Friday, November 26, 2010

Two Drinks Per Day or Save them Up for a Big Party?

One of my favorite Gurus of all time happens to be Dr. Gabe Mirkin who has been around since I started working in the fitness industry - close to 30 years!  In his latest newsletter, one of his readers asks if it is OK to save up all of the drinks in a week and drink them in one day.  Here is the question and answer (I felt that this subject was apropos to the Holidays):

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Is it OK to have two drinks a day and  can I save them all up for a big party on the weekend?

No! Binge drinking doubles your risk of heart attacks. A study of 9,758 men in France and Ireland over a ten-year period shows that men who binge drink have nearly twice the risk of heart attacks and deaths from heart disease as regular drinkers, even though they drink about the same amount of alcohol per week.  (British Medical Journal, November 23, 2010).

When you pour alcohol on a cut, it hurts because alcohol damages cells by dehydrating them. If you add a cup of alcohol to cup of water, you get far less than two cups of fluid because alcohol draws water into its cell structure.

The liver is the only organ that has acetaldehyde  dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. The liver can break down alcohol at a steady rate of one drink per hour (a drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 2/3rds of shot glass). The higher the blood level of alcohol, the more likely it  is to damage cells.

Exceeding two drinks in a day can cause blood alcohol levels high enough to damage cells, increasing risk for  heart attacks, impotence, cirrhosis of the liver, dementia, chronic  pancreatitis, and certain cancers. However, up to two drinks per day has been associated in some studies with decreased risk for heart attacks.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a practicing physician for more than 40 years and a radio talk show host for 25, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is one of a very few doctors board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Tips from your Trainer to Avoid the Slug Feeling post Thanksgiving Dinner

I know that many of you don't want to hear from me. It is the day to eat everything you want. But be aware, in this weekend alone you could gain 3 to 5 pounds according to my friend, Dr. Roy Heron who runs a weight loss center in the DC area. Even if you think that you won't put on that much in a day or weekend of eating, think of all food deprivation and hard work that you did exercising to lose a pound in the last month. It ain't easy because there are 3500 calories in a pound. So, please, don't undo what you have worked so hard to lose in one day or weekend.

Here are some tips from myself and Dr. Roy Heron:    

# 1 On my list - Wear control top panty hose and/or tight belt/pants. You won't be able to fit as much in and will full faster.

#2 Don't starve yourself all day. You will just indulge at Thanksgiving Dinner.

#3 Have a piece of fruit or raw vegetables with a glass of water an hour before dinner.

#4 Drink 2 glasses of cold water during your Thanksgiving dinner.

#5 Eat dinner on a dessert plate and not a dinner plate.

#6 Avoid white bread, pasta, or rice like the plague.
#7 No Second Helpings!

#8 Portion Control


Enjoy your family and friends and don't make eating the highlight!

With warm hugs,

Ellen Yates and Dr. Roy Heron

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Lower Back & Abs Routine for the Home

I wanted to share with you a little routine that I will do this morning in N2SHAPE's 9 am Group Training. It is for the lower back and abs and is a routine that you can do at home with just a stability ball. If you don't have a stability ball, you can skip that exercise so that you have no excuses.


Bridge with Leg Lift

Lie face up on the floor, knees bent. Push body into a bridge position, supporting your weight on your feet and arms. Straighten one leg up, heel flexed and slowly lower leg out to the side a few inches without moving the rest of the body. Use the abs to stabilize your body and don't hold your breath. Complete 12 reps before switching sides.

Balancing Ab Twist

Begin by lying on your side and push up so that your body is supported by right arm, feet stacked. Straighten left arm and balance for a moment, then sweep the left arm down and twist the body, turning it towards the floor while keeping the rest of the body in place. Squeeze the abs and hold for 2 seconds, then go back to starting position. Repeat for 12 reps before switching sides. To modify, rest the bottom knee on the floor.

Ball Rollouts

Place your arms on the ball, parallel to one another. Pulling your belly button towards your spine and tightening your torso, slowly roll forward until your chest touches the ball. Keeping form, slowly pull your body back using your arms and abdominals. Don't collapse as you roll forward. Repeat for 12 reps.

Bicycle

Lie face up with lower back pressed to the floor. Cradle head in your hands, elbows out, and bend right knee, pulling it towards your chest while touching the knee with the opposite elbow. Begin a slow pedal motion by touching opposite elbow to opposite knee, alternating each side. Keep the abs pulled in (don't let them bulge out) and breath continuously. Repeat for 12 reps (one rep is to the right and left).

Back Extensions

Lie face down with hands either behind the back or lightly cradling the head. Lift upper body off the ground a few inches, keeping head and neck in alignment. For a challenge, lift feet off the ground keeping legs straight (knees don't have to be together), hold for 2-4 counts and lower. Repeat for 12 reps.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Time to hit the hay for a morning of Spin, Training, and studying!