Great Jeans Challenge!!!!!

 Week 2 of the Great Jeans challenge!! Hope everyone is getting militant about they're exercise and diet! If you think you're doing enough to reach your goal,.......do some more!!!! Gotta turn it up as high as possible and then turn it up some more. 8 weeks isn't long so you're gonna have to put it all on the line. When your legs are twitching and your lungs are on fire, and you just wanna give up? You gotta push on for that extra mile! If anyone needs help stop by or call us here at Fitness Together, and we will gladly help you reach your goal.


Paul Kostopoulos
Trainer-Fitness Together Belmont

'Broga' caters to guys wary of yoga

'Broga' caters to guys wary of yoga

By Cari Nierenberg

Tired of hearing a wife, girlfriend, mother, sister or female friend sing the praises of yoga, some guys will eventually man up and tag along to a class. Once there, in many studios, he might be one of few downward facing dudes. Being the only man surrounded by a room of limber ladies in tight-fitting yoga pants might sound like paradise. But it gets rough when the gal on the next mat can touch her nose to her knees and the guy can barely bend over to reach his toes. Feeling self-consciousness and possibly embarrassed, a guy may retreat to his man cave convinced that yoga is not for him. It's too New Age-y or hippie-ish. Or not macho enough. Or too damn hard.

We're a yoga class geared for guys, but open to all," says Adam O'Neill, president and co-founder of Broga, which is based in Somerville, Mass. Although women are welcome in class, it's designed with a man in mind.

"We chose the name broga because it's funny, catchy, and familiar. It lets men know this is for them," O'Neill explains.

"On the one hand, we don't take ourselves too seriously. But broga is a real thing with real integrity," points out O'Neill. Classes, he says, work from the familiar to the unfamiliar.

Familiar language is used and little, if any, Sanskrit. There's familiar music in the background, maybe some Radiohead, Bob Dylan and The Black Keys -- and not an Eastern soundtrack. And there's a different vibe: There's little reference to the spiritual side of yoga, although more advanced classes may go there if participants are ready for it. Classes combine traditional yoga postures and athletic movements. "The class focuses on balance, building strength and an awareness of breath," says Robert Sidoti, the "Brogi," who developed and teaches the classes and co-founded broga. "A side benefit becomes increased flexibility." There might be more push-up variations you might not find in a traditional yoga class designed to strengthen the core, and different kinds of athletic movements and series to get the heart rate up, explains Sidoti. "If an athletic or fitness-type move is done, it's countered by a yoga stretch and a balance move, like tree pose."

"A lot of guys come here after years and years of sports, but their bodies are out of whack -- some have cement shoulders or really tight hips," Sidoti points out. They might not be able to do those flexy, bendy poses that a woman can, he suggests, so we work on poses and movements that are more relevant to their lives, whether he's a carpenter or he sits all day in an office.

"Many guys would rather go play tennis or a sport because it feels like exercise," says Sidoti. "Yoga hasn't been a place that feels fun."

But then men get to that point or to that age when things in their body start to hurt them, and that's often what gets them in the door to try yoga, he admits.

"I think a yoga class geared for men is a great idea," says Matt Carpenter, who teaches hatha yoga and yoga nidra classes at The Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY.

"Men often bring a competitiveness, an intensity, and a seriousness to their yoga practice," says Carpenter. "We try to balance that by helping them grow in the direction of softness [flexibility] and openness," he says.

Carpenter thinks that yoga can become more male friendly by acknowledging the qualities that men bring to the practice and speaking to those qualities directly. "A good way to connect is to appeal to the strength aspects of yoga, the focus on discipline, or the quiet mindfulness -- that Zen Samurai mindset," he suggests. Whatever it takes to get men to practice yoga, ultimately, "broga is about men feeling better in their bodies," says O'Neill. "And taking an active, preventive role in their own lives." Right now, there are seven weekly broga classes in Massachusetts. But O'Neill and Sidoti hope to grow the brand so they offer instructor training certification (for men only) to bring the practice elsewhere, and online classes or DVDs. They also plan to work with men's sports team on the collegiate and professional level. In the meantime, Sidoti encourages men to go to an introductory level yoga class, even if they're fit and athletic. "If you're a fast-moving person, that will be your work to slow down," he says. "Take the time to learn the breath and the poses, and grow it from there."

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/27/10762079-broga-caters-to-guys-wary-of-yoga

This is a very interesting idea, and I really wounder how well it will work. So when you guys go and try it let me know how it goes!

Brian Knowles

Hot to Best Help Your Child Lose Weight

How to Best Help Your Child Lose Weight: Lose Weight Yourself

ScienceDaily (Mar. 14, 2012) — A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and The University of Minnesota indicates that a parent's weight change is a key contributor to the success of a child's weight loss in family-based treatment of childhood obesity. The results were just published in the advanced online edition of the journal Obesity.

"We looked at things such as parenting skills and styles, or changing the home food environment, and how they impacted a child's weight," said Kerri N. Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at UC San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego. "The number one way in which parents can help an obese child lose weight? Lose weight themselves. In this study, it was the most important predictor of child weight loss."

Recent data suggests that 31 percent of children in the United States are overweight or obese, or between four and five million children. Current treatment programs generally require participation by both parents and children in a plan that combines nutrition education and exercise with behavior therapy techniques.

"Parents are the most significant people in a child's environment, serving as the first and most important teachers," said Boutelle "They play a significant role in any weight-loss program for children, and this study confirms the importance of their example in establishing healthy eating and exercise behaviors for their kids."

The researchers looked at eighty parent-child groups with an 8 to 12-year-old overweight or obese child, who participated in a parent-only or parent + child treatment program for five months.

The study focused on evaluating the impact of three types of parenting skills taught in family-based behavioral treatment for childhood obesity, and the impact of each on the child's body weight: the parent modeling behaviors to promote their own weight loss, changes in home food environment, and parenting style and techniques (for example, a parent's ability to help limit the child's eating behavior, encouraging the child and participating in program activities).

Consistent with previously published research, parent BMI change was the only significant predictor of child's weight loss.

The researchers concluded that clinicians should focus on encouraging parents to lose weight to help their overweight or obese child in weight management.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120314170749.htm



This makes sense, kids tend to follow after their parents, especially the younger they are. So this means it’s extremely important for the parent to establish healthy behaviors. So they can pass those behaviors on to their kids.   



Brian Knowles

Turn On Your Lean Genes

What’s the biggest nutrition breakthrough for the next 25 years? Our vote goes to nutrigenomics—the study of the interaction between what you eat and your DNA. Researchers have recently uncovered a handful of common foods that crank up your fat burning genes.

Here’s how it works: Each cell contains the DNA for your entire genetic code. This master cookbook of proteins, hormones, and molecules remains relatively unchanged through your life. What does change is the recipes (or genes) your body is using. Drugs, foods, hormones, and other molecules can tell your body what recipes to use to create more of the specific enzymes, hormones, and compounds that you need.

So what foods can crank up your body’s natural fat-burning power?

Green tea. Green tea—both as a supplement or the brewed leaves—turns off genes that are responsible for fat cells’ sugar uptake and turns on genes that mediate sugar uptake by muscle cells. The result: smaller fat cells and more active muscle cells. A review from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that drinking green tea every day will trim up to an extra inch off your waistline in 12 weeks. (Caffeine and the antioxidant EGCG are also part of green tea’s fat-fighting arsenal.) Click here to learn whic tea beat out 14 others and was named the best green tea when we analyzed the antioxidant content of popular brands.

Fish oil. Touted for its many health benefits, the fats in fish oil—EPA and DHA—activate a group of specific proteins in your cells called Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). PPARs interact with your genes and can increase the burning of fat for energy as well as improve insulin sensitivity. Researchers from University of South Australia showed that when men combined a supplement of 1.9 grams of EPA and DHA each day with regular aerobic exercise, they lost 4.5 more pounds compared to men who just did regular aerobic exercise during the 12-week study. (That’s one reason why fish oil was named one of our 18 Best Supplements for Men.)

Pistachios. Pistachios fight inflammation—a driving force of weight gain—by reducing the expression of the inflammatory gene IFN-stimulated response element by a whopping 78 percent. Researchers from UCLA showed that snacking on 1.5 ounces of pistachios per day instead of 2 ounces of pretzels helped subjects lose 2 extra pounds over 12 weeks. (Pistachios—which are higher in fat and protein—are also more satiating than pretzels, which could have helped subjects eat less overall.)

Pomegranates. Pomegranates are packed with high levels of a potent class of antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are famous for having beneficial effects on your blood vessels and your heart, and they are now also being show to be fat-cell killers. When exposed to anthocyanins, the growth of premature fat cells to full-blown fat cells is stopped. How? The anthocyanins down-regulate the expression of the pro-obesity and diabetes gene plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

Olive oil. Subjects in a study ate on different days a high-carbohydrate meal and a meal high in monosaturated fats—including 2 tablespoons of olive oil. The high-carb meal suppressed the genetic sequence that creates adiponectin, a hormone that helps your muscles use sugar. The meal with olive oil, however, had the opposite effect.

These are all really good healthy foods with yet another good reason to have them in your diet. So if you don’t have these in your diet already then give them a try.

Brian Knowles    

Training to Run Your First 5K

With our first studio 5k run/walk event coming up, many clients have approached me wondering how they should prepare for it. I found this article on the ACE Fitness website that I thought might be helpful. Check it out! ~Joe

So you’ve started a walking program and, after a few weeks of consistent improvement, you feel you’re ready to pick up the pace and run your first 5K race.

A 5K—a 3.1-mile race—is the perfect length to aim for as a beginner. Begin by setting a realistic training schedule to keep you motivated and give yourself ample time to move to the next level. Beginning a running program may improve many facets of your life, as it builds your cardiovascular system, may boost your self-esteem and may strengthen ties within your community while also allowing you to appreciate the outdoors.

From the novice to the expert runner, a local 5K race is a great way to get in shape and improve your sense of health and well-being.

Set Attainable Goals

While the length of a 5K may be a relatively easy goal to achieve as a novice runner, designing the training program can present quite a challenge. Start out with a simple program that allows you to succeed and move forward only when you feel comfortable with your current stage. To avoid burnout or injury, do not push your limits.

Remember that your main goal is to reach the finish line. For your first race, you should enjoy the run and feel good for having reached your goal, rather than going for a certain time.

Take Your Time

Depending on your training base, a five-week program should be just enough time to have you running for the full 3.1 miles. Your first step should be a complete medical exam to make sure it is safe for you to begin a running program.

Begin with a walk/run program four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes. Plan to add a little variety to your training by alternating every other day with 20 to 30 minutes of an aerobic cross-training activity to build your cardiovascular fitness.

Select a starting distance that you are comfortable with. Perhaps it is 1.0 to 1.5 miles. Increase the distance (and duration) by approximately 10 to 15% each week. For example, increase the duration of your walk/run from 25 minutes to 28 minutes in week 2.

Vary your runs during the week to break the monotony. Choose one or two days a week to run your distance, and use the remaining days to focus on shorter, harder runs or interval-type sessions. Make sure to take one to two days off per week to let your body recover. Gradual training is the key to long-term success and rest time is just as important as the time you spend training.

Be Smart and Safe

Be sure to have proper running shoes that suit your individual needs, and be aware of the surface on which you are running. The best running surface is a rubber track. If you do not have access to a track, asphalt is better than concrete, and dirt or silt alongside the road is even better.

Nutrition and Hydration

Never run on an empty tank. Consume a light carbohydrate snack one to one-and-a-half hours before your runs and be sure to adequately hydrate. Drink plenty of fluids, but make sure you drink at least16 ounces two to three hours before your run. Plan to drink 7 to 10 ounces of fluids every 15 minutes during your run and eat a light carbohydrate and protein snack soon after the run if possible. Monitor your hydration by weighing yourself before and after the run, making sure you drink enough fluids after your run to replace the weight lost.

Race Day

If you aren’t familiar with the race course, check it out on one of your training runs or do a drive-by. It’s easy to get mentally and physically fatigued when you don’t know where your run ends and how much farther you have to go. Also, be sure to avoid running at a pace that is faster than your training pace.

For your first race, there is some running etiquette that you should be aware of:

 •Don’t cut someone off unless you’re at least two paces in front of them.

 •Make sure there is no one behind you if you’re going to spit or throw away a cup from the water stations.

 •When you cross the finish line, don’t stop moving. Keep walking down the chute to prevent a traffic jam.

 •If you’re on a team, cheer on teammates that finish behind you. That extra encouragement may be the boost they need to finish hard.

Support Your Community

Since running is relatively inexpensive and a great way to stay in shape, the popularity of 5K races has dramatically increased over the past few years. By running a 5K and donating money through your entry fee or raising money through donations, you are supporting a larger cause and meeting new people who share similar interests and goals.

For more articles like this check out www.acefitness.org.

Wanna run a 5k? Here ya go!

 

5K run: 7-week training schedule for beginners

By Mayo Clinic staff Doing a 5K run can add a new level of challenge and interest to your exercise program. A 5K run is 3.1 miles. Don't be daunted by the distance. A 5K run is a great distance for a beginner. And you can prepare for a 5K run in just two months.
Consider using this seven-week 5K run training schedule as your guide. This 5K run training schedule was created by Olympian Jeff Galloway. It's tailored for beginners or anyone who wants to complete a 5K race. You don't have to use this training schedule only for a 5K run — you can also adapt it to walk a 5K.

How to use the 5K training schedule

This 5K training schedule incorporates a mix of running, walking and resting. This combination helps reduce the risk of injury, stress and fatigue, while boosting your enjoyment of physical activity. Remember, you can run or walk slowly to help your body adjust to this 5K training schedule.
Under this 5K run schedule, even runners spend a portion of their training walking. For instance, during week one on run/walk days, a runner runs for 15 seconds and then walks for 45 seconds, repeating that cycle for 30 minutes. As the weeks progress, runners gradually increase the amount of time running and reduce the amount of time walking. If you're strictly a walker, you always walk. On walk days, both runners and walkers walk. One day a week — Friday on this 5K schedule — is a day of rest from exercise, giving your muscles time to recover. On Sunday, you can either take a second day of rest or you can enjoy a walk at your choice of distance. On this 5K run training schedule, race day falls on Saturday of your seventh week.

5K run: 7-week training schedule for beginners

Printable 5K training schedule (PDF file requiring Adobe Reader)

Week 1	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 15 seconds/walk for 45 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 3 miles (4.8 km)	Rest or walk
Week 2	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 15 seconds/walk for 45 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 3.5 miles (5.6 km)	Rest or walk
Week 3	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 20 seconds/walk for 40 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 2 miles (3.2 km) with Magic Mile*	Rest or walk
Week 4	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 20 seconds/walk for 40 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 4 miles (6.4 km)	Rest or walk
Week 5	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 25 seconds/walk for 35 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 2 miles (3.2 km) with Magic Mile*	Rest or walk
Week 6	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 25 seconds/walk for 35 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	Run/walk 4.5 miles (7.2 km)	Rest or walk
Week 7	On run/walk days, walkers walk only. Runners run for 30 seconds/walk for 30 seconds.
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Run/walk 30 minutes	Walk 30 minutes	Rest	5K race day	Rest or walk

Source: Galloway, J. Galloway’s 5K/10K Running. 2nd. ed. Aachen, Germany: Meyer & Meyer Sport; 2008:38. Used with permission.

Nutrition: Brainpower Tied to Omega-3 Levels

Low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with smaller brain volume and poorer performance on tests of mental acuity, even in people without apparent dementia, according to a new study.

In the analysis, published online Monday in the journal Neurology, scientists examined 1,575 dementia-free men and women whose average age was 67. The researchers analyzed the fatty acids of the subjects’ red blood cells, a more reliable measurement than a plasma blood test or an estimate based on diet. They used an M.R.I. scan to measure brain volume and white matter hyperintensities, a radiological finding indicative of vascular damage.

People in the lowest one-quarter for omega-3 levels had significantly lower total cerebral brain volume than those in the highest one-quarter, even after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking and other factors. They also performed significantly worse on tests of visual memory, executive function and abstract memory than those in the highest one-quarter. There was no significant association with white matter hyperintensity volume.

“We feel that omega-3’s reduce vascular pathology and thus reduce the rate of brain aging,” said Dr. Zaldy S. Tan, the lead author and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Few in the study were taking omega-3 supplements, Dr. Tan said. The main reason that some had higher blood levels of omega-3’s was that they ate more fatty fish.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/health/research/omega-3-fatty-acid-levels-linked-to-brain-performance.html?ref=nutrition

We all knew that omega-3’s were good for you, and this is just another reason. Keep eating fatty fish.

Brian Knowles

How Women Build Muscle

There are more myths and misconceptions about strength training than any other area of fitness. While research continues to uncover more and more reasons why working out with weights is good for you, many women continue to avoid resistance training for fear of developing muscles of Herculean proportions.
Other women have tried it and been less than thrilled with the results. “Don’t worry,” people say. “Women can’t build muscle like men. They don’t have enough testosterone.” This is, in fact, only partly true.
Many women, believing they wouldn’t build muscle, hit the gym with a vengeance and then wondered why, after several weeks of resistance training, their clothes didn’t fit and they had gained muscle weight.
The truth is, not everyone responds to training in quite the same way. While testosterone plays an important role in muscle development, the answer to why some men and women increase in muscle size and others don’t lies within our DNA.
We are predisposed to respond to exercise in a particular way, in large part because of our genetics. Our genetic makeup determines what types of muscle fibers we have and where they are distributed. It determines our ratio of testosterone to estrogen and where we store body fat. And it also determines our body type.

A Question of Body Type

All women fall under one of three body classifications, or are a combination of types. Mesomorphs tend to be muscular, endomorphs are more rounded and voluptuous and ectomorphs are slim or linear in shape. Mesomorphs respond to strength training by building muscle mass much faster than their ectomorphic counterparts, even though they may be following identical training regimens.
Endomorphs generally need to lose body fat in order to see a change in size or shape as a result of strength training. Ectomorphs are less likely to build muscle mass but will become stronger as a result of resistance training.

Building Just Your Heart Muscle

One of the fundamental principles of strength training is that if you overload a muscle, you will increase its size. With aerobic training, the overload is typically your body weight. Activities such as step training or stair climbing result in changes in the size and shape of the muscles of the lower body. Increasing the height of the step or adding power movements increases the overload.
For those concerned about building muscle, it would be better to reduce the step height or lower the impact of the movements. While this may reduce the aerobic value of the workout, it also will decrease the amount of overload on the muscles, making it less likely that you will build more muscle.

Training by the Rules

When it comes to strength training, the old rule still applies: To get stronger, work with heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions. To promote endurance, use lighter weights and complete more repetitions.
It’s encouraging to note that just like men, most women will experience a 20 to 40% increase in muscular strength after several months of resistance training.
Understanding your body type and how you might respond to exercise can help you set realistic goals and expectations. Avoid comparisons to others you see, at the gym or elsewhere, and remember that no two people are alike.
Focus on how good exercise makes you feel rather than how you would like to look. Accepting our bodies for what they are is a great way to get rid of the guilt or pressure we often feel to look a certain way.