San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders Loses 94 Pounds - Men's Fitness

San Diego residents looking for inspiration to lose weight don't need to look any further than their mayor, Jerry Sanders.

JERRY SANDERS
Hometown: San Diego, California
Age: 61
Height: 5'10"
Weight Before: 276 lbs.
Weight After: 182 lbs.

With all the lifestyle changes, the pounds didn't really start to come off until his trainer, whom he works with twice a week, started making him take accountability for his progress. "He thought I was working out hard, but I wasn't losing weight fast enough, so he started weighing me every Friday and that's what turned the table."

Beyond the health benefits (his blood pressure and cholesterol dropped with his pants size), he gets constant motivation from how much he loves walking (his rep tells us his music of choice during these epic walks is Pink Floyd) and the response he's gotten from everyone around him. "It's been kind of amazing. People are really focused ... Read More

By Elizabeth Yun

Aging Well Through Exercise

Dana Edmunds/Getty Images

“They suggest strongly that people don’t have to lose muscle mass and function as they grow older. The changes that we’ve assumed were due to aging and therefore were unstoppable seem actually to be caused by inactivity. And that can be changed.”

Overweight and Obesity - U.S. Obesity Trends $$$450 billion annually

National Obesity Trends

About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese.
Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.
[Data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES)]


Trends by State 1985–2010

During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
The animated map below shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.

Percent of Obese (BMI > 30) in U.S. Adults
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2010 State Obesity Rates
State	%	State	%	State	%	State	%
Alabama	32.2	Illinois	28.2	Montana	23.0	Rhode Island	25.5
Alaska	24.5	Indiana	29.6	Nebraska	26.9	South Carolina	31.5
Arizona	24.3	Iowa	28.4	Nevada	22.4	South Dakota	27.3
Arkansas	30.1	Kansas	29.4	New Hampshire	25.0	Tennessee	30.8
California	24.0	Kentucky	31.3	New Jersey	23.8	Texas	31.0
Colorado	21.0	Louisiana	31.0	New Mexico	25.1	Utah	22.5
Connecticut	22.5	Maine	26.8	New York	23.9	Vermont	23.2
Delaware	28.0	Maryland	27.1	North Carolina	27.8	Virginia	26.0
District of Columbia	22.2	Massachusetts	23.0	North Dakota	27.2	Washington	25.5
Florida	26.6	Michigan	30.9	Ohio	29.2	West Virginia	32.5
Georgia	29.6	Minnesota	24.8	Oklahoma	30.4	Wisconsin	26.3
Hawaii	22.7	Mississippi	34.0	Oregon	26.8	Wyoming	25.1
Idaho	26.5	Missouri	30.5	Pennsylvania	28.6

"According to the recent McKinley Quarterly report, the economic impact of obesity, including the $160 billion health care cost (much of which is related to obesity related issues), is $450 billion annually. An increasing contingency suggests primary interventions such as tax deductions for measured activity participation and health insurance sponsored physical activity programs should replace the awareness campaigns, whereas others believe taxing the obese or creating more personal financial burden for their health care is the answer."

Revive Your Resolutions

The iconic Times Square globe wasn't the only ball to get dropped in early 2011. Of the 120 million Americans who rang in the New Year with a resolution, 36 percent ditched their vows by February. Chilly temps, dreary days, and a wardrobe full of parkas and sweats can make a Snuggie seem more alluring than a spin class.

But it's possible to rebound. Researchers found that 71 percent of people who eventually met their goals said an initial slipup made them all the more determined to get back on track.
And thanks to this season's mild weather and long daylight hours, it's the perfect time to renew your slim-down vows. Now, for that kick in the pants...

Resolution: Hit the gym every day.
The problem: Aiming to do anything every day, besides eat and breathe, is setting yourself up for failure.
The fix: Commit to a more realistic schedule of four days a week, says Bonnie Pfiester, co-owner of BCx Boot Camp in Vero Beach, Florida. That gives you three days of wiggle room (for late work nights or Saturday-morning hangovers), but you have to consider the four workout days nonnegotiable.
"You likely failed the first time around because you saw workouts as optional," says Pfiester. "If you schedule them like business meetings or lunch dates, you'll be more likely to follow through." Create a specific action plan (e.g., Monday, 7 p.m.: spin class; Wednesday, 6 a.m.: circuit workout plus 20 minutes of cardio intervals; Thursday, 6 p.m.: 30-minute power walk before dinner; Friday, 7 a.m.: vinyasa yoga class). Then put it on your calendar.
10 Ways to stick to your workout.

June is National Dairy Month

Dairy's Role in Women's Health:  According to the USDA, nearly nine out of ten women (ages 20 and up) fail to meet calcium recommendations.  Milk is an excellent source of calcium and provides eight additional essential nutrients, including protein, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin. Milk and milk products help build strong bones, teeth and muscles. Research shows that when cutting calories to lose weight, three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt each day helps people burn more fat and lose more weight than just cutting calories alone. Dairy foods can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis, kidney stones and PMS.

Recipes:
Beef Burrito with Pepper Jack Cheese and Black Beans
Banana and Yogurt Crepes 
Pomegranate Smoothie

Better for blood pressure: Cardio or weights?

Are your Parents and Grandparents committed to strength training?

Maybe they should be.

Video Link: Better for blood pressure: Cardio or weights?

10 Signs You are Getting Healthier Even if the Scale Doesn’t Move

What signs tell YOU that you're healthier?

Sometimes the scale doesn’t budge and you wonder if you are getting any healthier on your fitness plan. Well, here are 10 signs that you are!

1. You feel like taking on something new. That’s a great sign that you are getting healthier. It shows a heightened energy level and more active mentality. You are obviously ready for new challenges that you weren’t ready for before you became fitter.
2. You notice a new pep in your step. Things are becoming easier for you. Gravity isn’t pulling you to the ground as easily, and maybe your mood isn’t either. You have some new resilience.
3. Your clothes are fitting differently. Maybe your clothes are looser; maybe they are tighter over your growing muscles. Whichever way it is, be sure and take note and dress to impress. Wearing the same old stuff from your closet that no longer fits is discouraging. Wearing better fitting clothes, be they from a store or a friend, will always make you feel and look better.
4. Your medical test scores are improving. My triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and thyroid readings have all changed since I’ve lost weight. Even when I plateau for months at a time (frustrating!), those tests tell me I’m going in the right direction medically.
5. You start taking that one extra step. Usually the saying is to “Go the extra mile.” I say “Go the extra step.” A mile is a long way, but if you even find yourself having the energy to take that extra step, congratulate yourself. You are building on something. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
6. You look for ways to make other’s lives easier. If you are looking for ways to pay it forward and make other’s lives easier, then your needs are met. That’s a great sign! According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the basic needs of a human have to be met in order to even consider outer social relationships, such as kindness and love. In my opinion, if you find yourself doing random acts of kindness, be assured you are blessed and well. I don’t think we can afford to forget the connection of mind, body, and spirit as a human whole in wellness.
7. You feel more positive and energetic. That is a natural by product of getting healthier. The body starts working better and when it does, it releases feel good chemicals in the brain, delivers energy to the cells more efficiently, and you feel better day by day.
8. Your hair, skin and nails start to look marvelous. As a result of getting the right nutrients into your body, your body will start to look better all over. Not only will you lose/gain weight on a proper nutrition plan, but your hair, skin and nails will start to look lustrous too. Have you ever had someone tell you to take a certain supplement and your nails/hair will grow? Well, they aren’t far off. Nutrients are known to feed the hair and nails, even though they are technically dead. They still come from a living hair follicle and a living nail bed. Skin is very much alive and in need of nutrients. After all, look at how much skin you have.
9. You look forward to your workout time. This is definitely a good sign. Your body is craving movement and the endorphins it brings. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals released in the brain that bust stress during and after exercise. The more you move the more you will crave moving. This will lead to a healthier cardiovascular system, leaner muscles, a brighter mindset, and weight control.
10. You crave healthier fare. If you are starting to think a fresh banana sounds better than banana chips, you are well on your way. Is your chocolate getting a bit darker these days? Are you choosing food closer to its natural state or cutting out soda and liking it? Good for you! Progress not perfection! Keep changing the little things and the bigger lifestyle change will come.

As you can see, the scale is not the final decision maker as to whether you are getting healthier on your health plan. YOU are. Look for and celebrate the little things that you find new to your life.

By Beth Donovan

Sarcopenia noted in Article, "What's the Single Best Exercise?"

Sarcopenia - (from the Greek meaning "poverty of flesh") is the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength associated with aging.

Physical activity incorporating resistance training is probably the most effective measure to prevent and treat sarcopenia.

Natural history of Sarcopenia
Strength losses with ageing for men and women are relatively similar. They are greater for lower than upper extremity muscles. Maximum attainable strength peaks in mid-twenties and declines thereafter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcopenia


What's the Single Best Exercise? 

"The squat, and weight training in general, are particularly good at combating sarcopenia, he said, or the inevitable and debilitating loss of muscle mass that accompanies advancing age. “Each of us is experiencing sarcopenia right this minute,” he said. “We just don’t realize it.” Endurance exercise, he added, unlike resistance training, does little to slow the condition."

"... a sedentary person’s risk of dying prematurely from any cause plummeted by nearly 20 percent if he or she began brisk walking (or the equivalent) for 30 minutes five times a week. If he or she tripled that amount, for instance, to 90 minutes of exercise four or five times a week, his or her risk of premature death dropped by only another 4 percent."

"Walking has also been shown by other researchers to aid materially in weight control. A 15-year study found that middle-aged women who walked for at least an hour a day maintained their weight over the decades. Those who didn’t gained weight."

“I think, actually, that you can make a strong case for H.I.T.,” Gibala said. High-intensity interval training, or H.I.T. as it’s familiarly known among physiologists, is essentially all-interval exercise."

“Sprinting up stairs is a power workout and interval session simultaneously.”Meaning that running up steps just might be the single best exercise of all. Great news for those of us who could never master the butterfly."

Read More:  Article Link

Can Exercise Keep You Young?

Article Link:  Can Exercise Keep You Young?

“Exercise alters the course of aging,...”

"We all know that physical activity is beneficial in countless ways, but even so, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, was startled to discover that exercise kept a strain of mice from becoming gray prematurely."

"Mitochondria combine oxygen and nutrients to create fuel for the cells — they are microscopic power generators."

"Many scientists consider the loss of healthy mitochondria to be an important underlying cause of aging in mammals."