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Work It! Work Out!

by Joel Lopez, MD, CNS

Ever wonder why some people go to the gym regularly but don’t get results whatsoever or worse, they just get injuries? Well, let’s see the possible reasons why this is so. 

A lot of times, people aren’t able to accomplish their goals because they don’t have the nutritional support for their bodies (to create muscle tissue or lose body fat). There is a greater need for protein during the anabolic process. And this doesn’t mean just any protein. A high-quality protein source is needed by the body during this time, whether it’s from an animal or plant source (depending on a person’s individual needs). 

For those with busy lifestyles, using a protein meal replacement would work (whey, rice, pea). And it’s not enough to eat a diet that’s high in protein, however. Are you actually digesting and assimilating the nutrients from your food? Beginning in our 30′s, we actually produce less digestive enzymes (HCl, pepsin, pancreatic enzymes, bile). People usually manifest this lack of enzymes with symptoms such as heartburn, burping, indigestion, bloating and gas. So, it would be beneficial to take some digestive enzymes especially with high-protein meals or meals that are primarily cooked. 

If a person’s nutritional needs are already met but they still have a hard time reaching their goals, then it might be a good idea to have their hormones checked. Hormonal imbalance could lead to issues such as muscle and bone loss as well as fat accumulation. Deficient or even “low normal” levels of the androgens in men (DHEA and testosterone), estrogen/progesterone imbalance in women, imbalance in thyroid and adrenal hormones, and deficient or “low normal” levels of anabolic hormones such as growth hormone can all lead to futile work-out efforts. It would be really helpful to work with an anti-aging practitioner when someone is trying to optimize their hormone levels. 

One thing to remember by the way, is the difference in sexes when it comes to trying to achieve a certain body fat percentage. For men, the normal is between 10-15%, while in women, it’s 20-25% (since women are genetically programmed to have a higher body fat percentage). If the hormones are still out of balance in spite of efforts to optimize them , then it may be important to look at the role that toxins play in this scenario. Heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and other environmental toxins could create hormonal imbalances. Therefore, it’s also important to rule them out if one is intent on achieving their health/fitness goals. More on this later.

Keep Your Summer Body All Year Long

You worked out hard all year to attain that perfect summer physique. Now with the holidays around the corner it's easy to slip up and pack on the pounds. Don't let all your hard work fade away! Keep working out and eating right and you'll have that sculpted summer body through fall and winter!

Keep up the activities you enjoy

As the weather cools down you may feel as though you may not be able to continue your favorite summer workouts. You spent your summer swimming laps under the sun and jogging on the beach, and there's no reason why you can't keep up these activities. When it gets too cold for outdoor swimming, take your routine indoors. Your local gym or YMCA will have a heated pool for you to continue your water workout. If you enjoy outdoor running, just bundle up as the weather gets chillier, and if it gets too cold for you, hit the treadmill. Of course taking your routine indoors isn't the same as getting your sweat on in the great outdoors, but it's definitely a better alternative to bulking up over the winter!

Keep exercising and eating right a priority

You kept your fitness and nutrition goals all summer, now is not the time to throw it all away. Do whatever it takes to maintain your work-outs and diet. If the thought of baring it all on the beach is the only thing to motivate you, find new ways to motivate yourself! Get a work-out buddy! We're big proponents of work-out partners as you may know (Get A Work-Out Buddy and Choosing A Work-Out Partner are previous articles we've posted on the subject), and it's a great way to keep yourself accountable for exercising. If you've promised to meet someone at the park or gym, you won't want to let that person down and you're more likely to show up.

Do your workouts first thing in the morning. If you've lost your motivation to keep moving, do it in the a.m. after you wake up and get it out of the way. You'll feel good throughout the day and you won't have to worry about finding inspiration throughout your day to get to the gym, you already took care of that!

As the family feasts get underway, don't lose sight of all the hard work you've put into your body. Instead of reaching for a roll, grab an extra serving of salad. Bring healthy items, like one of our many nutritious dishes here on CommunityTable, to your family festivities. That way you may be sure that there are healthy choices available not only for you, but for your loved ones as well. 

Keep up your fitness regimen and diet and look great at all of your holiday parties! You'll be thankful you put in that extra work over fall and winter when January rolls around and you look just as good as you did in June! Not to mention you won't have to work nearly as hard as all of those January Joiners that are trying to slim down for next summer!
 

Hydration Nation!

 If you're not, you could end up with excess body fat, poor muscle tone, digestive complications, muscle soreness -- even water-retention problems.

Next to air, water is the element most necessary for survival.  A normal adult is 60 to 70 percent water.  We can go without food for almost two months, but without water only a few days.  Yet most people have no idea how much water they should drink.  In fact, many live in a dehydrated state.

Without water, we'd be poisoned to death by our own waste products.  When the kidneys remove uric acid and urea, these must be dissolved in water.  If there isn't enough water, wastes are not removed as effectively and may build up as kidney stones.  Water also is vital for chemical reactions in digestion and metabolism.  It carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells through the blood and helps to cool the body through perspiration.  Water also lubricates our joints.

We even need water to breathe:  our lungs must be moist to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide.  It is possible to lose a pint of liquid each day just exhaling.

So if you don't drink sufficient water, you can impair every aspect of your physiology.  Dr. Howard Flaks, a bariatric (obesity) specialist in Beverly Hills, Calif, says, "By not drinking enough water, many people incur excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint and muscle soreness and water retention."

Water retention?  If you're not drinking enough, your body may retain water to compensate.  Paradoxically, fluid retention can sometimes be eliminated by drinking more water, not less.

"Proper water intake is a key to weight loss," says Dr. Donald Robertson, medical director of the Southwest Bariatric Nutrition Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.  "If people who are trying to lose weight don't drink enough water, the body can't metabolize the fat adequately.  Retaining fluid also keeps weight up."

The minimum for a healthy person is eight to ten eight-ounce glasses a day," says Dr. Flaks.  "You need more if you exercise a lot or live in a hot climate.  And overweight people should drink in an extra glass for every 25 pounds they exceed their ideal weight.  Consult your own physician for their recommendations.

At the International Sports Medicine Institute, we have a formula for daily water intake: 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight if you're not active (that's ten eight-ounce glasses if you weigh 160 pounds), and 2/3 ounce per pound if you're athletic (13 to 14 glasses a day, at the same weight).

Your intake should be spread throughout the day and evening.  You may wonder:  If I drink this much, won't I constantly be running to the bathroom?  Yes.  But after a few weeks, your bladder tends to adjust and you urinate less frequently but in larger amounts.

And by consuming those eight to ten glasses of water throughout the day, you could be on your way to a healthier, leaner body.

Do I Really Need Workout Gloves?

Many serious kettlebellers (mostly the testosterone-rich variety) will tell you that only sissies wear gloves; that if you wear gloves you aren’t “hardcore”.  I say, “So What!?!”  I don’t know about you, but I like having nice hands.  And I challenge them to try one of my workouts and let me know if they think a sissy could get though it, with or without gloves. Which reminds me, before we go any further, let me give me fair warning…

You WILL be sore.

Sore…and tired…and you will sweat.  If that’s gross to you or sounds like too much work, then maybe kettlebells aren’t for you. Maybe you don’t want to change your body badly enough.  If that’s the case, go try some lame cookie/smoothie/popsicle diet for a few months and come back when you’re really ready to change your body.  Because that’s the whole point of kettlebells.  Cardio under load gets you real results.  Vastly improved cardiovascular endurance, increased strength, lovely toned muscles…fast.  But it’s not easy…so get ready!

One more thing on the soreness.  Take it easy on your first workouts, because you are really going to feel it the next few days.  You may find it hard to get out of bed or walk down stairs for a few days.  You will hurt in places you never knew existed (which is why kettlebells get results; they hit you in places other workouts can’t).  But I promise you something…get through that first week and you’ll be over the soreness hump.  It will get easier from there, and yes, you will once again be able to move like a normal human being.

Ok.  So, back to the gloves.  The Pros and Cons of Gloves.

Actually, I honestly can’t think of any cons besides the “hardcore” myth which is completely ridiculous.  But if you choose not to wear them, I can tell you how to best care for your hands.  Because of the way the kettlebell rotates in your hand, you will get calluses.  Much like personal trainers, there are good and bad calluses.  Good calluses are flat and feel like they’re under your skin.  They protect your hands.  Bad calluses form a hard lump that rises above your skin, which makes them prone to tearing open. If they tear, it will…

1.  Hurt

2.  Bleed

3.  Possibly get infected and,

4.  (Worst of all) Stop you from swinging your kettlebell until it heals a bit.

Here’s how you avoid torn calluses.  First soak your hands in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes (during your shower will do), then file the callus flat with a rough nail file or pumice stone.  Remember: a flat callus protects you, so don’t file it away altogether.

As an alternative to gloves, some people use chalk…but it makes a mess. And one of the best things about kettlebells is you can do your workout in your living room and unless you live in a pool hall, do you really want chalk dust everywhere?

If you DO decide to wear gloves, you have a couple of choices:

1.Go to any sporting goods store and get a pair of the “fingerless” gloves that cover your hands to the first knuckle.  You shouldn’t pay more than $10 for them.  You want to make sure they fit comfortably - not tight, but snug (if they are too loose they’ll bunch up on you and drive you crazy).  Personally, I like the ones with leather on the palm-side and mesh on the back.  They protect my hands well and still breathe a bit.

2.Gardening gloves - the thin suede ones.  They’ll protect your hands well and you can get up to three pairs for your same $10. The down-side of these is that:  it’s harder to get a good fit, your hands will sweat horribly, and if you have long nails they’ll rub inside the gloves and annoy you (of course you could cut the ends of the fingers off).

Regardless of the type of gloves you choose, your hands will still sweat and eventually your gloves won’t smell great.  You can wash them, but be careful - the color tends to run and stain everything else.  On the rare occasions that I bother to wash mine, I put them in a delicates bag with 1/2 a cup of baking soda, then throw the bag into my cold wash with all of my black clothes.  Hang them to dry, not in the sun.

Your gloves will last a long time; up to a couple of years.  Unless you are like my client today who wore holes through her first pair, after training three times for over a year.  Well done Malissa!  Was it worth the $10?

- Alysia Gadson

Yes, You're Sore. Now What?!?

 

So you've done your first workouts, or you've just done some new exercises or kicked it up a notch with a heavier weight. And now you're sore. Not…I-can-walk-normally-but-I-can-feel-some-muscle-fatigue sore. No, you’re…I-can-barely-walk-at-all, stairs-are-impossible-and-I-can't-get-on-or-off-the-toilet-unassisted sore. Stupid sore. I-want-to-cry sore. 

 

Well, good for you! 

 

Being that sore all the time is not only dumb, it will actually make you depressed. And you'll stop working out, because you'll realize that life is not worth living if you can't even get off the couch. But I think it's good for you to feel that soreness every so often. It builds mental toughness and raises the bar for how hard you're willing to push it. Best of all, you get some bragging rights. 

 

But when you wake up cringing at the thought of how it is going to feel when you try to get out of bed, all you can think about is making the pain go away. So, how do you do it?

 

First - and most important - drink a lot of water. You should be drinking half your bodyweight in ounces every day anyway. Meaning, if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking a minimum of 75oz of water every day (sorry, other beverages don’t count and the beer-is-mostly-water argument doesn’t work). But if you're really sore, drink at least an extra 32oz a day, maybe even 64oz if you're heavier (over 200lbs). Don't go overboard and drink several gallons…that’s very bad for you. Remember, the point is to hydrate, so avoid anything that dehydrates you, such as coffee, alcohol, and sodium. 

 

Next - and almost equally important - get a bit more sleep. Your body heals itself when you're sleeping, and you’re sore because you have thousands of microscopic tears in your muscles (and a lot of lactic acid). Don’t worry, those tears are supposed to be there. Microscopic tears is what causes your muscles to grow…when they heal, your muscles become stronger (major muscle tears are a completely different thing, and should be avoided entirely). So, give them the rest they need to heal! When I'm I-wish-I-was-dead sore, I take a daily two-hour nap until it goes away. And I still sleep 8 hours at night.

 

Food choices will affect how long you're sore for. Eat plenty of protein and green vegetables. Organic food has a lot more nutrients than the factory-farmed stuff and to me it's worth the extra money. Don't eat crap - your body can't heal itself on junk food!

 

An Epsom salts bath can be very soothing. Don't make the water too hot, and only sit in it for 15 minutes or so. Then drink 32 oz of water and go to bed. Epsom salt detoxifies your body, so you need extra water to flush the toxins out. 

 

As ridiculous as it sounds, going for a walk will help a lot. Hobble along slowly, like an elderly person on an afternoon stroll. You're just trying to get the blood moving through your muscles. This isn't a cardio session. When you get home after 10 to 20 minutes, stretch very gently. Do not try to "push" the stretch of a super-sore muscle…it is more susceptible to damage. Now is the time to be kind to yourself!

 

Massage is another good way to get your blood moving through your muscles. Either have your favorite loved one help you out, or do it yourself. Sit down, relax the affected limb, and gently knead the muscle like dough. Again…be gentle. Getting in deep when massaging a muscle that's healing will do more harm and no good.

- Alysia Gadson

The Perfect Push-Up

 
Push-ups are a very basic exercise that doesn't require any fancy equipment and is one of the most effective exercises you can do. If done correctly, the push-up can strengthen the chest, shoulders, triceps and even the core trunk muscles, all at one time.

Push-ups strengthen muscles and help with muscle endurance. Performing strength-training exercises can help you become strong and less likely to get injured when working or playing. Plus strength is good for your posture and bones. You need to build endurance so you have more energy and are able to play or work harder for longer periods of time. Good health conditions will help prevent the development of some diseases.

Here's how to do a perfect push-up: From a face-down position, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Place your toes or knees on the floor, and try to create a perfect diagonal with your body, from the shoulders to the knees or feet. Keep the glutes [rear-end muscles] and abdominals engaged. Then lower and lift your body by bending and straightening your elbows, keeping your torso stable throughout.

For variation, try the Superman-style push-up. Start out your push up routines by holding a dumbbell in each hand. Next position yourself on the ground in the standard push-up stance.

You should have your knees on the ground. Be sure that your hands are aligned with your shoulders. You should also have your palms facing your legs. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the ground while keeping your body straight. It is important that you do not let your hips pop up or allow your back to arch.

To continue this move, press up and extend your left arm forward with your palm facing down. When your arm reaches its highest point, your arm should be in line with your torso. Next, lower your hand back to the starting position to complete 1 rep.

To complete the next rep you will work the other arm. Start by repeating the push-up, this time extending your right arm forward. Continue, alternating sides with every other push-up to reap the full benefits of this exercise. Push up exercise routines are an effective conditioning tool when you want to focus on your triceps, shoulders and chest.

Sources: 

1.  Get Fit and Be Active. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. www.fitness.gov.

2.  Seven Most Effective Exercises. WebMD. www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise.

3. Workout Routines: Superman Push Up Exercise. Shape Magazine. www.shape.com. 

Why You Need To Stretch

 

Many people skip stretching their muscles before exercise, not understanding how important it is. Some figure their muscles will be heated up soon enough as they work out, so why do they need to bother with warming up with muscle stretches first? Many of those who do not warm up before exercising would not even think about there being a need to stretch muscles after exercising, which is often called cooling down. They went balls out during their workout and now they just want to drag themselves out of the gym before the pain of such a strenuous workout of the muscles overtakes them.

 

Is there really good reasoning for all of the endorsements of pre and post exercise muscle stretching? Or is it another form of torture as the seriously out of shape person just beginning a regular exercise program might think? Stretching your muscles before beginning to exercise and afterwards, will actually result in your body feeling less tortured as it is moved and pushed in ways it is not used to because of your previously sedentary habits. Whether you are just starting out or you are a fitness buff, stretching your muscles before and after engaging in an exercise program or fitness training regimen is important.

 

Taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up your muscles before beginning exercise releases a lubricating substance from the cartilage within the joints, which aids the fluid motion of muscles and also keeps bones from scraping against one another at connection points in the body. Lubricated and fluid moving muscles have more flexibility which reduces your chances of injuring them. Helping your muscles to become more flexible by stretching is not only beneficial for preventing injury during exercising, flexible muscles are able to distribute strength better which helps you in doing a variety of physical activities with more balance, using less energy, especially while lifting and bending.

 

During an exercise routine you tense and stretch muscles, tensing and stretching muscles strengthens them and increases the mass of muscles. The circulation of blood throughout the body is also increased by stretching your muscles. You know whether your muscles are getting a workout or not because when they are, an area of your brain receives a message of muscle tightening from them. The brain then relays this message to another part of the brain which is responsible for allowing us to experience physical responses to such messages, and you then feel your muscles get tighter. Most of us do not usually think about these processes of the brain that happening while we are exercising.

 

What we do become aware of is the feeling of our muscles tightening. After a good workout muscles and joints are heated up and tight and can stiffen and become sore a few hours later if you do not take a few minutes to cool them down with some post exercise stretching. This is opposite from warming up muscles and joints before exercising by slowly increasing the intensity and number of stretches. Instead you want to slow things down and gently stretch to relieve the tightness in muscles and joints that have built up during your workout. One note you should keep in mind about post exercise stretching is that you should not do this if you strained or sprained a muscle while exercising, as this can exasperate the injury. 

 

Whether you are doing warming up or cooling down stretching you should avoid bouncing while stretching because bouncing while stretching can cause injury to muscle tissue. Stretching muscle groups such as the neck, shoulders, back, hips, thighs and calves for at least thirty seconds each pre and post exercising, usually gets the job done. You can stretch them for longer if they still feel extra tight. So consider the benefits of stretching before skipping it in the future.

Source: 

http://www.personalpowertraining.net/Articles/the_importance_of_stretching.htm

The Importance of Stretching

personalpowertraining.net

 

Tips For Getting The Beach Body You've Always Wanted

Summer will be here before you know it. It's time to get serious about working out. Most of us weren't born with perfect bodies, it takes a lot of work to look good. It's not all about what you eat, although that is a huge part of it, but you also need to put that body in motion to get it looking good! Here's some tips to whip your body into shape just in time for summer...

• Find your perfect workout - Everyone has different likes and dislikes, so not every workout is good for all. Some people love to run mile after mile, while others hate running. Maybe spin class is for you or perhaps yoga is your passion. Working out should not be viewed as a torturous task, you can find an activity that you enjoy and that works out your body. So get out there and try a Zumba class or kayaking and don't give up until you find your perfect workout!
• Be consistent - Once you've made the commitment to get into shape, stick to your guns. Don't hit the gym everyday your first week, then only make it one day the next week, and then skip a week. In order to see results, you need to consistently workout. Start working out 3 days a week for an hour, then eventually step it up to 4 days a week.
• Challenge yourself - Push yourself to run that extra mile. Turn your workout into a game, try to improve your speed, reps and times by pushing yourself a little further each time you workout, this way you'll constantly be improving your workout. Get out of your comfort zone and try a machine or class you've never done before. Adding variety to your workout will maximize your benefits.
• Do interval training - To fight flab fast combine short bursts of activity that require you to breathe so hard you can't utter a word, followed by easier efforts that let you catch your breath. This new fat-burning zone isn't really a single zone at all. It's more like a cocktail of efforts that, when mixed together the right way, delivers a mega calorie crush to reveal a slimmer physique.
• Do supersets - Do sets within sets during your weightlifting routine to keep up the intensity of your workout.
• Get a workout buddy - There are so many reasons to workout with a partner! A friend holds you accountable for working out, if you're meeting your bestie at the gym you're not going to sleep in and stand him or her up. With a partner's encouragement you're more likely to work harder. Plus you'll have someone to chat with to make the time go by quicker.
• Get a good night's sleep - Studies have shown that lack of sleep influences two hormones that help control hunger; leptin, tells your brain when it's time to stop eating, and grhelin, which signals that you ought to eat more. Restricted sleep leads to suppression of leptin and increased grhelin activity, two states that could make you want to eat more.
• Chew gum - People who chew gum in the morning (for 3 20-minute sessions) consume 67 fewer calories at lunch!
• Eat breakfast - Yes, what you've heard is true, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! When you skip breakfast you end up being more hungry during the day and consuming more calories. You should consume the majority of your calories at breakfast and work them off during the day ending with a meal low in calories early in the evening at least an hour before you go to bed.

These are just a few tips. Of course Community Table is full of great tips for working out as well as plenty of healthy recipes for everyone! Keep coming to Community Table for great fitness and nutrition information and your body will be in tip-top shape!

Sources:

• April 2010. Women's Health Magazine. Fire Up Your Fat Burners. By Jen Ator.
• April 8, 2010. Washington Post. Sleep's role in weight loss remains a mystery. By Jennifer LaRue Huget.

Is Running Wearing Down Your Body? Check Out These Innovative Machines for Runners!

Published April 5, 2010 in Los Angeles Times.

Machines to help you take a load off.

By Roy Wallack.

 

"Every runner over 45 that I see in here has advanced osteoarthritis in his knees," my doctor told me last year before recommending surgery for my torn meniscus. "I tell all you guys the same thing: ‘The impact is too much. Switch to the elliptical or cycling.'" Instead, some runners take up impact-reducing techniques such as the Pose Method, ChiRunning, aqua-jogging or barefooting. Others eye innovative running machines — indoor and outdoor — that once might have been reserved just for rehabilitation and high-performance training. If you're addicted to the runner's high and want to save what's left of your cartilage before it's too late, one of these expensive contraptions might be worth the investment in the long run.

Running on a sand dune

Orbiter: Hybrid treadmill-trampoline that features a flexible running surface made of a suspended, 3/8-inch-thick rubber-cotton-Kevlar belt.

Likes: Offers a spectacularly challenging, fun and minimal-impact cardio workout, as if I were running on a sand dune. The trampoline-like belt, revolving like a tank tread on two tracks and 44 rollers (similar in design to a Woodway), dips at the point where your foot lands, eliminating more than half of the trauma to your joints, says the company, a claim that seems credible. Maximum speed of 8 mph and elevation of 15% is extremely difficult given the extra effort required; your heart rate jumps at lower speeds. According to University of Virginia team doctor Scott Wagner, who owns two, repeated use will increase land speed, correct imbalances and cut injuries. "It engages the hip flexors more and retrains people to use their normal biomechanics," he says. The belt can be adjusted to be firmer or softer. Small 1-horsepower motor uses one-fourth the electricity of a normal treadmill. Elevation and speed buttons are on the handles. Ten custom programs.

Dislikes: None, unless you dislike running at a slower-than-usual pace and in sand.

Price: $9,950. (281) 424-5220;http://www.orbitertreadmill.com

Light on your feet

Pneumex Pneu-Track PT 50: Super-tread with a maximum speed of 30 mph and an overhead frame that "unweights" a runner by using a cable-attached vest harness to provide slight lift.

Likes: It's impact-reducing and exhilarating; you feel like the Road Runner. You lift some of your body weight, up to a maximum of 300 pounds, via a digital-readout dial control. At 70% of my normal body weight, I ran pain-free on a semi-injured right knee for 40 minutes at various speeds, including 10 minutes at 10 mph — way beyond my ability. "Every pound you take off is 4 to 5 pounds off your knee and spine at foot strike, due to G-forces," says Ron Kram, director of Sequoia Physical Therapy in Orange. The vest did not encumber my arm swing or normal breathing. The system works for sideways and backward training as well as high-performance over-speed workouts, which give athletes greater leg turnover. If you already have a treadmill, save with the Pneu-Weight Unweighting System, a stand-alone, overhead structure with cable-vest that can also unweight 300 pounds ($7,350).

Dislikes: The vest, cinched very tight under my ribs, became a bit uncomfortable at 15 mph.

Price: $26,500. (800) 447-5792; http://www.pneumex.com

Running on the moon

AlterG Anti-Gravity M320 Treadmill: Device that lightens a runner's weight by as much as 80% by lifting the body in a bubble of air pressure.

Likes: Similar exhilaration of lightweight speed as the Pneumex except that nothing is touching your body from the waist up. To get in, you pull to waist-level a large gasket that resembles the spray-skirt of a kayak, then zip it in place on the airtight enclosure over the treadmill's running surface. You control the amount of unweighting at a panel at the front of the tread. Maximum speeds are 12 mph forward and 3 mph in reverse, with a 15% incline. It can handle a body of up to 400 pounds and 6 feet, 6 inches. (Pro teams use the $75,000 P200 model, set up for 18 mph sprinters and 7-foot basketball players). According to Darwin Fogt of Evolution Physical Therapy in Playa del Rey, the device has "greatly accelerated the rehab of injured Lakers and Kings players, because they can dial in exactly how much body weight they can bear without pain during exercise."

Dislikes: You can't see your feet or the treadmill's side rails. I wanted to step off momentarily but couldn't see where to step.

Price: $28,000. (510) 270-5900; http://www.Alter-G.com

Escaped gym rat

Elliptigo 8S elliptical bicycle: A stationary-handled, 40-pound elliptical machine on wheels that is targeted at runners.

Likes: Superb all-body cardio workout, great all-day fun and a motion fairly close to running. Like the similarly exhilarating Street Strider reviewed here a couple of months ago but with a slightly quicker learning curve, the Elliptigo's elliptical motion gives you a fast, upright, joint- and back-friendly joyride. It falls just short of full cycling velocities (due to additional wind-resistance and low gearing) but has a much better view than a bike and a very satisfying feeling of speed. Most important, you can ride it all day, or all week, as ultra-running star Dean Karnazes proved a few weeks ago on a trip from San Francisco to Santa Monica. I joined him for the final 8-hour, 100-mile push from Santa Barbara. My iffy right knee didn't hurt a bit as I battled headwinds and the Malibu hills, cranking up the leverage by rocking the handlebars back and forth. "It's enough like running that it's gotten me back into exercise," I was told by 53-year-old John Pilkington of San Diego, an ex-runner with a bad back who never liked bikes but who bought one of these last month.

Dislikes: The Shimano 8-speed hub works well but needs a higher top-end gear. I spun out and lost some speed on the flats and downhills without it.

Price: $2,195. http://www.elliptigo.com

Wallack is the author of "Run for Life: The Breakthrough Plan for Fast Times, Fewer Injuries, and Spectacular Lifelong Fitness." roywallack@aol.com 

Exercise Discomfort? Don't Give Up!

Published March 24, 2010 in Chicago Tribune. 

5 Factors Behind Exercise Discomfort

Eric Heiden

 Exercise can be uncomfortable when beginning any new type of training or when getting back in the saddle after a long break.

In last week's column I talked about the discomfort of exercise when starting out and also when competing at the elite level. It's universal; it happens to everyone, and it is not a sign that you are not cut out for exercise. On the contrary, everyone is cut out for exercise. And for the vast expanse of training levels between the two extremes, exercise is a feel-good experience - most of the time.

Even in the middle, however, a little discomfort now and then is not unusual or unexpected. And it's not a sign to quit your fitness program. Instead, I use it as an opportunity to get to know my body better. You can do so as well by breaking down any exercise discomfort you experience into its essential components.

Exercise physiology physician Massimo Testa, M.D., advises athletes to assess exercise discomfort as a combination of five factors:

• Your level of fitness
• The intensity of the exercise
• The degree to which you can tolerate the exercise
• Your motivation to keep exercising
• The degree to which you perceive you are suffering

The first factor comes into play when, say, walking three miles feels hard because it's way beyond your fitness level. The other four factors may all be negligible - the pace is not too intense, you can tolerate exercise well and feel motivated, and sunshine mutes any grumbling - but your newness to fitness alone can spike your feeling of discomfort. Once you are walking five miles at a pop regularly, however, walking three miles won't even register on your discomfort radar. The work your body does to walk three miles won't change, but your improved fitness will shrink your discomfort.

Meanwhile, if you exercise at an intensity that is 70 percent to 80 percent of the greatest intensity you could possibly do, you (or anyone) will be uncomfortable starting out. After you're experienced training at that intensity, though, you won't be uncomfortable with pushing yourself that hard. That's essentially the basis of interval training: You train at a higher intensity in short bursts (say, a few minutes) interspersed with rests (blocks of time at low-intensity) and soon higher-intensity exercise doesn't hurt quite so much, because your muscles and lungs are getting in better shape.

Your brain also gets in better shape, creating a greater tolerance for exercise. As it learns to manage greater fatigue, your brain will interpret the same signals from your body differently.

Likewise, the signals to your brain (or your interpretation of them) change with your level of motivation. As you exercise, the level of signals coming from your body has a value - a number from 1 to 10, say - but the message from your cerebral cortex modifies that value, given your motivation. A 7 today can feel like a 10 next week if it's raining and you don't want to be out there. Other days, it can feel like a 3, if you're with friends.

This is where the chatter going on in your cerebral cortex is cardinal to your fitness: It's responsible for telling you how long you want to push yourself, either I can't stand this another second! or I can hold this for another 30 seconds. You can control that chatter - and thus the impact of the motivation variable - very effectively.


( Eric Heiden, M.D., a five-time Olympic gold medalist speed skater, is now an orthopedic surgeon  in Utah. He co-authored Faster, Better, Stronger: Your Exercise Bible, for a Leaner, Healthier Body in Just 12 Weeks (HarperCollins) with exercise performance physician Max Testa, M.D., and DeAnne Musolf. (www.heidenorthopaedics.com)