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As I pursued my graduate degree almost a generation ago, I was fortunate enough to have had a professor whose teachings had profound meaning across the disciplines. He told our class that it is NOT common sense that human beings need to follow, but rather GOOD SENSE. I never forgot this brilliant professor of philosophy nor his brilliant advice. Now I impart his words of wisdom to all of you, my readers, whose lives are in fact dependent upon exactly that, GOOD SENSE.
Optimum health and fitness can only be achieved when you take responsibility for achieving it yourself. No one else can do it for you. No gadget or electronic device can do for you what letting GOOD SENSE do for you. The time has come to take a stand. Do what you know in your heart is necessary in order to achieve optimum health and fitness, not only for yourself, but for those you care about because they also care about you. Let GOOD SENSE be your guide. As always, CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL...
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Today there exists a vast "network" of questionable and mediocre "modalities" in the fitness industry. I call this network the "S.P.Y. network" since not only does the acronym work, but the three "modalities" appear to be working in tandem to muddy, if not pollute, the waters of the still unregulated fitness industry. The components of the S.P.Y. network regularly engage in spewing both misinformation as well as disinformation in order to benefit themselves while not benefiting the public they claim to serve. Meanwhile, the scientifically proven modalities operating as a result of thorough, evidence-based empirical studies performed by the most prestigious institutes and medical organizations in both the United States and abroad DO NOT stoop to such despicably low levels. They don't have to. The results have always spoken for themselves. The disingenuous S.P.Y. network has never been, nor can it ever be, what is crucial in order to achieve optimum health and fitness. If you are an individual who is a fan of any part or all of the S.P.Y. network, that's your right. The beauty of our great nation is that you are free to engage in any lawful activity that makes you happy, but do get your facts straight before you start buying into notions that are not backed by the SCIENCE of how the human body was designed to function and respond to stimuli. These network S.P.Y. studios continue to crop up everywhere yet there is no evidence to back up their often ridiculous claims. In addition, there is "mounting" evidence (pun intended) that the "S" component of the network does much more harm than good, but of course the operators work very hard to keep these facts from the public. So now we have two kinds of "network studios," the ones in the entertainment industry and the ones that have "hustled" their way into the fitness industry. Climbers, weight-lifters and boxers for example, have never felt the need to spew nonsense about any other modality in order to promote their own. There has never been a reason or need to do so. These legitimate and scientifically proven modalities stand on their own merit whereas the S.P.Y. network barely has a leg to stand on.
Respect how the human body was designed to function. For optimum cardiovascular and anaerobic health, for optimum organ function and bone mineral density, for optimum cognitive health and for the PURE INTRINSIC PLEASURE that is derived WHILE engaging in what has been proven to work all along for the human body, the mind and for those of you seeking something "spiritual," yes, that too... CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... That which makes some people happy does not necessarily make them healthy, however if they were to do what makes them healthy, then happiness would surely follow. For optimum health AND happiness,
CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... Most people are very busy trying to juggle family, careers and personal lives with very limited time left over to devote to quality exercise let alone any type of exercise at all. With this in mind, please read the following carefully. The human body was not designed to spend extended amounts of time in flexion (sitting or displacing body weight onto hands). The popularity of being in the position of a praying mantis for extended periods of time has backfired (you know what I am referring to) and has wreaked, and will continue to wreak, havoc on both the male and female pelvic areas. In addition, this activity DOES NOT promote bone mineral density. In fact studies done on professional road cyclists including those only in their thirties, have proven that these athletes have very low bone mineral density and are prone to more breaks and fractures than the general population. It would serve cyclists well (as well as the general public) to CLIMB onto a revolving stair machine and LIFT weights! While so many people think that getting your heart rate up is all that matters, they are completely missing the point. Rather, it is HOW YOU GET YOUR HEART RATE UP THAT MATTERS. You can watch a horror film and get your heart rate up but chances are you are sitting while you are watching. Get the point? The way you MAXIMIZE THE CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS is to let your large muscle groups, namely your hips, thighs and gluteus muscles do the work! That means you need to stand on your own two feet with shoulders back and down and lift each leg WITHOUT HOLDING ON TO ANYTHING! Allow your cardiac muscle to do its job as you work against gravity to keep your body erect and moving onward and upward as you CLIMB!
In addition, EVERYONE MUST ENGAGE IN WEIGHT-LIFTING USING CHALLENGING YET SAFE EXTERNAL LOADS. Body weight exercises are fine but only IN CONJUNCTION with serious weight-lifting. The majority of your weight-lifting routine should be done while standing (except of course for the bench press exercise) so that you further engage the entire core musculature! Think logically, if the goal is a strong core in addition to FULL BODY muscular and skeletal strength, how can it be ideally achieved while sitting and lying down? It CANNOT! When you start to think about how the human body was designed to function it will become clear. Mat exercises are a great warm-up or cool-down but hardly constitute the MAIN ASSIGNMENT! Think of them as EXTRA CREDIT! Stand on your own two feet, learn to hold a pair of dumbbells, a curl bar and an Olympic bar and LIFT! Finally, now that you know you must CLIMB and LIFT, you need to also EAT WELL in order to achieve optimum health and fitness. The final part of the equation is to eat a healthy plant-based food plan consisting of a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, non-fat or low-fat dairy and whole grains. Of course you must not smoke and you must drink plenty of WATER and limit or eliminate alcoholic beverages. Do consult your trusted physician regarding any and all exercise programs as well as any changes to your meal plan. As always, CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... When "back" is beautiful, meaning the musculature is well-defined with little or no excess adipose tissue, i.e. fat, it is but one of several excellent indicators of optimum health and fitness. The stronger your back is the less likely you will experience problems with it. Do not forget about the muscles you cannot see. Every muscle group in the entire human body needs proper and consistent anaerobic exercise and of course the lattisimus dorsi muscles are no exception. With clearance from your trusted physician you can increase the strength and power of the lattisimus dorsi muscles, the broadest and larger flat muscles of the trunk by engaging in the following variety of exercises:
1)Vertical pulling movements such as pull-downs and pull-ups (including chin-ups) 2)Horizontal pulling movements such as bent-over rows, T-bar rows and other rowing exercises 3)Pull-overs 4)Dead-lifts which are among the best compound multi-joint exercises benefiting all adults. The key is to master proper form with little weight and then progressively increase the load to challenging yet SAFE levels. A strong and healthy back will indeed help you CLIMB TO THE GREATEST HEIGHTS OF YOUR LIFE! As always, CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... CLIMB TO THE GREATEST HEIGHTS OF YOUR LIFE.
Follow me on my "STAIRWAY TO HEALTHY" where you will learn how to do it the right way for life. Stay tuned for more EMPIRICAL evidence-based details...Until then, CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... As humans we have evolved vertically and dynamically. "Dynamic" means being active, changing, displaying energy, motion and physical force for improved and enhanced quality and quantity of life. That means it is time to get up off the mats, get up off the seats, stand up and "step up." This is how the human body was brilliantly designed to function. Stand tall and face forward as you propel your body upward. It is time to both literally and figuratively "step up" and take control of your own health and fitness. Use your own power to climb to the greatest heights of your life. Stay tuned for more details on my personal journey of survival and what it can mean for you. Until then...
CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... The journey known as life is a continuous one. Please don't "stop" exercising and eating properly when you reach your health and fitness goals, but rather keep doing all the right things which got you there in the first place. The objective is no longer about reaching your goals. The objective is now about "sustaining" your goals. This is the centerpiece of maintaining optimum health and fitness. A great example is when you are praised by your dentist and/or hygienist regarding a job well-done during your routine check-up and cleaning. Do you then stop brushing, flossing and using mouthwash? Of course not. Make TODAY the day that you disregard all the hype and unsubstantiated claims (not to mention the utter balderdash) spewed across multi-media platforms which continue to pollute the unregulated fitness industry. It is time to stand up as a nation and do the right thing for not only our own health and well-being but also for the health and well-being of those we care about.
CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... For the BEST and SAFEST results, READ and WATCH programming BEFORE or AFTER your workout...1/12/2015 Reading materials, both hard copy and electronic, including watching programming, have no place when striving for the best and safest results during BOTH cardiovascular and anaerobic exercise (unless of course you use a heart monitor). The reason is simple. It is virtually impossible to fully concentrate on correct form and technique unless you give your body your mind's UNDIVIDED ATTENTION! Just as electronic devices and reading materials are discouraged during individual & group "movement classes" the same reasoning applies to weight-lifting as well as cardiovascular exercise performed on your feet. These materials and devices should be left in your locker, in your car or at home. While the National Academy of Sports Medicine advises how to correctly position your head, neck and body in order to watch TV monitors while exercising, I go one step further and completely discourage it. Why create a secondary problem? It makes no sense and can only hurt you. There are 168 hours in a week. I recommend, as do the most prestigious and reputable medical and health institutes and organizations in the US and abroad, that 60 minutes of exercise (or as close to it as possible) on all or most days with clearance from your trusted physician is prudent for optimum health and fitness. That leaves 161 hours remaining to read, watch programs and engage in all other activities. Think about it. You owe it to yourself. As always,
"CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL..." Time wasted can never be gotten back. It is gone forever. Take the time to approach your daily exercise and eating regimen the right way, the healthy way. As the evidence tells us, there are no safe short cuts. Just stay the course and reap the rewards of optimum, long-lasting results. Precious time spent seeking out "questionable" if not dangerous methods to try to "look" good on the outside do virtually nothing for your health on the inside. Don't waste that precious commodity called time (or money) on the methods of those who do not have your very best interests at heart. Use the power of your own mind and body to rise up and make yourself strong and healthy from the inside out. This will be time well spent to help you enjoy a long and healthy life. Give yourself the gift of both quality and quantity of life. You will then be in a greater, more strategic position to pass that precious gift on to your family and loved ones by setting a good example.
CLIMB, LIFT AND EAT WELL... |
Audrey"Let's PREVENT what we can and BE COMBAT-READY for what we cannot as we ENJOY and make the most of every single day!" Archives
November 2024
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