Can spices cure what is wrong witrh your health?

I receive a couple of different newsletters with the focus using Nutrition to improve Health.

Dr. Mercola
http://www.mercola.com/

Mike Adams the Health Ranger
http://www.naturalnews.com/

Because of the many different articles I have read from these newsletters, for the last few years my wife and I have been taking Turmeric and Ginger every day. These two spices might be able to help prevent all types of illnesses. They are cheap ways to increase our levels of health with no adverse side effects. We have found that if my wife takes too much ginger, her blood pressure tends to get too low if she is also dehydrated.

If you want to see how spices can help you live a healthier life, research different spices and you might learn how they can help you. All it takes is a little bit of your time.

An example of this is:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/22/could-this-spice-actually-help-weight-loss.aspx

Putting the Cart before the Horse

When shopping for a bicycle in Italy, the first thing the builders do for you is take your measurements. That way both you and the builder know what size bike you need built. I have been test riding new bikes, and most shops want you to buy the bike before they give you their version of a fitting. If I do decide to buy a new bike, I will have a professional fitting done before the purchase.

What does this have to do with hiring a personal trainer?

When most trainers design a workout program for you, they concentrate on what intensity you should use to work out. (How many sets and reps of each exercise, what heart rate to work at, etc.) Shouldn't they focus on teaching you how to move before adding any intensity to your program?

The tide is shifting thanks to trainers such as: Vern Gambetta, Mike Robertson, Erin Cressey, and many others including myself.


What do I feel is the best way to determine where to begin?

Before having a new client exercise, a Medical History Questionnaire is filled out. The goal: Find out what might keep this client from being able to perform certain exercises. The next step is to use this Questionnaire during what I call the Subjective Assessment. This covers any concerns brought up in the Medical Questionnaire in detail. An example: If the client is dealing with knee pain: When did this pain begin, what makes the pain worse, better, what treatments have already been tried and how did they help, etc.

Once I feel it is ok to begin, the next step is having the client go through a Dynamic Warm Up which will show me most of what I need to know. Watching them perform some basic movements like squatting or lunging will help complete the picture of how they move and show me what that client needs to work on to begin moving better.

Don't settle for just another workout. learn how to move first.

Wisely pick who your mentors are!

We can have many influences that determine who we become. Mentors can make or break us as professionals. Due to the internet, we don't ever need to meet the people that have the biggest influences on our lives.

I have many training mentors whom I have never met. Mike Robertson http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog is one who I have spent a lot of time studying in the last few days.

Mike does a great job of explaining the training ideas that I have in an easy to understand manner. He and I share training philosophies. An example: Pain is a symptom. The key is finding the causes. Einstein was quoted as saying, spend 90% of your time defining the problem and 10% on the solution.

The next time your back is bothering you, spend enough time figuring out why before you come up with a solution to the pain.

2009 Tour De Donut

Yea, it's been a while since I posted anything on this blog. Does anyone reads my post anyway?

This Sat. July 11, over one thousand cyclist will travel to Staunton IL to race the 2009 Tour De Donut.

I have participated (or worked) this event since moving to this side of the river in 1993.

Training has been going well. My bother Gary is going to come up from Austin TX to race just like last year. I have the Cannondale R1000 ready for him to ride. Stopped by a LBS to buy some new cleats for the shoes he will use. He had trouble clipping in at the start last year, being the great brother I am, I waited for him to catch up with me and blew any chance to ride with the leaders.

For anyone who doesn't race on a regular basis, the start of this race can be scary. There are many non-racers who try to stay with the lead group on the way out of Staunton. A lot of them don't know how to hold their line. (or a steady pace)
I always breath easier once we hit Renken road.

Something else that bothers me is the amount of riders that act like we are on a closed course. I've been hit by a car before, it ain't a whole lot of fun. Be careful out there.

I use to ride without eating any donuts until I heard a conversation between Roger Kramer and Joe Booth. (Two of the founders of the TDD) Roger made a great point. Eating donuts is the point of the race. I feel that the TDD organizers (the Boeing Bike Club) should get rid of the non-adjusted times. We all know that the true winner is the rider with the lowest adjusted time. If you are at the awards ceremony, you know that the crowd admires this winner much more than the non-adjusted winners.

If you ride the TDD this Sat, be careful out there, give the guy on a 99 Litespeed classic and his brother on the 99 Cannondale R1000 some room, AND EAT SOME DONUTS. That's the whole point.

Cyclists at risk for bone loss

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-cycling16-2009feb16,0,1785648.story

My solution. Learn to lift heavy and lift often.

How to Stand: Perfect Posture = Perfect Technique

This is part one of an article that was posted on Dr. Mercola's web site. (I can't remember how long ago) I will post the other parts in the near future.

By Dr. Ben Lerner

When helping to prepare Olympic athletes for battle, we have very few weeks and very little time each day. Time always seems to be against us. However, working with Olympians became great training for working with non-Olympians. Why? Most everyone feels they have little time for fitness in today's fast-paced world.

In preparation for life or the Olympics, you need a program you can quickly put into any schedule, yet is super-duper effective and totally safe. Injury is not an option for potential medalists or busy people.

This week's column illustrates how to get the greatest bang for your buck, meaning how to get more from your workouts while spending less time and optimizing injury prevention.


All exercise and stretching, as well as all movement in life, needs to be performed as close to Perfect Posture as possible. God designed the body using all of the vast, highly technical laws of science, mathematics and physics in order for your "Body By God" to best deal with gravity. When maintaining your posture, the muscles, joints and bones are at their strongest and most stable. This will allow them to be able to withstand large or repetitive forces without suffering injury.

Perfect Posture

* The head is up and back so the ears line up over the shoulders, and the arc (lordosis or reversed "C" curve) in the neck is maintained
* Shoulders are rolled back in the joints
* Upper back flat and not arched or humped
* Belly button is out and hips back so you have an arc (lordosis/reversed "C" curve like the neck) in your lower back called the "weight lifter's arch"
* Knees are slightly bent to provide shock absorption

Remember to maintain this posture during all stretches and exercises. Any exercise or stretch that calls for a disruption of posture means it is unhealthy, or you are doing it wrong.

How to Stretch

Due to sitting, driving, working on the computer, getting out of shape and the effects of gravity, certain muscles get too short or too tight. This can create an injury during lifting or cause you to develop joint pain and degeneration over time.

To compensate for the natural muscle shortening that occurs due to our modern, unnatural lifestyles, stretching is critical to perform before, during and after every workout.

Short Muscles and Their Stretches

Hamstrings: While standing, put your foot up on a chair or bench. Keeping perfect posture (head up/shoulders back/weight lifter's arc in your back), bend down slightly toward your foot, making sure to keep your head and shoulders up. You should feel a stretch in the back of your leg and calf.

Calves: Stand 2-3 feet away from a wall and lean against it while keeping your back and legs straight so you are bending forward at the ankle only. You should feel a stretch at the Achilles tendon and calf muscles.

Chest Muscles/Front Shoulders: Stand by a wall or in a doorway and put your hand against it at eye level. Move or lean forward, away from your hand, until your arm is straight and being pulled back enough to cause a stretch in the chest and shoulder muscles. Change the level of your hand to below the waist and above your head in order to perform this stretch at three different angles.

Front of Neck: Roll your shoulders back, pull your chin in and then roll your head back so you are looking up at the ceiling behind you. This is done to stretch the front of the neck. The muscles and ligaments in the front of the neck get tight due to the forward head posture created by driving, watching TV or sitting at a desk or computer.

Hold all stretches for 10-15 seconds, back off slightly, take a deep breath in, and then let it out while you repeat the stretch for another 10-15 seconds. Each time you go back down while breathing out, you should be able to stretch farther. Do each stretch at least three separate times to achieve the maximum benefit.