Something that is rarely talked about, at least openly, are eating disorders.   Interestingly, it is estimated that about 8 million people is the U.S. have some type of eating disorder.   To add to this, nearly one third of those affected are female athletes.

Eating disorders however, actually do not involve food itself as the primary problem.   It is merely a symptom.   Common causes for these types of disorders are the following:

Low self-esteem

Feelings of inadequacy

Lack of control in life

Depression, anger, loneliness, anxiety

Troubled relationships

History of being teased about weight

Cultural pressures

Narrow definitions of a “good body”

Cultural norms

Simply “getting over” these issues however are not something that can be easily done.   While this is often the prescribed thing to do by parents or friends of those suffering from these disorders, more is required.   Generally, there are two stages of treatment.   First, comes a short term intervention to restore health and prevent death.   Secondly comes long-term therapy often aided by a group of professionals such as psychiatrists, nurses, and dieticians.

The important thing is to realize that these disorders can affect many people, and that treatment is the key.   No amount of simply “telling someone” to get better will work.   If you, or someone you know has this disorder, do not pass judgment.   Like any illness, it must be professionally treated.   Know the signs and watch out for them.   Your life, or the life of someone you love may depend upon it!

Scott

samirakhan:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — An American drone fired two missiles at a bakery in northwest Pakistan Saturday, killing four suspected militants, officials said, as the U.S. pushed ahead with its drone campaign despite Pakistani demands to stop. This was the third such strike in the country in less than a week.

Drone attacks in Pakistani tribal areas where Afghan and other militants have found refuge are considered a key tactic by U.S. officials in the war against al-Qaida and its Taliban supporters. But many Pakistanis resent the strikes, which they consider an affront to their sovereignty.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said the latest attack took place in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region.

The officials said the victims were buying goods from a bakery when the missiles hit. Residents were still removing the debris, officials said. All of the dead were foreigners, but the officials did not have any information on their identities or nationalities.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The U.S. rarely talks publicly about the covert CIA-run drone program in Pakistan.

Drone strikes have become an increasingly contentious issue between Washington and Pakistan. Pakistan’s parliament has demanded the U.S. end all attacks on its territory.

read more

 What drone attacks basically are: US government going “oh let me drop this drone on a target area and *hope* that out of the many that die, one will be a terrorist” The reality: countless amounts of innocent civilians dying for no reason. 

From 2004-2011, there have been a total of around 280 attacks. An estimated total of around 2,700 have been killed and 1076 have been injured. Of these, only 302 have been Taliban and 33 have been Al Qaeda (source). President Obama has launched more drone attacks in his term as President than President Bush did. There is a drone attack at least once every four days, but he insists it doesn’t put any innocent men, women and children in danger.

Funny, because around 90% of these deaths have been civilian deaths. But you won’t see numbers like that reported in anything that represents the US. I wrote a term paper on drone strikes last year, and almost every US-based article I came across that reported statistics showed that a very small percentage of those who died were civilians, and that majority were terrorists. Now of course that’s what they’d show, because that would make it seem as if the the drone strikes are effective. But lets face it, who has a better knowledge about the actual deaths, people sitting in offices millions of miles away? Or the people that are actually dying in said country, seeing bodies being torn apart day by day thanks to these drones? 

The United Nations Human Rights Council has also agreed that the United States government failed to keep track of civilian casualties of its military operations. (source —>read this for more information on how Drone strikes should be illegal)

“CIA drone strikes have become an almost daily occurrence around the world, but little is known about who is killed and under what circumstances,” said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. “So long as the US resists public accountability for CIA drone strikes, the agency should not be conducting targeted killings.” (source)

So then I ask, who are the real terrorists here? 

Don’t hang with terrorists and you won’t be killed.   End of story.

fitbody-happybody:

Stunt Eating: The Myth of Starvation Mode

Here’s your basic biology lesson. Your fat is stored calories. Let’s say you need 2800 calories to function throughout the day. You can either eat your 2800 calories, or you can eat 1400 and your body can burn 1400 stored calories, or you can eat…

Garan Fitness Consulting: Unfortunately what you are saying is not true.   One does not have to burn ALL of the body fat before “starvation mode” starts.   The body wishes to hold onto fat as a means to provide for itself should it encounter something it perceives as a famine.   Once we start cutting calories too far, this process kicks in, and the body then turns to muscle for fuel.   While plenty of fat still exists, it nonetheless has started burning muscle.   This results in less overall muscle resulting in a slower metabolism exacerbating the problem.   I hope this clears up any misunderstanding

People Sleep Peacefully in Their Beds at Night Only Because Rough Men Stand Ready to Do Violence on Their Behalf

One of the hardest things to develop when strength training is the mind-muscle connection, or the ability to feel the targeted muscle work.   The need to do so, however, is vital if you are to get the most out of your workouts.

Not all muscles are difficult to “feel” working such as the biceps.   Realistically, we have been “making muscles” since we were a little kid.   When told to do so, we simply flexed our biceps.   Areas such as the back however, are not as easily felt when working them.   This can occur as other muscles, such as the biceps, take over part of the work making it harder to target the specific area.

Often, the best thing to do, is drop weight and make a slight pause at the point where the targeted muscle is at it’s ending, or most flexed position.   Simply doing this can help you get a better understanding of the targeted muscle working.   Once this mind-muscle connection is established, it will make it easier to train over time.

Learning to strength train properly is a process.   One does not simply know how to train by reading or watching, but by developing this mind-muscle connection.   Over time, continue to consciously “feel” each muscle as it works.   The end results will be stronger, more defined muscles.

Scott

As the summer months approach, care must be taken to stay hydrated.   While we all know water is needed for our bodies, I thought it would be a good time to go a little further into WHY it is needed.

Our bodies are made up of 60% water give or take a little depending on individual makeup.   This fact alone shows the importance of keeping our fluid balance in check.   Among other things, water acts as a solvent allowing solids to be transported throughout the body.   It acts as a lubricant for our joints, and is of primary concern in temperature regulation.   It is also very important in in the chemical processes that occur throughout the body such as protein synthesis and the synthesis of glycogen.  

One primary reason that staying hydrated is so important is that lack of doing so, can cause an imbalance in electrolytes which can have some serious negative consequences to the body.

Another reason water is important is that the blood is made up in a large part with water.   As dehydration occurs, plasma volume decreases.   This in turn makes the heart work harder to pump the blood throughout the body!   While this list is not complete, it should show you some idea of how important it is to stay hydrated.

Interestingly, thirst is a terrible indicator or when it is time to drink water.   When we get thirsty, our bodies are already 1-2% dehydrated, which has been clinically shown to affect performance.

So, I got your attention and showed how important it is to drink water.   Now I must warn that we can also drink too much water which can cause problems.   While in general, vast amounts would have to be consumed, it is worth noting.   So what’s the answer?

A good rule of thumb is to simply drink enough to keep your urine clear or almost clear.   Bright yellow is an obvious sign of dehydration, so be aware of this.   While there are more scientific means to calculate water intake, this is a good general practice.   Simply adjust intake as demand is expected.   For instance, if you are going for a jog in hot weather, increase your intake.   By making slight adjustments, you can help your body run more efficiently.

Water is a requirement of life, and many of us simply do not drink enough.   Consuming enough water improves all aspects of your training.

Scott

Set training is one of the basic systems used for strength gains.   Three sets of ten has been used by just about everybody that has picked up a weight at some point in their life.   This system has you lift a weight for 10 reps, rest, another 10 reps, rest and ending with the last 10 reps.   At the end of the exercise you will have done 30 reps.

Now, I often talk about the importance of changing things up, so here is a little twist.   Instead of allowing the number of reps dictate the weight you use, switch it up.   Let the weight you use dictate the number of sets it takes to complete the 30 reps.

So, lets say you can curl 10 pound for 3 sets of 10 reps.   Pick a weight that is greater than you normally use, say 15 pounds!   Now, do as many sets as it takes to get 30 reps.   For this example lets so you do 9 reps on set one.   Then you get 8 reps on set 2.   Then you get another 7 reps on set 3.   Then you only manage 4 reps on set 4.   Finally you finish with a 5th set with 2 reps. 

While you still did 30 reps, you went much heavier, although it took you more sets.   This is a simple change will can help you blast through plateau’s or is a nice way to keep the body guessing as to what comes next.   It also keeps training interesting which helps keep progress coming.

If your are looking for a new way to train, keep this twist in mind.   It may be exactly what you are looking for!

Scott

In the late 80’s, I had to make a decision which was one of the most challenging in my personal life.   I was in college, and Gary, one of my best friends from high school had asked me to be in his wedding.   At the same time, the rugby team I was playing for had made it to the state playoffs, and I was needed there the same weekend   I really struggled with the decision, but in the end decided to play rugby instead of going to my friend’s wedding.   Part of my thinking was it was better to upset one person than 30, so the decision was made.   Now I must admit, I still wonder if it was the right decision, but that is water under the bridge.

Ultimately, my high school friend and I drifted apart until just recently.   We now meet on a monthly basis, and occasionally call each other.   When we first got reacquainted, I must admit I had no idea how things would be.   Did I change?   Did he change, or did we both change?   Would we even have anything in common at all?  

What I found is that we still share many of the same interests.   We both share a common faith in Christ, similar political views, and a love for fitness.  That is not to say some things haven’t changed, but overall we have kind of picked up where we left off.   In fact, we often share ideas on weight training, and cardiovascular training, encouraging each other to continue to improve.   We feed off each others energy.

This relationship got me thinking about the company we keep.   When you look at life, we are defined by that company.   Look around!   People that go to church, generally hang with people that go to church.   People that like watching baseball, hang with people that have a love for baseball and so on.  

The same is true for those of us that choose to live a fitness lifestyle.   If you want to be successful at losing weight, it is better to hang with someone that will encourage you to eat right than someone that is constantly trying to get you to eat poorly.   Exercising is no different.   Someone that trains regularly will be a better fit than someone that continuously tells you to give up on training and to stay home and watch TV.   In essence, we actually choose what we become, in part, by the friends we choose to have.

Now, this is not a hard and fast rule.   Certainly I have friends that do not train, and have differing political views, but I suppose it is something to consider when setting out to achieve something new.   Spending the majority of time with the like minded will certainly pay off in the long run as each of you have someone to lean on.

As my relationship builds with Gary, I cannot begin to say how fortunate I have been to be reconnected.   Often, we take friendships for granted.   We forget how important they are, until they are gone.  I can only say, choose your friends wisely.   After all, they define you.

Scott

So I was talking with a client the other day, and she said she was a little embarrassed when someone pointed out the definition becoming more noticeable in her arms.   Now, she has been working very hard on her training, and it is obviously paying off!   She did not elaborate, but I started wondering why she would feel embarrassed.   Are we so critical of ourselves, that it is sometimes hard to except compliments by others?   I believe so.   This, however, should not be.

Now, I recently posted that over 30% of people are currently obese, but when doing research I found it difficult to find stats indicating what percentage of American’s were “in shape.”   The best I could come up with was a number stating that 3 in 10 adults are considered to be in shape.  30%!!!    While the stat did not indicate what constituted “in shape” for the study, I suppose by simply looking around it is about right.   At least it’s in the ballpark.

Anyway, I started thinking about people.   For those of us that work our butts off everyday in the gym, or track, or court or whatever, we should be proud to be part of that 30%.   Yes, it doesn’t come easy, and that’s why the number is so low.   It takes effort!   Effort is something many people are simply not willing to give.   After all, it’s easier sitting on a couch eating Twinkies!

There is an old saying that goes something like this.   “Obsessed is what the lazy call the dedicated!”   Yes, it’s true.   Some people actually look down upon those of us that have decided top make fitness part of our lifestyle.   I however submit, that this contempt is not for us, but really comes from within themselves.   Inside they know that “they” simply are not willing to change themselves.   To make the commitment to do what is necessary.   Instead it is easier to put us down as “obsessed.”

You know, maybe I am obsessed.   I actually like spending time in the gym, and seeing what kind of changes I can make in my body.   It is actually nice being part of the 30%.   Yes, I think I will continue on my journey of obsession.   Will you?

Scott

We have all seen the scales or handheld devises that measure body fat.   Perhaps, some of you use them to track progress.   Despite what is commonly believed, elves do not actually life inside these machines and magically calculate your body fat.  

These devises actually send a small current of electricity through the body and measures the time it takes to pass through.   Through a series of calculations, the body fat is then determined.   Now, there is a method to this madness.

First, let me explain a little about how water is distributed within the body, as this is part of the whole analysis process.   Different areas of the body contain different percentages of water.   For instance, bone contains about 22% water, muscle about 75% water, and fat about 25% water.  

Knowing this, we can then understand the basics of how one of these devices works.   Essentially, the machine measures the resistance of the current that passes through the body.   If the body has a high percentage of muscle, which contains a lot of water, then the resistance is low.   If the resistance of the current passing through the body is high, then it means it is passing through much more fat which has a low percentage of water.

Now, obviously this is a very basic explanation of the whole process, but it should give you a basic understand of how the machine determines the amount of body fat within the body.   It also, underscores the importance of staying hydrated.   Obviously, if you are dehydrated, the machine will give a false body fat percentage, which will be higher as the current is being impeded by the lack of water in the body.

While not perfect, these machines can be useful in tracking progress when one is attempting to alter their body.   Remember, if you are using one of these machines to determine your body fat percentage, make sure you are hydrated.   The difference can be measurable!

Scott