Will these ads and billboards work? New York City has launched a campaign in an effort to get peoples attention and raise awareness about obesity. The ads show human fat being poured out of a coke bottle. It got my attention.
One 8oz soda per day for a year constitutes 39 lbs of sugar consumed, disgusting!
An article in the Wall Street Journal this week called, “Keeping Bones Healthy”, says a lot about the terrible side effects of drugs like Fosamax. There is plenty of evidence that taking these “bone-building” drugs called bisphosphonates, can cause your jaw bone to deteriorate. The pharmaceutical companies already know this, but now there is evidence that they can also cause your thigh bones to break too!
Although I appreciate the truthful information about the side effects of Fosamax, I could not believe that they author concluded that there was little alternative to these drugs. Merck and Co’s sold $8.3 billion worth of this poison in the last year!
The real prescription for reversing and preventing osteoporosis is exercise! Men and women need resistance training to maintain and build bone mass, it’s that simple. Whole Body Vibration is another proven and effective way to increase bone density, and the only side effect you’ll have from either of these prescriptions is looking and feeling better.
Our new website is going to be launched Wednesday, August 26th and we’ll be taking orders for the original Soloflex!
Whole Body Vibration Does Your Bones and Muscles Good
Whole Body Vibration, standing on a vibrating platform can be beneficial for muscles and bones, particularly in older or sedentary adults.
Whole body vibration, or WBV, involves standing on a platform that sends mild vibratory impulses through the feet and into the rest of the body. It is claimed that the vibrations activate muscle fibers more efficiently than the conscious contraction of muscles during regular exercise.
Some studies have found that WBV increases bone density in the hip, and inhibit bone loss in the spine and hip areas.
Sources:
Reuters June 12, 2008
Current Sports Medicine Reports May-June 2008
Dr. Mercola’’s Comments
Is a Vibration Platform Right for You?
The vibration platforms originate from research conducted during the 1960s space race. They work on the principle that if muscles are exercised while being shaken, they activate neighboring muscle fibers, hence building mass faster.
I first encountered this whole body vibration (WBV) technology in 2006, at which time I contacted one of the top personal trainers in the Chicago area, Tony Bruno — an expert on muscle activation techniques – for his input on this approach.
Tony felt the technology was great and had been proven to improve proprioception, strength and balance, and decrease sway in the elderly, and found it especially beneficial in rehab to increase circulation.
A vibration platform has also been proven useful for athletes, improving speed and vertical jump height, and cutting your warm-up time by half. However, he indicated that because the platform does cause a temporary decrease in joint stability, you shouldn’t use it before an event, as you’ll need to be in top form. But it would be an excellent addition to the training phase of your program.
WBV training has also been shown to improve and maintain bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and the tactic is being studied for its therapeutic potential, such as increasing older women’s bone mass – a far better alternative than the dangerous osteoporosis drugs currently on the market, for sure.
However, the authors of the study above warn that if you have certain health conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure, you may want to avoid WBV until safety concerns have been addressed more fully.
Remarkable Benefits for the Elderly
WBV training has demonstrated significant gains in most measures of muscle performance in sedentary and elderly individuals.
But one study, performed by the University of Liege in Belgium, investigated the effects of controlled whole body vibrations exercises on overall health in elderly patients and found that after 6 weeks (performing 4 one-minute sessions, 3 times a week), the participants experienced:
* 143 percent improvement in physical function
* 77 percent improvement in equilibrium
* 60 percent improvement in vitality
* 57 percent improvement in the quality of walking
* 41 percent reduction in pain
* 23 percent improvement in general health
Not bad for 12 minutes a week!
How Does Whole Body Vibration Training Benefit Your Body?
As Dr. Keith DeOrio, M.D. explains in another article, your entire body musculature, as well as your internal organs and glands, are affected by WBV stimulation.
Your muscle spindles fire secondary to the mechanical stimulation produced by the vibrating plate, and this rapid firing of the muscle spindle causes a neuromuscular response that leads to physiological changes in your brain as well as your entire body.
Traumas and injuries can leave cellular memories in your brain or body tissue that impede normal body movement or function, even after they’re healed. Using WBV stimulation allows your body and brain to rapidly de-imprint these old cell traumas, re-imprinting with positive, healthy information. This allows for better and more efficient rehabilitation of injuries from sports or surgery than traditional methods of therapy.
According to Dr. DeOrio, studies have shown that a mere 12 minutes of training on a WBV plate is equal to a 1.5-hour workout with weights. And since it’s accomplished with little amount of stress to your joints, tendons and ligaments, it can be a very good therapy regimen if you’ve suffered injuries, if you’re elderly, or have disease conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis, which would normally limit your fitness program.
The benefits of whole body vibration training include:
Increased muscle strength – (especially explosive strength)
Increased hormone secretion: IGF-1, testosterone, and HGH (human growth hormone)
Enhanced bone and muscle building
Increased lymphatic drainage
Increased flexibility and mobility
Cellulite reduction
Increased circulation
Decreased Cortisol levels
Pain reduction
Increased secretion of serotonin and norepinephrine,
What Should You Look For in a Vibration Exercise Machine?
Overall, WBV seems like a good adjunct to a comprehensive exercise strategy for some people. The downside is that some of the pieces of equipment can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. Soloflex does make one for under $500.
I am not convinced that there are sufficient benefits to incorporate into my own exercise regimen. I really see this device as a niche for seriously competitive athletes or as physical therapy aid to those recovering from certain health conditions.
If you want to purchase one of these devices I’d recommend you do your homework before investing in a machine of your own. The Vibration Exercise Machine Buyers Guide and Reviews offers great tips on what to look for in a quality product, and warnings on what NOT to buy.
For example, here are just a few of the important features you should look for when choosing your equipment:
1. Solid Steel and Construction
2. Reputable Company: If you’ve never heard of the company, check them out first. How long have they been in business?
3. Warranty
4. Maximum user weight: Make sure the machine can handle your body weight. Cheap machines can wear down and operate at a lower frequency than indicated, and in the case of lineal vibrating machines, low frequencies can be harmful.
5. Features and Noise: Does the vibration machine have at least 15 speeds? Does it have automated programs? How noisy is it? (Be aware that many machines are quite loud, even expensive ones.)
6. Manuals and Videos: Does the company provide you with a positions guide and user manual? Do they have videos you can watch of the machine in action and demonstrations of the different exercise positions?
You have to wonder what he’s up to these days. We need to find him and get him to comment on the blog. How fun would that be?
Whoever finds Scott first and gets him to leave a comment on the blog gets a free Soloflex T shirt.
Here’s the original Soloflex! This photo was taken from a brochure published in 1982.
This was the photo in our 1st Playboy ad, 1980. What about that Speedo..hot ;)
I asked my boyfriend who Gale Sayers was. He thought I was joking, buy hey, football’s not really my thing.
Soloflex assembly is one bolt!! This is a page out of a early 80’s brochure.
The original Soloflex straps are actually airplane landing gear shocks. They are still being manufacturing for several models of small aircraft. You’d have to ask Jerry the specifics.
He should be our next model. If anyone could demonstrate the Soloflex as a serious iron pumping machine, it’s this guy! What do you think?
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