Active Life

I just completed my first run in the new Nike Voremo 4 running shoes and all I have to say is, “BOING!”  These shoes are set up with Nike’s top of the line cushioning material and you can feel the difference.  Having just retired my 2008 Air Pegasus, I noticed a difference immediately.  Now that may just be the sensation of going from older shoes to new ones, but the improvements that I can feel are a nice snug fit through the midsole, a more roomy toe box and better cushioning,  all things I really value. 

I am a neutral runner and I don’t really use a heel to toe running mechanic so whatever kind of technology Nike is putting in the heel of the shoe does not much concern me.  However, I did tried on another brand shoes that are designed specifically for my running style and although I appreciate the more durable tread in the midsole, they still did not match up to the fit and cushioning of the Voremos.  I also tried on the newest Air Pegasus model which were also nice but the sales people at Jus Running in Asheville, NC made a great point by distinguishing between the materials and the length of time that the shoes will hold up.  So I shelled out the extra $50 for the premium model. What the heck, you only go around some many times so you might as well get the best while you can. 

I also run in a pair of Brooks racing shoes, just for fun.  Racing shoes in general have less cushioning and are more flexible so your foot can really feel the ground.  The added feedback from a racing shoe is nice for shorter runs and speed work because you get a better sense of how your foot is contacting the ground and you can fine tune your running technique.  That being said, when it’s time to log some higher miles, I have not found a better shoe than Nike Voremo 4.

Summer is just around the corner, but I’m already there.  Grilling out on Saturdays, playing pickup soccer on Sundays and getting outside for a run every chance I get, shirtless of course to save on laundry time.   The other great thing is that the dress code is much simplified.  Summer jeans, short sleeves and flip flops on my feet.  Alas, I am afraid this year as the mileage has gone way up my Nikes, I am going to have to make a dreaded decision.  Do I want my feet to be in good enough condition so I can keep running everyday or do I want to wear flip flops? 

I love my flips just as much as anybody.  Mostly because this beach bum style footwear looks just as good with board shorts as they do with a tuxedo in a wedding.  As amazingly versatile as they are they simply wreck your feet.  So what’s it going to be?  Well, there may be an answer to this one of life’s biggest questions.  I am saving my beach bum style by adding a little granola.  Chacos sandals, the preferred footwear of kayakers and Subaru drivers everywhere, have a unique strap system, great foot support and they feel awesome.  Normally these sandals have a look that is a little too L.L. Bean for me, but Chaco has come up with a flip version.  This sandal/flip flop hybrid has a kind of Beach Cruiser meets Jesus Cruiser look that bridges the gap perfectly and has my feet singing “Amazing Grace”.

It’s not uncommon for middle-aged persons to experience chronic back pain. Unfortunately, the careless actions that we take early in life can come back to haunt us later on, but if we know how to combat them, we can save ourselves half a lifetime of physical strain. At UltimateBodyPress.com, we understand the importance of a healthy back, and we’d like to share a few tips for keeping it in the best possible condition.

1. When sitting down, don’t slouch. This will put unwanted strain on your back. Instead, keep it straight, and stay relaxed.

2. Adjust your car seat and office chair so that your back receives adequate support.

3. Get plenty of exercise. You’ll build the muscles around your back, making it much stronger and less prone to injury. One great way to do this is by using The Ultimate Body Press to strengthen, tone, and boost your back muscles.

4. If you’re doing heavy lifting, bend at the knees, not the waist. Allow your legs to do the lifting instead of your back.

5. Don’t let your muscles tire. Keep them active, and don’t become so engrossed in a task that you forget to get up and stretch once in awhile.

We have all done it before.  Someone is about to take a picture of you so you suck in your gut to look thinner.  You probably do the same thing when you look at yourself in the mirror.  Well guess what.  There is more to that reaction than vanity alone.  It is your mind telling your body to straighten up and it is a key change in your posture that you can practice ALL THE TIME.  The benefits are overwhelming and it won’t take a single extra minute out of your day. 

A strong core forms the base of all movement. You can strength train 5 times a week and do sit ups for hours, but you will still lack the strength and conditioning required in your deep core muscles.  That is because a stronger core does not necessarily mean going to the gym.  It involves an awareness of the muscles that surround your pelvis and support your spine.  Imagine you are balancing a yard stick in the palm of your hand.  If you tilt your hand forward, you lose control and the yard stick falls over.  Now image that your spine is the yard stick and your pelvis is the palm of your hand.  Most of us walk around with our pelvis tipped forward requiring our back and shoulder muscles to fight to keep us from falling over.  This is a bad thing, but the solution is simple.

Fixing your posture problem is so easy and doing so means you will look sexier, run faster and feel better for the rest of your life!  Here is the answer to your problem. Whether you are driving in your car, walking through the grocery store or running a 100m dash, suck in your gut.

Try this right now.  Stand up. Suck in your gut. Tighten your glutes a bit and make yourself as tall as possible. Now make sure your shoulders are back and relaxed.  What you have just done is properly aligned your upper body and spine, rotated you pelvis into a more upright position and relieved stress on the muscles of your back and shoulders.  Can you believe something so good for you could be so easy? 

Start by practicing while you are in the car.  Suck in your gut, keeping your shoulders back a relaxed.  If you are driving, you may need to move the seat up so you can still reach the steering wheel.  Sorry, you can’t get your “gansta lean” on anymore.  You will look more like “Driving Miss Daisy”, but so what? It’s good for you. Do this for as long as you can.  Oh yeah, don’t forget to breath and to use your turn signals.  Next try it while you are walking to class or standing around at a party.  Suck in your gut and tighten your glutes.  This is an isometric workout you can do anytime and anywhere.  It sounds simple, but if make a conscious effort to do this as much as you can, you will notice the difference in just a couple days!

So, here’s to a better you.  SUCK IN THAT GUT

For both recreational and competitive athletes, an Ultimate Body Press workout can provide all the upper body and core strength you need, but at some point you will need an exercise like running to develop cardiovascular endurance and leg strength for sports.  Running can do ALL that for you.  Unfortunately, when many people start running longer distances they experience a loss of sprinting speed.  This is a problem because most sports require a combination of speed and endurance.  Luckily, there is a way to get a great endurance workout without sacrificing speed. 

The reason distance running often comes at the sacrifice of top speed is because the athlete has falsely chosen an entirely different running pattern for longer distances. They have moved from a sprinting pattern into a heel-toe jogging pattern that more closely resembles walking.  This is a common misconception and has much to do with current shoe technology.  If you want proof, just look at the shoes worn by top distance runners.  They are nothing like the running shoes you will find in most stores. 

The shoes are known as “racing flats” and they are remarkably similar to the shoes worn by sprinters.  Just like with track shoes, marathoners’ shoes have no bulky heel pad because good distance runners do not actually land on their heels.  This is a more biomechanically efficient way to run.  Learning this proper running technique that eliminates the heel strike will increase your foot strength and means you will always be reinforcing good sprinting technique no matter what distance you run.

**Racing flats are extremely useful for learning how to run properly because they are more flexible and give you really good feedback.  However, they do not offer much support.  Use them for training then once you’ve learned the new technique you can go back to a shoes with more support.

When you need to give your metabolism a much needed boost to burn off those extra calories, try out one of these five trusted methods of turning the heat up on your calorie burning power.

1. Exercise More

   According to Gary Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University, exercising more often can help to spike your metabolism. “It’s not a huge spike, but it makes a difference,” he says in an interview with Cooking Light magazine. To maximize your weight loss potential, try exercising before eating.

2. Work Out with Weights

   During weight training, muscle tissue is stressed then repaired, causing a bodily reaction that boosts metabolism. To maximize your fitness levels, try using Strength Training Workouts coupled with weight lifting.

3. Practice Portion Control

   Eating large amounts of food overloads your metabolism with a surplus of unusable energy. Use a food scale or measuring cups to identify the right size of your favorite foods.

4. Eat Smaller Meals Often

   Some experts recommend eating smaller meals throughout the day, known as grazing. “Grazing helps normalize blood sugar levels rather than producing three large spikes, which is what happens eating three meals a day,” says Nick Flynn, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry at Angelo State University.

5. Laugh!

   When researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, put people into a “metabolic chamber” (a small room that measures heat output in order to calculate a person’s metabolic rate) and showed them funny videos, the subjects’ metabolic rates rose by 10 to 40 calories.

Exercise is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle, but health clubs and gyms are also home to a bulked-up trove of myths, reports ABC News in a recent feature. According to ABC, fitness experts around the nation are working harder every day to correct the misinformation found in the fitness industry, especially the information passed along in gyms and fitness centers. Here are two popular fitness myths that have been put to the test:

Myth: Crunches will flatten your stomach.

The Answer: Crunches alone won’t flatten your stomach, because there are no exercises to reduce fat in specific areas of your body. “Basically, you can’t spot reduce — your body decides where to store fat and a lot of that is based on your genetics,” said Gerald Endress, fitness manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center. The best way to get a flat stomach is to burn calories to reduce fat in your body overall. Endress said that an exercise routine to flatten the stomach might vary by person. “You basically want to pick an activity you can stay with consistently during the week.” He said he often recommends strengthening the area through Pilates, yoga and muscle training that focuses on the torso. Working with the Ultimate Body Press can be a great way to tone and tighten and build up your muscles.