Got Porous Bones?
It May Be Time To Pour On The Resistance!

I have spent the last couple of years researching Osteoporosis and ways in which bone density can be retained or remodeled.  Following is an extremely brief summary.

Osteoporosis means (literally) “porous bone.”  It is a disorder in which the density and quality of the bones are reduced, making them fragile.  Osteoporosis increases the risk of fracture and often occurs with NO SYMPTOMS and progressively.  In fact, the first symptom may not occur until the first fracture.  The most common occurrences are at the hip, spine and wrist.

If you have been diagnosed with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis, we recommend speaking with your physician about your course of treatment.  In addition, we urge our clients to research the benefits of resistance training to aid in the possible retention and/or remodeling of bone.  Having said this, it’s important to note that there is a definite methodology associated with lifting weights to achieve this end, so that the results can be accomplished without injury.

Following is a very good article on Bone Remodeling, Osteoporosis and Training:  Bone Remodeling, Osteoporosis, and Training.

At My Health Studio, we can assist you with development of a program that can increase your bone mineral density and reduce bone mineral loss.  If you need help putting together a program, please contact My Health Studio at 818.889.3737 – www.myhealthstudio.com.

Can resistance training increase brain power?
Recent research says, "Yes!"

A dear client of mine, and someone who I admire for her inate intellectual capacity, shared a very interesting Los Angeles Times article with me last week.  The title of the article is “Dumbbells make you brainy.”  According to the article written by James S. Fell (L.A. Times article), “A growing body of evidence shows that regular exercise – be it resistance training or aerobic – helps ward off a host of cognitive impairments and enhances brainpower all life long.”

In addition to the obvious health benefits of cardio and resistance training, it’s clear to me that exercise can go a long way towards warding off depression and helping us to cope with stress.  I’ve taken numerous continuing education units on how to avert (or possibly reverse) osteopenia and osteoporosis using resistance and plyometric modalities (including mini-trampolines and vibration plates).  I’m so pleased that Michelle Voss, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Iowa and lead author on a 2011 review of the effect of exercise on cognition has research that provides some very compelling evidence showing the brain benefits of resistance training.  You can find additional details here: Exercise And The Brain: Pumping Iron To Pump Up The Gray Matter.

So instead of relying on cardio alone in your workouts, add a little weight to the matter!  Visit My Health Studio for a free class… A weight has been lifted!

Limited Time Offer – Ends Tonight at 11:35 P.M. Only $19 for One Month of Unlimited Classes from the MHS Walk-in Series – My Health Studio and Bogopod
For New Class Participants and Those Who Haven't Taken a Class in 3+ Months

LIMITED TIME OFFER FROM MY HEALTH STUDIO AND BOGOPOD!  If you’ve never taken a class at My Health Studio, or if you took a class with us 3 months ago or longer, have we got a deal for you!  Click on the link below and get one month of unlimited classes from the MHS walk-in class list for only $19!  Feel free to share this on your Facebook page by clinking on the Facebook “Share This Deal” link.  The deal will be active until Monday night at 11:35 p.m.  Here’s the coupon link:  My Health Studio Bogopod Link

Perceived Exertion
How to know when to stop!

If you’ve ever trained with me at My Health Studio, as you’re huffing and puffing during an exercise, you’re accustomed to hearing me ask the question, “On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means you feel like you’re dead, what number are you at?”  When the response is an out-of-breath grunt, I know it’s time to adjust.

When you’re exercising alone, it’s important to keep an eye on intensity.  It’s essential to work at a pace that is taxing enough to help you reach your targets, but not so difficult that you turn blue and faint!  One of the best ways to do this is to use a Perceived Exertion Scale.  Perceived exertion is how hard you feel your body is working.  The standard scale in personal training is the “Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion.”  If you would like information on that particular scale, just plug it into any search engine and you’ll find out more than you want to know.  In the meantime, I’ve looked at many PE scales and combined them to come up with one of my own tongue-in-cheek versions (see below).  In general, for most exercise sessions, it’s okay stay at around a 6.  If you’re doing “HIIT” (High Intensity Interval Training), your recovery should be between 4 and 5, and your intensity blasts should be approximately 8 or 9.  I do not recommend working at a 10.  For extended, measured workout sessions, keep the Perceived Exertion level at 5 or lower.

• Level 1:  I’m lying on the sofa, watching TV and eating cookies and ice cream.  I am not at all uncomfortable. 
• Level 2:  Now I’m I’m standing eating cookies and ice cream and I’m still very comfortable. 
• Level 3:  I’m feeling guilty, so I’ve decided to march while eating my dessert.  Now I’m breathing a bit harder.  After all, it takes energy to march in place and swallow! 
• Level 4:  I’ve finished my dessert, but I’m still marching.  (I’ve heard that if I move while I eat, I won’t gain weight! – hee hee)  In fact, I’m sweating a tiny bit, but I can still easily carry on a conversation. 
• Level 5:  I’m bored from marching in place, so I’ve decided to lift my knees high and sing while marching.  I’m sweating a bit more, but I’m comfortable enough to continue a conversation (between belting out tunes)! 
• Level 6:  I’ve stopped singing, but I can still talk (sort of).  However, I am slightly winded. 
• Level 7:  I’m sure I can still talk if I tried, but I don’t really desire to.  Singing is out of the question.  I’m sweating like a piggy! 
• Level 8:  I can no longer sing or speak intelligibly.  I can grumble in response to questions and can only keep this pace for a brief period of time. 
• Level 9:  I think I may depart from this life soon.
• Level 10:  I have departed.