Photo credit: aussiegall
Hello Friends,

Just dropping in to let y'all know that I'm still around, contemplating what to do about this blog. It is likely that I may switch to a new domain in the next couple of weeks, but as for now, I will stay on the low for a while. Hope everyone is well!

~rupal

drumroll please...

Photo by aussiegall

...and the winner of the book The End of Overeating by Dr. David Kessler is Geosomin!!

Please email me your addy at 101exercises at gmail dot com to receive your prize!

holidays!

Photo by aussiegall

Dear Friends,

I am away on holiday in Barcelona and Madrid this week, please forgive the lack of posts!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway--winner to be announced on Tuesday!!

In more news, upon my return from Spain, I will be cutting down posting to three times a week. This is due to the fact that I have multiple projects in the works and as it turns out, I need to add a little time in my life to breathe....

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Meet you back here on Monday June 22!

Rupal

For the fun of it: fitness videos

Sit on your butt and get an ab workout:



From the greats who started workout videos:





Have a great weekend friends!

Make a road map!

It is so easy to create a goal in your head, then lose sight of it the second something goes awry. How do you stick to your goals and see yourself crossing the finish line?

Planning

It sounds so simple, but planning ahead can help you achieve the milestones which will lead you to the finish line!

This includes:

1. Writing your goal down: include a final date and write in pencil so things can be amended as needed.
   
   
2. Developing a road map: include rest days, holiday plans and mini-markers (ex. 5k on the way to a full marathon)
   
   
3. Visualize your success: Remember when mom used to put that 'A+' on the fridge? Do the same with your goal markers, show them with pride on the fridge, a success board or whatever helps keep you on track.
   

How do you showcase your successes? How are your goals shaping up these days? Do you have a buddy to keep you on track?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!

Book Review: The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler, MD

Eating has become well rehearsed in our lives. So well rehearsed in fact, that it has become a habit that is so powerful that it drives our behavior and compels us to overeat way beyond what our body perceives as being 'full'. This, coupled with the trickery of the food industry, Dr. Kessler explains is the fundamental reason for which Americans are currently facing an obesity epidemic.

Dr. Kessler begins his book with a thorough explanation of the underlying mechanisms which drive habits and how our brain perceives basic desires and rewards. Anecdotal stories from his own personal life are backed up by studies which he presents to the reader to help educate us on the basic mechanisms which drive us towards specific foods. These foods which are highly coveted by the general population are those that offer the greatest content of sugar, fat and salt in varied quantities. This category of food is known to be 'hyper-palatable', thus landing them high on our totem pole for desires.

The next part of the book uncovers the secrets of the food industry in which he describes how marketers and developers take advantage of this highly coveted trio to design foods that we want more of. His research revealed the processes by which the industry aims to create food which is not only desirable but also easy for the consumer to ingest. He goes on to explain why our body craves these foods and how this craving creates a cycle of desire and reward that we are compelled to respond to.

Having laid the foundation for over-eating to take place, the author continues the book with a full explanation of how food begins to take our mind and body over, and how we become burdened by the choice between eating something which we know will satisfy us in the short term versus listening to our rational side which whispers the healthy alternative. This is the struggle that we face day in and day out when it comes to foods that we view to be hyperpalatable whether this be chocolate cake or fried chicken.

He concludes the book with a chapter which is entitled 'food rehab' where he constructs a method for which to halt this cycle of binge eating and re-wire the brain in order to make the healthy alternative seem more appealing.

Overall Impression:

I think Dr. Kessler has done a phenomenal job in this book of helping someone understand the driving forces involved in our appetites and WHY we are compelled to overeat time and time again. He clearly lays out a rational reason for our brains drive us to act this way and offers a solution which is not only reasonable, but achievable.

Personally, I have walked away with a greater understanding and awareness of my own relationship to food. I am able to better attack 'thin mint invasions' since reading this book more constructively and with better overall control. I am more aware of what goes into my mouth and more importantly, how it helps me function through my day. I have learned to link what I am eating to how I feel (regarding energy, fatigue) with greater understanding of how it will affect me 3 hours down the line. I highly recommend reading this book to use as a tool to help anyone understand the fundamentals that go into the relationships that we have developed and to be better attuned to what needs to occur to changing them and forming new, healthier habits.

How in tune with your food intake are you? Do you associate what you eat with how it affects your levels of production? Please leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway!! It ends on Monday June 15 at Midnight and winner will be announced on Tuesday!

The foodstuffs: what is your relationship?

Today is a prequel to tomorrows post review (& giveaway) of the book The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler, MD. Stay tuned folks!

The blogging community has opened my eyes wide open to 'disordered eating'. Honestly, I didn't know that people had such strong relationships with food that they struggled to break free of until now.

My own idea of healthy for ME was exercising regularly, being spiritually connected to my body and feelings and being aware that what I was shoving into my pie hole wasn't total crap.

I begin to evaluate my own ties to food and how it affected my overall lifestyle. My relationship with food is simple: I eat to keep me filled and give me energy. I have little preference as to where we go out to eat because, well, as long as it's reasonable, I can find something suitable on most menus and I rarely crave specific foods. My husband says I 'have no tastebuds' and that food is to be enjoyed and "you just don't care as long as your full."

Yes, that about sums it up.

Then there is a flip side. There are days where healthy goes out the window and although my exercise routine exists, my awareness of food is gone wayside. It's a rare occurrence, but there are days that I just can't resist that Thin Mint and once I open the box, it's just inevitable that I finish half of it! It makes me feel awful (as does just writing this out!), but then once it has started, the day pretty much continues with me snacking on foods that I normally wouldn't think twice about. WHAT is that about!?

Have you guys discovered your own relationship with the foodstuffs? How do you react in a situation where temptation is knocking at your door?

Please join me tomorrow for the review and giveaway of Dr. Kessler's book: The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite!!

Q & A core series: Deep abs or not?

I talk ad nauseam about how the key to core work is activating the deep abdominal muscles in order to achieve a stable base for limb movement to take place, but do you fully understand this concept and how to activate these muscles?

How do you know if you are accessing the deep abdominals when you are performing your core routine?

While performing core exercises, if you are accessing through the deep structures, then you will NOT see a 'pop' up of the six pack muscles through your skin. Ok, so I know that for most situations, this is not aesthetically ideal, but it is critical here in order to achieve true 'core stability'.

With constant pulling through the outer six pack muscles, it alters the activation patterns of your overall structure, leading to less overall strength and can lead to injury.

Let's take the 'Toe Taps' as an example, please see video for instruction:


For those not so video inclined:

1. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
   
2. Position your pelvis in neutral, so that there is a small curve in your low back and your hip bones sit parallel to the floor. (small grape size space between the floor and your low back)
   
3. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and lift your right leg so that it is 90 degrees at the hip and knee.
   
4. Inhale to prepare and exhale and lift your left leg to meet your right.
   
5. Inhale at the top, exhale and lower you right leg to tap the floor with your toes. Be mindful that your pelvis stays in the neutral position.
   
6. Alternate toe taps for 10-15 repetitions.
   

Tips to help you connect to your deep abdominals:

• Place your fingers under your low back as you perform the above exercise with the goal to maintain the same amount of pressure on your fingers with your low back throughout the exercise.


• USE the breath! Exhaling as your leg moves towards the floor can help you connect through the deep structures by activating the diaphragm muscle which in turn causes a sequential activation of the Transversus abdominus, pelvic floor and Multifidi muscles.


• Engage your mind into the activity by allowing the rest of your body surrender to the floor. Allow the floor to carry your upper body and direct all your efforts at controlling your pelvis.

How are you guys doing with this? Have you been able to engage deep abs?

For the fun of it: bizarre links

Beach season is upon us and you are seriously gearing up by cutting out all fried foods, processed foods and the starchy's. It's been about a week and no cravings, you feel as though you are sailing along just fine, until you pass by Denny's. Ahh, the sweet smell of bacon on a Sunday morning. But, no, you are staying on track, passing right by... No worries, my friends, there are always bacon flavored substitues for the real thing! Why not try some J & D's Bacon flavored Lip Balm or better yet, Archie McPhee's bacon gumballs? Who knew there was bacon-y goodness in all forms??

Women, finally the product we have all been waiting for. The one that will change your hiking and camping adventures forever and help you stay hydrated like never before. GoGirl is the revolutionary new tool for women who desire a hygienic and discreet method of urination in all settings. Whizzy may have begun the trend of Female Urination Devices (FUD) but GoGirl is here to end it!

Recently, you have been fed up with your gym...weights are so boring and the motivation just isn't there. No problem, try out Gymbox where the weights are humans. YES, HUMANS. Their purpose is trifold really: motivation, humor AND strength. What more could you ask for?

Sleep on your side? Like Sushi? Unsure how these could be related? Achieve sweet slumber with this edamame body pillow!

Any bizarre products you have found that you want to share?? How is your weekend shaping up folks?

HAVE A GOOD ONE!

Thursday tips: posture & stress

POSTURE TIP

Our head and pelvis are the two attachment sites for your spine. Due to their importance in how the spine translates movement, they can be used as points of control to achieve upright posture.

Notice that leaning your pelvis backwards leads to your head coming forwards. This occurs automatically as a result of the change in mobility through the spine. This means that if one end of the spine is out of whack, it leads to all the curves of the spine being stressed in an unnatural manner (i.e. compression and pain!).

• Sit sideways facing a mirror and position your pelvis so that it is upright and you are sitting tall on your sit bones. Notice where your head is in relation and the effort it took to achieve this stunning posture!


• Now, form a new habit and you're on your way!

TENSION HEADACHES

Tension headaches gotcha down?

Where is it coming from?

• temporal: the muscle on our foreheads tend to spasm up with tension headaches.


• temporo-mandibular joint: maybe you hold your tension in your jaw...this is the junction where your chin bone meets the skull, right under the earlobe.


• occipital: this is around the hairline at the base of the skull

All these muscular attachment sites can spasm and lead to terrible tension headaches which reduce our output and can further the stress cycle!

Next time you are suffering, pinpoint which of these areas are causing you the most grief and instead of digging your fingers in to alleviate the spasms, gently rub your knuckles in a circular motion over the area while taking 5-10 deep breaths and keeping your eyes closed. Gentle massage is sometimes more effective in alleviating muscle spasms than deep tissue work! What are you waiting for!? Give it a go!

Any tips you use on yourself you want to share with us today!?

See it through to the end!

We have all set out to crush a goal only to be met by tall barriers which keep the white tape just out of reach. The pivotal point in this situation can be as little as a shove from a friend or a set back like getting ill. Next time you find yourself in a rut, try these techniques to help you push through to the other side:

• Anticipate set backs
  
  Recognize that there will be times that you will want to quit. Enlist a friend to keep you on track and motivated for these times. Have them remind you of what your goal means to you. Hearing it from an outside source is sometimes just what we need to overrule the 'just quit' thoughts that creep up on us from time to time.


• Have control issues
  
  Our internal dialogue turns negative when we feel as though we have lost control over the situation. For example, "I'm not flexible" leads us to believe that we will never be able to do anything which requires any amount of flexibility, no matter how much effort put forth. How can you count yourself out before you have even tried!?
  
  Next time you are experiencing mid-goal butterflies, counter your negative thoughts with positive ones. Example: "I am so tired today, I am not sure if I can run." turns into "I need a healthy snack to re-energize for my evening run."


• Reminisce
  
  Why did you set off to conquer this ambition to begin with? Reminiscing about the underlying reason for why you set off on your journey can help to bring you back to why it is important for you to see it through to the end.
  
  Find three reasons for accomplishing your goal and turn them into affirmative statements that you can revert to whenever these situations come up again. Example: "The training required to run a marathon helps me to lay the foundation for lifelong fitness."

What do you struggle with when trying to accomplish a goal? How are your current goals going??

Taping & Braces

photo credit: euthman

What is your go-to solution when you hurt yourself?

Do you pop the IB and sit the next session out? Seek medical attention ASAP? OR, are you one of those that straps on a brace, determined not to skip a workout session and hobbles through the next sweat fest (denying the pain :)?

If you are a brace-donner, have you ever wondered what that brace was doing for you?

First, the research:

Studies testing the efficacy of functional bracing on the stress and strain of our joints have shown that even small magnitude forces placed on the bone surface cause excessive displacement of the joint surfaces despite the brace. Furthermore, a study conducted on college American football athletes showed that the rate of occurrence of injury was unaffected by the athletes wearing the protective braces.

Second, my spiel:

Braces are designed to act as a 'crutch' to help you achieve the things that you may feel less inclined to accomplish without the added support. This is an okay mechanism for reinforcement in the short term because it acts to give individuals a small sense of security and protection.

Braces, much like athletic taping serve as a reminder for us to prevent our joints from moving in orientations that can be hurtful or to continue to activate muscles which we need to function efficiently. However, this too, has it's limitations. The more we use these things, the less effective they are for us, because the level of stimulation it provides to the brain is dampened over time, therefore the protective mechanism they once provided is lost as we fall back into habitual behaviors.

Third, the bottom line:

My personal practice with clients is to advise against the use of braces altogether. Taping is another story. With the correct method of application and reinforcing exercise, taping can provide the needed temporary support and/or stimulation to help someone re=learn movement patterns which are mechanically effective. This ensures the proper protection of the joint by the surround muscles and allows the joint to re-integrate with movement occurring throughout the body.

What about you guys? DO you use a brace? How is it helping you?