Syncardia rides the mountain

A blissful 63 degrees a top Mt. Lemmon today, while the desert floor heated to 96 degrees. A primo day to be on the mountain. Life shrinks when you ride the mountain and the space around you magnifies. You become present to the scents, sounds, temperature and wind changes, the vistas, and rhythmic breathing syncing with each pedal stroke.

59 miles, 6300 feet of elevation gain, great sags with pie at the top. Syncardia jerseys dotting the roadway.

Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie - yummy

And cold beer, chips, salsa and guacamole waiting at the finish.

Refuel! Thank you Doug!

Syncardia rehydrates

Saving lives one heart at a time

According to a new study from the University of Colorado, published in the research journal Obesity, women who underwent liposuction for removal of fat deposits from the thighs and lower abdomen found that new fat deposits appeared on their shoulders, arms and upper abdomen. Post-procedure measurements were taken at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year to tract fat distribution.

The redistribution of fat appears to be modulated by adipocyte hyperplasia (the growth of new fat cells) or hypertrophy (the increase in size of existing fat cells). Since liposuction destroys the structures under the skin, this could explain why fat cells don’t grow back in the same place from which they were removed.

The take home message is that if caloric intake and energy expenditure (or lack of) remain constant pre and post liposuction, the surgical procedure will reduce the fat from the localized area, however, only temporarily reduce total body fat. When more calories are taken in than expended fat accumulation occurs by hypertrophy of existing fat cells or the creation of new adipocytes to store fat.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction is the number one plastic surgery and makes up 18.8 percent of procedures (200,000 in the US in 2010).

Just think, the money spent on liposuction could be used to hire a personal trainer and nutritionist for 6 months and produce significant weight loss, a gain in lean mass, create a greater sense of well-being and establish life-long exercise and nutritional habits.

Or do you get in the car and drive to pick it up or dine out at the pizza parlor? Most of the time we call and have it delivered! Why? Because, it’s convenient, it’s fast, it’s efficient, and it fits our lifestyle. When pizza first started being delivered, many people thought this was a crazy idea. No one would pay for this. However, pizza delivery service is now a main revenue stream for many pizza businesses.

Just as there are thousands of pizza parlors serving up oh-so tasty pizza there are 30,022 health clubs serving 45.5 million members in the United States (IHRSA, 2009). However, there are over 304 million people in the US and that means 85% of the population is not being served by a gym or health club.

Mobile fitness, an exercise delivery service, provides a great opportunity to reach a large percentage of the population that are not exercising in the gym or that are not exercising at all.

Mobile fitness is appealing to many people because it is convenient and eliminates many of the barriers to exercise such as:

Lack of time
Lack of professional instruction
Family and work commitments
Inaccessibility
Weather
Safety

Mobile fitness is one of the fastest growth areas in the fitness industry and you too can be a successful entrepenuer with your own mobile fitness business.

I use an in-home trainer because it saves me time, it’s convenient, it fits my schedule, and the money I would spend on a gym membership fee is applied to training sessions, plus the program is specifically tailored to my needs.

So check out the new 2011 Be a Successful In-Home/Mobile Trainer CE course for all of the information you need to start your own mobile fitness business. You’ll learn how mobile training differs from gym training, questions to ask before deciding if entrepreneurship is for you, how to write a business plan and find your niche market, how to set up your legal structure and financial business planning, strategies for marketing and selling your services, scheduling and staffing a mobile fitness business, plus so much more.

There is strong evidence that the mind-body practice of tai chi, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health problems. “A growing body of carefully conducted research presents a compelling case for tai chi as an adjunct to standard medial treatment for the prevention and rehabilitation of many conditions commonly associated with aging,” Says Peter M. Wayne, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Tai Chi and Mind-Body Research Program at the Harvard Osher Research Center. When combined with standard treatment, tai chi has been shown to be helpful for a variety of medical conditions including arthritis, low bone density, breast cancer, heart disease, heart failure, hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and sleep problems. Another example of exercise as medicine.

Tai chi differs from other types of exercise in several aspects. The movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or flexed, and connective tissues are not stretched. Tai chi can be easily adapted for anyone, from the most fit to those confined to a wheelchair or recovering from surgery.

For more in-depth information on tai chi and how to implement the practice into your fitness training – check out the Arthritis Foundation approved and DSWFitness CE course, Tai Chi for Arthritis by Dr. Paul Lam.

I’m a low cadence rider and have been working at increasing leg speed by pedaling a higher cadence in a moderately big gear. I find this pyramid interval with constant gearing challenging and beneficial. It also nudges my lactate threshold and VO2max.

After warming up, begin the interval with a cadence of 85 rpm. Every 60 seconds, maintain your gearing and increase your cadence by 5 rpm. Increase cadence three times on the minute (85 rpm to 90 rpm to 95 rpm – ascending the pyramid)). Then reverse the interval by three times decreasing the cadence by 5 rpm every 60 seconds (95rpm to 90 rpm to 85 rpm – descending the pyramid).

Recovery spin for 5 minutes and repeat for a total of three intervals.

You’ll find over 20 high impact cycling workouts in the Training and Coaching the Competitive Cyclist CE course by Tyrone Holmes, a competitive cyclist and USA Cycling level 2 coach.

Check it out today!

A playful, active mind, just like a playful, active body, retains much of its vigor and youthfulness throughout the aging process. Researchers are now convinced that keeping your mind exercised, active, and challenged will give you a myriad of benefits that will keep you thinking more clearly and effectively as you age.

Neuroscientist Peter Snyder, a researcher at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital, who studies what we can do to maintain memory as our brains age, says “the hippocampus is one of those brain areas that continues to form new cells and make new connections between cells” and that “exercise seems to have the most efficacy” of any intervention.

In fact, the brain appears to be no different from the muscles of the body in its response to training. Cognitive abilities can be maintained or improved by physical exercise as well as challenging the brain with specific brain training activities, just as cardiovascular and muscular systems can be improved by exercising the body. The “use it or lose it” principle pertains to cognitive functioning as substantially as it pertains to physical functioning!

Like physical fitness, brain fitness can be improved by various challenging activities, such as playing chess or bridge, dancing regularly, practicing yoga and tai chi, as well as engaging in more structured computer-based workouts and word games. Providing stimulating exercise and activities for the brain maintains brain health and substantially reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

A rapidly developing area in the fitness industry is brain fitness programming, which is designed to blend physical exercise with specific brain activities to optimize brain health. Brain fitness programs are based on neuroplasticity: the ability of the brain to change, adapt, and even rewire itself. The good news is, neuroplasticity can occur at any age, irrespective of how much brain reserve an individual has accumulated.

Mind-body games and activities can be easily adapted and integrated with bouts of physical exercise from an easy-to-play game of “Simon Says” to more sophisticated word and movement games interspersed between and during physical exercise.

To learn how to bulk up your hippocampus and to gain insight into how the brain works, how to make it perform with more agility, speed, and comprehension, and how to blend physical exercise with brain-stimulating activities, check out the latest DSWFitness continuing education course Brain Fitness for Older Adults.

Well, I had to do some talking to get my over 50 women Syncardia teammates to ride in the Senior Games cycling events. What… go out and broadcast that you are 50-plus and getting older every day! Our society’s interest in aging is how to fight it and all the products to prevent it. I tend to subscribe to the alternative camp regarding the aging process – be active and age naturally with grace, grandeur and gregariousness.

We can’t change the fact of aging…but we can change the face of aging…and I’m not talking about tightening the skin or using botox – although it’s ok is you choose to do so. I’m talking about how aging women are perceived in our society, about reshaping the age we live in, about acknowledging the wisdom and beauty of age, about being a mentor and model for other women, about rocking the rules when it comes to what “older women” are suppose to do, be like and look like.

Take a look at these dynamic, healthy, fit, energetic women and tell me they don’t look good! Hey – they look great, stunning, happy, and vibrant. So you can whine about aging or serve up a good wine as you age, engage life, be active, get physical, walk tall and live life fully with vitality and vigor! It’s a choice.

Yes, that’s a 72-yr. old, grandmother, world champion triathlete, Jan Miller (blue shirt) pacing the 20K TT pack of youngins.

These women are medal winners – not because of their performance on the bike…because they are out there, making a difference, showing the world that we are living strong and large…right to the finish line! Chickacardias forever!

Amazing women - Lynn, Judy, Gwen, Candace - You rock!

Physically touching another person with a hug, holding hands, a massage and YES of course naked skin on skin and enjoying sex can produce good health and promote positive physiologic effects such as a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, increased immune function, relieved pain, and make you feel less anxious and happier.

The act of touch and physically embracing floods your body with oxytocin, a bonding hormone, that lowers cortisol levels (cortisol depresses the immune system), reduces stress and makes people feel secure and trusting toward each other. Activities that induce relaxation and that are soothing help to restore the immune system.

An important note – physical touching doesn’t just have to occur with a loved one, spouse or significant other. Benefits can be derived from hugging friends, relatives, colleagues, teammates, roommates, and people you don’t know…and even your dog. Health benefits have been demonstrated when you pet an animal that you know and love.

So what are you waiting for – GET PHYSICAL – embrace someone, give and be willing to receive more hugs, hold hands, wrap your arms together and around someone, get a massage, get naked with a significant other and yes have more sex!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/better-health-how-touching-makes-_n_804786.html

Creating laughter, joy, giggles, happiness and connection around the world through creative physical activity, dance and exuberance!

Thank you Matt!

What are you going to do today that inspires others?

What amazing gifts the new year brings – one sunrise at a time. The dawn of January 1st calls forth a fresh start, breathes optimism, nourishes novel ideas and creates an environment for change and growth. Many of the moments will be disguised as ordinary days yet with the possibility to create something extraordinary.

I take solace in bringing closure to the past year and pleasure in charting a new course, experiencing the novelty each day brings and enjoying the adventure of the coming year. With this new dawn release your bindings, throw off the trappings, unhook the tether, take the bit out of your mouth, unleash the harness, shed the old clothes, let go of the resistance and open yourself to the possibilities. What are you waiting for?

May your year flow forward with a light heart, laughter, love, and lusty adventures as you approach each new moment with gratitude and grace.

Cheers my friends!
Gwen