Medicine Balls Are Ancient Fitness Tools That Keep Bouncing Back

Medicine balls, the fitness tool as ancient as Hippocrates, have bounced, slammed, tossed and twisted their way into today's trendiest workouts, fitness experts say.

The durable, versatile spheres, which can range from 2 to 25 pounds (0.9 to 11 kg), fit into today’s most intense regimes, from boot camps to interval training.

Alonzo Wilson, creator of the New York City fitness studio Tone House, uses medicine ball exercises to strengthen and condition, and to boost team spirit.

He said the people who seek out his brand of extreme athletics often find medicine balls less daunting than his resistance harnesses or cords and ropes.

“They make people feel comfortable,” said Wilson, a former professional athlete. “We use them in partner throws, to hold and turn, to touch the ground with. Slamming the ball down while (jumping) in the air elevates the heart rate.”

In a fast-moving workout, he added, the balls allow freedom of movement.

“With a lot of machinery you’re kind of stuck,” he said. “But with the med ball you can run, jump, grab it, slam it and hold it while not staying in one spot.”

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TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Upper Table Rock Run and a Chest Workout
It was a perfect day for an Upper Table Rock run....great temps, and not many people up there.  It was also a pretty good day for a workout of BB bench presses, supersets of DB flyes and presses, and pushups.

~Feelin' Alive!~

Seven Habits of Healthy People

It seems that some people effortlessly move through life making the right choices. They know exactly what to eat, wake up at the crack of dawn to enjoy a 10-mile morning jog and get to bed early each night for a solid, dreamy eight hours of sleep. If this doesn't sound like you, it may be worthwhile to look at some healthy habits that could make a huge difference in your overall health and wellbeing.

Making any change can seem daunting, but if you make things a habit with a six-week plan, any new discipline can become a healthy lifestyle habit. Pick one or several of these seven highly effective habits that healthy people practice every day for a new, healthy way of life.

1. Early to Bed, Early to Rise. As the saying goes, this “makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” To say that sleep is an important habit of living healthier is an understatement. Research shows us that sound sleep is worth striving for. Sleeping six to seven hours each night can actually help you live longer, maintain a healthy weight, and help you function better throughout the day. Make sure you’re trying to get to bed early and avoid late-night work sessions. Just as you start the day with a positive mantra, try to adopt a calming routine for evening. A warm bath, reading or journaling and a dark, cool room are key for young and old alike. Also, new research shows that keeping one leg outside the sheets can help regulate body temperature more effectively. Lastly, if you’re suffering from lack of sleep, skipping your early-morning workout and sleeping in may help (as long as it doesn't become a regular habit).

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Jacksonville Forest Park Run
I had just enough time today between my morning and later afternoon commitments for a great run on the Jacksonville Forest Park trails......O'L Miners > Canyon Falls > Canyon Vista > Granite and through the Halls of Manzanita > Cantrall Canyon > Ridge View > Norling > Rail.

~Feelin' Alive!~

Don’t be tricked: 8 Diet myths debunked

The media is flooded with an overwhelming amount of information on the ‘right’ way to lose weight and get fit. It’s hard to know what’s true since some ‘expert’ advice can seem confusing, unsafe, or flat-out strange! Let’s take a look at some popular diet myths and the truth behind them.

Myth: Eating late at night causes weight gain
Fact: Weight gain happens when you consume more calories than you burn, no matter what time of day you eat. However, night-time snackers have a tendency to choose higher calorie foods—which can cause weight gain.

Myth: You should eat each food group separately for optimal digestion
Fact: Your digestive system is made to handle more than one type of food at a time. Protein and fat actually slow the digestion of carbohydrates, which helps blood sugar stay stable. And keep in mind that few foods are purely carbohydrates, protein or fat—so it doesn’t make sense that you can’t mix them.

Myth: Low-carbohydrate/high-protein/no-fat diets are the best for weight loss
Fact: These restrictive diets may result in quick weight loss, but they are not easy to follow long-term, the lost weight is commonly regained, and most importantly-the body misses out on important healthy nutrients.  Want a plan that does work? Try MyPlate, Weight Loss, DASH diet, or Mediterranean diet.

Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight
Fact: Skipping meals actually slows your metabolism and leads to overeating at other times of the day-which both cause weight gain.

Myth: It is better to eat six meals a day instead of three
Fact: Because weight control is achieved by balancing the number of calories consumed with the number burned, it doesn’t matter if the calories come in the form of three large meals or six smaller ones. However, some people find that they’re better able to control their intake one way or the other. It’s a matter of preference.

Myth: Grapefruit will speed up your metabolism
Fact: There are no foods that will help you burn more calories. The only surefire way to speed up your metabolism is to exercise and build muscle.

Myth: Rapid weight loss can be maintained
Fact: Extremely restrictive diets may cause a huge amount of weight loss in the first week or so (sometimes 10 to 20 pounds!), but it generally can’t be maintained. Most of the weight lost is water and lean tissue, so the minute you get off the diet, you’ll gain the weight back—and probably more.

Myth: You have to stop eating your favorite foods to lose weight
Fact: Skipping out on your favorite foods leads to feelings of deprivation, which makes us more likely to ditch the diet altogether and go overboard on these once ‘forbidden’ foods. A better approach is to embrace healthy eating, regular activity, and all foods in moderation.
So remember this when deciding if you should try the next big diet, pill, shake, or gadget- If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

source

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Lower Table Rock Run and a Back Workout
Although I had a ton of business and personal commitments to take care of today, including a fair amount of yard work, I still made time for a Lower TR run and a workout of weighted pullups, low cable rows, bodyweight chinups, and hanging scapular depression/retraction.

~Feelin' Alive!~

How Family Meals May Fight Obesity

It might be time to replace the dinner bell with an alarm. Only about one-quarter of families with children sit down to dinner together every night, according to a 2013 Harris Interactive poll. And it’s not just the family bond that’s being threatened: Children who don’t eat with their families are more likely to become obese later in life, according to a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics.

The researchers analyzed data from the Project Eating and Activity in Teens study, which tracked the dining habits and body mass index (BMI) of middle- and high-school students, then followed up again 10 years later when they were young adults. After a decade, more than half of the 2,117 study participants were overweight or obese — and their childhood frequency of family meals emerged as a significant factor in their weight-gain trajectory.

Specifically, the young adults who’d eaten just one or two family meals a week as kids were 45 percent less likely to be overweight, compared to those who never dined with their parents. (The decrease in the risk of obesity associated with eating one or two family meals per week was not significant.) More proved to be better: Sitting down to three to four family meals per week reduced the kids’ odds of full-blown obesity by half.

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Heavy Bag
I got my day started with a 30 minute heavy bag workout.  But, that wasn't the end of my activity for the day.  When I had finished with business and personal chores and errands, I spent a few hours helping a friend move furniture and boxes of books.

~Feelin' Alive!~

TOPFIT Daily Activities Review

t was a great week of varied activities which included:

2 Table Rock runs
2 Jacksonville Forest Park runs/hikes
1 Tabata workout
1 Olympic lifting workout
1 bench press workout
1 heavy bag workout
1 Uhtoff trail hike/run

What did you do this past week to give your body the movement it craves?

~No Challenge, No Change~

The Larger Your Dining Companions, the Larger Your Appetite

A new study has found a link between a person’s appetite and the size of their dining companions or people around them.

The larger those companions, the larger the appetite and the more apt people are to make unhealthy food choices, according to researchers from Cornell University.

The study, published in the journal Appetite, found that people were more likely to choose unhealthy foods and eat more of those foods when an overweight diner was nearby.

The findings emphasize the importance of “pre-committing” to meal choices before going into a restaurant, according to Dr. Mitsuru Shimizu, an assistant professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University and lead author of the study.

“If you go into the restaurant knowing what you will order, you’re less likely to be negatively influenced by all of the things that nudge you to eat more,” he said.

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Uhtoff Trail Hike/Run
This afternoon a friend and I spent some time running and hiking on the Uhtoff trail above Ashland.  A great way to end the week!

~Feelin' Alive!~

Frequent Family Meals Could Protect Teens from Obesity

Family meals could reduce the risk of obesity in teens, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and Columbia University suggest that frequent family meals, which tend to include fruits, vegetables, calcium, and whole grains, could prevent overweight and obesity in adulthood.

Increasing rates of adolescent obesity and the likelihood that obesity will carry forward into adulthood, have led to various preventive initiatives.

"It is important to identify modifiable factors in the home environment, such as family meals, that can protect against overweight/obesity through the transition to adulthood," researcher Jerica Berge said in a statement.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from a 10-year longitudinal study involving nearly 3,000 subjects to examine weight-related variables (e.g., dietary intake, physical activity, weight control behaviors) among adolescents. Questions were asked to assess family meal frequency and body mass index.

Fifty-one percent of the subjects were overweight and 22 percent were obese.

Among study participants who reported that they never ate family meals together, 60 percent were overweight and 29 percent were obese at the 10-year follow-up.

Overall, all levels of baseline family meal frequency, even having as few as 1 to 2 family meals a week during adolescence, were significantly associated with reduced odds of overweight or obesity at the 10-year follow-up compared with those reporting never having had family meals during adolescence.

Results also showed a stronger protective effect of family meal frequency on obesity among black young adults compared with white young adults. However, the limited significant interactions overall by race/ethnicity suggest that the protective influence of family meals for adolescents spans all races/ethnicities.

Family meals may be protective against obesity or overweight because coming together for meals may provide opportunities for emotional connections among family members, the food is more likely to be healthful, and adolescents may be exposed to parental modeling of healthful eating behaviors.

The findings can give parents another tool in the fight against obesity.

source

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Olympic Lifts
Today I made time for some snatches, power snatches, clean & jerks, and power cleans.  Not my best efforts, but still a worthwhile workout.  I definitely need to do those lifts more often.

~Feelin' Alive!~