Making Strides

The early morning sun in West Hollywood is streaming into Peet’s Coffee. It’s a crisp sunny Los Angeles morning. Sunset Boulevard is waking up along with me. I feel great and soon I’ll be ready to head out for a run.

My first recollections of the joy of intense “cardio exercise” go back to somewhere around the seventh grade. I had a big, clunky green Schwinn Bike that took me everywhere.  As soon as my parents let me ride it wherever I wanted, off I’d go. Soon, I’d explored every park in East and West Portland. The next year I talked older friends into letting me ride with them into the foothills of Mt. Hood. In the summer, we’d end up splashing in the Sandy River and coming home sunburned.

The idea that we were “exercising” never entered our minds. It was just sheer joy of the adventure and how good everything felt. Moving my body became associated with freedom and fun.

Happy Feet

In high school I started running. Running became an add-on to my bike adventures. I’d had no idea that my legs could take me so many places so fast. At the same time, I felt elated with the activity. While I didn’t understand it back then, my body was releasing tons of “feel good” chemicals. At the same time, all my insecure teen mental chatter would stop for an hour or two.

After high school I transplanted myself from the Pacific Northwest to the San Francisco Bay area. The climate was amazing, and you could run the foothills above Palo Alto all year long. I didn’t have a car, so my bike (now a 10-speed special) became my transportation.

Transportation. I guess that’s what this blog is about. I’m lucky that I love doing things that Trans-port me to a place called elation. As much as I love cars, they’ve never been able to create the same internal feeling for me as physical exertion.

I’ve coached one of my clients away from doing a long daily run. If heroin had a healthy double, running would be it for him. After two weeks of replacing some of his runs with weight training, we saw a body shift – better muscle tone and more energy. After week three, he reported that his weekend run was the most energetic and fastest he’d had in 6 months.

Most of us are like racehorses. If we don’t get out and move – we go stir crazy. Our bodies sag and slow down and our minds slow down too. Overtraining can produce the same results. Personally, I get a little grumpy if I have to be still for too long. When I’ve had a stretch of morning aches that keep me from activity, I start to feel sorry for myself.

Writing this in Peet’s, I see a jogger with an amazing stride coming up the street. As he passes I can see that he’s lost a leg and has an arc of metal to replace it. Nothing is going to stop him from following his bliss. The universe couldn’t have sent a better messenger to me this morning and I’m filled with gratitude and determined to take even better care of my body.

I like being trans-ported.

Getting Started

1. Walk first

If you haven’t run, start by walking. That’s intense walking, not walking to get yourself to work. Walk, then speed walk. Build up to a walk-run-walk-run. You’ll see results faster than you think.

2. Buy Good Shoes

Buy running shoes, not sneakers. Shoes that fit you well, are comfortable and assist you with your stride. You must change them… they don’t last forever. The more you run, the quicker you should replace your shoes. Here’s a shoe buying tip: try on new shoes on in the afternoon, our feet are usually “larger” then.

3. Get F I T

Combine these for your running program – Frequency, Intensity and Time. With this formula, you’d start with walking, graduate to a walk-run and then run. Make your "frequency" every other day, your "intensity" a comfortable pace and your "time" about 30 minutes. Your comfortable pace will increase along with the distance you cover.

4. Lighten up

If you’re severely overweight, lose some weight before you start to run. Your joints will thank you for it. Running exposes your joints to two to three times your body weight – with each foot impact!

5. Hot Stuff

Warm-up means getting your body temperature up before you hit your stride.

Speed walking, jumping jacks or push-ups. Save your heavy duty stretching for after your run.

6. Stretch It Out

When you finish, be sure to stretch. Otherwise you’re like a horse that’s been rode hard and left wet (a sure recipe for problems). Make stretching a part of your practice that you never miss.

7. Hydrate

You’ll want to drink more water and also replace lost electrolytes. Water supports your body in cushioning your joints. Dehydration is a disaster for knees and ankles.

8. Be Social

Run with friend. If you can talk to each other you’re in aerobic mode. If you’re breathing so hard you can’t talk, you’re in anaerobic mode. You’ll want to experience both modes during your run.

9. Lift Weights

Want to improve your run? Lift weights. You’ll have extra muscle and energy to propel you along the way. Long distance running can break down muscle, so build it back and add to your bone density at the same time.

10. Be safe, carry id and don’t hop right into a hot tub after your run. 

Cool down and stretch. If you’ve created inflammation during the run, getting right into a hot tub will make it worse.

Train your Body. Tame your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Fit for Takeoff

The April-May 2010 issue of MetroSource , an upscale business guide for New York City and Los Angeles, includes an article that I wrote entitled “Fit for Take-Off”.  It’s about exercising when you are away from home and gives you a great Hotel Gym Workout.  I thought I’d share it with you here– especially for everyone outside of MetroSource’s distribution area.  

Traveling on Madonna’s “Sticky and Sweet” tour gave me a chance to experience a lot of hotel gyms. Guest conscious establishments, like the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, know their guests are fitness savvy and provide their gyms with amazing equipment.  Regardless of where you’re staying, most hotels with a gym will provide you with hand weights and dumbbells for working out.

Fit for Takeoff

MetroSource Magazine

Most of my clients are gearing up for bathing suit weather with spring just around the corner. Since it’s also a time for travel, I’m giving those of you who have some training a “portable workout” that is primarily dumbbell-based because most every gym has them.

I love coming back from a trip feeling energized and more fit than when I left. You will too, if you take this program along with you. It’ll help you knock out your training anywhere. For those of you who are just getting started, you may need some instruction first, but don’t use this caution as an excuse to sidestep exercise. Almost anyone can use cardio equipment and do simple abdominal and floor exercises.

Workout Notes

Warm up for each weight workout with five to 10 minutes of cardio. Complete three sets of 12 repetitions for each weight exercise. Target three sets of 25 reps for each abdominal exercise. If you can’t do that, set a benchmark that’s just above what you think you can do and shoot for that number. Do 20 to 40 minutes of “interval training” on your cardio days. If you don’t have the endurance or time for a 40-minute stretch, get up, grab some coffee and hit the gym before breakfast for a 20-minute cardio blast, then come back at the end of the day before dinner and give yourself another 20 minutes. (As an added bonus, you won’t feel guilty if you eat dessert.)

The Workout

Day 1: Chest & Triceps

Flat bench, dumbbell chest press

Incline bench, dumbbell chest press

Flat bench, dumbbell flys

Decline pushups

Triceps dumbbell kickbacks

Triceps bench dips

Day 2: Cardio & Abs

Bent knee leg raises

Oblique crunches

Crunches

Day 3: Back & Biceps

Dumbbell row

Pull ups: narrow & wide grips

Dumbbell biceps curl

Dumbbell hammer curl

Day 4: Cardio & Abs

Knee-in on bench

Stability ball abdominal crunches

Stability ball oblique crunches

Day 5: Legs & Shoulders

Squats and lunges

Leg extensions

Seated dumbbell shoulder press

Side deltoid: Seated lateral raise

Front deltoid: standing forward raise

Posterior deltoid: seated bent-over raise

Day 6: Cardio & Abs 

Flat bench crunches

Flat bench bicycle

Flat bench Russian twist

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin and exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Master your Body

Every week I receive questions about quick-fixes. They're usually body image related questions. About things like fat burners, bio-identical growth hormone replacement and liposuction. These quick-fixes are countered with questions about self- esteem, resetting our mind to make healthy choices and being in charge of our destiny – the "do it yourself" program. When we look at our body as a whole, instead of looking just at the part we're not so pleased with, we can achieve what we want and become healthier at the same time.

You can’t get the whole body "do it yourself" program at Home Depot, and rarely do you find a doctor who understands body wholeness. It’s a personal commitment that will get you what you want. You have to find out what works for you. I hope I can convey the intensity of the power that we all have – to create what we want. The outcome of what you want may be different from what I want, but the process has a similar path and ending – with more confidence, energy, happiness and a feeling of abundance. You just can’t help that. When you connect with your body, you connect with the flow of the universe.

It’s taken me years to be able to write that, I figured if I shared it, maybe you’d get it faster than I did. These 10 tips can help get you there.

Ten Tips for Spring

Jump Start 

Do this if you’re in an office all day long or haven’t been exercising. Take two breaks during the day and speed walk for 10 minutes. Finish with as many push-ups as you can. At the end of the day, do the same thing. That’s 30 minutes of stress-free cardio. When the days get longer and you’re feeling stronger, turn your 10-minute end of the day cardio into a 30-minute program.

Get Clean

A 14-day gentle “metabolic detox” and clean diet shift will get your metabolism fired up and send your extra weight away. If you’re starting a workout program, do this for a good foundation. The detox will help you reset your eating habits for spring. There are several good detox supplements and diets available. I developed one with my partner Dr. Steven Margolin called the Burn &  Build Body 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox.

Be a Loser

Hop on the scale -- go ahead. Weigh yourself. Now put the scale in the closet and don’t use it for a week. Pretend like you’re on the “Biggest Loser”. Weigh yourself once a week, and pay attention to how your clothes fit. That’s what’s going to tell you how much your body is really changing!

Plan to Succeed

Set your goals for your body. Project 3 months and one year ahead. Now break your goals down into small monthly steps you can master. Always keep your goals in sight, and everyone will think you made achieving them look easy. Remember, you gotta work hard to make it look easy!

High and Low

Get a hormone test. Do a saliva test – it’s the most accurate. Find a doctor who understands this stuff, and work with your doctor to understand your hormone balance. If you’re a guy, you want your testosterone to be dominant. Free testosterone is important to measure as well. Exercise and diet are the primary keys to balancing all hormones.

Nail that Spike

Insulin spikes will take away all your hard work at the gym. Control your sugar and refined carbohydrate intake. Avoid fried and low quality fats. Your liver is one of the keys to healthy hormone balance and production of growth hormone. Love it and take care of it. Lay off excess alcohol, hydrogenated oils and sugars.

Know your Pancreas

This is the organ that secrets insulin. Insulin regulates food storage and metabolism. When you over indulge in sugar (sugar from alcohol and refined “white” carbohydrates count too) you strain your pancreas and gain weight. An unhappy pancreas can eventually stop producing insulin altogether, then you’ll be dealing with diabetes. Can you see your abs? If not, your pancreas is probably overworked.

Have a Drink

Go ahead, have quite a few drinks. Water, that is. Among other things, proper hydration is anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-allergy and anti-asthma. It also pumps up your muscles. Isn’t that what you’re working out for?  Try these for super-hydration:

1  Add a cup of coconut water to your quart of water, it’s full of electrolytes.

2  Squeeze a lemon, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few grains of Celtic sea salt and a spoonful of agave to your water for an alkalinizing boost.

3  Drink pure water and avoid chlorine and fluoride. Coffee and soft drinks don’t count.

4  Ice water shuts down your digestive fires, and is tough on your organs. Stick with cool, warm or room temperature water.

5  Drink at least 50% of your weight in ounces of water. More if you are intensely exercising. For most of us that’s at least 3 quarts of water every day. 

Get Beach Ready

Just eating and walking won’t get you beach ready. Find a gym that’s convenient and one you’ll love going to. Now get yourself there, work hard and break a sweat. Remember those goals you set? Add some “gym goals”. Maybe it’s the number of push-ups and pull-ups you can do. If you want more energy, you’ve got to use it to get it! Give yourself a 60-day challenge, or better yet, do it with a buddy so you can support each other. Be your own “before and after” story.

Freaky Control

You’ll like this. Really. When you take control of your food you’re in charge. When you schedule in your workouts and stay committed, you’re in charge. When you are on the path to the healthy, fit body you want, you’re in charge. When this happens, your feeling of personal power and self-esteem will soar. Friends may want to sabotage your program when you’re out to dinner with them, just know that they’re secretly envious of you.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin and exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Forgetting to stretch

2009 started out slow for me, but by spring, life was really taking off. Maybe it’s because I was born in the spring it’s such an energetic time. My body shakes off winter like a heavy coat that’s been worn one too many days. Accumulated body fat starts to disappear and my brain thinks it’s on a lithium diet.

Running had always taken me through all four seasons.  When I left California for New York, all of that changed. There are a few days in the New York winter that are great for running – but not many, and when you run up in the country you end up on trails that leave your ankles deep in mud.   Photo: Nilaya Sabnis

By the fall of 2009, I’d skipped one of my coaching rules too many times – to stretch. Long runs and minimal stretching sent me home limping. While I was hobbling down the Old North Branch Road, I realized that the pain I felt was in the same place and similar to a knee injury I’d had in high school.

Not being able to run… well, that’s like taking my car keys away. Maybe worse.

I went right into physical therapy with Mark Hall of Encore Physical Therapy.  Mark is known among Broadway dancers and actors as the guy to go to.  I also made sure to get weekly acupuncture, massage and chiropractic treatments. The acupuncture increased healing and reduced inflammation. Therapeutic massage released the very tight leg muscles and tendons that I couldn’t get to on my own. Chiropractic adjustments corrected my misaligned spine (from walking a little lopsided) and gave me an endorphin boost. I supplemented with anti-inflammatory and rebuilding herbs and minerals.

I took my downtime to learn new upper body training forms in the gym, and get a new personal training certification, and I started this blog.

The injury kept healing and after two months I got an “ok” to run. I was back again, with one of those elastic knee braces with side supports, but at least I was running, and yes, I was stretching.

Fierce Interval Training

Instead of long runs, I’m maxing out at 20 minutes now. So far, it’s all on a treadmill. The program is fierce interval training.  My strides are longer then they have been in the past and my form is more like a sprinter than long distance runner with arms tight to my torso with a slight twist in my upper body as I run.

My biggest surprise is that my top speed continues to increase. Because of the longer sprint strides and lighter landings, the impact on my knee has been cut way down. 20 minutes of high intensity interval training is giving me better results than my former long runs.

I’m excited to take my new version of “sprint-slow-sprint” outside on country trails this summer.

Living in pain doesn’t belong in a fitness lifestyle. If you are in acute or chronic pain, get someone to do the bodywork that will help get you out of it. Then get someone to retrain you and watch your every move. While you’re sidelined, get really good at something you weren’t good at before – everything can be an opportunity.

Supplementation to reduce inflammation & speed repair

Borage Oil, Evening Primrose, Blackcurrant Seed:  All these contain gamma linoleic acid (GLA) a fatty acid that the body converts to a hormone like substance called prostaglandin E-1 or PGE1. PGE1 has anti-inflammatory properties, acts as a blood thinner and blood vessel dilator and has been used to support the body in dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and other forms of dermatitis, as well as other inflammatory conditions.

Bromelain:  An anti-inflammatory most often used for traumatic injuries and surgery. Bromelain reduces inflammation by breaking down proteins in swollen tissues, support the body in lessening blood clot formation and promote healing.

Quercetin:  Counteracts the production of inflammatory agents produced by the body. Quercetin can aid the body in stopping the multiplication of neutrophils  involved in the production of inflammation causing hormones.

Turmeric:  This is the primary anti-inflammatory herb of Ayurvedic Medicine. Laboratory studies have confirmed its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Ginger:  Is an effective remedy for inflammation and pain.

Other ingredients to look for:  Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium

“Joint Pain and Muscle Repair Formula” from Longevity Health in Manhattan is a complex supplement that I found helpful.

Train your Body. Train Your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise, supplement or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Shallow Inspiration

Vanity is Fierce

We always hear that working out is good for us and that we should do it for our health. Sure, that works for me. I promote health right here on this blog – and will continue to. But right now I want to give a gold star to vanity motivation. No, make that 10 gold stars. Vanity is one of the most wonderful, shallow and intensely motivating things that can inspire us to workout.

Think – Hot guy from Mad Men.

Working out = Looking Better

When you are wearing the body that you want, you’ll look and feel better. When you feel better your cells vibrate with more life. So far, nothing wrong with that vanity motivator, who doesn’t want to look and feel better?

Working out = Feeling confident

When you’re looking and feeling better, you’ll feel more confident. Confidence breeds success in all aspects of life.  Confidence allows you to wear your clothes with style. Whatever you choose, a T-shirt and jeans or skinny tie and suit, you’ll make the clothes. You won’t need clothes to make you. Again, the vanity motivator gets an A+.

Working out = Abundant energy

When you are expending focused physical energy you’ll have more energy. You’ll sleep deeper; your sex life will be more fun.  Is anyone going to argue with the sex angle?

Working out = You win

When our bodies transform, everything in our life changes – our energy increases, our relationships get juicier, our minds sharper and we look better in and out of clothes. 

By guiltlessly allowing vanity to motivate you, you’ll achieve your health goals as well.  So just imagine having the body you always wanted, no matter what age you are. Imagine putting on a suit with the confidence of one of the guys from Mad Men and having a great time everywhere you go. I’m sure you’ve already imagined the sex part.

Train your body. Train your mind. Tame your tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Acid-Alkaline Balance

Body Chemistry 101

Summers in the Napa Valley can be brutally hot, not that “wet” east coast hot, but a ‘bake you dry’ hot. It was one of those days; I’d started it out early, with a long morning run on the crusty earth of the vineyards. Life can seem flawless there with its blue-sky cool mornings and smell of ripe grapes.

Then I went to my design office in downtown St. Helena. This day was supposed to herald the completion of a 6-month design project. Instead I found myself dealing with my client’s new project manager who just seemed to want to fight. You know the type, all our communications were unexpectedly tough and acidic. It wasn't just the temperature outside that was heating up. 

By noon the calm from my morning run felt like it had never happened. I put the phone on “answer mode” and bolted out of the office to chill. This situation was unhealthy, and certainly not my idea of good interpersonal communication. I know you’ve experienced this – getting completely drained and unable to think clearly while your body feels like someone injected it with toxic chemicals.

Alien Green Drink

Having a beautiful design sidetracked is one thing, having my body (and mind) react to the acidity is quite another. I had to step outside of it and make some choices. Driving home I decided to trek over to my neighbors and use their pool. Water and sunlight has an amazing ability to pull negative energy away. Swimming laps started to recharge me up.

I realized that I didn’t want to continue the status quo, and that shifting my internal chemistry was paramount to making a change. I'd been studying living foods, so I made a “green drink” including a huge bunch of parsley. A drink like this wasn’t new for me but they always look like something out of the alien bar in Starwars. I could feel it working right away.

One green drink and fifteen minutes of meditation later, I was ready to head back to a phone call with the project manager. With no acidity in my body and a peaceful mind, every aspect of the phone call got handled in an open way from my end. I’d managed to let go of attachment to the outcome. In the end the design prevailed with just a few changes, the project manager was surprisingly happy – she actually hired me again – and I’d learned an unforgettable lesson about my body chemistry and relationships.

Exercise Chemistry

Exercise can create acidity, the same kind that my body created interacting with that project manager. Up until exhaustion, our bodies are in a fairly alkaline state. Once exhausted, we release stored acidity (lactic acid). This acidity creates sore muscles and stiffness making recovery time from our workouts slower. When combined with an acidic diet for extended periods of time, acidity depletes our body’s natural alkaline reserve (think of it as a bank account). When this reserve is depleted, or goes bankrupt, parasites, yeast infections, viruses and cancers thrive. This includes Herpes Simplex II, kidney and urinary tract infections and Candida. And, we might find ourselves chronically stiff and sore.

Any form of exercise can push the body into an acidic state. If you’re healthy, strong, and in relatively good condition – great – go for it. Get that intense workout in, then go and replenish and restore your alkaline reserves. If you’re just starting, or are feeling weak and already acidic, start with a mild exercise program and build up slowly, and stay on the alkaline path.

Our bodies start to crave exercise once we get into a consistent program. It pumps our organs and glands and keeps our hormonal and digestive functions operating at their best. Exercise and alkaline forming foods can help us maintain a healthy alkaline-acid balance in our bodies.

“Generalized fatigue, weakness and 

malaise are the results of an overly acidic body.

These waste acids accumulate over years of too 

many acid foods, stomach malabsorption,

lack of water, and constipation." 

– Dr. Theodore Baroody

I figure that if we’re going to be kicking our butts at the gym, walking stairs instead of taking the elevator and eating to stay lean, we’d better keep an alkaline balance in mind as well. After all, what will we accomplish with all that work if our body slips into disease?

You probably stay away from people with “acid personalities” and have an idea of some acid forming foods such as coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks, white sugar, peanuts, most ketchups, mayonnaises and mustards, bleached table salt, and vinegar (Don’t forget tobacco and drugs – prescription or otherwise). But do you wonder why people on a self-healing path eliminate all meats and fish from their diets? Meats and fish are acidic. There just aren’t any alkaline forming meats or animal fats.

Alkaline forming foods = energy

Acid forming foods deplete energy

Foods that contain the acid-binding minerals of magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium iron and manganese are usually alkaline forming. 

We all want abundant energy to fire us up at the gym, at work and in our personal relationships. If you want to get ripped, you have to be healthy. This is a list of some of my favorite alkaline forming foods. Dr. Baroody recommends a ratio of 80% alkaline forming to 20% acidic forming foods. It's a ratio to strive for. I usually make a morning and evening fresh lemon juice drink to help with the balance.  Try this Alkalizing Tonic:

Lemon juice (fresh), distilled water, pinch of cayenne pepper and a little sucanat or honey if you want it sweet. Drink as a tea or room temperature.

Alkalizing Foods

VEGETABLES

     ·      Kelp

·      Asparagus

·      Beets

·      Broccoli

·      Brussels sprouts

·      Carrots

·      Swiss Chard

·      Dandelion greens

·      Endive

·      Parsley

·      Seaweed

·      Pumpkin

·      Watercress

FRUITS

·      Melons

·      Strawberries

·      Dried dates

·      Grapes

·      Grapefruit

·      Kiwis

·      Lemons

·      Limes

·      Mangos

·      Papaya

·      Peaches

·      Pears

·      Pineapple

SUGARS

·      Brown rice syrup

·      Sucanat

·      Raw honey

·      Bronner’s Barley Malt

NUTS and SEEDS

·      Almonds

·      Chestnuts

·      Coconuts

·      Pignolias

·      Alfalfa

·      Radish

·      Chia

BEVERAGES

·      Parsley juice

·      Wheat grass juice

·      Carrot, celery and beet juices

·      Distilled water

BEVERAGES

·      Most herbal teas

·      Ginger tea

·      Ginseng tea

·      Comfrey tea

·      Fresh fruit juices

GRAINS

·      Amaranth

·      Millet

·      Quinoa

BEANS

·      Fresh green

·      Fresh lima

·      Fresh peas

·      Fresh Snap

·      Fresh String

STARCHES

·      Arrowroot flour

·      Essene bread

·      White sweet potato with skin

OILS

These oils are neutral to alkaline forming. 

Buy the freshest, cold-pressed, untreated as possible.

Rancid oils are unhealthy.

·      Almond

·      Avocado

·      Canola

·      Coconut

·      Olive

·      Sesamie

·      Soy

·      Sunflower

Train your Body, Train your Mind, Tame your Tongue.

An excellent reference book is Alkalize or Die by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.