Strickland Fitness

Sometimes it could be as simple as walking your beloved dog everyday to get back into shape. Instead of just waiting until Spot finishes his business, though, you might want to increase the walking time and enjoy the view (and health benefits). It wasn't a surprise to me that folks preferred their canine walking partners, per this article. Please enjoy the article and comment. – Best, Chad

By TARA PARKER-POPE, Editor

Is it better to walk a human or to walk a dog?

New research from the University of Missouri has found that people who walk dogs are more consistent about regular exercise and show more improvement in fitness than people who walk with a human companion. In a 12-week study of 54 older adults at an assisted living home, 35 people were assigned to a walking program for five days a week, while the remaining 19 served as a control group. Among the walkers, 23 selected a friend or spouse to serve as a regular walking partner along a trail laid out near the home. Another 12 participants took a bus daily to a local animal shelter where they were assigned a dog to walk.

To the surprise of the researchers, the dog walkers showed a big improvement in fitness, while the human walkers began making excuses to skip the workout. Walking speed among the dog walkers increased by 28 percent, compared with just a 4 percent increase among the human walkers.

“What happened was nothing short of remarkable,” said Rebecca A. Johnson, a nursing professor and director of the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “The improvement in walking speed means their confidence in their walking ability had increased and their balance had increased. To have a 28 percent improvement in walking speed is mind boggling.”

Ms. Johnson said that because some people are afraid of dogs, the participants were given the choice of walking with a human or a dog as the companion. Ms. Johnson said the dog walkers were far more consistent in sticking with the program than those who were walking with humans.

“In the human walking group, they were regularly discouraging each other from walking,” she said. “Missouri is a hot state. We would hear them saying: ‘It’s hot today. I don’t want to walk, do you?’ ”

The response from participants in the dog-walking group — and their dog companions — was very different.

“When the people came to the animal shelter, they bounced off the bus and said, ‘Where’s my dog?”’ Ms. Johnson said. “And the dogs never gave any discouragement from walking.”

Ms. Johnson said she suspects differences will show up in other areas, like depression and anxiety, although that data are still under review and the final study has not yet been published.

But there were also other subtle indicators of improvement among the dog-walking group. Many people in the dog-walking group stopped using canes and walkers. “They would say, ‘Now I’m physically fit enough to take my dog for a walk,”’ Ms. Johnson said.

Springtime's here and with the warmer weather comes renewed interest in fitness for a lot of folks. These three tips might help you stick to your workout and on your way to a beach-ready body. Please share and comment. Best, Chad.

By Joe Decker • For Active.com

It's that wonderful time of year when the flowers start blooming, the days warm up and many of us look in the mirror wondering how to lose that winter layer. Where do you even start? Have no fear my former hibernating friends. Here are some quick, easy and fun ways to get you out the door and into fighting shape come summer time.

Become Your own Drill Sergeant

When I joined the Army I was 80 pounds overweight and in terrible shape. My "friendly" drill instructor helped me not only lose those 80 pounds, but an additional 20 pounds. How? Tough love. He used it on me, I use in on myself, and now you need to use it on yourself. This means accountability. No more oversleeping or skipping workouts for happy hour. You need to make a plan to get into shape and stick with it. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I tell my clients not to focus on the scale. Focus on getting healthy and fit, and the weight loss will happen. Let weight loss be a by-product and incredible shape be your goal.

Keep It Simple

You don't have to purchase some fancy exercise gizmo or join an expensive health club. Use what's available. The oldest and most effective workout program in the world is the military Boot Camp style. You can make it as easy or hard as you want. Start out with basic calisthenics. My favorites are pull-ups or modified pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, dips, lunges and squats. For an example of a Boot Camp style workout check out www.gutcheckfitness.com

Where you begin depends upon your fitness level. Beginners may start with two to three sets of 10 to 15 reps. If you're more advanced, you can do 20 to 25 reps. For the highly advanced, I like to do a descending pyramid from 50-40-30-20-10. Is it tough? Yes. Does it work? Yes! I recommend doing your calisthenics circuit two to three days per week, such as M-W-F.

Tip: To make this more challenging and obtain better results, add a pair of 10 to 20 lb dumbbells to your routine. Or be creative and use whatever is available–rocks, bricks, logs, etc. It keeps it fun and definitely makes the neighbors wonder what the heck you're up to. Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many questions in regards to what we need to consume when working out. Should I hydrate more? What should I eat? How many times should I snack a day? This article is a great piece on the importance of snacking during workouts. Please read and comment. – Best, Chad.

Snacking during workouts may not improve performance

Shawn Radcliffe, Men's Fitness

If you’re headed out for a run or ride, you might be better off leaving the energy bars and performance gels behind. There’s little evidence showing that snacking during short workouts actually improves performance.

According to guidelines by the American College of Sports Medicine and other groups, athletes were encouraged to eat during exercise. Written by sports exercise and nutrition experts, a lot of it makes sense. For example, if you exercise, your body will need fluids, energy and other nutrients.

However, there’s a lot of contradictory information about what, how much and when to eat. For many light to moderate exercisers, a category most fitness-minded people fall into, this might mean ditching the belt filled with strawberry-flavored energy gel. “Most of us really do not need to keep eating during a race to maintain energy and stamina,” Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, an author on the paper, told the New York Times.

Because there are no set rules on eating and exercise, the best guideline is to look at your specific situation. Whether to eat during a workout depends upon your body—can you tolerate food during a run?—as well as the intensity and duration of your workout.

It also makes a difference if you are running in the morning on an empty stomach. After fasting all night, you will probably need to eat before, or possibly during, your workout.

For moderate exercise—typically under an hour—the research is mixed as to whether eating energy bars or drinks during a workout improves performance. The guidelines, though, say that a typical power drink during a one-hour workout is fine. Your best bet, though, is to eat a healthy meal after the workout.

If you exercise longer or multiple times a day, you will need a lot more energy. This may mean eating more than three meals, along with several snacks, a day. You can also eat late in your workout or have a substantial snack late at night.

Listen to your body. That’s your best guide. If you are exercising to lose weight, go easy on the energy supplements. They contain extra calories that you probably don’t need.

We really don't know what we have until they're gone, including our sense of balance. Below is a great article highlighting even more information on how important balance is. Just imagine how we'd lift weights without it! Please enjoy and comment. – Chad

Reporting by Dorene Internicola
(Reuters)

Dick Sandhaus, a healthy and fit 62-year old, says he never gave his balance a thought until he lost it. A wicked sprained ankle was the result. Now he practices balancing for a few minutes each day and urges his fellow baby boomers to do the same. "Rocking toes to heels and quadriceps stretches are things anybody can do if they have a floor," said Sandhaus, a self-described ex-hippie who dispenses fitness tips on his website, BetterCheaperSlower.com.

"If you put yourself in instability it gives you instant awareness of what balance is about," he explained.

Having good balance means being able to control and maintain your body's position; having poor balance can have dire consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults 65 years and older fall each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults. Dr. Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, an expert on aging for the American Council on Sports Medicine, said lack of balance among older adults is a huge problem affecting mortality and quality of life. But he cautions against painting all older adults with the same broad brush.

"Physiological decline is an inescapable consequence of ageing but the rate and extent varies tremendously," he said. "Lots of (people) 85 and over are more than capable of functioning."  Read the rest of this entry »

I guess we can change their names to smartbells. Exercise can not only make your body run well, but it's also great for your mind. Read on and please comment. – Chad

By James S. Fell, L.A. Times

Actor Jesse Eisenberg's character in the movie "Zombieland" extolled the virtues of "cardio" as an apocalyptic survival tool. It probably didn't cross his mind it was making him a more scrumptious target for the walking dead.

All supposing a better-functioning brain is also a tastier one, that is. A growing body of evidence shows that regular exercise — be it resistance training or aerobic — helps ward off a host of cognitive impairments and enhances brainpower all life long.

"It's a medium-sized effect — but since we're talking about the brain, medium is good," says Michelle Voss, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Iowa and lead author on a 2011 review of the effect of exercise on cognition.

I'd say very good.

Voss and her team examined more than 100 studies on the topic and discovered some interesting things. Here's one: The brain benefits of resistance training (such as lifting weights) seem to differ from those you get from aerobic exercise. "Aerobic exercise improves ability to coordinate multiple things, long-term planning and your ability to stay on task for extended periods," she said. Resistance training, which is much less studied than the aerobic side of things, "improves your ability to focus amid distracters."  Read the rest of this entry »