How a Food Label Can Help You Lose Weight

How a Food Label Can Help You Lose Weight
Judging how a food can affect your weight-loss efforts can be complicated, especially with advertised statements like "Organic," "Natural," "Fat Free" or "Sugar Free." Sometimes these declarations can be misleading. Avoid the confusion and go straight to the facts--the nutrition facts!  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Upper Table Rock Run and a Heavy Bag Workout
After my morning sessions I headed out to Upper Table Rock for a moderately paced run and later in the afternoon I spent 30 mins on the heavy bag.

~Feelin' Alive!~

TOPFIT Daily Activities Review

This week was filled with lots of fall cleanup around the yard and garden, a few brisk walks with clients, plus the following:

3 Table Rock runs
1 Grizzly Peak run
1 bench press workout
1 pullup workout
1 squat workout
2 heavy bag workouts
1 bodyweight circuit workout

Did you meet your health and fitness goals this past week?

~Feelin' Alive!~

When dieting and exercise hurt you

When dieting and exercise hurt you
It's hard not to get excited when you finally make the decision to get in shape. And who wouldn't be tempted to speed things up with an extra workout here, eliminating certain foods there? Understandable, sure, but definitely not wise: Overdoing exercise, especially after a hiatus, can cause serious injuries, and drastically cutting calories can make you irritable, forgetful, and may even age you.  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activites --- Squats
I got my morning started with a lot of long overdue cleaning around the house and followed that with a BB back squat workout.

~Feelin' Alive!~

Doctors Say Changes In Wheat Do Not Explain Rise Of Celiac Disease

Doctors Say Changes In Wheat Do Not Explain Rise Of Celiac Disease
But the claim that the more productive wheat is somehow making people sick didn't sound right to scientists who work with the crop.
"I never thought that wheat was toxic," says Donald Kasarda, who has studied gluten proteins for more than 40 years as a research chemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kasarda says when he saw there was speculation that the rise in celiac disease and gluten sensitivities was linked to breeders increasing the amount of gluten in wheat, he was very skeptical.
"It seemed strange to me," says Kasarda. As far as he knew, gluten levels had remained about the same. And when he dug deeper, combing through the scientific literature, he found no significant differences in gluten levels in wheat from the early part of the 20th century, compared with gluten levels from the latter half of the century.  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Heavy Bag Workout and Lots of Fall Garden Cleanup
After my morning client sessions, I spent a few hours on fall cleanup in the garden......still plenty left to do, but I'm ahead of the game compared to last year.
Later I spent 30 mins on the heavy bag.

~Feelin' Alive!~

The High (and Mostly Hidden) Costs of Obesity

The High (and Mostly Hidden) Costs of Obesity
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35.9 percent of adults age 20 and over are classified as obese -- and another 33.3 percent as overweight.
On an individual level, the annual medical costs for people who are obese run thousands more than those of normal-weight people -- $1,429 more (in 2006 dollars, according to the CDC) to $2,741 more per individual (in 2005 dollars, according to the Cornell study).
These dollar amounts are startling to consider. But as is often the case, it's the not-so-obvious costs that are even more shocking.
Here's What Really Weighs Down the Wallet of an Overweight American.  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Lots of Yard Work and an Afternoon Grizzly Peak Run
After finishing client sessions for the day, I spent a couple of hours on yard work followed by a late afternoon/evening Grizzly Peak run.  The temps are definitely going down, and there was even a little snow up there.

Mt. Shasta as seen from the top of Grizzly Peak

~Feelin' Alive!~

How to Master the Pull-Up and Get Awesome Arms

How to Master the Pull-Up and Get Awesome Arms
Pull-ups are one of the best upper-body exercises as they hit the shoulders, arms and back. The problem is, they are darn difficult to do! Pull-ups are probably one of the toughest body-weight exercises to master, but if you follow these instructions, you'll have your chin to the bar in no time.  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Upper Table Rock Hike and a Pullup Workout
Between sessions today I had time for a moderately paced Upper Table Rock hike.  Later in the afternoon I spent about 30 mins doing weighted pullups and suspension trainer alternating single arm pullups.

~Feelin' Alive!~

The 4 Things You Need to Consider Before Your Workout

The 4 Things You Need to Consider Before Your Workout
Fitness isn't just about working hard, it's about working smart. So when you're endeavoring to get in shape, make sure you consider the four fitness factors, or FITT: Frequency, Intensity, Type and Time.  read more

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Lower Table Rock Run and a Bench Press Workout
When I was done with my morning sessions, I headed out to Lower Table Rock for a fun run.  Later in the afternoon I spent some time doing BB and alternating DB bench presses.

~Feelin' Alive!~