Tag Archive for: exercise

Physical Activity vs. Exercise

/in /by

The authors of the editorial mentioned in the last memo suggest you’re being sold a bill of goods on the benefits of exercise as it relates to losing weight. In the opening paragraph, they state that a recently published paper claimed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week is a miracle cure for reducing the risk of and treating chronic disease. They then say that physical activity reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cancers by at least 30%. Then they say physical activity is not effective to help people . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

The Exercise Myth

/in /by

I often begin the week’s messages by responding to a health headline gone crazy. The headline generally sensationalizes what’s in the article, usually supported with press releases with similar headlines. Not in this case; every headline I read was spot on.

Here’s the actual title of the editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

It Is Time to Bust the Myth of Physical Inactivity and Obesity: You Cannot Outrun a Bad Diet

Before I go further, ask yourself a question: do you believe that if you exercised . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Ab Exercises to Help Your Back

/in /by

Many of you have asked how to do the abdominal curls and the fanny raises I mentioned in Thursday’s memo. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ve included pictures of each along with some tips to do them correctly.

Abdominal Curl
This is a modified form of the old straight-leg sit up. There are several key elements to make sure that you protect your back and neck. The idea is to curl up as far as you can and . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Mechanics: Walking Wrong on a Treadmill

/in /by

This past winter, I’ve done most of my running on treadmills. I should say that I’ve done my run/walks on treadmills as I rarely run continuously anymore, even in races. The more time I spend on treadmills, the more I watch other people walk on treadmills, and too many are doing it just plain wrong.

Huh? How can you walk wrong? You’ve been doing it since you were about a year old. The primary error that spoils the body’s mechanics is holding on to the handrails, especially when walking at a grade. On top of . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Keeping Track of Life’s Simple 7

/in /by

To complete American Heart Month, here’s an easy way to track your heart health called Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), developed by the American Heart Association. LS7 has been around since 2010 but it escaped my attention until recently. For those of you who like to track your progress to see how you’re doing, this is a great tool; you may remember I mentioned it last month, but I think you need the details to really understand how LS7 can work for you.

There are seven different categories of variables to track, hence the name Life’s Simple . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Equipment, Examples, and Hibiscus

/in /by

Wherever I am, I observe people. Here are a few recent observations about kids, fitness, and tattoos. Tattoos? It doesn’t go where you think it might.
Kids and Exercise Equipment
As I was working out on the treadmill in the fitness room of the hotel I stayed at in Fort Worth, the door opened and a mom and her son walked in. I would say he was about seven or eight years old, and he wanted to try out the elliptical trainer. No luck—he wasn’t big enough to get any type of movement. Then he tried the . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Reader’s Edition: How to Treat Obesity

/in /by

Thank you again for your responses to my question about obesity—you all did a great job. Some answers were short, and some went into a lot of detail. Just like last week, I’ve excerpted some of your answers. Enjoy reading what others have done and are doing, because if you have weight you’d like to abandon, you’ll find some tips in here to help you out.

A New Lifestyle
“It’s a lifestyle decision to make. Eat less by using a salad plate rather than a dinner plate—no seconds. Eat heart-healthy foods . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.

Reader’s Edition: How to Prevent Obesity

/in /by

I want to thank all of you who responded—and there were plenty of you who took your time to do it! Some responses were just a single word such as “moderation” while others sounded familiar. “Eat less and move more” was the most common response; where have you heard that before?

Many of you took a lot of time and put thought into your answers, and I appreciate each and every one. Most answered the question of how to treat obesity once someone was obese. I’m going to use those a week from today because there were excellent . . .

We're sorry, but this content is available to Members and Insiders only.

If you're already a DrChet.com Member or Insider, click on the Membership Login link on the top menu. Members may upgrade to Insider by going to the Store and clicking Membership; your membership fee will be prorated automatically.