Life is interesting and always keeps us on our toes.  I met on the weekend with a friend and fellow business owner.  We talked about the excitement of owning and running your own business.  We also talked about the work involved and at how at times you can feel you are alone with your problems.  But, we also talked about the joy both of our businesses bring to our lives and how the satisfaction of helping others and hopefully bringing positive change to someone else's life is worth it all.

As our coffee cups slowly emptied, it became evident that she was at a crossroads with both her business and her life.  Her business is at the point where you need to make a decision to allow the business to grow and take on staff to help run or keep it manageable with just yourself.  She is also at a crossroads in her life and what direction she wants her own life.  Are you at a crossroad in your life?  Maybe you have been coasting along wondering about making changes in your life.   Maybe the possibility of starting a fitness program or increasing a present fitness regime is in the forefront of your mind.  Have you been looking at your nutrition lately  wondering how to start or make changes to your lifestyle?

It is not always easy to figure out the next step.  I think first you need to decide what is important to you and what your priorities are.  If your health and well being is important, and you are willing to make it a priority then you have taken the first step to success.

Step Number 1 is making a commitment to yourself and dedicating the time necessary to realize that goal.  You must make you a priority.  You must make your health and wellness No. 1. When you make the decision that you are ready for change and willing to embrace the work necessary to make those changes happen, you are already well on the road to success.   Our clients at Victoria Wellness have made that decision and have taken the steps
necessary to make their goals a reality.  Surrounding yourself with like minded people and having a support system in place are all necessary ingredients in order for your fitness program to be successful.  You must have everyone on board with you.

As the old saying goes, "Nothing good in life comes easy" and good health, a strong and fit body are no exception.  Hard work in all areas (strength training, cardio training, nutrition, recovery) is required in order to make any appreciable change in your body composition.  So, if you are at a crossroads in your life – now is the time to take control, seek out support and make those changes happen!

Till next time,
Narina
"Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation"

Related Posts:

• Old Faithfuls
• How, What and Why…
• 5 Easy Steps to Help Boost Your Metabolism
• How To Fit Exercise into an Already Hectic Schedule.
• It Isn’t Just for Athletes – It’s for All.

Unless you have just come in from living in the woods, you will have heard of The Biggest Loser.  This reality show features morbidly obese individuals striving to lose weight and change their lifestyle, all under the guidance of "expert" trainers and staff.   Now, this show has been on TV for a few years now and I can honestly say I have seen  some of the early episodes during its first season.   I tuned in during the first season more out of curiosity more than anything.  I  had clients ask about the show and the variety of workouts they perform, so I thought I should at least see a few shows to be able to make an informed comment.  I wish I had something positive to say about the show, I really do.

But, sadly I cannot find any redeeming qualities in the show at all.  First off let's talk about the contestants.  They are all what is classed as "morbidly obese".  Obesity is defined as:

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse affect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy.  Morbidly obese individuals will have a body mass index greater than 40.0.  Some of the medical conditions associated with obesity are:  heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis,  low back pain, poor mobility, asthma, sleep apnea, various cancers, diabetes, GI reflux disease.  These are just a few of the hundreds of medical conditions associated with obesity.  The items that stand out in my mind as a fitness professional are:  heart disease, high blood pressure,  osteoarthritis, low back pain, poor mobility, asthma, reflux.  All of these conditions will not only determine an individuals' ability to exercise safely, but also will dictate what type of exercises that would be selected.

So, you can imagine my thoughts as I watched this show.  Obviously no regard for the health of the contestants.  It was just one dangerous exercise followed by another  All, while their "expert" trainers yelled and belittled them to work hard, push more, go faster or further.  The saddest part of this show I find, is that the trainers on this show are viewed as experts in their field.   Now, I can't claim to know anything of their education or background.  I do know that they both have appeared on other TV shows as guests and also both have books out.  So, they must know what they are doing, right?    So, you are probably wondering what prompted this rant? 

Well, it first came to light early this morning as I was reading an article on the blog of  Strength Coach, Mike Boyle.  Here is the link to his article:

http://mboyle1959.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/the-biggest-loser/

This is not a new blog post.  But sadly, things have not changed that much with this show.  The article basically commented about a contestant having to leave the show because of a stress fracture in her hip. Now, from past discussions I have had with other Strength Coaches in the U.S., this is not the first injury that has occurred on the show.  There have been reports of various knee injuries, herniated discs; although most never make it to the public arena.  After all, that wouldn't be good public relations for the network.

For those of us that do take our profession seriously, most of what you see on The Biggest Loser would never occur in our facilities.   We take months to prepare clients to perform advanced exercises (lunges, push ups, etc).  It may not be as glamorous as being on TV, but I think it has its own rewards in our clients' health and well being.

Till next time,

Narina Prokosch

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

The Muscle Building Fat Burning Video Blog #115 November 30, 2009

What's on my mind today? Day 767 Day 77 of 995 Today’s video contains a discussion about my current body building situation and how I am doing with that.  I also discuss my carb cycling strategy and why it is working for me.  I finish off by giving out a great tip on how to stay compliant and get through the holidays. Please note that I have drastically changed the blog this time around.  Pictures will get published one time per week on Sunday.  I will also give a recap of my training for the week on Sunday as well.  You will see daily videos posted along with a very brief commentary on what is contained in the video.  I hope you enjoy the new format.

Follow the Muscle Building Fat Burning Machine on Twitter!   Get the Cure for Fitness Information Overload Now! Feeling overwhelmed by the information you get on the web?  Not sure if that guy is a “guru”?  The answer is finally here! Free eNewsletter and basic fitness eCourse just for visiting! https://www.fitnessexpose.com

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

One of recent articles talked about "Sitting Down on the Job" and the hazards associated with sitting at a desk.  In today's article I am sending along some workplace stretches that you can easily add into your day.  Not all stretches need to be done at once, but every couple of hours you should get up and move a little.  Take 5 minutes and pick a few of these stretches to do and you will feel much better at the end of your work day.

WORKPLACE STRETCHES:

Warm up by lifting shoulders to ears; hold for 5-10 seconds then lower slowly.  Roll your shoulders up, back and down 5-10 times.

Seated Forward Bend:
Sit on the edge of your chair.  Feet flat on floor.  Lean forward until chest over knees.  Let arms hang loose, fingertips on floor.

Seated Trunk Rotation:
Sitting – cross right knee over left knee.   Place left hand on outside of right thigh and right hand on your armrest.  While sitting straight, gently twist towards the right and look over your shoulders.  Repeat other direction.

Neck Stretch:
Reach left hand over your head and gently rest on right side of your head.  Stabilize your right side by grasping seat of your chair with your right hand and gently pull your head away from your right shoulder with your hand to bring the left ear towards the left shoulder.  Face straight ahead and repeat other side.

Seated Arm Stretch:
With your left hand to assist, bring your right arm with elbow bent across your chest, parallel to the floor.  Use your left hand to gently pull your right arm across your body.  Repeat on other side.

Seated Lateral Trunk Flex:
Sit well back in chair.  Reach both hands overhead and interlock fingers with palms facing up to ceiling.  Slowly lean over towards the right side, pause and return.  Keep both feet on floor.

Wrist Flexor Stretch:
With assistance of the left hand, gently draw the fingers on the right hand up towards the ceiling and then gradually straighten elbow while maintaining a stretch on the wrist.

Wrist Extensor Stretch:
With assistance of the left hand, gently bend the wrist so that the fingers are pointing down towards the floor and gradually straighten the elbow while maintaining a stretch on the wrist.

Standing Shoulder and Elbow Extension:
Stand facing the chair and reach behind with both arms, grasp hand interlocking the fingers.  Lift both arms away from he body while keeping the elbows straight and pause.  Release and repeat.

Standing Spinal Extension:
Stand facing the chair and place your fist or the heel of both hands on the back of your hips.  Gently press into your hips and lift your chest upwards.  Keep eyes straight ahead and chin tucked in.  Pause and return to starting position.  Repeat.  Breathe out as your lean back and in as you return upright.

Standing Hip/Knee/Quadricep Stretch:
Stand holding onto the back of your chair for balance.  Grasp your right ankle with your right hand.  Keep your hips, shoulders and face straight ahead and gently pull your heel towards your hips until you feel a gently stretch across the front of your hip and along the front of your thigh.  Keeps your abs pulled in.  Repeat on other leg.

GREATER THAN ONE THIRD OF THE WORKING POPULATION SAY THEY LACK ENERGY EITHER THROUGH OUT THE DAY OR IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THIS LACK OF ENERGY IS A FUNCTION OF BRAIN AND MUSCULAR  ACTIVITY.  BRAIN AND MUSCLES NEED WATER, GLUCOSE AND OXYGEN.  TAKE REGULAR BREAKS AND MOVE MORE DURING THE WORK DAY.   BEST OF ALL WORK OUT OR EXERCISE REGULARLY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF WORK-RELATED INJURY AND IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH AND FITNESS.   IT PAYS OFF-IN GREATER HEALTH AND WEALTH.

Till next time,
Narina

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

Truth be known, I could make an excellent couch potato.  In fact, on some weekends it a battle for prime location on our couch with myself, my husband Robert, and the two champion couch potatoes – Max and Pebbles (the pug dogs).  But sitting for too long, especially when your job requires it, can be dangerous for your health.  Besides the problems related to inactivity in itself, sitting can cause a host of muscular problems.  This newsletter is a printing of a lecture I gave at our local newspaper for their office staff.  The lecture was entitled “The Hazards of "Sitting Down on the Job".  Who would have thought that office jobs could be hazardous to your health?  A person in a job that requires long hours of sitting is just as much at risk for health problems as those individuals doing manual labour or heavy lifting in their jobs.  Some of the risks associated with desk jobs are:

• chronic low back pain
  weak abdominal muscles possibly leading to back problems
  repetitive use injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome
  weak gluteal muscles possibly leading to low back pain

Let us take a more in depth look at the muscles affected by sitting down on the job!

Upper Crossed Syndrome:

Muscle imbalances are common in almost all of us.  Posture affects these imbalances and it is important to recognize postural problems and make corrections where necessary.  The first posture that is important is the position of the head.  Most people have a forward head posture.  This is caused by the invention of the computer and sitting long hours looking at computer screens.  If you look at the ideal posture, a line should fall down the side of the body from the midline of the ear, through the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle.  If the head is forward of this line, it plays havoc with the muscles of the upper quadrant.  This often leads to internal rotation of the shoulder.   This leads to shortening of the  pectoral (chest) muscles.  This also causes lengthening of the upper back muscles such as rhomboids and trapezius.

If a muscle is not at its ideal length (either too short or lengthened) it causes dysfunction at the joints these muscles surround.  This can then lead to headaches, neck pain, stiffness and tightness in the neck, tingling in arms or hands.  To alleviate this "upper crossed" syndrome, it is important to stretch the muscles that have been shortened (chest) and strengthen the muscles of the upper back (rhomboids, trapezius, rotator cuff).  Resistance exercises such as pulling exercises will go a long way to alleviating the symptoms associated with this common postural problem.

Hip Flexor Muscles:

These very powerful muscles located in the front of the body run down front of your hip area.  These muscles are responsible for lifting the leg during a walking or running motion.  These muscles are also prime muscles exercised during conventional sit up exercises.  As we sit for long periods of time, as in a desk job, these muscles tend to shorten as the leg is always in a bent or flexed position at the hip.  As a result, when one stands these muscles remain in a shortened position resulting in the pelvis being pulled forward.   This in turn pulls on the muscles of the low back resulting in chronic low back pain.  There are a couple of ways to decrease the effects of potentially shortening hip flexor muscles:

• Get up and move!  On breaks go for a short walk and on lunch hour, take the time to go for a brisk walk.
  Stretch, stretch and stretch again.  At least 3 times per week, stretches should be done to balance the effects of sitting.  This can take as little as 10 minutes once per day – a perfect activity while watching TV in the evening.

So, even though you may enjoy some well deserved couch time, remember you will need to counter balance that with some stretching and strengthening.

Till next time,
Narina
"Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation"

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts