That's Fit

Once while having an echocardiogram to test for heart damage from the breast cancer drug Herceptin, my technician asked me if I was a runner. "I do run," I told him, and then asked how he knew. He told me I had a really low resting heart rate, something runners often have. He seemed impressed by my low number. I was flattered.

Many athletes pride themselves on a low resting heart rate. It means they're in good physical shape and their hearts don't need to pump as hard, say the experts from Reader's Digest. Translation: Low heart rate folks have less risk for heart problems. Higher rates mean the heart needs more oxygen, and the cardiovascular system gets stressed.

The best way to reduce your heart rate is to exercise regularly. While working on your fitness, shoot for this healthy resting heart rate range: 55-65 heartbeats per minute.

Why freeclimb an unclimbed spire when you can jump onto the top, then hop on over to another tower a moment later? I've watched extreme sports participants lay their lives on the line for BASE jumping and freeclimbing, but I've never heard of rock jumping -- until now.

Rock jumping has been around awhile, with the 1960s and 1970s described as the sport's golden age. Utilizing a grading system, a Grade 1 jump is a simple crossover from tower-to-tower, while a rarely landed, extremely dangerous Grade 4 does not offer a flat surface, requiring Spiderjumper to grab crevices on the opposite wall. Many climb with safety ropes, which isn't much comfort considering an all-common miss can mean splintered bones when adrenaline-juiced souls slam into the wall of the base tower. Then there are those who jump without a safety rope ... let's not even go there.

Only one Grade 5 has ever been recorded. Milan Zdvooily, a Czech who calls himself Oxygen, jumped a near-10 foot gaping crevasse separating two 100-foot sandstone spires. He landed on a targeted crevice, his body leaned precariously back, then he grabbed a small tree branch and declared victory. Sheesh, rock jumpers must have an insatiable thirst for adrenaline.

I adopted my son from the US foster care system when he was 10-years-old. He has ADHD and often struggles with focus. He also has high anxiety and can get quite nervous in certain situations. One tool that helps him regain focus and composure is taking a few deep breaths. We face each other, look directly in each others' eyes and take a deep breath in... and out. He usually says "one more, Mom" and we continue until he's feeling in control again. The simple act helps to ground him, reduce his anxiety, and help him focus again. Breathing exercises can help everyone reduce stress and relax.

When you're faced with an abrupt, unexpected stressful situation (such as a car cutting you off in traffic or someone saying something offensive to you) take a moment to pause and breathe deeply before reacting. Those few seconds will calm you so you can respond appropriately and thoughtfully -- avoiding a hasty reaction you might regret later.

When you're faced with longer-lasting stress (such as a difficult deadline at work or ongoing problems with your significant other) make a regular practice of this breathing and stretching technique. It will imbibe your body with oxygen and help relieve stress.

Are you working your butt off but noticing not much of a change in your body? Could be something simple holding you back. Like your posture.

Slumping while doing cardio ups your heart rate, says one recent study cited in Prevention magazine. The result: Your workout is harder. Try pulling back your shoulder blades next time you hop on your favorite machine and you'll notice that you're able to take in more oxygen. Your pace should pick up. And you'll burn more calories too.

A little posture goes a long way. Give it a try.

No cable television flickers in our home, but that'll change soon as our oldest, a kindergartener, is seriously protesting the lack of Disney and Nickelodeon. When we do splurge on cable, I will definitely enjoy more home workouts thanks to a wide variety of available fitness programming.

If your gym membership card gathered dust over the holidays, how about giving cable TV fitness programs a chance to jumpstart your return to regular exercise? Record the shows and fast forward commercial breaks. If that's not an option, use the commercials to down some water, make a pot of coffee or jog in place for an even bigger calorie burn. You might want to try:

• Denise Austin on Lifetime and ESPN Classic. She combines aerobics, weights and yoga in two 30-minute episodes. You'll need hand weights and a mat, and you might enjoy her Trainer's Tip at the end of the Lifetime show.
• Total Body Sculpt With Gilad on FitTV features 30 minutes of strength training with trainer Gilad Janklowicz.
• Inhale on Oxygen will have yoga lovers rolling out of bed and stretching for an hour with Steve Ross.
• In Shape With Sharon Mann on FitTV is a 30-minute cardio bonanza working in pilates, kickboxing, tai chi and other trendy moves. You will need some equipment -- a stability ball, mat, hand weights, body bar, tubing and aerobics step. If you're short pieces, adaptations are offered.

Picture from www.bodiesinmotionwithgilad.com

Corsets were the height of fashion in the late-19th and early-20th century. Used as a device to help create a desirable hour glass shape by squeezing in the waist and making the bust and hips appear larger, the garment was often worn so tightly that it cut off oxygen and often made the wearer faint.

These fashion torture devices were replaced by free-flowing flapper dresses in the 1920s and should have been banished forever in my opinion. But in recently years, the garment has made a comeback (often as outerwear) and as this piece points out, they're just as bad for your body now as they were a century ago.

Wearing a constricting corset for too long can lead to gastric reflux, fluid retention and even the potentially deadly Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), the same condition that those on long-haul airplane flights are at risk of developing. So before you fall for this fad, decide whether conforming to what fashion dictates is the norm by squeezing yourself into the smallest size possible is really worth it.

Mountain hiking plans in your future? Something to be careful of is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), otherwise known as altitude sickness. Traveling too high too fast can actually kill you, in rare cases, and more commonly will just make you sick. 20% of people will notice symptoms when hiking in the 6,300-9,700ft range, and above 14,000 most people experience at least minor signs.

AMS is caused by a combination of the lower air pressure and oxygen levels at higher altitudes and can be characterized by fluid collecting around the lungs and the brain. Symptoms often include headache, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and dizziness. AMS is best treated by descending to a lower altitude and administering oxygen, and even better yet preventing it from happening altogether by climbing slowly and stopping at the first signs of illness.

Hiking is a great way to get outdoors and get fit, but make sure you're educated on the risks and take care of yourself!

I was in a minor car accident when I was younger, and because I'd hit my head the paramedics insisted on taking me to the hospital to get checked out. It was the only time I've ever been in an ambulance, and one of the things that stands out in my memory is the EMT putting the oxygen on my face and apparently trying to lighten the mood by smiling and saying "breathing this pure oxygen is totally going to give you a natural high."

Well it didn't give me a natural high, and according to this new research it may have actually done some damage instead. Testing shows that inhaling pure oxygen has exactly the opposite effect than intended: it triggers the release of hormones and chemicals that can potentially hurt the brain and heart, and that interfere with normal blood flow and oxygenation of vital organs. It seems a mix of carbon dioxide and oxygen proves to be much better, or even just plain old room air -- which they already use for patients in Europe. Who knew?

The world of athletics is a competitive one, by its very nature. And not only are the participants competing against each other, but against themselves and against time. As they age, and as they constantly push for their "best performance yet," the pressure is on to do and try whatever they can to truly push themselves to the limit.

Of course performance enhancing drugs are out of the question, but instead many athletes are turning to more natural intervention experiments like this one: sleeping for several weeks in a low-oxygen environment, like in a special tent over the bed, to improve the body's ability to supply the muscles with oxygen.

Would you sleep in a bubble tent? I don't know that I would be able to, not comfortably anyway. I understand the principles behind it, but does it really make that big of a difference versus good old-fashioned hard-core training?