"Fitness Boasters" Reported to be Disrupting the Use of Social Media

A fitness website from the United Kingdom put together a survey to find out what drives social media users crazy -- crazy enough to even go as far as to quit Facebook or Twitter. 

Sweatband.com put together survey responses from more than 1,700 social media users to find out the most annoying social media behaviors. Coming in at number 1 are the infamous "fitness boasters", or people who constantly post their workout successes or about how healthy they are eating. 

Although it may be a self-esteem booster and motivator to be able to post workout success, this survey finds that continued boasting may cause your friends to use social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter less or quit completely. 52% of users reported using social media less, and 38% of users reported that they have stopped using social media all together to escape the seemingly endless posts of their connection's fitness endeavors. 

To find out what else is irking social media users, click here. 

Resolutions

Check out this funny little video I put together about my fitness goals for 2013. I've got my work cut out for me!

Women >40: Backside or Beauty, Choose One!

A story in the Times of London claims that every woman eventually has to choose between maintaining a youthful face or a great body. Fashion editor Lisa Armstrong quotes actress Catherine Deneuve: "A 30-year-old woman must choose between her bottom and her face." Basically, the "theory" assumes that as a woman gets older, she can either maintain her face or her body, but not both.

Why Real Athletes Don't Do Crossfit.....

I came across this review of Crossfit written by Nate Hemphill, a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the University of California-Davis.

I have not experienced CrossFit first-hand and plan on giving it a try next week; Nate's review has me a little concerned though. Will keep you posted.

5 Absurd (UnHealthy) Tax Deductions

Get your W-2s, 1099s and 1040s ready. April 15th is right around the corner!

Unfortuntely Health Club Memberships are not tax-deductible (in most cases); however, Congress has found plenty of ways to reward those that engage in unhealthy activitives.

Here are the Top 5 Absurd (UnHealthy) Tax Deductions

Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur's Inspirational Transformation!

Arthur Boorman, a disabled war veteran was disabled for 15 years until he discovered yoga.

When the American paratrooper returned home injured from the Gulf War, doctors told him he'd never walk unassisted again. For 15 years, Boorman believed them, and his weight ballooned to 297 lbs.
But, at 47 years old, Arthur discovered yoga in a newspaper article about DDP yoga, created by former wrestler Dimond Dallas Page. DDP is a hybrid workout that incorporates some traditional yoga movements and adds dynamic resistance, active breathing techniques and power movements.
Check out this incredible YouTube video. The non-impact yoga workout helped Boorman shed 140 lbs in 10 months, to walk, and to eventually run, unassisted.

The Hangover Workout

Did you have a little too much fun last night?

Perhaps you should have skipped that fifth shot of Patron, as well as the two slices of pizza you ate before passing out on your living room floor.

Your body is most likely dehydrated (which is why you probably look ripped, even though you feel like crap) so refuel with lots of H2O and electrolytes, like Gatorade or electrolyte packets in your water.

Then you'll be ready for Amanda Russell's Hangover Workout (Video), a great 15-20 minute circuit, designed specifically for the "Morning After."

There are six exercises in this workout and you are going to do 20 reps of each exercise and repeat the cycle a total of five times!

1.Burpees (20 reps)

2.Jumping Jacks (20 reps)

3.Skaters (20 reps)

4.High Knees (20 reps)

5.Plank Ups (20 reps)

6.Standing Cat-Cows (20 reps)

Stacked!

(Left to Right) Lisa Firooznia, Kerry Elsasser, Sebastian Sosnowski, George Weisgerber

I tried "Stacked", one of Equinox's newest classes, for the first time yesterday. All I can say is, getting beat down to a pulp never felt so good.

Stacked consists of six, targeted compound-movements, using sandbells, executed for 30 seconds each. We started out doing one exercise then "stacked" on an another exercise after each round. The first set seemed easy enough; however, eventually we worked our way up to a 3:00 minute super-set which included all six excercises. By then all of us were red-faced and dripping with sweat.

My friend, Kerry, a group fitness instructor herself, was laying on the floor completely fatigued at the end of class.

Our instructor, Caitlin McGowan, did a great job offering modifications based on each of our fitness levels. Caitlin also has a special talent for "tricking" her students. Just when you think the class is over, she adds another "stack."

A Zagat Guide for "Fit" Foodies

Equinox and Zagat have created the first-ever health-conscious Zagat Dining Out Guide, featuring Q (Equinox's Propietary Blog) editor-approved restaurants across the country that upholds the Equinox Nutrition Philosophy as well as Equinox's standard of good taste

Two Bodies Are Better Than One

Nothing says "I Love You" like a serious DUET training session.

Check out this great article in Q today about LA-based Equinox Group Fitness Manger Angela Leigh and her boyfriend Shaun Jenkins, an Equinox Tier 3+ trainer in New York City. They live nearly 3,000 miles apart, so when they can get together for a workout, things get pretty heated.

Valentines Day is only a few days away. Check out their customized workouts for TWO.

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Girls Can't Do Pullups

I've always wondered why, even the most fit, girls can't do pull-ups. Here's a funny little video that resulted from a debate I had on the subject.

Exercise's Effect on Appetite Regulating Hormones

 Research has previously proven that exercise can cause an increase in an appetite-stimulating hormone. Research is beginning to aim towards finding the connections between specific types of activity and the appetite regulating hormones they effect to optimize weight loss routines.

How many pull-ups is a female Marine required to do?

The answer, starting next January: a minimum of three, the same number required of male Marines.

If anyone thought the military’s decision to allow women into combat units would lead to exceptions for women when it came to fitness and physical strength they were mistaken...

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Rev Up Your Workout with Interval Training

For an excercise program to be successful it needs to be efficent and sustainable. According to a study in the Journal of Physiology, 20 minutes of interval training (30 second bursts followed by 4 minutes of recovery) produced the same physiological adaptations in the body and improvements in performance as 90 minutes of continuous cardio at a moderate pace.

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Digifit

I had a great session this morning with Equinox Personal Trainer, Tashin Choudhury. He uses  Digifit to record his clients' workouts. We trained for less than 30-minutes and I burned 310 calories! The session consisted of several high-intensity interval-training (HIIT) circiuts.

I've always loved the expression, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." Digifit allows you to measure and manage your workouts using various metrics (heart rate, speed, cadence, distance, pace, power).

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Remembering Fitness Forefather, Jack LaLanne

Long before Dr. Oz, the P-90X, Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Billy Blanks, and 8-minute Abs, Jack LaLanne was a national celebrity, preaching regular exercise and proper diet. He invented the forerunners of modern exercise machines like leg-extension and pulley devices. He marketed a Power Juicer to blend raw vegetables and fruits and a Glamour Stretcher cord, and he sold exercise videos and fitness books. He invited women to join his health clubs and told the elderly and the disabled that they could exercise despite their limitations.

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Cycle for Survival

More than half of people diagnosed with cancer have a rare form of the disease. Cycle for Survival is the indoor team cycling event that raises funds for rare cancer research.

100% of the funds go directly to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and are allocated within six months of each event. The donations help fund the most promising research and clinical trials, and have led to better treatments for cancer patients worldwide. If you want to actively fight cancer, you should join the battle with us.

Register Today!

Stairway to Hell...

Stair Races such as February’s Empire State Building 86-story Run-Up are increasing in popularity and enough to make an Ironman whimper and cough.

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From the Caveman Diet to the Caveman Workout....

Old school: Paleo-fitness is the latest workout trend that is based on the 13 basic skills a caveman would use to survive including sprinting, carrying and climbing.

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Clubbing Together

Private clubs are shaping up! Check out this article about the new trend for private clubs to add gyms, pools, and sports facilities. Another way the social realm meets the fitness world.

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