That's Fit

I was just reading about a couple barre-fitness classes offered in Chicago. Using the barre (handrail), these low-impact classes integrate small exercises demanding perfect form to the point of muscle fatigue -- resulting in a lean, carved look.

Turns out these classes are based on the Lotte Berk Method (LBM), an isometric training system combining pilates, yoga, barre work and core conditioning. It started in London about 50 years ago by a famous German dancer. LBM is taught exclusively in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Beverly Hills studios, but you can purchase a four-disc DVD pack of 30-minute Lotte videos to develop long and lean muscles at home:

• Basic Essentials gets you familiarized and trained on the basic LBM movements.
  
• Hip Hugger Abs will help you slip on those low-rider jeans through careful abdominal work.
  
• Muscle Eats Fat builds long, lean muscles to boost your passive calorie-burn.
  
• High Round Assets breaks the Hanging Bottom spell of aging women. Focused exercises pull up your seat.

If you're into pilates and yoga, give these DVDs a try. Four-pack costs $29.95.

A gym is a great place to put in a solid workout, but it can sometimes be one of the worst places to get health and fitness advice. It's easy to assume that someone with a great physique must be an expert on health and fitness, but that may not necessarily be the case. Their advice, though well-intentioned, may not exactly be sound. Remember, not all great players make great coaches (ask Isiah Thomas). The approach to fitness these individuals take may work well for them, but for you they could potentially lead to disaster.

Men's Health magazine tackled this very topic in their article 7 Muscle Myths - Fact vs. Fiction. In it, researchers take a look at some common gym misconceptions and, in efforts to clear up any confusion and prevent potential injury, present their own expert advice. We'll be highlighting one of these myths each day. Here's a look at Myth #3:

Myth #3
Leg extensions are safer for your knees than squats.
A recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that "open-chain" exercises-those in which a single joint is activated, such as the leg extension-are potentially more dangerous than closed-chain moves-those that engage multiple joints, such as the squat and the leg press.

Well, it looks like Jennifer Lopez is through playing with her leftover baby belly -- less than half a year after giving birth to twins, the famous new mama is training for a triathlon this October! Her husband, Marc Anthony, fully supports her efforts and plans to root her on from the sidelines on his Segway.

To be honest, I was a little surprised to read this. Yes, JLo has been known for her shapely but fit body, but she's a dancer -- I guess I had assumed that she'd use dance and maybe a personal trainer to lose the baby weight.

However, we all know that setting fitness goals is a great way to motivate oneself to train, and completing a triathlon is certainly an admirable goal. I wish her all the luck in the world ... unless I end up in the same race in her division, of course.

Yesterday, I completed a triathlon. A mini one. Nothing by the book. Just my own version of the combined swimming, cycling, and running events. Only took me 11 hours to finish. Hey, I said it was my own version, right? Here's what I did.

In the morning, I ran and walked for about 2.5 miles. Took a short break and then swam 20 laps in my neighborhood swimming pool. Then ate lunch, did some writing, some shopping, ate dinner, and then rode my bike for about seven miles -- to my sister's house where I visited for an hour before heading home. What started at 10 AM today ended at 9 PM. My own 11-hour triathlon. I feel accomplished.

OK, let's talk real triathlons. Taking top honors is the long-distance or Ironman Triathlon, which makes my event seem like not even a warm-up. Here's how it goes: swim 2.4 miles, bike for 112 miles, and run for 26.2 miles. Ouch.

Before you think we've sunk to a new low here on That's Fit, let me clarify something: stripping, in this case, does not refer to the removal of one's clothing; rather, it's a fairly advanced lifting technique that more seasoned exercisers may want to employ.

Now that your mind is out of the gutter, you can probably figure out how this technique works based on its name. Start by performing a set of an exercise (we'll use the bench press as an example) to technical failure. Then, take off a percentage of the total weight from the bar (or move the pin slightly higher if you are using a machine) and, without resting, get back on the bench and perform more reps to technical failure. Once there, do the same thing, only taking off an ever larger percentage of weight. Try stripping down about four times in total and then you will have completed your strip-set.

Eating healthfully does not require an advanced degree in nutrition. It doesn't require an analysis that rivals a NASA shuttle launch, either. All it involves is some basic knowledge about what's good for you and what isn't.

First, it's important to know about three of the four macronutrients: carbs, protein, and fat (vitamins make up the fourth category). The first two listed contain four calories per gram, whereas fat contains nine calories per gram. Does this mean that fat should be avoided? Yes and no -- unhealthy fats, such as the trans fats found in donuts, should be avoided, while healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, should have a place on your daily plate. Similarly, fast-digesting carbs, such as those found in white rice and sugary soft drinks, are not a good choice, whereas slow-digesting carbs, such as vegetables and wholegrain products, are.

Second, you need to know what foods are good sources of these macronutrients. Here's a quick breakdown to help you along:

PROTEIN

• Fish
• Chicken Breast
• Eggs
• Whey Protein Shake
• Beef
• Lentils
• Nuts
• Soy
• Venison
• Greek Yogurt
  
• Bison
• Ostrich
• Milk
• Cottage Cheese

I'm on the plane flying home from the Prilosec OTC Roundtable Discussion with the gorgeous actress, Cheryl Ladd and nutrition expert, Elizabeth Somer, R.D in New York City. They/we discussed the benefits that both a healthy lifestyle and positive attitude can have on today's Baby Boomers. I was happy to see two bright women, both 57 years old, who were able to close in on 60 without being or looking "old". While preserving their appearances and health, they still embrace and enjoy the gifts that come with aging.

Both Cheryl and Elizabeth personify the woman I hope to be when I am of similar age. Not only because they are gorgeous women who have defied the years physically though. Their healthy eating choices, chronic exercise habits, and joyous perspectives on life offer proof that with decent effort one can earn a long, productive, enjoyable life.

Oil dropped to under $130 a barrel for the first time in several weeks yesterday. A reason to celebrate? Um ... not really. Gas prices continue to rocket toward the $5 a gallon mark, and the cost of food seems higher with each trip to the grocery store.

To help stay afloat in this economic maelstrom, little changes to our spending habits can sometimes make a big difference. This may mean less nights spent dining out and more nights spent cooking at home. It may also require a little ingenuity in the kitchen, allowing you to make your own less-expensive versions of some higher-priced and healthy grocery items. This homemade energy bar recipe -- sourced from Men's Athletic Quarterly -- is proof of just how easy making this switch can be.

I was roaming around Central Park this week while working in New York City , and came across the nicest yet strangest thing. This man, pictured at right, was ambitiously pursuing a workout in the park. That's the nice part.

The weird part is two-fold. First oddity, he was only wearing his boxer shorts. I suppose that is better than frolicking around in a pair of bikini briefs, but still ... it looked a bit silly to me. The second bit of strangeness was his routine. Of course I'm always telling you guys and gals to 'just move', but this dude took that movement to another level.

He flailed his arms around, tip toe jogged in circles, and frequently practiced handstands (at right) against this tree. I both admired his ambitiousness and marveled at his lack of concern for what others thought. I also giggled a lot too.

A gym is a great place to put in a solid workout, but it can sometimes be one of the worst places to get health and fitness advice. It's easy to assume that someone with a great physique must be an expert on health and fitness, but that may not necessarily be the case. Their advice, though well-intentioned, may not exactly be sound. Remember, not all great players make great coaches (ask Isiah Thomas). The approach to fitness these individuals take may work well for them, but for you they could potentially spell disaster.

Men's Health magazine tackled this very topic in their article 7 Muscle Myths - Fact vs. Fiction. In it, researchers take a look at some common gym misconceptions and, in efforts to clear up any confusion and prevent potential injury, present their own expert advice. We'll be highlighting one of these myths each day. Here's a look at Myth #2:

Myth #2
If you eat more protein, you'll build more muscle.
To a point, sure. But put down the shake for a sec. Protein promotes the muscle-building process, called protein synthesis, "but you don't need exorbitant amounts to do this," says John Ivy, Ph.D., coauthor of Nutrient Timing.

Denise Richards might not look heavy to most of us, but she certainly thinks she needs to lose a few pounds. And will she do it by eating sensibly and working out -- you know, ways that will set a good example for her daughters? Oh hell no!

In celebrity news that's a little more down to earth, Daisy Fuentes is in a really good place, and comfortable with her body. Of course, she has a fabulous body, so that might be part of it, but still, she has a very healthy outlook on aging from which many of us could take a cue.

Another celebrity with a fabulous figure is Mariah Carey. She has no problem showing it off, obviously, but how did she get it?

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

My guest this week became famous as one of the hot, yet capable babes of Charlie's Angels. This role that burned Cheryl Ladd's name and face into our minds forever, in my opinion, will not in the end, be what we remember her for. We spoke recently both over the phone and in person, and she definitely showed a side of her I hadn't expected to see.

Although stunningly beautiful, and more capable of turning heads at age 57 than most women are at 25 ... Cheryl's most impressive quality in my book is her willingness to take care of other women. She's investing a lot of time in guiding and educating other Baby Boomer women about menopause. Menopause is often a taboo, hush hush topic. But Cheryl has embraced her age and stepped up to the plate to help make her personal experience with menopause an educational experience for others. She shared a bunch of private experiences with me and offered advice for growing more beautiful each year. Read on to learn how to age as gracefully and gorgeously as she has.

Fitz: You're an iconic figure in beauty. You've aged flawlessly, and to me ... you're prettier today than you were 30 years ago starring in Charlie's Angels. What can we do, to be more like you?

Cheryl: First of all, I think it's most important for women to have a close relationship with their doctor. It's important to trust your doctor, so when things go weird you are comfortable addressing the situation and taking care of things. Be proactive with your health! You also have to love yourself! Beauty comes from the inside first.

Fitz: Well your outside is pretty fantastic too. Let's start with your fitness routine. What do you do to stay in such great shape?

Come November 4th, 2008, a new President will be sworn into office in the United States. This much we know almost with certainty. What is not known, however, is who that person will be. While I would love to wax on about my political beliefs and who I think the next person will be to sit in the Oval Office, I have no interest in causing a war of words -- polemics aren't really our thing here on That's Fit. Things concerning the human body? Yeah, that's more our speed.

To that end, there are very specific physical traits that many of our past Presidents have possessed, some of which may serve as a predictor of who will win the race for the White House. Newsweek recently used this criteria to create a physical feature-by-feature breakdown of how John McCain and Barack Obama may fare come November.

Here's a summary of their findings...

HEIGHT: Four of the last nine elections have been won by the shorter candidate, giving the 5'7" McCain a fighting chance against the 6'3" Obama. However, in most of those cases the height disparity was not significant, whereas in this case McCain is giving up 6 inches to Obama. The last time anyone overcame such a blatant difference in height was in 1852. What's more, we haven't had a shorter-than-average President since the 5'6" Benjamin Harrison. Advantage: Obama

Finally, autopsy results are in for University of Central Florida football player Ereck Plancher, who died during spring drills in March -- see previous post here. The cause of death: A pre-existing medical condition worsened by physical stress.

The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said Plancher, 19, had a sickle cell trait that caused problems with his red blood cells during physical exertion. Apparently, Plancher's heart began beating abnormally, and blood flow to the wide receiver's muscles and organs slowed or stopped. There was no evidence of trauma or illegal drugs or toxins in Plancher's body.

UCF school official says the health of students is top priority. And they may need to do a little investigating -- about a month after Plancher's death, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a group of anonymous students indicated the football player was struggling during practice, that perhaps the coach was singling out Plancher for not trying hard enough. The coach and the school say the newspaper's report is false.