President's Council on Fitness

Every now and again, I hear a reference to the President's Council on Fitness. But in truth, I don't know too much about it. So, I checked it out. And you can too.

The website link is here.

Dominique Dawes and Drew Brees are co-chairs at this time, and Billie Jean King is a member of the council.

The organization is far more active than I imagined. The array of programs are impressive, and the resources informative. They have a foundation. They post to a blog and tweet away. Be sure to read the history page. It started with Eisenhower, and each subsequent administration has added to the structure, the programs, the interactions with the public, and so on. Really good stuff.

This is a valuable resource for the American public. Take a look, perhaps you'll find something new and interesting to inform your health and fitness. 

Eat Clean

Eating clean. It has slightly different meanings to people. For me, it means minimally processed / as close to the source as possible. A good slideshow on 10 ways to eat clean can be found here at Eating Well. And, another article from Live Strong can be found here.

Overall, eat fruits and vegetables.
Drink lots of water and enjoy tea, particularly green.
Eliminate or minimize alcohol.
Rid your diet of sugar.
Go easy on the salt.
Ban anything white -- flour, rice, pasta.
Use olive oil when you can to cut down on other fats.

I have been eating more quinoa and have discovered some gluten free options for pasta and crackers. I do love a good, salty cracker. Mary's Gone Crackers are some of my favorites.

If you're not ready to eat clean entirely, consider doing so as a detox -- a way to rebalance your system. You never know, you might just feel good enough to keep it up.

Axi, Ipsi & More

More interesting definitions from the fitness directory:

     Axilla: The armpit.

     Idiopathic: Cause of injury unknown.

     Iliac: Refers to the area of the hip bones on either side of the body.

     Ipsilateral: Situated on the same side.

     Voluntary muscle: Skeletal muscle; muscle under one's control.

Really, curious about that last one.

The Antagonist

I found a fitness dictionary online and began to explore it. You can find it here. Evidently there are agonists and antagonists. As follows:

     Agonist: A contracting muscle that is resisted or counteracted by another muscle, the antagonist.

     Antagonist: A muscle that produces an action that is exactly the opposite of the agonist.

And there you have it.

Going to the Max

The other day, I did my treadmill routine -- elevation steadily at 6 and then a pump up to 10 with a step down of elevation for each minute. Woohoo!

An added benefit to feeling great and sweating like crazy was my VO2max. That is maximum oxygen uptake, and I spent 4 minutes and 28 seconds in this zone. That's hard to do. And I was heaving. My heart rate monitor displayed my ticker chiming in the 160s and 170s -- 170s! That's high. And I was. I could feel this level of oxygen.

Spending time in this zone is critical. A weekly target is how I try to achieve it -- small amounts spread across the week of exercises. I don't always get it done, but it sure does feel great when I do.

I love going to the max.

Just the Flax -- Or Maybe Chia

Prevention has an interesting comparison of flax and chia seeds that you can find here. I have a stash of both. Actually my flax is in meal form, and I recently used it with water to substitute for the egg binding in a meatloaf recipe. The chia seeds are whole. I've had them now for well over a year. I discovered chia, ordered some, mixed a batch into a gel, and used it by the spoonful.

Essentially both seeds have similar properties and benefits.

But here are a few differences, considerations perhaps:
  - Chia have more fiber
  - Flax has double the B1
  - Chia has 11% RDA of selenium compared to 5% for flax
  - Flax has slightly more copper, folate, potassium, and magnesium
  - Chia offers more phosphorous

The bottom line is that both are good for you. The comparison lifted the glove for flax, but you can't go wrong with either and should consider variety.

Want to Be More Efficient?

It appears our body clocks are in the spotlight once again. An article at WSJ.com outlined research findings on the optimum times to do everything from think critically and creatively to exercise to Tweeting. A few interesting points:

• Best cognitive times are late morning
• Fatigue boosts creative powers
• 3 to 6 pm produces the least injury during exercise
• Eye-hand coordination is best in late afternoon

You can read the article in its entirety here and perhaps make adjustments or keep these points in mind.

Burpees Are Not For Babies

Here's a great conditioning exercise that you can perform anywhere, no equipment needed:

The Burpee

What is it? Begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back in one movement so that you end up in a pushup position. As quickly as you can, return your feet to squat position and jump up and land back down gently. Do over.

This exercise is great for flexibility, overall conditioning, and getting your heart rate up. You'll strengthen your upper body and lower.

Do as many as you can and make it part of your routine.

Anatomy Side View

I was looking for an anatomy diagram and came across this one, which is a side view and a different perspective than what is usual shown.

Image here

Discovered on nomanclaturo.com

Green Juice

Here's a green juice recipe to try:

• Handful of spinach
• Handful of parsley
• Bunch of watercress leaves
• Handful of arugula
• 3 kale leaves
• 3 celery stalks
• 1/2 cucumber (peeled)
• 2 pears or apples (seeds removed)
• thick slice of lemon

Juice all ingredients. Add ice if you would like to cool it down. Drink immediately.

Do the Dip

Triceps are the muscles I work least. I say that in terms of focus. I'd much rather work shoulders or biceps or chest. While I do work my triceps while rowing and doing other exercises, I'm lax at targeting them.

One of the best exercises for triceps is dips. I use a bench and try to do three sets of 12, keeping my body close the bench and arms in. I stretch my legs all the way out, and if I get in the groove for a while I may even use the stability ball.

This is a great exercise. And it's funny how little I target triceps because they are a good part of my upper arm. To 'see' a difference requires tricep exercises.

Do the dip.

Current Favorite Workouts

My fitness rotation lately looks like the following. I am seeing results and really enjoying it.

1. Row 5K meters
2. HIIT step routine on the 12 inch box
3. Row 10K meters
4. Walk one hour
5. Row 5K and walk 30 minutes

Or some variation of these. Having fun.

Hemp

News flash: Hemp is it!

I recently purchased hemp protein because I learned that it contains the essential amino acids and contains a high ratio of the omegas.

The protein I have started to use is by Living Harvest. I purchased it on Amazon and have begun to drink one 'shake' of it per day. I mix it with water only. My guess is that others mix it with juice and perhaps add fruit and other items. I drink mine straight up.

Additionally, I have been converting recipes to vegan options and needed a milk substitute. Living Harvest also offers hemp milk. I found it at my local grocery, and am going to venture into it for a bechamel sauce.

I think I'm slow to this hemp revolution, but I am so glad to have discovered it. Years ago, I went the soy route, and frankly it didn't work for me. So as time has passed, the options have multiplied -- almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, and so on. It's great to see so many options for so many tastes.

So if you are looking for an alternative or just want to give it a try, I recommend hemp.

Nike Training Club

This morning, I learned of a new app from a friend -- Nike Training Club. Very cool. Learn about it here. I love that it allows you to select goals that are titled 'get lean' - 'get toned' - 'get strong' - 'get focused' - and so on. It's for use on the iPhone - haven't looked into other devices - and it links into your music. Very cool.

If you Google it, you'll also find You Tube videos, clubs around the nation, and so on.

Very, very cool.

Healthy Dip

Here's a healthy and tasty dip from my latest Women's Health issue:

In a food processor, combine:
  2 cups chopped roasted beets
  4 garlic cloves, roasted and mashed
  3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  1/3 cup toasted walnuts

I used less garlic to suit my taste. Served it warm with chilled vegetable slices -- cucumber, green onion, carrots, celery, radishes -- and some crackers.

Time and Meters

I've been rowing again lately.

Sometimes my goal is time -- 30 minutes or one hour. Sometimes my goal is meters -- 5,000 or 10,000.

It's funny how targeting 5,000 meters is different than aiming for 30 minutes. They usually yield only slightly different results, but the pace, the focus, the exertion seem different. It's a nice way to change it up and surprise my body into something that isn't routine. And, it provides a new challenge. The other day, rowing toward a 10K meter target, I caught myself thinking of only having to make it to the target. Wrong. I realized I was going to beat that target in one hour and so I continued and pushed myself. Shaved time off of my average. It felt great.

So time or meters? Or time and meters? I've got my eyes on both.

Beat It

I beat my rowing target today.
One hour = 10,056 meters.
Torched over 550 calories.

Gently, I go down the stream.

Popeye

Today's tip: eat more spinach.

Benefits of Rowing

Yesterday I rowed. Over 5,000 meters. It was a great workout, and my legs were a bit shaky afterwards.

There are numerous benefits to rowing.

First, rowing uses a variety of muscles and thus is a total body workout -- upper, lower, core. Concept2 has a great visual here that shows the muscles used during each phase of the rowing movement. It torches lots of calories since so many are being used.

Second, rowing requires a wide range of motion. So your joints are used, and your muscles are pushing and pulling.

Third, rowing is cardio and muscle toning / building in one. Therefore, it is a good overall workout when you have limited time.

I'm trying to get back into the habit of rowing three times per week. I'll keep you posted.

P90X Video of Arm Exercises

This YouTube video demonstrates the moves for the shoulder and arm workout. I've learned some interesting new moves from this. Now out to the gym to do 'em again.

Step - Lift - Walk

I did it today: burned 709 calories. How?

I did my HIIT step routine with the 12 inch box. Stepped up for one minute. Restws for 30 seconds. Total time was 30 minutes. I burned 335 calories. It was the equivalent of walking about 3.19 miles.

Then.

I moved to weights and performed sets of multi-muscle exercises. In between, I stepped up onto the 18 inch box. It will hurt tomorrow. I also tossed in a few abs for a total of 225 calories. Again, 30 minutes.

Then.

I walked. That's right. I hopped on the treadmill and cruised approximately 1.78 miles. I burned 149 calories in 30 minutes. It was a way to stretch my legs, get oxygen pumping to all of those 'gettin' tired' muscles, and let my brain go.

Lots of sweat. It went by rather quickly and didn't feel as if it lasted one and half hours.

Great workout.

Keep Your Brain in Shape

An article on the Yoga Journal site regarding well-being caught my eye. Titled "Wise Up: 7 Ways to Keep Your Brain in Shape for a Lifetime," it can be found here. The seven tips as follows:

1. Salute the sun
2. Take a brain tonic
3. Make new friends
4. Think positive
5. Boost B12
6. Take your seat
7. Get a move on

I would argue that the last one is the most important. The benefits of exercise cannot be overstated, and the brain as benefactor is a new and growing body of research and understanding. The key is to exercise your body and then use your brain.

Vegan Protein Options

Eat vegan? Try these combinations to get protein:

Quinoa and vegetables tossed with olive oil and sea salt. Make it light and cool with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and fresh herbs. Go the warm route with roasted mushrooms, wilted spinach, and caramelized shallots. The combinations are endless.

Black beans and brown rice. Add cilantro, onions, green and red peppers, jalapeños, and season with a heavy hand of cumin, coriander, and chili powder.

Stir fry of vegetables tossed with brown rice and beans. Drizzle your favorite Asian sauce.

Lentils cooked down with olive oil, tossed with spinach (to wilt it), and topped with pepperoncinis. For a little color, add diced carrots and onions to the lentils as they cook.

Hummus and vegetables. Need I say more.

A Calorie Equals

A pound of body fat - yep, fat - equals approximately 3,500 calories. It's widely accepted, and it's a good measure to use when calculating 'calories out' in order to achieve weight loss goals. To lose one pound per week, a calorie deficit of 500 is needed. Meaning, consume 500 calories less - or looked at in a more positive light - burn 500 calories more than you eat. I prefer looking at it as having to burn more as it sets up a competition with myself to achieve this. Also, it takes the focus off of food and places it on exercise. One pound per week is good. Two is the maximum to lose in any healthy way.

So how much to lose and by when?

Running Music Mix

I found a site with songs at 180 bpm for running. It's runningmusicmix.com. Here's what I found for songs to run by -- although many are unfamiliar to me, I think I'll check 'em out and perhaps download for my iPod.

1. Bang Bang / K'naan & Adam Levine / 181 bpm
2. A Praise Chorus / Jimmy Eat World / 185 bpm
3. The Boys of Summer / Don Henley / 177 bpm
4. Lose Yourself / Eminem / 172 bpm
5. Written In the Stars / Tinie Tempah / 182 bpm
6. Bad Ass / Aphrodite & Mickey Finn / 178 bpm
7. Bang Bang Bang / Mark Ronson & The Business Intl / 185 bpm
8. Golden Phone / Micachu / 180 bpm
9. Gold Guns Girls/ Metric / 182 pm
10. Moments of Lust (Featuring Vikter Duplaix) / DJ Marky, Vikter Duplaix & XRS / 178
11. Wolf Like Me / TV On the Radio / 177 bpm
12. Some Weird Sin / Iggy Pop / 183 bpm
13. Alone Again Or / Love / 177 bpm
14. Let's Get Lost / Elliott Smith / 181 bpm
15. I'm Not Okay / My Chemical Romance / 180 bpm
16. I Only Want You / Eagles Of Death Metal / 174 bpm
17. Dark Entries / Bauhaus / 147 bpm
18. Living La Vida Loca / Ricky Martin / 178 bpm
19. Turning Japanese / The Vapors / 179 bpm
20. Dancing With Myself / Billy Idol / 177 bpm
21. Good Intentions Paving Co. / Joanna Newsom / 175 bpm
22. Come Undone / Duran Duran / 174 bpm
23. I. O. U. / The Replacements / 182 bpm
24. Everlasting Light / The Black Keys / 180 bpm
25. To My Enemies / Saint Motel / 185 bpm
26. Panic in Detroit / David Bowie / 186 bpm
27. Hang On to Yourself / David Bowie / 177 bpm
28. Monkey Wrench / Foo Fighters / 175 bpm
29. Standing Next to Me / The Last Shadow Puppets / 184 bpm
30. Go! / Tones on Tail / 177 bpm

Multiple Moves

I did not work out yesterday. Took the day off. Exercised other parts of me that needed to expend a bit of energy -- like diving into a good book, running my imagination through Costa Rican short stories, and lifting and lowering the Paris Review.

But anyway.

Today, back at it. I'm working my way through the P90X routines. Doing as much as I can to ease into them. I really like the stretching intro to the two routines I've tried to date.

• March in place
• Run in place
• Jumping Jacks
• Lunges with alternate arms
• Side to side head rolls
• Arm circles
• Shakers
• Huggers
• Swimmers
• Reachers

It feels great to start a workout with this set (there are some additional items not listed above). 

The routine today included bicep, shoulder, and tricep work. Multiple moves in one, alternating curls and presses, and dips. Biceps, shoulders, triceps. I typically do straight and side curls, but with this routine they are done together as one move. I also do shoulder presses, together not alternating. So while these moves aren't new per se, they are organized in a new way. I like it.

I won't say how far I made it into the routine, but I will admit I didn't get to the end. I will keep at it until I can move through the entire set. Once there, I'll begin to increase weight. But that's getting way ahead. More routines to conquer.

In addition, I did abs and then hopped on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Walked at an incline of 5 for most of the way.

Torched quite a few calories. A great workout day.

Arms and Shoulders

Does she have arms and shoulders, or what?!!!!

This is an ad in my fitness magazine. This lady has beautiful shoulders. I love her strength. Truly inspiring.

P90X

Okay, so I've joined the craze.

I downloaded an app of P90X -- the routine that has all of those tongues wagging about Paul Ryan and his fit body. He is really fit.

Well. Let's just say that workout one jolted me into action. And I'm sore today. Now, I'm pretty fit - not a perfect specimen, but I do get out there and do something each day.

But. It's a circuit. Going from move to move. Quick time on each exercise. One minute. Thirty seconds.  Stretch for 20 seconds. And so on.

The first day is the chest and ab ripper. Variations of push ups and pull ups. Stretching. More push ups and pull ups. More stretching. Abs. Abs. And more abs.

I'm sore today. Push ups haven't been in my routine for a while. I used to do them regularly and then got out of the habit. I had to use my knees. Sad isn't it?

My abs are also a bit sore. Yippee!

I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed with P90X. I may or may not follow it exactly. I do love certain parts of my routine(s) and will keep them up. For now, though, I'm in.

Tri, Tri, Tri, and Tri again

New tricep exercises today.

Single arm tricep extensions -- using the cable
Dips on the rack -- not real dips, just holding it and attempting to dip, a work in progress
Floor press - new to me to do tri work on the floor
Tate press - same as above with elbows out

Calf raises in between -- straight, out, in, repeat

That and 30 minutes on the treadmill made for a good mid-afternoon workout.

I'll tri again.

Run Until

Another hot day. The birds weren't even out. Just the sun.

I turned the fans on and made sure they were pointed towards the front of the treadmill. I warmed up for five minutes. Turned off the machine to reset it, and then started it back up.

Thirty minutes
5.5 miles per hour
299 calories
2.74 miles
Close to 10 minutes in VO2

I ran with Amy Macdonald, singing "But I will run until my feet no longer run no more. And I will kiss until my lips no longer feel no more. And I will love until my heart it breaks. And I will love until my heart it aches. And I will run until there is nothing more to live for."

I pressed on with one of my favorite running songs -- I Touch Roses by Book of Love. It bounces back and forth from my left ear to my right.

I ran to Madonna (of course).

I ran to the Streets of Fire soundtrack.

I ran and ran and ran.

And then I stopped.

Sunday Circuit

I didn't get out into the gym until late. Busy doing work at my desk but knew I would make it out before sundown.

It was bright. And hot. Two fans, a few wasps, and a bunch of lizards lounging and watching.

First up, biceps. Supersets. Three exercises: curls, db side raises, and hammer curls. Fifteen, 12, and 12 pounds, respectively. Three sets. Jumped rope to the count of 60 between each set. A good way to spike the heartbeat.

Next, triceps. Same routine with supersets and jump rope. Dips, cable pulldown, and overhead db. Body weight, four plates, and 15 pounds, respectively. Made it through two sets.

On to legs. Db squats with 15 pounds. Lunges the length of the garage and back, 12 up, 12 back. Then hit the floor to do work hams on the disk. Followed it up with 50 bicycles to zing the abs hard, about 30 crunches, and then slipped the disk under my back and burned about 20 more crunches out of my midsection.

303 calories. Felt like it should have been twice that. A great, great sweat. About 40 minutes total, including set up and tear down.

Favorites on the playlist All India Radio, Brandi Carlile, Alana Davis, Madonna (of course), Berlin, and The Cranberries.

Ab Tip

Here's an ab tip that I learned years ago:

Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth when doing crunches. It aligns your head and avoids neck strain.

Give it a try.

Hitting Below the Knee

Okay, so let's talk calves.

I got out of the habit of lifting these very visual muscles and recently added them back into my routine. I like to do the three-pronged approach: feet pointed straight ahead, turned inward, and then turned outward. Three sets. Ten to 12 reps each. This exercise can be performed on a flat surface or off of a stair step or elevated platform that allows your heel to dip down.

Give them a try, and you see and feel results soon. Hit below the knee to add to a great pair of legs.

Gym Boss

I have a gym boss. Two actually. One on my phone and one that is its own device. Gymboss. It's a repeatable timer that can be set according to your workout.

Primarily I have it set for 20 intervals of 1.5 minutes with a 30 second rest in between. Until recently, I had only used it for my box step routine but then found myself using low weight dumbbells and going for fatigue. I find it to be far more handy that having to repeatedly set a timer or to keep looking at the clock. And when I discovered that I could download it as an app, well that was even better. One less thing to pack.

I still use the device in the gym versus my phone app, and I highly recommend it.

Another great discovery: the Gymboss website. It has tips and tricks and a blog. Check it out.

On Course

I've posted here in a sporadic fashion. At this point, my goal is to share at least once per week. So to relaunch my quest for good health and fitness -- although I haven't been off course -- I'll give an update.

Lately, I've spent time on the treadmill. Nothing new there. However, I've changed my routine. Instead of steady-state running or walking, I've been walking and adjusting the incline. It's all in the incline. From 3.5 to 4.0 miles per hour -- typically at 3.5 or 3.6 for me -- with an incline that hovers at 6 or 7 but goes as high as 10. Are you breathing hard yet? Yeah.

I don't have a defined routine for incline. Meaning that I don't do say 5 minutes at 6 and then 5 minutes at 7. I mix it up. Keep it fresh. Test myself. Push myself.

Talk about sweat.

I do it for 60 minutes.

I have been pretty consistent. It feels great.

In addition, I've been back to lifting weights, but I haven't been consistent with it due to time. I'll be trying different things and sharing them here. I've also been rowing and stepping. So this is the official relaunch of The Farmer's Walk. Let's see how things go.

More soon.