Welcome to my new series exploring technical advancements to help all of us track our exercise progress.  Whether you are an exercise novice or a seasoned athlete, you will benefit from this series.

We begin with IPhone Apps, specifically Walk Tracker Pro which has been my personal favorite for two years now.  It uses a GPS signal to tell me how far I have walked, and I can control my music choices right from that app.  You, of course, need to have your music selection already downloaded to your phone.  Then you may start the music, pause it, or change it right from the Walk Tracker Pro app.

There is a voice that will break into the music to let you know the distance you have traveled, your average pace, and the calories you have burned.  Since this is also tracked on the display, I typically turn off these announcements and just enjoy my music or audio tape.

It contains nice bar or line graphs showing your progress.  It can be used whether walking, running, or cycling but it does not recognize a combination of exercises and records everything under the type of exercise you chose to begin the workout.

Walk Tracker Pro can be used on any IPad, IPod, or IPhone with an iOS (operating system) version 5.0 or higher. Each workout can be saved.  I use that feature to know the distance of each of my routes and about how long they will last.  When I walk or run on my lunch hour, I don’t want to be late getting back.  If I want to add a meditation to the end of my workout, I will look in my history to choose a shorter route.  By default, the app saves the workout by date and time, but you can use any name you wish.  I typically name the workout for the route I took.  For example I will name it “Once around Campus” or “Long way around Campus” or “Short trip around water falls”, etc.

The only complaint I have is that the use of the phone’s GPS tends to drain the phone’s battery even when you are finished using the app.  To get around this, you have to turn off the GPS to disengage it from Walk Tracker Pro.  I typically keep it turned off until I need it again.  This can be done in the phone’s Settings App in the Privacy setting, then turn off Location Services.

I also use the display’s Elapsed Time seconds to count my heart rate. I begin counting my pulse when the seconds read x4 (example; 04, 14, 24, 34 and so on).  I keep counting my pulse until the display reads x0 (10, 20, 30 etc.) which means that I have been counting my pulse for 6 seconds.  Then I add a zero to the back of the number of pulses I counted which gives me my beats per minute (60 seconds). I wish there was a way to record the heart rate but this one does not have that feature.

It even has a graphic display of the route you took which takes advantage of the Pinching zoom-in, zoom-out feature of the operating system.  The display can be viewed either in portrait or landscape mode as well.  You can also sign up with Trainingpeaks.com free, upload your progress and brag about it on Facebook to your friends.  I, admittedly, have never used this feature since I prefer to keep my workouts private.

In reading other reviews, there was apparently problems with versions 14.0 and 14.1.  Some people had trouble launching the app, others report it crashing while in use.  I have used this product for years and have not seen these issues.  After several updates over the years, I am now using version 14.3.3 without any issues.

The app costs a very reasonable $2.99 in the app store which is well worth the money.  I have always found this app to be very accurate in both time and distance and is very easy to use.  If you would like to be successful tracking your progress right out of the gate without much fuss and bother, Walk Tracker Pro is a good app to use.

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I hate it when people shine a light on what is wrong without also sharing a possible solution. My last blog mentioned the history of how we, as a society, have gotten so out of shape when fitness was just a way of life 1-2 generations ago. Now it is time to give you my ideas for a more healthful future.
We are at cross-roads in the fitness industry. We can either keep to business-as-usual which evolved from the 1950’s military model of obstacle courses and running on a track, to treadmills, Ellipticals and stationery bikes which took up much less space. They are all boring, leading the exerciser to think only of how much work he/she was doing and how much pain they’re in and only works for the most dedicated fitness enthusiast. But they are a practical and safe alternative to outdoor activities.
Enter the group classes and Wii Fit machines. Much more entertaining and interactive choices to weight and aerobic machines, and are a healthful alternative to watching TV or playing a video games, but they still do not translate to a lifestyle of fitness. Group classes tend to be the fitness choice for women and non-competitive men. The majority of the men in our society seem to need the competition and comparison to others. They need to know how they “stack up”. Therefore, we need to build in such comparisons for this group. Currently, there are very few options for adult competitions. Runners have community “fun runs” or distance competitions organized by various groups, but where are the Basketball competitions, the community swimming contests, or the indoor obstacle course contests for community and fitness members? Not everyone has a runners body and we are missing opportunities as fitness professionals.
I am blessed to live in a state of mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, coastline, and desert all within a 3 hour drive. Therefore, I do my part by organizing hikes around mountain peaks where the vitas are so beautiful that my group doesn’t know how much work they are doing to get there. We go canoing/kayaking and dock on a sandbar for lunch while watching the fish frolic nearby. I know of one trail that takes even novice hikers past 8 waterfalls on a 10 mile loop.
Perhaps you are not lucky enough to live in such an area. Perhaps your options will take more creativity and looking. But I guarantee that everyone who reads this blog will be able to find a place of activity within 50 miles of your home where you can take friends or family to get them active.
Speed walk around a zoo, organize a hike with friends and co-workers in the national park in your state, or at your local national monument site.
Most city parks have climbing walls, skateboard parks, or pools where you can organize a contest. Have participants bring white-elephant gifts (something from their house they have put away for a garage sale they can bring to give-away) as prizes. The winner of the first contest gets first choice of gifts and everyone goes home with one.
Country roads are perfect for bikers. A one-day lunch-in-a-backpacking trip is great in the late spring or early summer. Start planning now. Organize an event around the time of your birthday. That way, people more likely to show up if they believe they are doing their part to honor you. Get your friends to take turns planning their own activities so you don’t have to do all the work throughout the year.
Hosting a Superbowl party? Build in some activity for your guests. Every time-out, everyone gathers to stretch up, then touch their toes, then lunge side to side, then squat up and down from their chair (no chairs on rollers, please – think of safety first), then . . . well, you get the idea. Maybe take turns doing pushups against the wall and see who can do the most.
If you want to get active but are stuck inside for the winter months, organize an indoor game of “Twister”, or Wii Fit, or a race against the clock down a hallway picking up a ball and running back to place it in a cup several times.
Remember, if you make the activity too strenuous you may alienate some of your friends. It should be fun for everyone (or as many as possible) and incorporate one thing they enjoy doing anyway.
An older crowd might want to combine a bridge game with a reward for the winners of reaching up high (even climbing a step ladder if safe enough) to get a basket of treats and a punishment for the losers of doing 5-10 squats from his/her chair (great to build knees and hips).
Younger people might decide to watch a basketball or football game together and everyone (even the women are called out from the kitchen) performs one push-up for each point scored. A three point basketball shot = 3 pushups. A football touchdown = 7 pushups. No matter which team scores, everyone participates.
Fitness centers cannot keep to the 1950 – 1970’s model of fitness if they expect to have an impact on our society. They MUST be the front-runners of change showing people the benefits of an active lifestyle. They must organize activities and contests to show what is possible.
Individuals, too, must also do their part to change our society. If you are already organizing a party, change the focus slightly to include more action. Instead of drinking shots, do pushups. If people want to bring a desert to a potluck dinner, they must also have to organize an activity. If they bring a fruit or veggie plate instead, no activity necessary.
We cannot become a healthier nation by doing the same things we have been doing. The most meaningful gift we can give to our loved-ones is the gift of health. That means we ALL must change.

It has always been my belief that exercise can not only prevent various medical concerns, it can also be used to alleviate symptoms after diagnosed.  In accordance with that belief, I am now a Certified Cancer Exercise Specialist!

Cancer patients and survivors can experience many individualized complications such as Lymphedema, swelling at treatment sites, dizziness, pain, and increased risk of infection, just to name a few.  This Certification allows me to give body assessments designed specifically for these patients, design programs specifically for their needs, and work with them and their medical staff to improve their physical ability.  In other words, I can now help to get them back to their active lives!

I am so excited about this new Certification!  It lets me know that there are other like-minded people out there that KNOW that physical movement is important to everyone’s lifestyle and exercise can improve those lifestyles.

If you have a Medical or Physical Education degree, and are interested in obtaining this certification yourself, I highly recommend it!  Please look for information at this website; TheCancerSpecialist.com . I learned SO MUCH with Andrea Leonard, Founder of the Cancer Exercise Training Institute in Portland, OR.  This information has opened a whole world to me.   Andrea’s goal is to educate the general population about the continuing needs of Cancer patients and survivors;  some needs of which even Doctors are unaware since they do not study BioMechanic (the way the body moves and how all the body systems interact during that movement).

If you have ever had a diagnosis of Cancer, I urge you to work with a Certified Cancer Specialist near you, found on that web site; TheCancerSpecialist.com .  It can improve your entire outlook about life!

See you in the gym!

Andra

Here is a great article by Dr. Mercola about colds and flu that I will be sharing with my class tonight. Some of this information is new even to me. He also has a short video that is very informative!

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/03/16/how-to-fight-a-cold-with-exercise.aspx?np=true

Synopsis;

Something I have been telling people most of my career is that when you get sick it is best to KEEP to your workout routine but perform it at a reduced intensity. Do fewer repetitions and raise your heart rate only to about half of your normal workout.  Raising your body temperature helps to kill-off the offending virus and to circulate blood faster which will help the white blood cells to get to the infection faster.

Of course, if you don’t work out at all, now would not be the time to start. Simply stay as active as you feel able. The more you move the muscles, the more you will be moving your immune system into action.  For people with no scheduled workout routine, you might be better off controlling the symptoms with organic suppliments like Vitamin C (this doctor suggests using acerola for its added properties boosting the immune system), Vitamin D (of course there is no substitute for summer sunshine), and Zinc. Dr. Mercola also suggests using  (some of which are new to me) Oregano Oil, propolis, Olive leaf extract as an immune booster, and eliminating sugar of ALL types, even organic ones. Sugar feeds the “bad bacteria” and suppresses the immune system.

Also suggested in this article is to put drops of Hydrogen Peroxide (about 1/2 capful) in one ear allowing time for it to work for several minutes, then repeat in the other ear. There have been no studies suggesting that this will reduce your viral infection, but this doctor claims to have hundreds of cases of anecdotal evidence that it works. It is inexpensive and if you happen to have some at home, you might want to try it.

Mushrooms, as Dr. Mercela states, if used proactively (meaning before you get the infection) can be used as an immune booster.  As with all immune boosters, they should be taken BEFORE you get sick to ward off the infection as you get it and before you know you have it. Here he does not state which variety of Mushrooms he might be talking about, so I get the impression they all have similar properties. Please make sure you are obtaining them from a reliable source to avoid poisoning.

Stress is another leading factor that reduces your immune system allowing viruses the opportunity to multiply. Stress releases Cortesol which suppresses the immune response. Control stress by reducing the stressors, meditation,  or prayer. For example, if it is your job that is causing the stress, perhaps you should be looking for a different job; one that fulfills you rather than drains you. Meditation and prayer both reduce the body’s fight or flight response and allows it to rejuvenate. Exercise will also help to “burn off” (for lack of a better description) the fight or flight hormones produced by the body. But even this should not be thought of as a “cure for major stress”. The only “cure” is to make lifestyle changes to reduce the stress and use regular exercise and meditation/prayer to manage the daily stress we can’t change.

Please read the article at the link above. I found it very informative.

So get out the supplements, prioritize meditation, and get active!  Boost that immune system before you think you need it!

Get Started

1. Get a check up and ask your doctor if you are healthy enough for physical activity. He/she might have ideas of the type of program that might be good for you.
2. Begin with a small class AND do your own simple workout in your home or walking in a safe neighborhood with a friend on the days the class does not meet.
3. Remember that just because the instructor and the class is doing it, does not make it right for you. If it hurts don’t do it! Just continue to move in a way that does not hurt until you can rejoin the class activity.
4. Start with small, simple movements and slowly work your way up to more difficult movements. Remember to patient with your progress.
5. Don’t sink a lot of money into a membership or a home gym until you have exhausted the less expensive options and stayed with your fitness goals for at 1-2 full years.

Class, Fitness Center, or Home Gym?

My first answer to the question, “Should I start my workouts by joining a class, a Fitness Center, or invest in a home gym?” is usually, “Join a class.” Not just because it keeps me employed but because of the camaraderie it develops. Once people establish relationships in their fitness classes, they are more likely to continue attending.

When you try a class and decide to stick with it because you like the activity, the instructor, and the time of the class fits neatly into your schedule, then get to know the other participants;

• Ask when they stared attending the class and why they keep coming back
• Ask them where the facility keeps the equipment (people always enjoy showing off how much they know, so let them)
• Say, “Hello, my name is _________, and you are?”

It is the personal connection that will keep you attending and focused on your fitness goals. In fact, your body will actually complain if you miss a class or two. . . and it keeps me employed!

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Individual Class

Benefits of the individual classes:
1. The classes tend to be much smaller so you receive more individualized attention
2. After attending for a year or more, you find yourself in a place where “everybody knows your name and their always glad you came” (to quote the theme song from the TV show Cheers). Classes between 6-20 people are just small enough for everyone to get to know each other but large enough to feel as though you are part of a health movement.
3. You can always find one that fits into your schedule even if you never thought you would be interested in “one of those” classes. If you try it, you may find you like it. If you don’t, there is always another class just a hop-skip-and a jump away.
4. Most classes are organized and run by smaller facilities which have looser payment regulations. They will be more likely to work with you to allow payment on your schedule while attending classes in theirs.
5. Classes have a great balance (pardon the pun) between cost and attention. Private classes, for example, are very expensive but the workouts are designed and run specifically for your needs. Very large classes, like the latest aerobic craze (we have gone from Step Classes, to Jazzercise, now to Zumba) are very fun and cost effective, but any questions you have about why your back hurts or your heart races, will probably go unanswered. So a class at a smaller facility typically does not charge more than the large classes but they offer much better attention to their participants.

The drawbacks of the Individual classes:
1. Classes must be offered in particular regimens. If an instructor is versed in Tia Chi, for example, he/she will not typically mix those movements with Zumba, or even Pilates. Therefore, the class might not be exactly suited for your needs, but something is always better than nothing.
2. I touched on this a bit above; Some classes become too large to be beneficial to individual needs. I know of a case in which a participant sat down during class because he “wasn’t feeling good” and the instructor could not see that person behind all the other participants. His heart attack went unnoticed until the class was over, participants ‘after class questions’ had been answered and the room was half empty. That is when the instructor, through no fault of her own (except by signing such a large class) noticed this man sitting in the back of the room (so as not to bother the rest of the class, he said) looking pale. The man was saved but I am sure everyone involved would have preferred that the participant get the medical help he needed sooner rather than later.
3. Some classes are too small and feel awkward; as if they are not really a class. Every one wants to feel as though they are a part of a popular movement, not the one that might go away due to “lack of interest”.

What type of class should I take?

Whenever I someone asks me this question, ask 2 questions in return;

1. What do you want to accomplish with your workout?
2. What is your schedule like?

If you want to lose weight, for example, good activities for you would be Aerobics or Swimming with weight lifting. It would be even better to combine Aerobics with Swimming and the weights. Aerobic exercise and Swimming are great for making All your body processes more efficient and it burns the most calories of any exercise style.

When I bring up the subject of Weight Lifting to some people, mostly women, they express concern about looking like a muscle-bound weightlifter. Keep in mind you are not taking steroids, or lifting weight 4-6 hours a day everyday! One hour 2-3 days per week will not result in the 20 year old Arnold Schwarzenegger look. What it will do, is pleasantly plump your muscles making them only slightly larger but much more defined. Large muscles are hungry muscles that love to eat up fat reserves. That is what will boost your metabolism.

Be sure to combine the Weight Lifting with stretching. Weight Lifting alone tightens the muscles making them shorter. Eventually, these short muscles restrict the movements of the joints and you end up walking like a Sumo Wrestler unable to move. You will have plenty of brawn but will need to hire someone to tie your shoes! Stretching those muscles, preferably directly after the weight lifting, while the body is warm will coax those, now stronger, muscles back into an elongated state. Yoga or Pilates pairs well with weight lifting.

Now if it is better endurance or lung capacity you are looking for, again, try aerobics.

Most people tell me they just want general, healthful fitness. For this, I steer them to Swimming, Pilates or a Dance class. In fact, any activity that truly appeals to you and you are likely to stick with will give you general fitness.

Remember that although you are better off for having started a fitness program, if you stop the program you greatly reduce the benefits you got from it. So fitness is a lifestyle just like eating right and keeping a positive attitude.

Enjoy your workout!

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Fitness Center

The benefits of Joining a Fitness Center:
1. They have classes, too!
2. They also have a variety of equiment to stave off bordem
3. They employ trained specialists who can help you with the equipment, and
4. Personal Trainers you can work with, generally for an additional fee.

The drawbacks of the Fitness Center are:
1. Timing; They tend to be busy at the same times you want to work out so finding an open piece of equipment can be a challenge.
2. Cost. Paying for a gym membership can require a second mortgage.
3. Gyms tend to be much more impersonal than individual classes. No one misses you when you don’t show up, so the anonymity works as a catalyst for excuses.

Which Fitness Center should I join?

Content coming soon.

Benefits and Drawbacks of the Home Gym

The benefits of the Home Gym:
1. Convenience. Since the equipment is right there in your home, you can be watching your kids at the same time you workout. You also limit excuses like, “it’s too cold to go out anywhere”.
2. You can invite friends and neighbors in to your house to work out with you thus providing the same atmosphere of comradery as the small class.
3. Most things in your home can be used as exercise equipment if you know how to use them. This is a very inexpensive way to work out.

The drawbacks of the Home Gym:
1. Because of the convenience, the workout is often taken for granted and is replaced by seemingly more important duties like taking down those cobwebs you can see from the treadmill, or cleaning that bathroom you haven’t been able to get to, or making a snack for a persistent child because he sees you are still at home.
2. Cost! Some exercise equipment can cost upwards of $20,000.
3. Space! How many of you have a whole extra bedroom they can devote to an entire home gym? Not only do you need the 6′ by 3′ space for the treadmill you want to get, but you need to enough room around it to get on and off the dumb thing!
4. Perseverance. Most people are very Gung-Ho when starting a new health regimen, but that only lasts 2-6 weeks. If you buy exercise equipment for your home in order to START a new routine you are likely to wind up with a very expensive clothes rack inside of a year. My best advice I can give here is to start small; use your own kitchen chairs, counters and floor space to start. Then graduate to unmotorized equipment costing $40-$100 each. If you find you are still exercising consistently after 2 full years, then a treadmill in the home might be warranted. The Treadmill should always be, in my opinion, the first (and sometimes the only) piece of motorized equipment for the home.
5. Expertise. How will you know if your body is in the proper alignment without an instructor? I have been teaching and taking exercise classes for over 20 years and I still find myself with improper body alignment if I don’t pay very close attention at ALL times.

What equipment should I buy?

Content coming soon.