Chunks! Do the Truffle Shuffle! An American Epidemic

    On June 9th, 1989, the world was graced with a beautiful baby boy.  In a time before the internet blogs, (maybe you've seen mine?) cell phones, and 500 cable television channels, this charming boy would grow up playing street hockey with other neighborhood boys, running and jumping on the playground equipment, and exploring the great outdoors that was Nancy Rd in Waterloo, IA.  Fighting childhood asthma and crippling allergies, this boy never spent a moment indoors if he didn’t have to.  Mostly because my parents would lock the door and only let me back inside to eat or drink.  Did I mention that boy was me?  Must have slipped my mind. 

Ask me if I still wear this outfit.  The answer is yes.

 I grew up in a time where children didn’t stare idly at an iPad for hours on end.  Before your number of twitter followers determined how cool you were.  A time where you spent your leisure time running, jumping, and playing with the neighbors.  Times have changed with dire consequences.  Today children are less active than they have ever been.  This sedentary lifestyle in children is creating an epidemic that is slowly killing our nation.

As I began researching youth health and fitness I had a general idea of what I was getting into.  I was getting into a population of youth today that are overweight, sedentary, and according to many recent studies not going to outlive their parents.  Wait, what?  How could scientists believe that with medical advances our generation wouldn’t have longer lifespans than our parents?  This is where I realized I had opened Pandora’s box on a topic that we are only beginning to truly understand.

I knew the numbers weren’t going to be pretty.  I have done previous research on the current state of our nation’s health.  70% of our nation is overweight, 1 in 3 adults are obese, Type II diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases; everything sucks, ad nauseam.  As I began to research specifically how this epidemic is affecting our youth I was shocked by what I found.

Children today are not as active as they used to be.  A study conducted in 2011 showed that only 29% of high school students had participated in 60 minutes of physical activity over a 7 day period.  14% of those surveys had not participate in 60 minutes of physical activity on any day over a 7 day period.  Most experts believe this is due to playing video games, watching television, and surfing the internet.

Before we start a “the ‘gun’ killed the child’s health, not the child’s decision,” argument, let’s look at the bigger issue.  Stupidity.  Despite all of the information that is out there on health and fitness, the general population still is not educated properly on the benefits of physical activity.  To me, this lack of information starts in our school systems.  

Physical education today is not given the level of importance it deserves.  Programs in all levels of schooling are being cut back; that is if they even exist in the first place.  Only 52% of high school students attended physical education classes on a weekly basis in 2011.  

Reading this research took me back to my middle school PE class at Sacred Heart Parochial School.  Twice a week we changed into our gym class uniforms, did some jumping jacks, and all the stronger kids who hit puberty way before me physically belittled the rest of us with dodgeballs.  Good on the physical, not so good on the educational, traumatizing on the emotional.

So why put our kids through this gauntlet of rubber balls, plastic butt scooters, and emotional emasculation?  As I said earlier, times have changed.  Today’s typical physical education program is very different in a very good way.  Physical education focuses on teaching children the importance of being active and that everyone can be active.  Gone are the contests that favor the big strong kids.  They have been replaced with programs that challenge kids to set personal performance goals that support good health.  

The finger pinches still hurt.

When I was researching, that was probably my favorite thing to find.  Not the picture of the butt scooter but that adults are trying to teach young people how to live healthy and be active.  That despite budget cuts people are still trying to educate their children.  I loved to see that we as a country are starting to open our eyes to this growing problem.  It was my favorite thing to find because it gives me hope that I will be able to find a job doing what I want to do.  And that is educating young people on the importance of being active, playing outside, turning off the XBOX and turning on their imaginations.

If we are to move forward as a healthy, successful nation, our children’s health must become a priority.  We must hold ourselves accountable for our own health and future, taking a person responsibility for ourselves and for those around us.

 It was in the blog title.

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike

Fitness 101: An Introduction to Exercise

Today, you need only to have a stable internet connection and a small amount of curiosity to find a workout program.  However with all of the information regarding workout programs it is hard to decide what program is best for you.  So I have sifted through the garbage and will give you some fundamental information I feel everyone should  know about exercise and fitness.

Step into your local gym and you will find a plethora of people grinding out hours upon hours on treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, and all sorts of cardiovascular machines.  While many of these fitness enthusiasts know cardiovascular, or aerobic training is “good” for them, most do not know why.  The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise a week.  This type of training is categorized between a 3-6 difficulty on a scale of 1-10 for that person.  To get more specific, it would be exercise where your heart rate is between 55 and 75 percent of your calculated maximal heart rate.  This type of exercise usually last 20-60 minutes at a steady level of difficulty.  When looking at a general population at the gym, typically this is the type of exercise being conducted on a treadmill or elliptical.

So why spend two and a half hours a week on a treadmill?  This moderate level of aerobic exercise does wonders for the cardiovascular system.  Short term effects include decreases in adipose tissue, increased energy, improved mood due to the release of endorphins, better sleep quality, and improved skeletal muscle endurance.  Where some of the best benefits are seen is in the long term.  With a healthier cardiovascular system we see lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, decreased risk of major diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and an overall longer lifespan.  

Moderate aerobic training is an excellent way to start working out.  However over time most people will start exploring HIIT.  HIIT is high intensity interval training. HIIT incorporates a very different training approach.  Instead of maintaining  a steady elevated heart rate for a long period of time, HIIT rapidly increases and decreases the heart rate over a shorter period of time.  This type of training uses time intervals usually between 15-30 seconds to rapidly increase the heart rate followed by short rest periods to bring the heart rate down.  These exercises bring the heart rate up to 75% of the calculated maximal heart rate for that individual.  Common exercises in HIIT training include short distance sprints,  kettlebell exercises, and jump training.

HIIT has many of the same short term benefits as moderate intensity aerobic training.  However these benefits are often greatly exaggerated.  HIIT has been found to burn more fat during and after working out.  In training the upper tier of cardiovascular capacity we see great improvements in cardiovascular health.  These improvements mirror that of moderate intensity aerobic training in almost every way.  HIIT is often seen as a more efficient way to conduct cardiovascular training as it usually only takes 15-30 minutes.

Bros knocking out curls, powerlifters squatting 400+ pounds, pushup century sets; let’s talk about strength training.  Resistance training is an essential part of a well rounded fitness regimen.  The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends two or more days a week of resistance training.  This guideline places emphasis on training the major muscle groups such as back, legs, chest, arms, and shoulders.  Types of resistance training exercise include weight lifting and body weight training. Pick up a set of dumbbells and you can get started on any number of resistance training programs.

Resistance training does not train the cardiovascular system as it is anaerobic. The benefits for resistance training are seen in the skeletal muscular system.  Short term benefits of resistance training include increased muscle mass and stamina, improved posture, increased flexibility, and reduced stress.  The long term benefits are outstanding.  These included improved bone mass linked to a decreased risk of osteoporosis, lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure, decreased risk of cancer and diabetes, and decreased risk of injury.

Resistance training programs can become very specific depending on your own personal goals.  Different set and rep ranges coupled with rest periods can yield very different results in strength gains.  Some of my personal favorites programs include 5-3-1, 5x5, PHAT, and German Volume Training.  I intend to write more on these topics later.  But in the meantime be sure to research what specific benefits each program offers and choose a program that coincides with your own strength goals.

Between these three types of exercise methods there are countless ways to improve your health and fitness.  Each type of program has very different benefits that can help anyone become a healthier individual.  However it is important to know that the best results are achieved by incorporating all three of these types of exercises to create a well rounded fitness program.

Before you start throwing weights around and literally running in circles there is one major fitness myth I want to dispel.  That is the myth that doing “X” exercise or “Y” fitness class you will become ripped and lean and mean in 30-90 days.  This is a blatant lie.  Don’t get me wrong, you will notice small changes in your body within the first few weeks of starting an exercise program; the key word there is “SMALL.”  Things you’ll notice might be falling asleep a bit faster, not hitting that 2:00 PM energy wall, or your legs being less tired after a long day on your feet. These companies, individuals, and organizations are only trying to sell you the idea of get fit fast. 

The important thing to remember is that fitness is a long slow grind, and consistency is key.  I don’t mean to discourage you from trying a certain program but don’t be disheartened if you don’t have those six pack abs John Basedow promised you after 30 days.  That being said, find a program, stick to it as strictly as possible, and before you know it you will be writing a fitness blog that only my mom reads.  Love you mom.  

With good health and strong hamstrings,

Mike