Core Tabata Workout - 6/29/10

Here's a great Core Tabata Workout that you can do in just 4 minutes. Your abs will be screaming when you're done with this:



You're going to start by doing 20 seconds of fast mountain climbers.

After that 20 seconds has expired, immediately go into a side plank on your right side (from your right elbow to the outside of your right foot) and hold it for 10 seconds.

Once that 10 seconds if over, immediately go into another 20 seconds of fast mountain climbers.

Then again when that 20 seconds is over, go into a side plank again, but this time on your left side (from your left elbow to the outside of your left foot).

Once that 10 seconds is over, go back into fast mountain climbers again, followed by the side plank on your right again.

Continue doing this for 4 minutes (or 8 rounds of fast mountain climbers and 4 side planks on each side).

When making the change from fast mountain climbers to side plank, try to do with without dropping to your knees. You want to keep your core elevated and activated for the entire 4 minutes.

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Too Much Salt Intake

A while back I talked about the amount of salt in processed food and how the food manufacturing companies have agreed to decrease the amount of salt in their foods over the next 5 years due to the fact that Americans are taking in way to much salt in their daily diet.

The guidelines tell us that we shouldn’t get more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day.

I don’t add salt to my foods and I do my best to only eat foods that don’t have any or a very small amount of sodium in them, so I thought.

A couple of weeks ago I sat down and wanted to see how much sodium I was getting in a day. I came up with around 1,200 milligrams. Although I was glad that I was quite a bit below the upper limit, I was still pretty surprised that I was getting that much in on a daily basis.

I bring this up because there’s a new study out there showing that very few Americans are taking in sodium at or below the recommended amount of 2,400 milligrams a day.



First, a breakdown of the upper limit of what people should be taking in:

Health officials currently say no adult should eat more than a teaspoon of salt each day. They go on to advise that 70 percent of adults — including people with high blood pressure, all African-Americans and everyone over 40 — should actually limit their salt intake to a more restrictive two-thirds of a teaspoon.

And what the researchers found:

Overall, only 1 in 10 adults meet the teaspoon standard, said the CDC study. But for those who should be even stingier, only 1 in 18 manage to do it.

Not surprisingly, what the researchers are finding is that people aren’t just dumping a bunch of salt on their food from the saltshaker. The vast majority of the salt intake is coming from processed and restaurant foods. And,

...it concluded that salt was most commonly found in cold cuts and other meats, and in baked goods and other items counted as grain-based products.

I know a lot of people say “I just don’t add extra salt to my food when I’m about to eat it.” My guess is that might have been a good rule of thumb some time ago but, with the amount of sodium being increasingly added to processed food over the years, that rule doesn’t seem to mean much any more.

As I mentioned, I watch my sodium intake closely, but my daily intake is still around 1,200 milligrams a day. Which makes me believe that it’s not that difficult for people who aren’t paying attention to their intake to very easily go over the 2,400 ceiling marker.

I’m glad to see that this issue has been getting quite a bit of attention over the last few months because I don’t think it can be stressed enough as to how we need to get this salt intake under control in this country (and around the world for that matter).

If even 25% more people that are regularly over consuming in their salt intake were able to reduce it to the recommended levels, I think that would go a long way in reducing the various ailments like high blood pressure (which increases the chances of heart disease and stroke) that come from too much salt intake.


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The Obesity Virus

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Outbreak” with Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo, there’s a scene where all the politicos are sitting around a table determining what to do to contain the spread of a hemorrhagic virus that has infected a small town.

They show a graph of an animated map of the United States as to how quickly the virus could spread over the course of 24, 48 and 72 hours, if the virus were to make it’s way out of this small town that it’s in now. Basically, within 72 hours, it would consume and spread to the entire country.

I bring this up because I found an animated map of how obesity rates have changed from state to state across the United State between 1985 and 2008 and when it moves from year to year, it made me think of that movie and how striking it is that what we almost have is an obesity virus spreading across this country.

Take a look at the map in 1985:



And then look at it in 2008:



To get the full effect, click here to go to the link and watch it in motion.

In 1985, you only had a handful of states where the state obesity rate was between 10-14%. Compare that to 2008 where only ONE state had obesity rates between 15-19% and all the other states were higher than that.

I don’t know about you but when looking at that whole thing in motion is pretty shocking and in a way, kind of creepy in how it really looks more like an obesity virus rather than an obesity “problem.”

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TV Commercial Workout

You're sitting in front of the TV at night watching your favorite television show. You can get a great TV commercial workout while you're sitting there.

Take a watch of the video below that explains it:



Do the first exercise for the length of the first commercial, then when that commercial is over, immediately go on to the next exercise.

Continue cycling through the exercise in the video and written below until your show comes back on and then rest while you are watching the show (but don't sit there and eat potato chips!).

When the next commercial break comes on, start with the next exercise that you left off at during the last commercial break.

First exercise: Offset Pushups
Second exercise: Knee Taps
Third exercise: Plank with a hammer curl
Fourth exercise: Forward alternating lunge
Fifth exercise: Cross Body Mountain Climbers

30 Minute Workout

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Smoking and Stress Relief

One thing that I tend to hear smokers say about why they smoke is because they find that smoking gives them stress relief.

The argument could also be made that overeating, doing illegal drugs, or a variety of other unhealthy activities that people do could also be used as stress relief (however temporary that relief feels).

There’s a new study out that says quitting smoking might actually REDUCE a person’s stress level.

The researchers in this study recruited:

469 smokers who had been hospitalized for a heart attack or heart bypass surgery. While the patients were still in the hospital, they completed surveys on their perceived stress levels and smoking habits. All said they were motivated to quit and had agreed to take part in a clinical trial of in-hospital smoking-cessation counseling.

The vast majority of the participants (85 percent) thought that smoking helped them deal with stress, on the initial survey they took, with 50 percent saying that smoking “very much” helped them cope with stress.

A year after the initial survey was given, 41 percent of the participants had remained smoke free.

As for the overall findings:

On average, Hajek and his colleagues found, the abstainers showed a 20 percent reduction in their reported stress levels, while patients who had gone back to smoking showed little change in their perceived stress.

The relationship between abstinence and reduced stress held up when the researchers accounted for factors such as patients' age and education, how heavily they had smoked before quitting, and how high their stress scores had been at the start of the study.

According to the researchers, it’s the simple matter that being dependent on smoking cigarettes is itself a source of stress.

So someone who smokes 20 cigarettes per day, for example, essentially goes through 20 bouts of stress each day, as the levels of nicotine in the body decline. Once that person quits -- and gets over the initial period of withdrawal -- he will have 20 fewer periods of stress each day, Hajek said.

So in other words, chances are, you aren’t stressed because of stressful things going on in your life, you’re stressed because…you aren’t smoking on a cigarette.

As I said, I think other habits could like overeating can definitely have this same effect.

You eat, not necessarily because you’re hungry, but because there’s a stress after awhile of NOT eating.

I think there could be a positive spin on this though.

I know with myself, if I go three days without exercising, I tend to be incredibly low on energy and somewhat stressed. But then all it takes is one workout and then it clicks in my head “yup, that’s all I needed to get back on track.”

So if you’re looking for a habit that will not only relieve stress, but won’t be a harmful burden on your body like what smoking and overeating can do, go out and get a little bit of exercise. Take a walk, a run, lift some weights, etc. You don’t need too much. Thirty minutes a day is a good starting point and I think you’ll be amazed how well physically and mentally you’ll feel after you continue to do it on a regular basis.

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Burning More Fat

If you first start off with an exercise routine and you’ve never exercised before, you without a doubt notice that you are burning more fat than before when you were sitting on the couch.

But then after a few weeks, you might notice that it stops. Maybe you push through and start to see yourself dropping more weight, or maybe you get frustrated and give up.

There’s a great new study that came out that talked about how regular exercisers release more fat burning molecules that increases the body’s ability to metabolize body fat, sugar, and amino acids.

The study, apparently the first of its kind, takes a look at how regular exercise -- that is, fitness -- alters metabolism right down to the level of chemical changes in the blood.

"Every metabolic activity in the body results in the product of [fat-burning] metabolites," said senior study author Dr. Robert Gerszten, director of clinical and translational research at Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center. "A blood sample contains hundreds of these metabolites and can provide a snapshot of any individual's health status."

Here’s how they did it:

To trace the fat-burning molecules, the researchers took blood samples from healthy participants before, just following, and after an exercise stress test that was about 10 minutes long. Then they measured the blood levels of 200 different metabolites, which are released into the blood in tiny quantities.

And here were the results:

Exercise resulted in changes to levels of more than 20 metabolites that were involved with the metabolism of sugar, fats, amino acids, along with the use of ATP, the primary source of cellular energy, according to the study.

After running on a treadmill for 10 minutes, people who were relatively more fit had a 98 percent increase in the breakdown of stored fat, sugar, and amino acids, while less-fit people had only a 48 percent increase.

The question you’re probably asking yourself (because I asked myself the same question) is: If you’re not active right now, and you become active and stay active, can you increase the percentage increase in burning more fat?

The study says:

It's unknown whether training boosts the ability of people to burn fat more efficiently, or if more fit people were genetically able to burn fat more efficiently, though it's likely some combination of the two, Gerszten said.

I’m hoping that this means this will lead to another study where they look at exactly that.

If I had to guess though, consistent training will cause a consistent increase in the ability of the body to metabolize fat and sugar.

It makes sense if you think about it. If someone is sedentary, and then takes a stress test, they aren’t able to run at an intensity during that test as much as someone that is more fit.

I talk about interval training a lot and mention the concept of Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption in past posts and how when it comes to fat burning, your body burns more calories after the workout compared to calories burned after a slow steady state cardio workout.

I think a study like this gives more support to the concept that it’s about intensity rather than duration that is going to be a better indicator of overall fat burning and if you stay consistent, your overall maximum level of how well you burn fat should increase.

The bottom line is that if you are inactive, don’t take this study to mean that you can never train your body to start burning more fat. Get active in something, stick with it long term (and what I mean by that is,,,,forever…) and I think you’ll not only turn your body into a more efficient metabolic machine, but you’ll be reducing your chances for future heart disease, diabetes, and other ailments that can come with living a sedentary lifestyle.

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Taking My Clothes Off for Breast Cancer

Last year, I walked in the Susan G. Komen 3-day, 60 Mile Walk for the Cure in honor of a cousin of mine who was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer in 2008 and had to have a double mastectomy. I blogged about those experiences here and talked about how great of an event it is.

This year, I’m walking again for my cousin, because she came through like a champ and this is kind of like a 60-mile victory lap.

But I did something else this year as well.

The fight against breast cancer has become the social cause that I want to take on and bring about some awareness and fund raising for (it’s my opinion that everyone should have some kind of social cause that they get involved with in life. Doesn’t have to be big, just something to give back to the community).

Well, I guess I found an interesting way of doing that.

Last year I found out about a group of men that created a non-profit organization to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer called the 60-Mile Men.

The main feature that the 60 Mile Men do once a year is put out a calendar.
But not just any calendar….This is a calendar where a man is picked for each month, they pick a theme and then they get photographed…..naked….

Okay, well, not completely naked. There are strategically placed objects in front of places that need objects strategically placed.

So, earlier this year, I decided that I was going to put in an application to be one of these calendar pinups and to my surprise…I was picked.

There was a hint (okay, maybe a little more than a hint…) of panic when I first found out I was picked and even had thoughts of bailing on the whole thing.

But, that lead to me to picture a woman who just go home from a radiation or chemo treatment or just waking up after getting out of surgery from having a mastectomy. Just looking like and feeling completely drained both physically and mentally.



Then someone hands her a copy of this calendar. This calendar of 12 goofy guys this year that took off their clothes to help raise funds and awareness for what she’s going through. And as she flips through it, a little crooked smile pops up on her face. Maybe that’s just enough to spark a lift in her spirits to keep her going over one of the hills that she has to climb through this ordeal.

After those thoughts went through my mind, then it became a piece of cake to say, “no problem, I can do this.”

That’s what doing this calendar and being one of the 60-Mile Men is about for me. Doing this not only for the people that I know affected by breast cancer, but doing it for those that I don’t know as well. Doing it to put a little smile on their faces and to let them know “you’re not alone. Even those that you don’t know are standing right beside you as you fight through this.”

So go check it out and order your 2011 60-Mile Men calendar today. It only cost $20 and the profits go to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

2011 60 Mile Men

Finally, a really big thanks to Lynda Johnson from ithadtobeyouphotography.com, the photographer that I worked with on these pictures. She did this job Pro-Bono and she was a blast to work with and the pictures turned out great. Thanks again Lynda!

Mike Navin
Mr. March 2011
60-Mile Men
60 Mile Men on Facebook

Want to be the World's Largest Woman?

Since most people who are overweight and obese have a goal of losing weight but, it’s rather eyebrow raising when there’s someone out there whose goal it is to GAIN weight and hope to become the world’s largest living woman.

I came cross this story about a woman from New Jersey that currently weighs 600 pounds and has a goal to gain 400 more pounds in hopes of becoming the world’s largest living woman.

She’s the mother of a 3 year old as well as a 14 year old.



She has already submitted a claim with the Guinness Book of World Records for the title of being the largest woman to every give birth (that claim is currently being reviewed).

Here’s where things get even stranger to me:

Simpson said she has received a book offer and wants her own reality show, partly to give plus-size women more confidence.

Then there are her currently health problems:

Simpson spends as much as $750 a week on groceries, suffers from Type 2 diabetes and struggles with basic tasks such as cooking and taking a shower.

But she dismisses critics who warn that her weight can lead to heart problems, aggravate her diabetes and cause pressure on her joints.

"I'm very healthy. I go to the doctor every three months," she said.

The article notes that:

Among the heaviest women ever recorded was one who reportedly weighed 1,800 pounds and another who reportedly weighed 1,200 pounds at the time of their deaths.

I don’t know. I get the whole “accept me for who I am” concept but there’s a couple of things to consider in this situation.

She says she’s very healthy and goes to the doctor on a regular basis. Okay, we’ll go with that at her current weight. But what about when she adds another 400 pounds? I hate to be blunt but, did she not read that the other two women recorded as being the heaviest are now deceased?

With today’s obsession with reality television shows, and her saying that she wants one of her own, tends to kind of scream “I need attention.” Granted, that’s not an uncommon thing among people but, when you’re putting your health at risk (and whether she wants to believe that or not, that’s what she’s doing), I think it adds more to it.

Finally, let’s take a look at the fact that she has a teenager and a 3-year old. If you’re going to go out and TRY to gain weight, is it worth the risk that you could leave both of your children motherless in a couple of years?

What kind of habits are you teaching your children? Sure, as I stated, it’s not a bad thing to teach them “be who you are, and accept those in your life that will accept you for who you are.”

But the reality is that children are more likely to become overweight and obese if their parents are overweight and obese. Does she really want to lead her children on a path of future health problems and potentially early deaths with the example that she is showing them?

What do you think? Am I being too harsh or do you think these are legitimate issues?

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Yo-Yo Dieting Effects

Been awhile since I’ve blogged. Was out of town last week and I feel like I need a vacation this week being on vacation last week.

One thing that is all too common when it comes to dieting is the yo yo effects of it. Meaning, you lose weight, then you gain it back, then lose it again, then gain it back again.



We’ve probably done it ourselves, know people personally that have done it, and even seen millionaire celebrities like Kristie Alley and Oprah Winfrey go through this cycle over the years. I even talked about the Biggest Loser contestants that have put back on weight after the show was over.

There’s some studies that show that:

By some estimates, more than 80 percent of people who have lost weight regain all of it, or more, after two years. Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost.

The rest of the article is a decent read even though I don’t agree with some pieces of it.

I think one of the causes of yo yo dieting is the fact that a person sets a weight that they want to reach and mark that as their goal.

Which means that like a lot of things in life, when we reach that goal we think “ahhhh, I did it!” And then stop….

If you’re goal is to run a marathon, you train for it, you run it, but when you reach the finish line, do you keep running past it or do you stop? Your goal was to run in it, you finished, you reached your goal, you’re done (at least until you set your next goal).

The thing with fat loss though is that you can’t do that. You have to set that benchmark, and then make sure that you stay right around that benchmark in order for it to stick.

But let’s back up to the point before reaching the “goal weight.”

A lot of times you get on a weight loss kick, start losing weight, lose weight consistently, and then find yourself at a plateau for a couple of weeks. This is where people tend to fall off.

There are those that will be patient, make adjustments, and push through the plateau. There are others that get frustrated, and give up. They go back to their old style of eating, and then put the pounds back on, thus, just completed a round of yo-yo dieting.

When you hit a plateau, you need to be patient. Take some time away from your regular eating and exercise habits for 2-3 days and just relax. Then get right back to what you were doing. Sometimes your body needs this kind of shake up to get you back on the fat loss track.

So you push through that plateau, and you reach your goal weight. Great! Pizza for a week!!! Well, not quite. This can be the hardest part of the whole weight loss process: maintaining what you just did.

As mentioned, this is where you can either go back to your old habits, which will result in gaining weight, or you stay on the mark, watch what you eat, and keep an eye on that scale.

I like to tell people to follow the six pound rule: Keep weighing yourself once a week (and only once a week), keep your food and exercise in line, and keep your weight within six pounds of your goal weight.

If you keep your weight within six pounds of where you want to be, that’s very manageable and you can very easily get back to your goal weight fairly quickly if you need to (at the same time, six pounds isn’t that much to the point where others are going to notice or that all of a sudden those pants won’t fit but, from a psychological perspective, just knowing that you’re at your goal weight for a special event can do wonders for your mind set).

The bottom line is, have a goal weight in mind but, remember that MAIN goal is to keep it off!

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30 MInute Hotel Workout - 6/1/10

I'm out of town this week but put together a nice 30 Minute Hotel Workout that you can do when you get to that summer vacation in the next couple of months.

This is more of an advanced workout.



Workout Details:

2 exercises back to back:

1. Do 10 repetitions of Sumo Squats on your Toes then with no rest,
2. Do 10 repetitions of Pushups, then again with no rest,
3. Go back and do 10 more repetitions of Sumo Squats on your Toes followed by
4. Another 10 repetitions of Pushups.
5. Continue going back and forth between 10 Sumo Squats on your Toes and 10 Pushups with no rest in between exercises for 10 straight minutes.

Then rest for about 4-5 minutes.

Then another 2 exercises back to back:

1. Do 10 repetitions of Burpees then with no rest,
2. Do 10 repetitions (on each side) of Alternating Y-Forward Lunges, then again with no rest,
3. Go back and do 10 more repetitions of Burpees followed by
4. Another 10 repetitions (on each side) of a Alternating Y-Forward Lunges.
5. Continue going back and forth between 10 Burpees and 10 Alternating Y-Forward Lunges (on each side) with no rest in between exercises for 10 straight minutes.

Then you're done.

If you want to learn more about the 30 Minute Workout Program, click below:

30 Minute At Home Workout


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