right corner to view the list in a printable mode.

101 Revolutionary Ways to be Healthy

Rethinking Resolutions

The most popular New Year’s resolutions involve losing weight, exercising more, and eating better. Because of being worded so broadly, they are also among the top resolutions that are disregarded after a few weeks. It is in our nature to want to start anew each year… we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t resolve to do something every January 1. This year, I challenge you to resolve differently… rethink your resolutions per se. How?  By relating them to process goals, not product goals.

Product goals involve a final product, such as losing a set amount of weight, finishing a 5K in a certain time, or lowering cholesterol or blood pressure.  While product goals are good, often external factors outside of our control may make them a tad harder to accomplish on a given timeframe. If we don’t accomplish them by our given timeline, we may feel defeated and give up. 

Process goals are more within our control. They are a part of a “process” that we use to achieve our ultimate product. They are the means to our end.  But they are quicker to accomplish and definitely within our control, so when we do complete them, we feel great and more motivated to continue toward our larger goal. Some examples of process goals are:

• Exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes each
• Eat out at a fast food or other restaurant no more than once a week
• Eat 7-9 servings of fruits/vegetables per day
• Walk the dog for 15 minutes twice a day each day of the week
• Drink 5 glasses of water per day
• Watch 3 of my favorite TV shows while walking on the treadmill each week
• Practice yoga or other mind-body exercise once a week

Instead of aiming to lose weight, exercise more, or eat better, what are some key changes you can make in your daily or weekly routine? What process goals can you set that will help you lead a healthier life in 2012?

Favorite "Suck It Up" Move for Upper Body: Push-ups

I will self disclose that I was not able to perform a regular push-up until this year.  I’d been doing modified push-ups (or if we want to be sexist – “girly” push-ups) for years, but I didn’t have the confidence nor ambition to try a “real” push-up until recently.  Not only did it build my upper body strength, it also boosted my fitness confidence. After all, the ability to do a push-up is a standard among fitness and strength assessments.  I don’t enjoy them, which is why it is a “suck-it-up” move, but they are great toners for the entire upper body, working the arms, chest, and shoulders.

If you are new to the push-up, definitely start with the modified version. Once you can complete several sets of 12-15 repetitions of the modified version, attempt at least one repetition of the standard push-up. Add the one rep push-up on the days when you complete your upper body strength building routine. After you can handle one push-up with good form, attempt two repetitions. Try to add one rep each week (i.e.  after 5 weeks, you can do 5 standard push-ups).

If you’re already a push-up pro, incorporate some variations, such as medicine ball push-ups, push-ups with single leg raise, or plyometric push-ups (where you explosively push off the ground and clap your hands together while your body is in the “up” phase).

Adding the push-up to your fitness regimen will help you sculpt and tone almost all major muscles in your upper body. In addition, keeping good form and contracting your abs while you perform the exercise is good for your core. It’s also great because it can be done anywhere… the gym, your home, a hotel, in a park, etc. Lastly, once you finally reach your goal, whether that be advancing to a more complex push-up or just being able to do 5 reps of the standard push-up, you just may end up feeling  like GI Jane or GI Joe. :-) Happy push-up-ing.