The YMCA's Crusade Against Obesity
health media
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The YMCA, which has been around since mid 19th Century, has now decided to wage war on the American Obesity Epidemic. In my opinion, the media started battling obesity years ago when it started having every news feature include a blurb about how everyone is fat and blaming it on McDonald's. Nonetheless, the Young Men's Christian Association has now joined up in this mission to create a skinnier USA. Perhaps they feel a sense of responsibility to the community, given that over 20.2 million people across the country are members of the well known family fitness center.
The organization (YMCA) referred to the problem as "the nation's ongoing lifestyle health crisis" and in response to this "crisis" they are exploring many paths toward improving people's health habits. They even created a program dedicated entirely toward battling obesity, called Activate America.
YMCA venues across the country are now changing their structure, and re-vamping their exercise programs specifically toward helping those who have trouble sticking to a consistent healthy lifestyle. The YMCA is praised for its ability to adapt to changes in the economy and lifestyles of those it serves. This recent structural change is a great way to recognize a society's need and cater toward solving the problem.
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on 1/30/2008
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5.6
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Behind an Online Fitness Motivator
health media
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I recently had the chance to converse with Viveca Park, the editor of the Fitness Motivator Newsletter. I’ve read her articles, and she has a good vibe coming from her articles, so I decided to find out more about the person behind the newsletter that’s lasted nearly a decade.
She believes it’s important for individuals to keep moving and exercising throughout their entire life. Exercises are out there to meet anyone’s lifestyle or physical limitations. Personally, Viveca sticks to biking, walking, swimming / aqua aerobics, and weight training. After a recent surgery on her foot, she was forced to take a break from roller blading, which is also one of Viveca’s favorites.
She’s always been involved with fitness, ever since she worked at a health club back in the 70s. She took her fitness expertise online with exercise/weight loss Yahoo Groups and followed with positive websites such as, www.exerciseyourwillpower.com. As mentioned before, she is also the editor for www.fitnessmotivatornewsletter.com. Viveca enjoys online fitness communities because they keep her in touch with people of similar interests. She’s never been big on blogging in the past, but hopefully she’ll be interested in sharing some of her health & fitness wisdom on our site.
Interested in signing up for her newsletter? Simple email Editor@fitnessmotivator.com or go to the site to learn more.
Interested in Syncing to Viveca to receive blogs, tips, recipes, and more that she posts on fitconnect? Her Profile is located at: www.fitconnect.com/vivecapark
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on 1/29/2008
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6.1
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How the Big Guy Loses Respect in the Gym
gym rants
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When a big guy walks into the gym, it's almost the environment of a prison yard. The bigger you are, the more respect you have. People aren't judging you based on how hot your girlfriend is, what kind of a car you drive, or how your hair looks... People are thinking one thing and one thing only. Muscle. That's what everyone came to the gym to work on, and if you've got the most, you are the alpha male.
Every gym has a least one or two of these monstrous characters. Some have many, in which case, they become nothing but an average joe anyway. But when these slabs of muscle enter a regular gym, they are respected for their sheer size. For that 40-60 minutes of lifting, they are the kings of the gym. When they ask you for a spot, you're flattered by the fact that he thinks you're strong enough to help if something goes wrong while he's benching 50 million lbs. Then part of you is thinking, what am I going to do if this monster's arms give out for some reason. Regardless, you give them a spot to the best of your abilities because, after all, this is HIS gym.
However, I have encountered several giants who walked into the gym with everyone in aw, only to walk an hour or two later with everyone snickering at the buffoon. There are several ways that a guy can go from king of the gym to joke of the gym. First, involves clothing and body hair. There are 2 things that are understandable: (1) A guy who can't help having a big hairy back, and (2) A guy who worked hard for big muscles and likes to show them off by wearing minimal clothes. The problem arises when these 2 understandable circumstances are combined. If you are a big guy with a wooly back, you're going to need to hold off on wearing the little powerlifting spandex tank tops.
Another way the big guy can lose respect in the gym is by grunting when grunting is not gruntworthy. Although I am not a fan of grunting, I understand that when a guy is lifting every plate in the gym it may ... read entire entry
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on 1/25/2008
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352.1
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Usher Doesn't use a Bowflex Machine
celebrity fitness
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Usher, who used to dominate the music industry with hits such as 'My Way' is also known for having one of the best celebrity bodies. He accredits this fem-snatching bod to genetics, hard work, and discipline. He never mentions using a BowFlex, or sticking to a gym with Cybex equipment, although I'm sure he would if the right amount of money was waived at him.
Instead, he is well known for his body-resistance workouts, focusing on the basics of exercise without all of the 'noise' we read about in men's health. What these exercises lack in equipment, they make up for with intensity.
'Forty Minutes of Funk' is what he calls it. The workout starts with stretching, and moves on into skipping and jumping jacks (I have a feeling he does this in the privacy of his own home). He also performs an astounding 1,000 sit ups, before moving onto a series of push-ups, tricep dips, and leg raises. As far as dieting goes, he focuses on chicken breast, fish, and lots of fruits and leafy vegetables. He also includes whole grain rice and pasta in order to keep a well balanced diet.
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on 1/24/2008
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28.6
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Top 5 Most Annoying Gym Goers
gym rants
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The gym is not only a place to improve your health and fitness, but it's also a good place to clear your mind and relieve a lot of stress. However, there are CERTAIN PEOPLE that stand in the way of that. So I feel obligated to list these types that interfere with my peaceful gym visits.
1. The non-deodorant wearers - Ah, yes, the gym is a place to work up a sweat and get a little dirty. However, that does not mean you can bypass putting on deodorant before you go.
2. The Machine Talkers - I like to get my workout done, and get home. However, I understand that some people enjoy talking 80% and working out 20%. That's fine, but PLEASE stop sitting on the machine that I'm waiting to use while you're gossiping with Bruno about how much protein he's eaten today and how his squat thrusts are good for his buttocks.
3. The Invaders - It's a classic moment. I position myself with enough room to do some lateral deltoid dumbbell raises (for shoulders), and someone stands right next to me, about a foot away, and starts doing a similar exercise that requires space for range of motion. So then I, being the one with common sense and realizing we can't both exercise in our little area, have to move somewhere else, where the lighting probably isn't good and my muscles don't look as big, lol.
4. The Slammers - I'm not talking about those who slam weights to the ground. Although that's annoying, it doesn't make my top 5. For this pet peeve, you have to go to a gym where there is a metal rack, and metal dumbbells. Then, you need a guy who decides to slam those weights onto the rack (metal against metal) as a sense of accomplishment after his lift. This leaves a loud ringing throughout the gym and hurts the ears (ipod or no ipod) of all those around him.
5. The Plate Stackers - I'm not all that impressed by you leg pressing 1,800 lbs. Well maybe I am, but what I'd be impressed with, is if you had the endurance to fi... read entire entry
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on 1/22/2008
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26.5
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Finally found time to get back in the Gym
my fitness
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The past few months have been extremely busy with preparation for our beta release, so I've been missing the gym a lot. It's been about 3 weeks since I was at the gym, and even then I was still pretty out of shape.
It's always depressing when you go to the gym after letting yourself get out shape. Lie down to bench what used to be a warm-up and all of a sudden it's a little bit of a struggle. You know not to even attempt what used to be your max, because your spotter will most likely have to help you more than he/she had expected. Getting back in shape is one of the most annoying things because you're doing tons of work just to get back to where you were half a year ago. It's not the same as when you're pushing to shoulder press more weight than you've ever done before or trying a new ab workout because you can't think of any other way to target your 8-pack.
Anyway, I started with chest, as I usually do when I first get back into the gym because it's my favorite. So today my chest is real soar, which is nice because I know I got a good work yesterday. It usually isn't hard to get soar first day back. I'm hoping I can keep up with going about 4 - 5 times a week like I used to. Anyone have any good advice for dealing with the mental frustration of working hard just to get back to what you used to be?
http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/health/diet-nutrition
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on 1/16/2008
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14
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