My friend, teacher, and fellow instructor Shihan (means - high teacher) Peter Chong of Singapore, 8th degree Black Belt (HachiDan), breaks 10 blocks of ice while standing on eggs.
Shihan Chong did this for his 70th birthday in front of 200 friends and supporters. Here are some photos:
Shihan Chong broke 10 blocks of ice with his bare hand while standing on 2 trays of chicken eggs. All 10 blocks of ice were broken, but not one egg.
"Tameshiwari" - breaking - is a major part of development of spirit and character in his style of Karate.
Shihan Chong lived many years in Japan training with the legendary Sosai Masutatsu (Mas) Oyama. He was President of the Singapore Karate-Do Federation (SKF) until 2009, President of the Singapore Martial Arts Instructors’ Association (SMAIA), Senior Advisor to the International Karate Organization - Kyokushinkaikan (IKO Japan), and Chairman of the IKO Asia & the Middle East. He recently was awarded the International Martial Arts Living Legend Award.
On Sunday Feb 14, 2010, Pearl turns 100 years old!
We arranged to travel to her 100th birthday celebration in Los Angeles, USA, from Thailand where we have been training for the last 6 weeks. We have long connections in Korea; it will take that long to get there, leaving now.
I last wrote about Pearl when she was only 97. Here is a photo taken 3 and a half months before she turned 99.
Pearl is 100 - Happy Birthday!
Related:
Here is Pearl stretching her hip at age 97 - Pearl is 97
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A study of men and women over age 70 found two to three times more bone fractures occurred following a hospital admission compared to not being in a hospital. The risk of new fracture was greatest during the first year after hospitalization and increased with the number of times a patient was hospitalized. This included increased numbers of hip fracture, which leads to a fatality within the year in about 30% of people over 50.
Study authors stated, "Because the risk of fracture is greatest soon after hospital discharge, assessment and interventions to reduce risk should be started during the hospital stay or shortly after discharge. Evaluations should include measurement of bone mineral density, assessment of the risk of falling and vision testing." According to the authors, appropriate treatment for these patients include calcium and vitamin D supplements; bisphosphonate drug treatment, such as alendronate (Fosamax) or risedronate (Actonel); vision correction if needed; and physical therapy, including walking programs and exercises to improve flexibility, strength and balance.
Being in a hospital is often joked about as being unhealthy. It is also a reality:
When people are sick, it is not the time to keep them sedentary, indoors, eating institutional food, out of fresh air and sunlight, and taking medicines that reduce bone density and increase pain syndromes.
Lack of standing and activity quickly reduce bone density.
Several commonly prescribed medicines directly reduce bone density and cause stomach and body pain. Instead of stopping these medicines, others are given, which further depress health, and the mistake of further unneeded and unhealthful drugs.
It is a circular problem when people feel they must reduce activity to prevent falls and injury.
What is needed is the right, carefully supervised, healthy movement to give the physical skills that prevent falls, the stiffness that results in more pain and lack of function, and reduction in bone density, balance, strength, and mobility crucial for basic health.
Ms. McAllister swims and water-skis every day. She says the key is you have to keep going, don't quit.
My father was also an avid water skier. I have photos of him slalom-skiing, long silver hair flying. In water-ski vocabulary, "slalom" means only one ski. I also have a photo of him high diving from the Mexican cliffs with the real cliff divers - for another story. I have photos of my grandmother lifting weights in her 90's with her hip-length hair still black, but she said she doesn't like the photos because she looks old.
Stay active, no matter what your age. It is the key to being mobile and independent
--- Read success stories of these methods and send your own. See if your answers are already here by clicking labels, links in posts, archives, and The Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, click "updates via e-mail" upper right. For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal feedback. Top students may apply for certification throughDrBookspan.com/Academy. Learn more in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
StuartShip - How To Start Healthy Movement Programs
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Reader Stuart Wood knew that the way to healthier communities is getting up and teaching it. He wrote me several impressive notes of using my work to fix his own injuries, then for his Boss, then requesting if he could use it formally to teach community projects. I awarded him an Academy Appointment for Making Community Projects Healthy.
Stuart writes this update:
"After months of reading your blog I have become inspired to teach some of your information to whoever is willing to listen. I think the health and fitness situation in our country can benefit from your work and after trying it out and seeing results, as well as helping my friend to fix his bulging disc, I thought that the information you provide on your websites and in your books needs to reach more people. I read your blog regularly and have always loved the inspirational stories that your readers have supplied. The writings between you and "Inspirational Ivy" really helped to make me realize that I could be healthy and strong for many years to come as well as the posts of the Thai women in their 80's going strong! I think it is so unfortunate that aging and weakness are commonly believed to go hand in hand. I think the problem needs to be addressed when children are young and before they ingrain bad health and movement habits.
"My co-workers have been receptive to your ideas and they have helped me greatly in thinking about and learning how to effectively explain your technique.
Today I taught for the first time in a semi-formal setting. I had a friend who had helped fix his own back pain (bulged disc) take pictures for me. The first thing I learned is that I have much improvement to make in my own movement, I suggest (like you have said) that everyone have a friend take candid pictures of them to test their progress. The group of kids I'm teaching are at the Archer Center in Tucson, AZ. They are part of the CATCH after school program and I wanted to teach them some good movement habits to benefit them in their daily lives as well as in sports and play-time.
"I was not sure how to start or what to teach exactly and time was limited for each group (only about 20 minutes) so I went to the Functional Fitness Friday posts and the (main) stretches like the side-stretch (done well at right, using wall for straight placement) and chest stretch and lunge. It was quite the learning experience! The first group of children were between 8-10 or so and their attention spans were short and I couldn't achieve much with them in the short time. I think the best thing would be big exercises like push-ups with neutral spine and lunge and activities full of movement because they seemed most interested in those things. The second group of kids were older and they were very focused and interested. I taught them the side and chest stretches, emphasizing relaxation and making it feel good. I had them do the wall test and then stretch and see if they found a difference. Some did and some didn't. I realized that teaching these age groups would require multiple sessions broken down into different sessions and incorporated into games.
"What I realized most was how interested the instructor was, he felt the difference at once between improper and proper techniques. I think in addition to teaching children I would like to teach the instructors because they are the primary source of information for the children. I am also very inspired to keep at it myself because I want to be effective in my demonstrations and be a model student myself."
"My teaching from today is listed under "Teaching to CATCH program" which is an after school health and wellness program.
Stuart is working on two other community programs so far, including a wellness Pilot program and a water harvesting project for his dry city of Tucson, with stories to come.
He summarizes:
"I went to the Parks and Rec Aquatics Supervisor and asked if I could teach and take some pics. The city of Tucson is starting a wellness pilot program in early January because of the high rate of strain related injuries. Because my friend (the one who I helped fix back pain) talked about the good your work had done for him with the aquatics supervisor at a recent wellness meeting for city employees, he already knew a little about what I was up to and is going to work with me to incorporate your method into the wellness program to teach employees at district meetings city wide!
"I just graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelors in anthropology. I would like to pursue graduate school but not sure in what field.
"Thanks for the graduation present, couldn't have asked for better!" ;)
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Reader Robert Davis sent a well-written summary in last Thursday's Healthy Aging Starts Now. Here he adds about our view of aging, and improving physical skills as years pass rather than letting them slip away from lack of use:
"I forgot to mention to that this stuff has helped my instrument playing as well! Sitting straight up and relaxed makes execution of difficult passages so much easier. I used to unconsciously tense up sometimes and it made it harder for no reason. Things just seem so much easier relaxed =P
"I think aging in America is a plague the way it is viewed. I dunno if I made a good point or not (Thursday's Part I) but it seems to me that aging has a warped sense of reality to it in our country. Easy example is I was watching a clip from a dancer (pop dancer) who was in her 40s. Someone made an off the wall comment - "Well she does really good for being 45." But what does her age have to do with it.
"I just realized lately that you see this "plague" of thought that seems to be culturally conditioned that says by a certain age we should be degraded and unable to "do" things. This is how people think and it seems this is how the medical fields think. All I can think of when I see this plague is people in other countries going up and down mountains in flip flops or bare feet at all ages. Activities that would really poop out an average American, they do with ease.
"I get frustrated that we as a nation have the mentality that we must decline when you have shown me this is not true. I used to believe it, but when you turn your head slightly and see it from a better angle, it is not true. It is our lifestyle and habits that degrade. Not our age:) Change the habits, like you say and say over and over again. Why can't people see this?
"Ok I am all worked up lol.. This is why I have considered trying a different field more like yours! I am still considering it."
Mr. Davis has been making great gains in his weight lifting and healthy life using my work after first writing last year to learn how to fix a back injury from lifting. He previously sent in photos practicing various retraining drills by propping his cell phone set on timer against a paper clip and other impromptu devices. I asked if he had update photos of his progress. He replied that, "the phone that had the camera had decided to test gravity and never came out of it :( "
With his can-do ways, I think he will be sending more of his success stories. Click the label 'readers inspiring story' for many readers' stories of using my work to fix injuries and get their life back.
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy.
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy.
Robert Davis, frequent Fitness Fixer success story contributor, wrote to me with observations that will encourage, educate, and help many -
"I am beginning to see an almost "plague" in our society. That plague is auto-assumption that age automatically will start to equal degradation of your body."
Mr. Davis, a young lifter, had first left a comment to a Fitness Fixer article last year asking about fixing his back injury from weight lifting. His success stories came in frequently from there, telling how he gained better health and ability than before his injury. In a recent update letter to me, he sent these insights:
" I have not mailed in a few months. However I did not want to forget what got me back to what I love. I have had no issues with my back for months now. It went from dreadful to move, to better then ever.
" It is all so simple once it becomes ingrained. At first it does seem to be a chore learning to (bend right with a lunge and) squat and all the other things to correct bad habits. However these things, with conscious repetition, become habits. No longer do I have to think about healthy movement!
" This has been beneficial not only for my back, but for all areas that were troublesome. The more I loosed up, bent correctly, and used movement correctly, the more minor problems just seem to fade away!
" I have a new mantra when I workout with weight. It is called "on the muscle" chant. Every exercise I perform I say this in my mind and concentrate all weight on the muscles (instead of making it easier by shifting weight to joints). If I feel it is too heavy and I am doing some joint crushing, I back off the weight. I do not lose anything backing off. I gain something. More strength to do the same "on the muscle". In sum, I have really really chosen healthy movement over getting in an extra few pounds with "joint/arch or whatever" assistance. It is not worth it. You will get it eventually "on the muscle!"
" One sad thing I am noticing though lately after going thru stuff myself is this. I am beginning to see an almost "plague" in our society. That plague is auto assumption that age automatically will start to equal degradation of your body. I grew up as a pre-teen/teen in the late 80s and into the 90s. I never remembered regarding people who were much older as limited. I think this phenomenon is a cultural condition based on no facts, and the massive influx of pharmaceuticals. I could be wrong but that is what I see.
" I am amazed at all the people I run across in the gym who are told to "not do this or that". I often think of my grandfather and the time period he grew up in. He was very active and working under cars and whatnot till a few months before he passed away. No one told him his age would hamper that.
" I could go on and on about this but I think particularly in America, we are in a self created plague where age is a bad thing and something to postpone. What little do people know is that healthy movement, awareness, and lifestyle help one get thru all this without having to stop what they love.
" Look at me. From a debilitating back injury to returning to what I love to do - "lift weights in the gym." I was skeptical I would have ever made it back when I got hurt. However I am kinda glad now I did get hurt as sometimes there is a gem inside what otherwise would seem problematic. That Gem was learning (from you) how to do what I love to do without worry of age or injury ever detouring me from that. I am in my mid 30s now and plan to stay on top of myself with your methods for as long as I have a passion for this(and I feel that is a very long time). After all I see the body builders in the 70s and am truly inspired to keep going.
" Thank you! I also wanted to just check in and give a little insight of what I was doing and my thoughts on things =P "Robert Davis"
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy.
Three years ago, Merlene's closest friend died. Merlene, who is 74, lost all motivation. Because she was not exercising, she gained a lot of weight. This is where Ivy came in...
Ivy from New Zealand, frequent success story contributor, wrote me in August about her neighbor Merlene:
"You will be pleased that I have a new lady under my wing so to speak. I lent her your book "How To Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs Or Surgery." Along with giving her advice she tells me that it has changed her life which pleases me."
I wrote to Ivy to ask her if Merlene would be comfortable telling us more on what she did, so others could try it too. Ivy replied:
"I encouraged her to walk again. At first it was difficult, she had difficulty breathing. I noted that she was walking flat footed and taught her to lift her toes. She complained of back pain - I showed her how to lie on her stomach and lift herself up on her elbows before getting out of bed in the mornings. She has now learnt to put her spine into the neutral position. Re her breathing, I showed her how to breathe deeply. She told me that she rolled her neck every day in a circle - she now does the trapezius stretch plus pectoral stretch instead.
"Instead of bad bending, she does squats and lunges while making the bed, doing the vacuum cleaning, going to the fridge and the like, plus gardening.
I checked in with Ivy a while later to make sure all was still improving, and gave her questions to ask Merlene so I could make sure all was well. Ivy wrote again:
"Today I visited Merlene and asked her some questions. She is stronger, breathing has improved, she is more flexible, can walk further, the back pain has improved immensely. She hasn't weighed herself yet, however, is hoping that there will be a weight loss when she weighs herself next week.
"She finds your books "How to Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery" and your Stretching Smarter book very helpful so I left them with her so that she can refer to them.
"She also tells me that your books along with my help and advice has changed her life for the better. She has lost that negativity and feeling positive about life again.
"Merlene is a very quiet, private lady so I try to treat her in a gentle way. She comes from another country and I gather that life has been very hard. She is so enjoying what she is doing. Most important is the fact that she trusts me plus she is very happy you are doing this article.
"Merlene is happy for you to use her name. Re the photo and title (of the article) she would rather it was your choice. "Hugs Ivy "
How to Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery and Stretching SmarterStretching Healthier, and others, on www.DrBookspan.com/books.
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy.
In the hot days of summer, common warnings involve avoiding the heat. What about the advantages of heat? Hot environments can improve your health in several ways.
Done right:
Exercising in the heat improves your fitness level and ability to exercise.
Exercising in the heat increases your tolerance to heat, making life more comfortable in the heat.
Exercising in the heat prevents the decreases in heat tolerance that otherwise occur with increased age, which can be unhealthy, even dangerous.
Exercising in the heat makes positive changes in your body that improve your fitness. You increase blood volume, improve cooling ability, make changes in sweating, increase the vasculature that helps circulation, cooling and exercising at the same time, increase specific chemical compounds in the body that improve health and ability to exercise.
When you exercise and increase body temperature, your body produces more of an interesting compound called heat shock protein. Heat shock proteins are families of proteins that do several things including preventing other proteins from damage by infection, ultraviolet light, starvation, heat, cold, and other harsh conditions. Heat shock proteins are thought to mobilize immune function against infections and diseases, even cancer.
Improved ability to tolerate heat without discomfort, called heat adaptation, occurs fairly quickly - with large improvements within the first week of exerting in the heat. Exercising in heat is more effective to produce heat acclimatization than heat exposure without exercise. Aerobic fitness is a major factor in heat tolerance.
It is a myth that you must avoid sweating to stay healthy. Exercising enough to sweat makes you more flexible, increases many chemical reactions in your body that are healthy. Sweat itself has compounds beneficial for your skin and body. Don't worry that you must exercise only indoors in air-conditioning in order to do healthful exercise. A protective environment does prevent initial discomfort, but reduces benefits and the ability to be comfortable in the heat.
This all does not mean to go out and cause yourself heat injury by overdoing without thinking. It is to gain the many benefits of exercising safely in the heat
I will cover more physical changes from exercise in the heat that improve health and exercise level in future articles.
--- For more, click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Why not try fun stuff, then contribute. Read success stories of these methods and send your own. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy.
Fast Fitness - Better Standing Hamstring, Achilles, and Inside Leg Stretch
Friday, June 12, 2009
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Here is Fast Friday Fitness - get a better stretch for the hamstring of the standing leg when stretching the other leg to the side:
When you stand with one leg stretching to the side, notice the leg you are standing on. It is common to stand with the foot turned outward and the hip rounded under you.
Instead, turn the standing leg to face directly ahead. Knee and toes straight forward. Not turned out, not even a small amount. Stand straight.
Notice the stretch move to the back of your leg.
My student Leslie is pictured above at age 68. I snapped this shot of her while she was waiting for one of my classes. The position of the foot on the standing leg isn't visible, but she is straight ahead. I had to snap the photo quickly before the club manager told us to stop.
Stand straight without leaning over, rounding your upper body, or letting your hip round under you. This is different from the way most people are used to.
The straighter you stand, the more stretch, while training the function of healthy posture - a functional stretch. You need to be able to lift one leg without being so tight that your back rounds and your hip rolls under. Think of stairs, kicks for dancing, aerobics, martial arts, stepping over things, stairs, much real life. If you are not only using bad mechanics for daily life, but training unhealthful tight mechanics with conventional bent over stretching, what are you accomplishing?
If you can't stand straight, lower your leg to where you can. There is little point stretching for health while practicing unhealthful ways.
What has happened in a year? She can now do 40 push-ups. We just don't have a video camera. While we get one, click the link to do your push-ups with her each morning while it is still only 30.
Read success stories of these methods and send your own. Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from fun ones. Before asking more, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, or in the Fitness Fixer Index.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books. Get certified - DrBookspan.com/Academy.
A video should appear below of 91-year-old drummer Jerry. Chick the arrow in the center of the movie box or at bottom left of the video box to watch her. You do not need HD to watch it. It is viewable at various resolutions.
Stay active, keep moving, be happy. It keeps you vital, more with each year.
For more ideas click the labels "aging" and "spirit" under this post. Labels give all Fitness Fixer posts about that topic. The label "video-movie" shows all Fitness Fixer posts containing a video to watch and enjoy learning how to be happy and fit.
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Read success stories of these methods and send your own. Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from selected ones. Before asking, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, and archives at right.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right.
Grace didn't have a lifetime of track and field experience. She lived a life of real movement, called functional exercise, raising 11 children and doing chores. She decided to run a race. One month later, she ran the race and broke a world record.
A video should appear below of Grace Foster. Click the small, right-pointing arrow at bottom-left of the video box to watch her straight body positioning, the race, and her happy family.
Grace exercises daily, stretches, eats healthful food. Other racing record holders over age 90 will be featured in future articles.
Get moving, stay moving, be happy. It keeps you vital, more with each year.
Click the labels, aging, running, and spirit under this post. Labels give all Fitness Fixer posts about that topic. The label video-movie shows all Fitness Fixer posts containing a video to watch and enjoy learning how to be happy and fit.
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Read success stories of these methods and send your own. Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from fun ones. Before asking, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. SeeDr. Bookspan's books.
The target Feb 17th date for changing to digital television signal in the U.S. has moved to June. Numerous informational broadcasts have been made to prepare the public. Would you have been ready?
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Several studies have found that sunlight helped with depression and agitation in elderly people. It is likely that younger people benefit also.
Simple adjustments, not only in lighting, but scheduling daily outdoor activity and simple walks, may ease behavioral problems associated with dementia.
Click the label sunlight for ideas.
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Questions come in by the hundreds. I make articles from fun ones.
A debate in fad fitness is if you need aerobic activity to lose weight, or if weightlifting is sufficient. The larger issue is that you need to use your cardiovascular system for health.
A 21 year long study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that older runners live longer and suffer fewer disabilities than healthy non-runners.
All 440 study participants were 50 years old or over at the beginning of the study. All ran an average of four hours a week. By the end of the study, all were in their 70s, 80s, and older, running an average of 76 minutes a week.
At the 19 year mark in the study, 34 percent of the non-runners had died, compared with 15 percent of the runners. Onset of disability was delayed in runners by an average of 16 years.
Lead study author, Dr. James Fries, is almost 70, runs 20 miles a week and plays tennis. He stated the positive numbers for runners was not even as high as compared to average populations, because "the control group was pretty darn healthy." The "health gap" between runners and non-runners increased with age. Fries said, "I always thought that the two curves would start to parallel each other and that eventually aging would overpower exercise. We can't find even a little twitch toward that gap narrowing in the present time."
Study authors also stated that, "The findings probably apply to a variety of aerobic exercises, including walking."
Study was published in the Aug. 11 2008 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Conventional medical texts originally stressed that exercise would harm elders. That viewpoint led to disastrous decades of needless infirmities among people who could have retained mobility and independence.
In 1980, Dr. Fries wrote a landmark paper of his "compression of morbidity" hypothesis, that "regular exercise would compress, or reduce, the amount of time near the end of life when a person was disabled or unable to carry out the activities of daily living, such as walking, dressing and getting out of a chair."
Stay active, keep moving whatever your age. It is the most important medicine you have.
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal evaluation. Top students may apply to certify throughDrBookspan.com/Academy.See Dr. Bookspan's Books. ---
A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found no evidence of accelerated rates of osteoarthritis among long-distance runners.
Further, weight-bearing exercise like running helps stave off osteoporosis by maintaining bone mineral density.
Study source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine August 2008; 35(2):133-8.
With good movement mechanics, running will not cause early wear on your bones and joints. With injurious poor movement habits, of course, you can wear and injure the joints.
Posts showing good movement mechanics during exercise and daily life:
Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from selected ones. See if your answers are already here by clicking links and archives. Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
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This morning, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released "The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans." The guidelines describe, "the types and amounts of physical activity that offer substantial health benefits." In summary, adults need 30 minutes of moderate-intensity daily physical activity five days a week, and children should run and play at least an hour every day.
Regular exercise lowers the risk of heart disease, many cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and other diseases. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said in a telephone interview, "More than 59 percent of adults don't get enough physical activity and a quarter of adults aren't active at all in their leisure time."
Guidelines for ages 6–17:
1 hour (60 minutes) or more of physical activity every day.
Most of the 1 hour or more a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
Vigorous-intensity activity on at least 3 days per week.
Muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity at least 3 days per week.
Guidelines for over age 18:
2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week.
Additional health benefits are provided by increasing to 5 hours (300 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, or 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.
Muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups performed on 2 or more days per week.
Barry A. Franklin, PhD, national American Heart Association spokesperson and Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan, stated, "Numerous studies now suggest that if we can simply move people out of the lowest levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, it can have a profound (and beneficial) impact on public health." More information and downloads of federal guidelines - www.health.gov/PAGuidelines.
Use this Fitness Fixer column to see how to get healthful activity as part of daily life. You don't need a gym, a trainer, or equipment. Click the articles and archives in the list at right, use the search box at top right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
--- Read and contribute your own success stories of these methods. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books. For personal evaluation take a Class. Top students may apply to certify throughDrBookspan.com/Academy.
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Photo - Family meets guidelines on Morro Strand State Beach by mikebaird
Autumn Yard Work - Limiting the Person Instead of the Injury Again?
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
A Medline article on autumn yard and housework gives a list from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which they say will reduce injuries. Their list includes doing less, lifting lighter loads, not lifting overhead, or using turning action to the side.
The Orthopaedic Surgeons' list is another case of limiting the patient to limit the pain.
It is unfortunate to instruct patients to do less physical activity. It is no mystery that restricting activity reduces strength, flexibility, and balance. When patients become tight and weak, they are next sent to physical therapy to lift weights and stretch. Instead, go outside. Get free exercise, get stronger, increase balance, have some fun instead of being held back.
It is not a mystery that if you spend an afternoon bent wrong over a rake, lifting wrong, and hunching your shoulders, you will be achy. Have fun doing yard work in the fresh air in healthy, commonsense ways:
Carry Heavy Leaf Bags - check if you lean backward to hold and carry loads. Instead of leaning, which pinches the lower spine, stand upright, use neutral spine - Prevent Back Surgery
You Don't Need Expensive Ergonomic Rakes And Tools Or Fancy Padding. The majority of the world does far heavier work with far less. Bend right (links above) instead of bending over. To prevent hand irritation and blisters, don't clench your grip and be willing to toughen your hands and skin. Being too delicate means fragile skin. The soil has many substances beneficial to health and disease reduction, some documented to reduce depression. Post on this to come. Don't be too afraid to get dirty.
Doing less is a flawed approach to preventing injury in the short term, and over the long run, will undermine your health and abilities. Use your brain for healthy, fun ways to keep doing more of your favorite activities.
"You're never too old to become younger" -Mae West
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Yesterday's post, Not Old for the Olympics Part I, told of athletes competing in the highest level athletic events over many years as they get older. The ability to keep physical skills by training is not new or unusual. To keep physical skills, you must continue to use and practice them.
Here is Leslie's movie again so you can practice along with her. Press the arrow to watch this short movie, approximately 30 seconds long.
Leslie can now do 40 pushups easily, and says her goal is 45 for her 68th birthday this October. I didn't have a camera with me to record her 40 pushups last week in class before posting this post, but will try when I get back from the Wilderness Medicine conference.
Leslie says she wants me to tell all of you that she could not do any pushups when she started working with me. She says it was my training in functional daily movement that made the difference, instead of doing artificial exercises in "sets and reps" for isolated body parts. She says the last 5 of the 45 pushups are hard, but she perseveres and keeps smiling, knowing discipline needs training. Bookmark her movie so you can do your 30 pushups every day with her.
When Dara Torres made the news by qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, the first comments by the masses included that performance enhancement drugs were probably needed. Torres employs a head coach, a sprint coach, a strength coach, two stretchers who moved to Florida to stretch her daily, two masseuses, a chiropractor, a nanny, and household help, with costs estimated at least $100,000 per year, plus the support of family, friends, and good sponsors. You don't win an Olympics alone, but it does not require drugs to get better over years of training. Torres trains hard, and has a team of trainers and people who stretch her, using many of the conventional moves that "work" at the price of her 13 surgeries for injuries.
There are people who state that it is unfair and unethical to use performance-enhancing drugs, but they wear or allow a one thousand dollar engineered bathing suit like the new Speedo LZR. When I was competing, swim goggles were considered an unfair advantage. Mark Spitz won his record setting medals without even wearing goggles. When I was competing, it was considered unfair for an American athlete to earn any money from athletics. No sponsors were allowed. Athletes swept floors to earn money to compete. Today they are not only sponsored and advertised, pro athletes arrive at events with chauffeurs from their villas.
Is it fair to be taller, a trait which favors speed in swimming? Some who say performance-enhancing drugs are wrong will eat engineered food, and use expensive altitude chambers and other training devices. Is it fair to other competitors when one swimmer has a rich family who gives up all to support their dreams? It is considered unfair doping to use certain steroids to hasten healing of internal injuries and soreness from intensive training, but not if you use them to heal skin erosions from the same hard training. Drugs are vilified in some sports, glorified in others, and routinely used in the business and military world for increased concentration and competitiveness, and reduction of hunger and fatigue.
Debate continues about ethics. Two truths are important to remember - Performance enhancing drugs are not necessary to win or to achieve the highest goals of competition. There are women swimmers today who without any drugs are breaking records of men swimmers of the 70's who used steroids. Performance drugs are not healthy. The purpose of athletics is not just to mindlessly best the person next to you. A higher view is the beauty of clean healthy athletics.
Related Fitness Fixer on exercise and aging, and enhancing drugs:
--- Read success stories of these methods and send your own. For more, click labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and the Fitness Fixer Index. Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail"(under trumpet) upper right. See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certifiedDrBookspan.com/Academy. ---
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