Exercise is good. Inflammation in the body is bad! – it’s significantly related to a whole host of cardiovascular diseases.The most frequently measured biomarker of inflammation in the body is C-reactive protein (CRP). High levels of CRP indicate high levels of inflammation. Essential fatty acids (Omega 3′s, for example) are known to reduce inflammation – so eat some fresh, Wild Salmon today . Other foods known to reduce inflammation are fresh fruits and vegetables, like berries, grapes, celery and avocadoes (there are more but that’s a quick list). Green tea has some anti-inflammatory characteristics too. Fitness has been shown to be inversely related to CRP, the more fit you are the less CRP in your bloodstream. What hasn’t been very well understood, however, is the mechanism that’s in play. For example, if you are highly fit and have low CRP levels, is that because you are fit or are the . . . → Read More: Why exercise is good!
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 2 comments - (Comments are closed)  fitness, news, obesity, other health, personal trainer, research, weight loss A hard-copy workout program, with a daily schedule and other physical activity related material, including instructions, photos, motivational techniques and more has been found to be more effective at increasing and maintaining physical activity levels than phone-based methods. The results of this study are encouraging on several fronts. First, proper instruction is vitally important. I think, at least intuitively, we all know that a large part of a personal trainer’s job is instruction. When it’s done properly, everyone wins. When it includes the social/psychological issues associated with starting or maintaining a physical activity program, it’s even more successful. For example, developing strategies to overcome barriers, finding social support, dealing with negative thoughts, etc… are important social and psychological issues that can sabotage the best laid plans. That is the major reason (at least in my eyes) the study found significant differences in print materials versus the phone. When you get off . . . → Read More: We can do this for you… Last week the Fitness Center signed an agreement with the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI). NPTI offers a diploma program in Personal Training. The curriculum is very comprehensive, 500-hours including 300 in the classroom and 200 in the fitness center. As with the Vortex Equipment, signing this agreement means we are the first in Texas once again. There are no NPTI Schools in Texas, further evidence we are leaders in the fitness field! Offering a school for personal trainers ensures confidence amongst membership, trust within the community and consistent access to quality personal trainers. Over time this will positively impact the fitness center. I’m excited as this is a great opportunity for the Fitness Center. It’s also a great opportunity for those living in the Houston area wanting to become Personal Trainers. The next step is to get approval from the State. Once accomplished, we’ll be ready to offer our first . . . → Read More: Personal Training School in Houston I got to play golf! It was the first time since July of last year – way too long. If you recall, in July I suffered the painful and uncomfortable neck impingement. Just when I was fully recovered and ready to play again, the Nationwide Tour Championship headed down here to Houston. Since I gave some golf-fitness talks, I was busy preparing and unable to play. Then soon after that, I bought the fitness center and really haven’t had time play. Until yesterday. I played with my brother and some of his buddies at Pecan Grove Country Club. It’s a nice, mature layout that puts a premium on accuracy – not exactly what you want when coming back from nearly a year off. The front 9, not so good: five lost balls, 2 wins, 6 pushes (no carryovers) and a loss in Wolf. I was happy with the way I hit . . . → Read More: If finally happened yesterday, According to this summary and proponents of vitamin D, yes your risk of cancer (and many other diseases) can be significantly reduced with normal levels of vitamin D. But what does that have to do with sunlight, you ask?Good question. After all, cancer institutes, dermatological societies and even sunscreen manufacturers extoll the benefits of sunscreen and limited exposure for skin health. Skin cancer is dangerous and can be fatal. So if sunlight is the main culprit, how can it be helpful?Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to the sun. In fact, significant rises can be seen in as little as 15-20 minutes. But there is a catch…Get a daily dose without sunscreen…it blocks vitamin D production. How much exposure? At least 15 minutes and some say up to 1 hr. Any more than that and you will need the . . . → Read More: Can a daily dose of sunlight prevent cancer? “Scientists in Indiana are reporting progress toward development of low glycemic and slowly digestible starch, a form of starch that would be less apt to cause the spike in blood sugar – and perhaps sharp hunger pangs – that many individuals experience after eating bread, baked goods, and other high-carbohydrate foods.” The rest of the summary can be read here. My only question is why? I can understand the need for people to consume healthier foods – particularly than those listed in the quote above. But what if we just ate less of that food and more fruits and vegetables, healthier meats and drank more water? What if we just ate grains as they grow in the field? Look in your pantry. Foods in plastic bags and carboard boxes are loaded with things that used to be good, healthy foods. Take enriched white flour for example. Out in the field, its a perfectly healthy . . . → Read More: Why do they do this? 4 comments - (Comments are closed) fitness, news, nutrition, obesity, other health, personal trainer, research, weight loss A recent study presented at the Endocrine Society Annual meeting suggested that males over 50 with low testosterone had a 33% greater risk of all-cause mortality than those who had higher levels of testerone. Low testosterone was identified as the lower-limit found in healthy young males.The study followed 800 men for 18 years on average, a large sample size for a very long period of time. The low testosterone group had the following characteristics: higher levels of inflammation markers, which contribute to several forms of cardiovascular disease Over the 18-year period, men in the low-testosterone group had a 33% greater risk from all-cause mortality than the normal / high testosterone group. This is a stout finding given the characteristics of the study, indicating that even if problems exist in methodology the results are likely . . . → Read More: Is your testosterone low? Here are some links to a few golf-fitness articles I found while doing some reading. Hope you enjoy. Brian7 Fitness tips to optimize golf performance The Golf-gym workout For you guys with bad thoughts in your head: a day in the life: . . . → Read More: Article Updates Reading this summary, I felt an urge to blurt out: “No blank, Sherlock!” A recent study published in JAMA, a leading pillar of medical research dissemination, compared low GI diets with low-fat diets on insulin secretion in high insulin secreters. On the surface, this appears to be a legitimate research question. Insulin is related to glucose metabolism and given the current state of obesity and type II diabetes in America, this might be something we should know. However, most people in the medical fields should intuitively know this. The glycemic index of any food indicates the level it raises blood sugar when consumed. The higher the glycemic index, the higher the blood sugar response. For example, twinkies rate rather high on the glycemic index. Consume two or three of them and your blood sugar will spike. At least for a while. In response, your body will release (secrete) insulin to bring . . . → Read More: Answering this research question It’s good to be back!I know, it’s been a while but I have a good excuse – I bought a fitness center. Unfortunately, that kept me from finishing my journey. But in case you were wondering, I’ve fully recovered and have no ill effects! Now, if I could just find the time to get out on the course.I’m still deciding on how to best utilize my blog. There certainly will be fitness center updates, videos of workouts and camps and more. You can subscribe to the feed for updates – just use the Atom Syndication below and to your right. Alternatively, you can sign up for Brian’s Report, my golf-fitness newsetter. One idea I’ve been thinking about are health related posts. I subscribe to several medical news alert services. Nearly everyday I see a headline that makes me scratch my head or simply say “Duh!” I’m thinking about publishing these to . . . → Read More: Finally back to posting! |
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