Are any of you familiar with Hormesis? Not very many of us are. Dr. Andrew Weil has a fantastic article on the Huffington Post that really helps explain what it is and its importance in the human body and how we respond to it. F0r more on this please click here.
US Today has posted some of the “SEXY” ads from past Super Bowls and Soloflex is right there. Check out these fun films here.
Health magazine contributing editor, Dr. Roshini Raj gives some simple tips for keeping your mind, body and soul youthful on the Today Show on NBC. To watch this great video and interview click here.
I bought my first Soloflex over 25 years ago after working out on a friends’s unit with the wood bench and the Shock Rings. I’ve loved it from the start. I gained muscle, lost inches and became stronger. I have never thought about buying a competitor’s brand in all of these years. Recently, I went back and read ALL of the blogs on the Soloflex website and became interested in Jerry Wilson’s (inventor of the Soloflex) assertion that using shock rings WITH weight plates on the end of the Soloflex lever arm gives the best and smoothest feedback to the body in his opinion.
I don’t have the Shock Rings yet but I have just begun to workout using Weight Plates with my Straps(a 50/50 percentage approximately) on many of the exercises and let me tell you, I am nearly as EXCITED as I was when I first got my Soloflex. I feel that I am working out on a NEW, IMPROVED Soloflex muscle machine. Here are the advantages from my perspective:
1. Using weight plates with the straps(or shock rings which I intend to buy as my straps wear out) add a new dimension of smoothness to the reps when doing the exercises. I don’t know why but I know that they DO! Jerry Wilson could probably explain it.
2. One reason many “free weight” believers including some fitness experts like free weights over machines is that it makes you focus on balance which is important especially as you get older. Adding Weight Plates to the Soloflex lever arm by using their free weight attachmant rods along with the straps/shock rings gives one the best of both worlds: You can still work out by yourself without a spotter but you still get the feel of balancing the weight plates.
Finally, how many products have you bought in your life that you can honestly say “almost” NEVER requires maintenance or repairs? For 25 years, the only thing I have had to do to my Soloflex is keep it clean and replace the straps as they wear out. It’s built so solid and well. So, here I am after all of this time, still enthused about a product I bought 25 years ago. THANKS SOLOFLEX.
Tennis Teacher(a.k.a. Richard Shirley)
These are really fun sporting events to read about. Enjoy here.
Hi, I called in and talked to Carly, who was most pleasant. I wanted to let you all know that your WBV board is really helping my son with autism. He’s only been using it for about a week, but he is much calmer and able to focus on his academics more. I was lead to try it on him by an article I saw in an in-flight magazine. Perhaps this info will lead you to new uses for your product. It is a group at U WI that used to work with Paul Bach y Rita who have developed a tongue vibration that is helping reverse some of the symptoms of MS. Its thought that the vibration to the brain stem may be causing the brain to regenerate in areas. http://www.americanwaymag.com/ron-husmann-university-of-wisconsin-kildare-yuri-danilov Sincerely, Susan Wald
Whole Body Vibration and One DogPosted on 19th July 2010 by microhappen in Schwinn Atlanta
The idea of shaking to build better blood and bones made sense with all the science and important authorities touting Vibra Phirm. The contraption arrived with a large yellow truck after being delayed from China. The neighbor who is a Delta mechanic helped, well he actually assembled what I later called a monstrosity with minimal help from anyone else. The directions were odd. A spring washer was called a spring mattress, and there was no part that looked like a mattress to anyone! The mechanic looked at the parts, and it was together in 15 minutes.
Guess, The Dog, was in the garage during this assemblage. When it was plugged in and oscillating/vibrating and resonating, she trembled and headed to the door whining. Not a usual experience for anyone in this household. So for three weeks during rain, cold, or snow, she went outside for the 10 minutes the machine vibrated or the back seat of the truck when it was too miserable for her. Could it be that she thinks there is a tsunami coming? Animals can sense earthquakes, perhaps?
The machine was returned and one person had lost seven pounds while another had gained two, so the physical results were satisfactory for the Chinese made Vibra pHirm. Then, because the Solo Flex Whole Body Vibration was much more versatile, it was ordered as the Vibra pHirm was returned. The price is more affordable, more convenient for travel, and it has the same specs for power/vibration/wattage/hertz. It doesn’t hurt that most of the parts were made in the United States. There is no assembly required, so the Delta mechanic stayed home and was not needed.
The comparison of the vibrations for The Dog were distinct. Her reaction to the Vibra pHirm were more upset than the reaction to the Solo Flex. She is eleven, and has not given me acquiescence that this is a positive change in her life, or her future personal involvement in the use of this exercise machine. Solo Flex has a cute little white dog on the cover of their manual sitting on the platform/bench/step. The Cute Big Dog who lives here will not be sitting on the Solo Flex Whole Body Vibration anytime soon. But there is not the sound of torment from The Dog’s voice compared to the Vibra pHirm. It could be that this exercise equipment is less noisy or more cushioned. As time progresses, perhaps The Dog will begin to be comfortable with the vibration. As indeed was the case. If not, she will be followed without question if there is ever a tsunami or earthquake in Atlanta.
After six months, The Dog likes being petted while I am doing yoga positions on the Solo Flex. My fingers are massaging her, which helps her arthritis and maybe her tumors.
The vibration of http://www.Petpause2000.com harp music did not change the reaction of The Dog to either exercise vibration machine. Imagine a horrible thunderstorm. The Dog will calm down with harp music during thunderstorms, but not with vibrations of a whole body vibration machine. The time limit for the machines is 10 minutes. Over time, perhaps she will become The Cute Black Dog sitting on the bench.
(c) 2008 Charlotte Fairchild
Author Bio: Born in Bethesda Naval Hospital, Charlotte Fairchild traveled as a Navy child, She is a writer and speaker of kudzu, fertility, roses, and teaches auto harp. Fertile Prayers is her first published book. Kudzu Kwestions will help find her several blogs and contact information.
Gym germs: why common diseases flourish in your gym and what you can do to avoid themby Bridget Coila | Nov-Dec, 2004
Inside the Locker Room
One of the most common diseases lurking in gyms is tinea pedis or athlete’s foot (i.e., a fungal skin infection). Its symptoms include cracked, blistered skin along with an itching or burning sensation. Onychomycosis is another infectious fungal disease hiding on shower and locker room floors. Its symptoms include yellow, brittle toe- and fingernails. Both of these diseases can be treated with over-the-counter medications, but for persistent infections you may need to consult a dermatologist.
The human papillomavirus (i.e., the virus that causes plantar warts) is another disease-causing organism commonly found in health clubs. These warts appear alone or in clusters on the bottom of the feet. Even in a seemingly immaculate gym, these organisms can dwell in unexpected places. “The most common place people pick up warts and athlete’s foot is in the locker room. It doesn’t matter if it has a carpeted or tile floor. The second place is in shower stalls. Another place most people don’t suspect is alongside indoor pools, but a lot of foot fungus is found there,” Adams says.
Being careful while changing or showering can easily prevent most of these diseases. “When I go to the gym, not for one minute does my foot hit the ground barefoot,” says Adams. “Always keep a barrier between you and the floor. Even a brisk walk between the locker and shower stall can allow foot fungus to take hold.”
The following are other ways to avoid fungi and viruses from invading your feet.
* Wear flip-flops in the shower.
* Wash and dry your feet thoroughly.
* Use antifungal powder in your shoes.
* Wear synthetic socks.
* Change your socks often, since sweaty socks are a prime breeding ground for fungi.
* Change out of your gym shoes after exercising and wash them occasionally in the hot water cycle.
Since fungal infections can spread, don’t dry sensitive areas, such as your underarms, with a towel used on your feet or dropped on the locker room floor. “Be especially careful if you have breaks in the skin,” Adams suggests. “Cuts are the perfect opportunity for microorganisms to make their way into the skin. Even microscopic cracks you can’t see can be an entry point.” If you cut yourself or otherwise cause a break in the skin while at the gym, clean the open wound with an iodine antibacterial solution and cover it securely before continuing your workout.
Outside the Locker Room
You also need to be vigilant about avoiding disease outside the locker room. The treadmill or weights you are about to use could have been infected by someone with a cold or worse.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a bacteria called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was recently found in recreational athletes. Although, MRSA is a version of the common staph bacteria, it is resistant to the methicillin antibiotic, which makes it especially hard to treat. While “normal” staphylococcus aureus is a microbial skin infection easily treated with antibiotics, MRSA is more difficult to treat and can infect the blood and bones–a potentially life threatening complication. MRSA’s antibiotic resistance also makes it more likely to spread, since the normal course of treatment does not eliminate it and the infected person remains a carrier. The CDC cites close physical contact and equipment sharing as reasons for outbreaks. Researchers have also found E. coli, strep-bacteria and the influenza virus in gyms and on athletic equipment.
The easiest way to protect yourself is by wiping equipment before use. Gyms usually provide disinfectant spray, but some people prefer to carry their own wipes. Always use a towel to cover the seat of your exercise bike and bench in the locker room. When you’re done with your workout, don’t forget to clean your water bottle in order to prevent bacterial buildup there, too.
To prevent spreading disease to others, avoid exercising at the gym when you’re sick. Although conventional wisdom says you can work out if your symptoms are above the neck, keep in mind you may expose others. Consider exercising at home when you feel under the weather and avoid having your own germs passed back when your workout partner comes to the gym sick with the cold you gave him or her.
With a little bit of care, even the worst of these diseases can be treated or avoided, allowing you to enjoy your workout without worrying about bringing anything but a healthier body home.
Bridget Coila is a biologist and freelance writer based in Seattle, Washington. She has written for a variety of publications on health and science topics.
The WSJ article touches on just a few of the amazing health benefits of exercise I’ve been talking and writing about for nearly three decades, including that exercise can:
- Reduce your cancer risk
- Slow the aging process in your body
- Boost your immune system
How Exercise Helps You Fight Cancer
Cancer thrives on sugar.
Regular exercise reduces your insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells. Controlling your insulin levels is one of the most powerful steps you can take to reduce your cancer risk.
Physically active adults experience about half the incidence of colon cancer as their sedentary counterparts. Exercise has a beneficial influence on insulin, prostaglandins and bile acids, all of which are thought to encourage the growth and spread of cancer cells in your colon. Exercise also improves bowel transit time, which means your body’s waste is spending less time in contact with the mucosal lining of your colon.
As the Wall Street Journal article points out, women who exercise regularly can reduce their breast cancer risk by 20 to 30 percent over their inactive counterparts. This is likely due to a lowering of estrogen levels.
The article cites a study in which women being treated for breast cancer were 50 percent less likely to die of the disease if they walked at an average pace for three to five hours a week.
Think about it. If just three to five hours of walking per week can so drastically improve your chances of surviving a hormone-responsive breast cancer tumor, imagine what a few more hours a week of exercise could do for you.
If you’re male, be aware that athletes have lower levels of circulating testosterone than non-athletes, and similar to the association between estrogen levels and breast cancer in women, testosterone is known to influence the development of prostate cancer in men.
Physical activity can reduce your risk.
A Cure for Aging?
Have you heard the news about telomeres?
Telomeres are strands of DNA at the ends of your chromosomes which protect them from damage. Gradual erosion of telomeres leads to aging on a cellular level –think of them as a kind of biological clock.
As telomeres shorten more, cell death occurs. These cell deaths are associated with serious disease and premature aging
There is no question that the leading edge of anti aging research is on how to prevent telomere shortening and actually develop therapies to lengthen telomeres. Many experts believe that lengthening telomeres could actually turn the biological clock backwards.
Since exercise has been associated with preventing telomere shortening, it is clearly a very powerful anti aging strategy.
Research indicates physically active people have significantly less erosion of telomeres than even healthy, non-smoking, but sedentary folks. Exercise activates the enzyme telomerase which stabilizes telomeres, producing an anti-aging effect at the cellular level.
Other equally important factors in slowing the aging process include:
- A healthy diet based on your individual nutritional type
- Reducing or eliminating grains and sugar from your diet
- Sufficient, high quality sleep
- A method to address your emotional challenges and daily stressors
Exercise Boosts Your Immune System
Exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The job of these cells is to neutralize pathogens throughout your body.
The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at locating and defending against viruses and diseases trying to attack your body.
Your immune system is your first line of defense against everything from minor illnesses like a cold or the flu right up through devastating, life-threatening diseases like cancer. It’s not possible to be optimally healthy if your immune system is weak or compromised.
Prescribing Exercise
I wasn’t surprised to read in the WSJ article that only four out of 10 medical doctors ever mention the importance of exercise to their patients, despite its proven health benefits.
According to Dr. Robert Sallis, co-director of sports medicine at Fontana Medical Center in California:
“Exercise can be used like a vaccine to prevent disease and a medication to treat disease. If there were a drug with the same benefits as exercise, it would instantly be the standard of care.”
Typical of conventional medical thinking, somehow a vaccine or other drug with the same benefits as exercise would be preferable to exercise itself.
No, it would not.
But it’s at least encouraging to see recognition of this type for exercise as both prevention and cure.
If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter and my website, you know I’ve long touted the importance of viewing exercise as a drug.
Actually writing out a prescription for exercise is an excellent way to take a proactive approach to your health. A great tool for creating your own exercise prescription is my Daily Exercise Table.
The Time is Now
No matter your age, exercise can provide enormous benefits for your health.
If you happen to be over 40 it’s especially important to either start or step up your exercise program. This is the time of life when your physical strength, stamina, balance and flexibility start to decline.
I can’t stress enough the importance of using precision to develop your individual workout program. You need to make sure you’re getting enough exercise to achieve all the benefits, but not so much that you injure yourself, and you need variety to condition and build your entire body and prevent boredom.
Your program should include aerobic exercise, anaerobic (interval) training, weight strength training, and core exercises to build, strengthen and improve the flexibility of all the muscles of your body, like yoga, Pilates or active isolated stretching
If you’ve been sedentary for any length of time or you’re out of shape for some other reason, it is vitally important to get started with an exercise program – but start small. One of the main reasons people don’t stick with a workout program is because they go too hard, too fast and wind up with an injury, illness or simple exhaustion.
Write your own exercise prescription based on factors including:
- your current physical condition
- your fitness goals
- your health concerns
- activities you enjoy
- best time of day for you to workout
Your ultimate goal if you are overweight or have other health concerns should be an hour to 90 minutes of exercise every day.
Once you reach a normal weight, you can drop back to 45 minutes at least four times a week and still reap the incredible health benefits of regular exercise.
As you age, it becomes harder to keep your muscles healthy. They get smaller, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures. New research is showing how this happens, and what to do about it.
Researchers have already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young. Now they’ve found that the suppression of muscle breakdown is blunted with age. This may explain the ongoing loss of muscle in older people — when they eat they don’t build enough muscle, and in addition, their insulin fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals and overnight.
However, weight training may “rejuvenate” muscle blood flow and help retain muscle for older people.
Sources:
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Dr. Mercola’s Comments:
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These findings fall into the category of common sense, along the lines of “use it or lose it.” As you age, physical exercise becomes an ever more important aspect of optimal health and longevity.
How to Prevent and Reverse Muscle Wasting
This study explains the biological processes that cause muscle wasting as you move into your senior years.
As you likely know, protein is essential for proper muscle growth and maintenance, but this study found that as you age, your body becomes increasingly less able to use the protein in your food for building muscle.
In addition, they found that, in seniors, insulin no longer prevented the muscle breakdown between meals and overnight as it normally does in younger subjects.
This double-whammy adds up to significant muscle wasting in sedentary seniors. And poor blood supply, which prevents proper delivery of nutrients and hormones to your muscles, may be an important factor.
Exercise is the natural remedy for poor blood circulation, and the team confirmed that three weight training sessions per week over 20 weeks rejuvenated blood flow in the extremities to the point that they were identical to those in the younger group!
How’s that for results!!
Beware of Drugs That Can Cause Irreversible Damage to Your Muscles
Before going any further, I also want to remind you of one very common cause of excessive muscle wasting, aside from a sedentary lifestyle, namely: statin drugs.
Statins are a class of drugs used to lower your cholesterol, and are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the world.
They have many dangerous side effects, one of which is a serious degenerative muscle tissue condition called rhabdomyolysis, which can be fatal (as your heart is a muscle, and can be affected by these drugs).
Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor, Pavacol and Mevacor lower your cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. But they can also activate the atrogin-1 gene, which plays a key role in muscle atrophy.
One recent study showed that even low concentrations of these drugs led to atrogin-1 induced muscle damage. And the higher the dosage, the greater the damage.
The Importance of Weight Training for Optimal Health
Unfortunately, many ignore weight training when devising their exercise plan, thinking they don’t want to “bulk up.”
But gaining more muscle through resistance exercises is an integral part of any well rounded fitness program, especially if you want to lose weight.
However, weight training is not about vanity.
The intensity of your resistance training can achieve a number of beneficial changes on the molecular, enzymatic, hormonal, and chemical level in your body, which will help slow down (and many cases stop) many of the diseases caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
Therefore it’s also an essential element if you want to prevent common diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, or weakening of your bones (osteoporosis), limited range of motion, aches and pains, and yes, prevent excessive muscle wasting as you age.
I recently published an article on exercise for weight loss, so let’s take a look at some of the other benefits of exercise as it relates to maintaining optimal health well into your senior years.
How Weight Lifting Can Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes and Heart Disease
Your body has two types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous.
- Subcutaneous fat is the fat located just below your skin, and is the type that causes dimpling and cellulite.
- Visceral fat, on the other hand, shows up in your abdomen and surrounds your vital organs including your liver, heart and muscles. It is this visceral fat that has been linked to serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke, among many other chronic diseases.
A key strategy to reduce your risk of heart disease (and a host of other chronic diseases), is to keep your inflammation levels low, and avoiding gaining visceral fat is part of this equation.
Exercise is a critical component for reducing heart disease risk because it both lowers inflammation in your body, and is one of the best weapons against visceral fat. For example, in one study volunteers who did not exercise had an 8.6 percent increase in visceral fat after eight months, while those who exercised the most LOST over 8 percent of their visceral fat during the same amount of time.
This occurs because muscle burns more calories, and it consumes calories around the clock, even when you’re resting and sleeping. So, as you gain more muscle, your body naturally increases the amount of calories burned each day, which reduces fat stores.
As for lowering inflammation, physical exercise accomplishes this naturally by lowering levels of a C-reactive protein (CRP) that is linked to inflammation.
High levels of CRP in your body is associated with a higher than average risk of cardiovascular disease, and has even been suggested as a better indicator of possible heart attack than high cholesterol.
How Strength Training Reduces Osteoporosis
Weight-bearing exercise is one of the most effective remedies against osteoporosis.
The last thing you want to consider is to take a drug to improve your bone density, as without question, that is more likely to cause long-term harm than benefit.
Your bones are actually very porous and soft, and as you get older, your bones can easily become less dense and hence, more brittle. Especially if you are inactive.
Resistance training can combat this effect because as you put more tension on your muscles it puts more pressure on your bones, which then respond by continuously creating fresh, new bone.
In addition, as you build more muscle, and make the muscle that you already have stronger, you also put more constant pressure on your bones.
A good weight bearing exercise to incorporate into your routine (depending on your current level of fitness, of course) is a walking lunge, as it helps build bone density in your hips, even without any additional weights. You can see the video at the top of the page on how to do that.
The video is from our new exercise site which we hope to launch later this year.
Keep Yourself in Motion!
Optimal health is dependent on an active lifestyle; eating fresh, whole foods, avoiding as many processed foods as possible, and addressing the stress in your life.
Ignoring any of these basic tenets of health will eventually lead to a decline in health and any number of diseases. So start moving, and don’t stop no matter what your age.
And do include strength training into your fitness routine. It is the number one way for you to remain strong, young, and independent well into old age.
Related Links:
If You’re Over 40, You Need Frequent Exercise to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
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