Gymrat’s Weblog

Yesterday the European Commission and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) kicked off football season with a campaign promoting physical activity. From the press release:

The advert encourages viewers to get out of their armchairs and be physically active, using the slogan “Go on, get out of your armchair’. Millions of Europeans are expected to view the advert, as it will be screened free of charge during the half-time break of this season’s televised Champions League football games.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “Europeans are eating too much and exercising too little, which explains why more than half of European adults are overweight or obese. Through this TV advertising campaign we aim to help viewers better understand the importance of physical exercise in living healthier lives and encourage them to introduce physical activity in their daily routines.”

In related news a Danish pilot project has shown that regular football practice is much more successful at boosting fitness than regular jogging. The blog Conditioning Research (publishes summaries of scientific research on fitness, strength, diet and performance) explains the effects of interval training:

I have put up a few posts about the benefits of interval training - short intense intervals of work separated by rest periods. I’ve also mentioned some problems with respect to the standard prescription for aerobic exercise of long slow endurance type training / “cardio”.

The researchers examined the effect of training on a football team, comparing their performance to a group who were just jogging. The sport - the power law application with high intensity work and lots of low intensity stuff too - led to improvements in insulin sensitivity, balance, muscle mass and body composition.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, EU, European Commission, European Union, Exercise, Health, Fitness, Obesity, Video, YouTube

Monica Mollica, née Wieckowski, debuted her revamped web site mowifit.com (now in English) on her birthday, April 14th. Monica has written both heavy and lighter scientific dietary articles for the Swedish bodybuilding magazine where I am employed since the beginning of this millennium. Go check her web site out - she knows her stuff!

If you are a male over the age of 40, go check up regularly, and have your doctor look at your testosterone levels; EurekAlert writes:

“Men who have a low testosterone level after age 40 may have a higher risk of death over a four-year period than those with normal levels of the hormone, according to a report in the August 14/28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Men with low testosterone levels had an 88 percent increase in risk of death compared with those who had normal levels. When the researchers considered other variables that may influence risk of death, such as age, other illnesses and body mass index, the association between low testosterone levels and death persisted.”

There are more diseases/conditions that science associate with low testosterone levels, such as an increased Alzheimer risk:

“Older men with lower blood levels of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, could have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than older men with comparatively higher testosterone levels. Researchers funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) report preliminary data supporting this conclusion in the January 2004 issue of Neurology.”

The May issue of Life Extension Magazine has an article explaining what they think is the 10 most important blood tests. In the article introduction we learn:

“Sadly, most annual medical check-ups involve the physician ordering only routine blood tests, if blood tests are ordered at all. Far too often, this blood work does not even test for important markers of disease risk. The consequences of failing to analyze blood for proven markers of disease risk are needless disability and death.

Blood tests have benefits that go far beyond disease prevention. In this article, we discuss the 10 most important blood tests that people over the age of 40 should have each year. Armed with the results of these tests, aging adults can work together with their physicians to avert serious health problems and achieve optimal health.”

And under subheading 9. Testosterone we can read:

“In men, testosterone levels normally decline with age, dropping to approximately 65% of young adult levels by age 75. This drop in testosterone is partially responsible for the significant physiological changes seen in aging men.

Low levels of testosterone are associated with numerous adverse health conditions, including diminished libido, metabolic syndrome, erectile dysfunction, loss of muscle tone, increased abdominal fat, low bone density, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, type II diabetes, and atherosclerosis. New research shows that low testosterone levels are a risk factor for ischemic heart disease in men.”

CNNMoney.com writes about a new trend, still in it’s infancy:

“Locations can foster all sorts of lifestyle choices - good and bad. For those who want to achieve or maintain healthy lifestyles, there are now planned “wellness” communities springing up around the United States. They create atmospheres where regular exercise, nutritious diets and avoiding unhealthy habits is the norm.

“Wellness” communities go beyond just having facilities such as golf courses, spas, gyms and biking trails.

These new places hire trainers, nutritionists and wellness directors who lead workshops on avoiding disease, put together work-out regimens and diets, lead hikes and biking trips, teach rock-climbing and show residents how to get the most out of their workouts. They act as gurus as well, leading spiritual exercises and demonstrating stress-reduction techniques.”

More about the communities mentioned by CNNMoney: Montesoro, Calistoga Ranch, and the Cliffs Communities.

Hat tip: Diamond Cut

Ah, beer. The cause of and the solution to all of life’s problems. More at Radio Prags report “But is beer really good for you?“:

“A beer health spa has opened in the converted cellar of the Chodova family brewery in the Czech Republic. Believed to be the world’s first beer spa, treatments will include beer baths and beer massages alongside beer cosmetics.

The cellar boasts seven large Victorian baths where visitors can immerse themselves in a warm bath mixture of mineral water and dark bathing beer enriched by active beer yeast and a mix of dry, crushed herbs, including hops. They can also enjoy a pint of beer while using the baths.”

Portland seems to be the center for real life gatherings of vegan bodybuilders, internet being the virtual. The Oregonian makes fun reports of the subculture within the subculture of bodybuilding. The question; is vegan bodybuilding an oxymoron?

“Vegans have visited Portland for a gathering of like-minded weightlifters and other athletes that ends tonight. The conference, Vegan Vacations, started last week and has included a vegan cooking demonstration, a visit to an animal sanctuary and plenty of workouts. Some events, Cheeke said, have drawn more than two dozen people.

It’s been so much fun that Robert Cheeke, who owns a company called Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, wants to host a similar gathering every year in Portland, which is known worldwide as a vegan-friendly city.”

Live and let live… Even more can be found at the Vegan Fitness discussion forum: “Vegan Fitness for people into healthy and compassionate living.”

Based on this post, Amaz0ns.com had an Anti-Vegan Day:

“If God, Gaia, nature, evolution or the hippie overlords who live above in shadow didn’t want us to eat meat, those teeth wouldn’t be there. The canines are the longest and strongest teeth in your mouth, because meat is important.

And trying to build muscle without meat and dairy is like trying to ride a bicycle with one’s feet tied together: it might be possible, but why would anybody bother?”

RossTrainings blog points out a story about a fellow gymrat, Bins Chien, a 99-year-old man, who trains three times per week at the gym:

“His story is beyond inspirational.  His real-life example is a testament to the capability of the human body. I recommend that everyone take a minute to read through the full article. Bins Chien has certainly shown us all that NO ONE is too old for exercise.  His fitness routine has certainly added vivacity to his life.”

In a related inspirational tale, MSNBC writes about Mary Stroebe, an 88-year-old woman who trains for a triathlon:

“The July 15 triathlon — a succession of swimming, biking and running that tests even the most hardened athletes’ wills and stamina — will be Stroebe’s 12th.

“I think I’m young so I act like it. I don’t realize how old I am,” she said. “I’m in good health and good shape. I’ve stayed active the whole time. Those are things that pay off.”

The blog Slashfood, part of the Weblogs, Inc. Network, writes about a couple of new video games that comes with educational messages:

“The games are called Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space and Escape from Diab. Each is an immersive role-playing game that is supposed to help kids learn about how to make the food choices that will keep them healthy, modifying any unhealthy eating behaviors.”

There is a trailer of Nanoswarm online at the developers website:

The above video games is a step in the healthy direction to counteract the abundace of messages in the opposite direction. Center for Media and Democracy’s blog tells us of advergaming:

“The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a study titled “It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children,” which found that more than eight out of ten (85%) of the top food brands that target children through TV advertising also use branded websites to market to children online. Examples of advergaming are Cheetos Cowtapult, Ritz Bits Soccer Shoot Out, and several games choices featuring Pop-Tarts.”

In related news, Health Club Management tells of a Welsh gym that have attatched Playstations to cardio equipment to attract kids:

“Paul Morgan, a gym co-ordinator at the council-run leisure centre, said: “We were looking at ways we could entice more young people to take up exercise because of the rise in childhood obesity. A lot of children go home from school and start playing on their games consoles and don’t do any exercise. We thought that if they could do that at our facility, maybe they would come.”

As with almost everything else, fitness trends starts first in the United States, then spread around the world. One example is the gyms that are designed for kids. Scotsman.com writes that ‘Kids sweat it out in new mini-gyms‘:

“With child-sized treadmills, exercise bikes and resistance weight machines, mirrors on the wall and pop music pumping out, this gym in Potters Bar looks and feels just like its larger adult version. At least 80 such gyms have opened in Britain in recent years, and one of the leading kid gym companies, Shokk, says it alone is opening new ones at a rate of around three a month.”

But not all greet the specialized new trend with open arms. Some are voicing the concern that the equipment misses the point, as this article in The Australian tells us:

“I’m concerned that parents would buy this equipment with the expectation of fixing the problem,” said Susan Sawyer, director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

“For one thing, it is blaming the child for the problem rather than looking at the broader issues, like what sort of food is being served at home and the family’s pattern of physical activity.”

The article continues:

“Greg Stead, head of not-for-profit safety group Kidsafe, said: “Children should be encouraged to have active play at the park rather than indoors on equipment. I do have concerns about the appropriateness of these products.”

Isn’t it simple? If kids enjoy training at the gym with machines/free weights (under supervision) they will continue to do so. Let them! If not, find the sport or activity they enjoy - then they will continue doing it, by themselves. Moore choices for exercise = better.

When I was young and overweight my family tried to find ways to activate me; nordic skiing, football (read soccer), wrestling - even ballet! I had to be dragged too and trough those different activities. Team sports had nothing to offer me. Then in my early teens I started exercising regularly. How? I found the gym. I was hooked. This was to bee ‘my thing’. I could feel it. Thanks heavens for dumbbells and barbells!

Dr. Mel Siff, sadly departed, had this to say on the Supertraining discussion list:

“I have also pointed out that many daily and sporting activities involving running, jumping, hitting and kicking impose far greater loads on the growing bones of children than even squats or jerks with double bodymass.

Thus, if one militates against weightlifting for juveniles, then all sports involving those types of activity (including football, basketball, track & field, soccer and baseball) should also be banned from schools.

Some people seem to have forgotten that the body of the human adapts at any age to sensibly imposed stresses and strains. Damage is the consequence of bad training, not because weight training is intrinsically “bad” for the body.”