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To do or not to do? Backwards Exercising Explained

theridgeathleticclub — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:38:54 +0000

Thanks to Ridge Personal Trainer Desiree Dejongh for finding this article for us that reveals the reality of “backwards exercising.”

No Gain in Backward Exercise, Experts Say
By Liz Neporent

On a recent Monday night at the New York Sports Club on Wall Street, a woman was turned around on the stair climber and stepping backward. Nearby, several exercisers were striding on elliptical motion trainers, switching the direction of their leg movements from forward to reverse and back again every couple of minutes.

Both activities are common in gyms across the country and evidence of a growing trend: backward exercising.

Backward running has always attracted a small but fun-loving following, including participants in an annual backward mile run in Central Park on April Fool’s Day. But exercising in reverse has shifted into high gear because of the popularity of machines like elliptical trainers, stair climbers and Spinning bikes that allow exercisers to move backward and forward.

Despite the increased popularity of the reverse workout, fitness experts question whether exercising backward is safe and effective or just another fitness fad. Many suspect that it is the latter.

”Ask someone why they’re exercising backwards and they’ll usually tell you they’re trying to tone their butt and the backs of their legs,” said Ben Gelfand, a physical therapist and author of ”Return to Glory Days” (Simon & Schuster, 1997), a primer on athletic injuries. But computer analysis indicates that the quadriceps, muscles in the front of the thigh, are doing most of the work during backward stair climbing, walking and running, while the buttocks and the hamstrings in back of the thigh muscles are virtually idle.

”It’s also not great for the lower back because your posture and body alignment are thrown out of whack,” Mr. Gelfand said.

He said a better, safer way to tone the buttocks would be to go to the weight room and do strengthening exercises like lunges and leg presses, which target that area.

And, while a 1995 Texas Tech University study found that walking backward at a 16-minute-a-mile pace elicited higher heart rates and burned more calories than regular jogging at a faster pace, Edmund R. Burke, director of the exercise science program of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, warns that it is not a practical way to get in shape or lose weight. ”Since you don’t have eyes in back of your head it’s an awkward way to move,” Dr. Burke said.

The Winner’s Brain: A book review by Bob Morris

Bob Morris — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:52:46 +0000

The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success Jeff Brown and Mark Fenske with

Avoiding Holiday Pounds

The Food Nut — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:59:59 +0000

The holidays mean good, but often unhealthy food. For those trying to eat healthy during the holidays, this can mean disaster. All of those delicious pies and desserts taste great but pack a punch. According to Katie Cwayna’s article “Enjoy Holiday Desserts Without Busting your Diet”, one slice of pumpkin pie contains 361 calories and a piece of apple pie WITHOUT the ice cream has 411 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 34 grams of sugar. According to the American Council on Exercise, the average American person will eat 3,000 calories in one Thanksgiving meal. This is as many calories as 5.5 Big Mac hamburgers. But there are ways to make your holiday meal a little less calorie heavy. For one, iTunes sells apps to keep holiday meals on track.

If you gave into the smells and tastes of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, Liz Neporent has tips on how to recover from a holiday meal. Also, eating with a different mind set can help reduce calories as well.

Vegetarians and others who do not eat meat or have limited diets may have trouble finding festive foods to eat. Chow.com has recipes that satisfy vegetarians and meat lovers alike. Nicole D’Amico, a Vegetarian/Vegan Chef at Whole Foods says, instead of using butter, you can use vegetable oil or soy based butters. Soy milk, hemp milk, rice milk, or even almond milk make a great substitution for any of your milk or cream needs. Eggs too can be swapped out for apple sauce, peanut butter, banana, or melted down flax seeds.

If one of your guests is a vegetarian make sure to provide a well rounded meal. D’Amico says, “They don’t always get the nutrients they need. So I always encourage people with low protein diets to cook a side dish with the grain quinoa and/or the green kale.” Kale may not seem like a choice holiday item but D’Amico says, “kale has just as much iron per serving as beef and is packed with calcium.” Molly Joyce, a vegetarian says, simple things like making vegetables in their own vegetarian gravy can make any meal vegetarian friendly, “Alot of Thanksgiving sides are normally just vegetables, so the potatoes and stuff aren’t a problem, but this year my aunt made sure not to make the stuffing in the turkey.” You don’t have to be a vegetarian to make substitutes. Any of these ideas can be used in a holiday meal to make it healthier!

This flipbook shows how Holiday Food traditions are carried on in families around the country.

Gayle Murphy, a Curves trainer, says there are simple ways to say on track with a diet during the holidays.

Gyms not only provide a workout space but they also give tips on how to stay with a workout routine and melt away the pounds gained during those rich, delicious, fatty holiday meals. Grocery stores and other shops also focus on health when it comes to the holidays.

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liz-neporent « WordPress.com Tag Feed

To do or not to do? Backwards Exercising Explained

Thanks to Ridge Personal Trainer Desiree Dejongh for finding this article for us that reveals the reality of “backwards exercising.” No Gain in Backward Exercise, Experts Say By Liz Neporent

The Winner’s Brain: A book review by Bob Morris

Avoiding Holiday Pounds

Thanks to Ridge Personal Trainer Desiree Dejongh for finding this article for us that reveals the reality of “backwards exercising.”

No Gain in Backward Exercise, Experts Say
By Liz Neporent