A fast, fun and varied treadmill workout is a fantastic way to keep you motivated and keep up your exercise routine in the cold winter months along with having you burn a serious amount of calories! Many people think of treadmill training as monotonous and boring but it really does not have to be. And despite this bad reputation, the trusty treadmill is the most common piece of home fitness equipment. People love them!

But you may ask, why not pay a visit to the great outdoors and walk, jog or run outside? Well, treadmill workouts have some distinct advantages over going outside and here’s why.

People generally like running for the large amount of calories that inevitably get burnt. Running engages a huge amount of muscle groups in the body and is also weight bearing, serving to keep your joints in healthy condition. So it comes as no surprise that running is the best form cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories.

Interval Training

Interval training on your treadmill is the optimal method to keep you enthused and inspired and also get the best all over body workout. And, you don’t need to be a top runner either. Interval training is an intensive method of burning fat and increasing your cardiovascular fitness so it is at its peak. This is because it allows you to run at an intensity higher than you usually would for a longer time period. Stints of lowered intensity are interspersed with stints of heightened intensity. This leads to a serious boost in your metabolism and an optimal cardiovascular fitness training effect for about 3 to 4 hours after the workout. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: EPOC, home fitness equipment, runner

Apple and nike are working together to make big changes to the Nike+ program in the future.

If you are not yet aware of Nike+ it is a system where you have a sensor in your shoe (doesn’t have to be a Nike shoe) and and iPod. I do not have one yet but the idea is very exciting. You simply put the sensor in or on your shoe. Start up your iPod and start running. The sensor picks up your steps and distance and tracks your speed and when you finish you sync with iTunes to have it track your stats.

A little geeky but I am a sucker for the geeky stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: GPS, ipod, little tool, location-sensing devices, nike program, nike+, runner, running, running shoes

Experts say that it takes 21 days to create a habit. I do not even know if this is true but the one thing that I do know is that if you do something, anything for 21 days it becomes ingrained inside you.

Let’s take that idea and run with it here shall we? Today we are as we are, if I decide that I am going to become more positive (this would make my wife and coworkers crazy) then I would think in my head as much as I could all day everyday about my successes in the past and the things that are going well. This would change me from being pretty positive to excited as I would feel that there is nothing that I can not do.

At the same time if someone wanted to become healthy and they started to jog everyday as a runner would they would be sore the second day, sore the third day, stronger the fourth day, and very powerful by the fifth day. The habit is being formed, by the 21st day this person would be areal runner putting in mile after mile a week. Often runners have trouble taking days off even when they know they have to because that cadence of exercise reminds them of who they are, the habit has already been formed.

If you wanted to lose weight this 21 days to a habit is even a shorter time but it works the same way. If you decide to eat only fruit instead of candy then you struggle for about three days and then it is over and three weeks later you have some chocolate and it starts burning in your stomach and the sugar rush gives you a headache, the habit was formed already.

Years ago when I quit smoking I just imagined myself as a non smoker and then I just quit, I had been unsuccessful at cutting back so I decided that cold turkey was my best chance. After a couple of days fo struggles I was OK and I continued my working out then one day weeks later I realized that the habit was now that I looked at myself as being in good shape and that I was flushing those bad toxins of smoking, I had turned the corner.

Tags: areal runner, runner

Just caught this long article on Eating disorders on the main MSN.ca site. There are a lot of facts in this article and it is interesting that when people want to better their health sometimes they go to far and actually harm themselves by losing to much weight. I used to hate the talk of Anorexia and Bulimia being a disease thinking that it was just a way for some people to get attention but have really learned over the last few years that this is something that is a very dangerous disease with very deep rooted causes.

Eating disorders have increased in frequency as a consequence of society’s emphasis and preoccupation with thinness. Eating disorders are multi-factorial, with genetic, traumatic and nutritional causes. In North America, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most important eating disorders. They predominantly affect females.

What is the difference between anorexia and bulimia?

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric condition where people intentionally starve themselves because of a false belief that they are fat, or for fear of becoming obese. In reality, they are almost always underweight or of normal weight when the condition starts. It is estimated that more than 90% of all those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are female, often from middle and upper socioeconomic backgrounds. This disorder usually starts in the years between adolescence and young adulthood, with the average age at onset of 14 years. Anorexia nervosa afflicts about 1 per 100,000 in the population at large, but the rate is believed to be higher among Caucasian adolescent girls – about 1 in 200. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: affective disorder, alcohol abuse, American Psychiatric Association, anorexia nervosa, anxiety disorders, binge-purge syndrome, bulimia nervosa, cognitive behavioural therapy, constipation, Counselling, dangerous disease, dehydration, depression, digestive and reproductive systems, dizziness, drug abuse, Drug therapy, dysfunctional family environments, eating disorder, eating disorders, enemas, esophagitis, food, food craving, food cravings, food restriction, inflammation, low blood pressure, malnutrition, Mumps, nervous and hormonal systems, north America, obesity, obsessive compulsive disorder, olanzapine, panic disorder, parenting, Psychotherapy, runner, schizophrenia, social phobias, starvation, vomiting

I just ran across a great post written by Leo over at Zen Habits. I have mentioned before that I have tried to be a runner in the past and my body seemed to let me down. This Spring i am hoping to do a 10k and am still figuring out my training routine which can not be a good sign.

Anyway Leo just ran his second marathon and although it is nice to see what people think about and experience during something as grueling as a marathon the really great thing to me with the article is the experience of this compared to his last (actually his first) marathon and the tips that he gives for how to be successful in running a marathon.

One of the things that I always think about and like to write about here is instant gratification. you know the “don’t eat this” “make sure you do this exercise” kinds of posts. One of the great things about Leo’s post is that he kind of takes you through his plan for the marathon, how well he executed on his plan and finally some tips for people thinking of doing a marathon from his very fresh eyes of doing it this last weekend.

Tags: runner, zen habits

Depression is one of those illnesses that can be helped in a large part by starting an exercise program. Exercise as any seasoned runner knows will increase endorphin levels and the idea of a runners high is very much something that can help a person. Add the regulating of hormones that happens as you get in better shape and you have a great prescription to a better attitude and a cure to some peoples depression

The number of doctors prescribing exercise for people with mild to moderate depression has increased significantly in the past three years.

According to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) 22 per cent of GPs now prescribe exercise therapy as one of their three most common treatments for depression.

This compares to just five per cent who did so three years ago.

GPs’ beliefs about exercise therapy have also changed since 2005, a survey by the charity revealed.

Over six in ten GPs now think that a supervised programme of exercise is ‘very effective’ or ‘quite effective’ in treating mild to moderate depression, compared to just over four in ten three years ago.

Two thirds of the 200 GPs polled who currently do not have access to an exercise referral scheme say they would use one if it were available.

The MHF described the survey’s findings as “excellent news” but warned that exercise on prescription is still not widely available.

Less than half of GPs are able to access an exercise therapy referral scheme for people with depression.

“There is a real need for increased availability of exercise on prescription so that it is accessible alongside antidepressant medication and psychological therapies,” said MHF chief executive Andrew McCulloch.

“Depression is a complex illness – it is important that GPs have a range of treatments to offer and that people with depression have a choice.”

The MHF is working in six sites in areas that offer exercise referral schemes to identify the barriers preventing the schemes from being offered universally.

Tags: Andrew McCulloch, chief executive, complex illness, endorphin levels, exercise therapy, GPS, hormones, mental health foundation, mhf, moderate depression, psychological therapies, runner, treatments for depression

Since at least the 80s people have been listening to music during their workouts while running and in gyms around the country hard rock music is always being played. If you are a runner I have just run across a piece of free software that will help you to choose music better for your workouts. The software is called Beat Scanner.

The idea behind Beat Scanner is that when you are running the music that you listen to may motivate you but also there is a switch in the pace of the songs and the pace of your running. Beat Scanner will analyze the beats per minute of the music that you have in MP3s on your computer so that you can make up a better playlist to listen yo on your ipod when you are out running. As I am not much of a runner i have nottried this software before but i would love to get some input as to how good people find Beat Scanner and whether it works well for them

Tags: beats per minute, free software, ipod, listening to music, runner, runnning

I was getting ready to write my monthly newsletter and when I looked at last months newsletter I thought that this content maybe of good use to many people now that the sunn is shining and the days are getting warmer.

If you have been working out all Winter then great, you should be fine, but if you have not been working out keep these five tips in mind over the next few weeks as Spring becomes running, biking, exercising, and eating season.

1. Stretching. I have mentioned this before but thought it would be good to go over it again and that is the idea of stretching smart. When you start to exercise get your body temperature up and your muscles warmed up and do not stretch much at all. Once you are warm you can stretch away and this will help you get more limber. The problem with stretching at the beginning of a exercise session is that you can potentially pull a muscle and then be hobbled for a few weeks and unable to exercise at all.

2. Eating. When you are exercising and spending more time outside you are going to build a bigger and more healthy appetite. I used to feel like I did not deserve to eat very much in the Winter as my exercise was all weights and no cardio but one I got the cardio going I would just be more naturally hungry. So make sure you eat enough, and that is good food not junk food.

3. Start slow and work up. I remember the spring three years ago that I decided to be a runner and with no background or experience started running every day. Because of my fitness that I already had I was doing really well but my knees were not strong enough and I ended up with bad knees that Spring and have not really been back to running since. (more on that in the next point.)

4. Try something new. If you are going to go out and do the same thing every year you are going to be bored. Why not take up a new sport. There are lots of community leagues for people that are new to a sport to try out. You can play Tennis, Softball, mountain climbing, hiking, baseball, volleyball biking, running or even join a walking club. Trying new sports helps you to build up your body and mind in different ways.

5. Rest enough. This time of year the sun is finally up early and setting late so there is a lot more day. I know I have been neglecting my sleep and have been working and doing more with the day and not worrying enough about my rest and have started to pay the price. I can push myself for weeks and then finally one day I start getting sick and am down for a couple of days. My wife sees it coming every time but I still have not learned to listen to her warnings.

Anyway that is all that I have to report this month. If you have any questions please email me at bill@nadraszky.com. Also as a little plug, if you are looking for a diet that you can do online I have a review of the fat loss for idiots plan and for people looking to transform their bodies I have done a review of the extensive and intense Burn the Fat ebook .

Tags: baseball, food, runner, Softball, Tennis, volleyball

Travel exercise, Working out and being healthy when out of town on business can be very difficult. Just ask anyone that does a lot of traveling and you will hear the not so glamorous story or too much fatty restaurant food and no exercise while working in a hotel room in the evening.

I have traveled off and on over the years for work and I still remember how exciting it was to stay in hotels and have the company pay the restaurant food bills but by the time I go home a week later I was not feeling very well. I really took this memory to heart for my trips from then on. Here are a few tips that may help you even with travel exercise even if it is for going on holidays.

Pack workout gear for travel exercise
Before going out of town make sure that you pack some workout clothes, not many just a shirt, shorts and sweats. When I travel I actually bring my running shorts (I am not much of a runner) and then I can workout in the shorts and let them do double duty as swim trunks for after my workout.

Choose accommodation wisely
When booking your hotel you will likely have a few options. I have always booked into one of these business convenient hotels with a small indoor pool, hot tub and basic exercise room. The price is never any different and you still have all you need for exercise. I also make sure there is a basic free breakfast so that I can have a fairly simple breakfast to start the day. I hesitate to write this but one thing you can check is wether your gym or health club has a deal with another one where you are going, if there is a deal and it is more than just a few blocks away it will probably do you much good though. Are you really going to leave the hotel and go very far to workout…don’t take the chance of giving yourself an excuse not to have travel exercise.

Buy portable food
As soon as you get checked into the hotel make sure you find a mall or health food store or gym and buy some protein or energy bars. These bars are the single best way to avoid eating too much food in restaurants and still allow you eat on a better schedule than just breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Exercise a schedule
The best way to get your travel exercise in first of all is to get up a little early in the morning and have a cardio workout. Getting that biking or treadmill time in will force you to get something done in case the day gets away from you later on. Usually when out of town I feel a little out of sorts and this gives me a good time as well to kind of figure out my schedule for the day in my mind. Also when out of town try to set up that morning schedule that you have a light breakfast most days as your business lunches and dinners will likely weigh you down more than they do at the office.

Stay of the road when running
This is a little bit of a tough one. Running is a great form of travel exercise. If you are a runner then you probably do like to run outside in new cities and although that can be a very nice way to get your exercise you should find out about the area beforehand. In most modern cities it is not very far from the downtown to the skids. You do not want to get lost on the bad side of the tracks and at the same time you definitely want to be aware of the traffic and pedestrian flows.

Grab a bottle of water
Flying and staying in hotels is a killer on your skin and body because of the dryness more than anything. Pay attention to the air conditioning and be aware of your fluid intake. It is always easier when you are away to drink more coffee and soda but you really need to drink a lot of water. During those hotel workouts you will probably notice that you are much thirstier than you would be at home so drink up.

Follow these tips and plan how you are going to treat your body out of town and you will feel much better when you get home.

Tags: energy bars, fatty restaurant food, food, health-food store, restaurant food bills, runner, Travel exercise

Over the years I have tried of and on to be a runner. As we all know running is great cardio exercise but, for me anyway, it is very hard on your hips and knees.

My favorite radio doctor, Dr. Gabe Mirkin has an article about “What causes runner’s knee?”

This is the time of new years exercise when the pain can become a bit unbearable. Make sure you are taking that aspirin and icing your sore spots!

Tags: Gabe Mirkin, pain, runner, runner's knee