Just received an exercise tip in the mail from Denise and wanted to share it with you.  I spend most of my workout time doing Qi Gong and Yoga with a variety of DVD's but there are many people who might want this short quick tip from Denise(5 minutes, 2-3 times/week) on getting 'dancer legs' as she calls it. 

I would say its a quick exercise for anyone who wants to strengthen their legs.  I think I'll try it out.  Why not…it's only a few minutes a day.

Want dancer's legs without having to go to dance class? Here's a move that will help give your legs that long, lean appearance!

You'll need a chair for support. Start by standing tall, with one hand on the back of the chair for balance and the other on your hip. Begin in "first position" (think ballet), with your toes turned out and your heels touching. Keep your back straight and your abs tight. Dip down by bending at the knees, keeping them square over your toes. Lift your heels off the floor, pushing from the balls of your feet. Straighten your legs, squeezing your buttocks and inner thighs, then lower your heels, returning to the starting position.

The move has four steps — plié down, lift heels, push up, and heels down to starting position. Repeat the series for two sets of 8 to 12 reps each. Rest for 15 seconds between sets. Fabulous! It's that simple!

Read more about Denise Austin and her diet. or see her weekly video tips at her site.

Technorati Tags: exercise, legs, denise, austin, qigong, yoga

A study conducted at McMaster University by the Department of Kinesiology’s Exercise Metabolism Research Group found that milk does help exercisers gain muscle and lose fat.

Researchers found that the milk drinking group had lost nearly twice as much fat as the carbohydrate beverage group.  Those drinking soy lost no fat.  The gain in muscle was much greater among the milk drinkers than either of the other two groups.

Stuart Phillips, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster, who led the research study had this to say:

This simultaneous gain in muscle and loss of fat is a pretty powerful combination. Milk contains two types of proteins, whey and casein, that are the highest-quality proteins known. They contain all of the essential amino acids, the necessary building blocks of proteins in our bodies. Whey contains one called leucine, which may be a key trigger for the synthesis of new muscle proteins

The loss of fat mass, while expected, was much larger than we thought it would be. I think the practical implications of these results are obvious: if you want to gain muscle and lose fat as a result of working out, drink milk.

The evidence is beginning to mount. Milk may be best known for its calcium content in supporting bone health, but our research, and that of others, continually supports milk’s ability to aid in muscle growth and also promote body fat loss. To my mind – with milk being a source of the nine essential nutrients – it’s a no brainer: milk is the ideal post-workout drink for recreational exercisers and athletes alike.

To read more about the study with reader's comments, go here. Technorati Tags: body, build, muscle, weight, loss, fat, exercise, weights. gain, milk, carbs, carbohydrates, soy, proteins, whey, essential, amino, acids, leucine, calcium, growth

 Technorati Tags: real, time, bill, maher, drugs, government, exercise, health, preventive, medicine

Just 10, 20 or 30 minutes of yoga or qi gong 3 times a week is a good start.  Check out Lee Holden or Peggy Cappy.  They  both have beginner through advanced dvd's that you can use at home.  Lee does qi gong and Peggy does yoga although its amazing how similar the workouts seem to be.

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So here's Mercola's deal.  It's about 'brown seaweed' in supplement form since its impossible to get the real thing for the next ten years(as he says).  If you don't want to get the supplement, the video is filled with great information as usual.  Who doesn't need reminders anyway.

Technorati Tags: mercola, dr, weight, loss, doctor, metabolic, health, diet, nutrition, natural, cure

Spent a pleasant morning yesterday with Mehmet Öz, his lovely wife Lisa and Michael Roizen. Mehmet has a radio show on XM that I was a guest on. I think it will air sometime mid January. Michael is the author of the ‘Real Age’ series of books, and together with Mehmet, they wrote a bestseller called YOU: On A Diet. Mehmet’s wife Lisa was also part of the show. It was an interesting hour, and I was surprised by how much leeway I was given to go into some of the more technical aspects of the book. Both these guys are doctors and when their gears are turning you can see that they almost forget that they are doing a radio show.

Technorati Tags: blood, type, diet, medicine, nutrition, weight, loss, dadamo, genotype, oprah, oz, dr, frien

Get FREE 30-Day XM Radio Online Trial(click on icon to the right to get your free trial).  Dr Oz interviews experts in the healing and wellness field daily and Oprah has a soul series of interviews with special guests such as Pema Chodrin and Maryanne WIlliamson.

Here's another recent  podcast interview if you can't make it to listen to the Oz & D'Adamo interview tomorrow.  It's a one-hour interview of Dr. Peter DAdamo by Cary Nostler of KSTE Radio, Sacramento California.  The discussion includes the basics of blood type dieting, and how it lead to the development of Dr. D’Adamo’s interest in epigenetics and The GenoType Diet.

The Cary Nostler interview is a wonderful hour of Dr D'Adamo talking about his latest book, The Geno Type Diet and how it all started with blood types.  Click on Peter's photo to hear interview now.

Technorati Tags: blood, type, diet, medicine, nutrition, weight, loss, dadamo, genotype, oprah, oz, dr, frien

It's always important to try something and see how 'your' body reacts. Just because an expert says it's good, it doesn't mean that it will work for your body.

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So you can take the information today and try one or two things at a time.  For my body, the relevant points on the list are sleeping well, exercising daily(I do Qi Gong/Yoga and build muscles that way), eating organic veggies, salads, drinking green tea with juiced ginger, laughing a lot and living my passions.

I don't agree with the grain part of his food suggestions.  I gain weight when my diet consists of more than a few bites of grains a day. 

Dr Oz said that your waist size is more important than your weight but the reason he gave was you'll look better..huh?  I've been writing about belly fat and how it is associated with heart disease and other health problems.  Today he didn't mention it, although he has on other shows.  He once brought an actual piece of fat which he called omentum and said how dangerous it is to our health.

I laughed when the audience started counting as Dr Oz did some strength exercises pulling his whole body up to the bar.  He also did a few yoga poses and Oprah asked him if his heels were supposed to be toucing the ground in 'Downard Facing Dog',   He said yes and below is a video with downward facing dog so you can try it at home.  There's a real dog in the video….

Technorati Tags: dr oz, oprah, michael roizen, real age, anti aging, mehmet oz, waist size, weight loss, exercise, yoga, strength training, antioxidant, meditation, sleep, vitaimins, baby aspirin

In the article by Terri Coles, she writes:

New research shows a direct link between inflammation around deposits of visceral fat, or fat that forms around major organs in the stomach, and atherosclerosis, the process of artery hardening that can lead to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes.

In the meantime, the advice for anyone who wants to reduce their risk of visceral fat-related health problems is the same,  Eitzman said: lose weight through healthy diet and exercise. "With weight loss you're going to lose not only total body weight but also visceral fat," he said. "It's probably the case that weight reduction is going to reduce these inflammatory characteristics of the visceral fat."

That applies not just to people who are overweight or obese, but to anyone who has a high waist-hip circumference ratio. Previous studies have shown that these individuals may also be at risk for health problems like atherosclerosis and diabetes, even if they are at a normal weight. 

"I think that this goes beyond body mass index," Eitzman said, "and there are people that may be classified as even normal weight that are still going to have inflammatory fat."

I'll write more on this subject in future posts, especially how it affects post menopausal women and what they can do to reduce their waist size and this dangerous visceral fat.(tummy fat)

Technorati Tags: weight, waist, weight loss, fitness, obese, over weight, diet, exercise, fat, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, inflammation, waist to hip circumference, arteriosclerosis

There are three parts of the workout video and I usually skip to the standing poses when I'm feeling strong.  On a day that my energy is low, I start with the first section which has easy slow exercises for different parts of the body. 

Anyone new to yoga stretching, seniors or those with disabilities will like Peggy Cappy's workout, Yoga for the Rest of Us-even if you have never tried yoga or stretching exercises.(watch the video and you will see Peggy's gentle quality).

I can feel my legs, arms and core getting stronger as I continue to use this DVD, about three times a week.  Alternately, qigong is my choice on the other days(Lee Holden)

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My Mother is 83 and loves it. She has done yoga for 30 years or so and this video gives her ideas to do poses she may not have attempted at her age.

 

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Cappy's yoga session. It was fun and easy to follow. Her choice of participants helped us to feel that we too could perform yoga moves. It's a great way to relax and stretch the muscles

 

I also first saw Peggy Cappy on PBS, ordered DVD and enjoyed it as much as the PBS presentation .. in fact liked it well enough to order "More of Yoga for the Rest of Us" LOL Yoga is for everyone, and Peggy shows people how to proceed. Good for Seniors or anyone needing a little alternative help.

 

I am a physical therapist who treats clients that fall into the over 65 age group. A copy of this program was given to me to review from a patient, to see if it would be useful. I have since used it as part of my treatment and made recommendations that it be used as an ongoing home exercise program for several patients. It is modified for those who are less flexible, and perfectly paced for the older population. It is also useful for balance and coordination skills. I tend to use the program for myself on days that I need a little extra exercise and relaxation

 

My 88-year old mother-in-law uses this tape every day to improve her mobility and muscle tone. She swears by it!!!

 

Ah, how I have let things go! This is helping to gently start me on the road. Excellent demonstrations, easy to follow, gentle yet effective. If you have been compromised physically or have just been laying on the couch…this is a great beginning. You may think "oh, this is so easy!" you WILL feel it the next day. Simple to do, no special equipment required. I highly recommend!

 

I ordered this after seeing Peggy on PBS doing yoga with a 97 year old woman. I've got some lung problems and was looking for something low impact that I could do to help build my capacity. The DVD is great and easy to follow. Peggy breaks the session down into three parts of twenty minutes, so you can do an hour or less as your schedule indicates. Best of all, you work from a chair, so this is truly adaptable to any age and fitness level.

Technorati Tags: yoga, peggy cappy, gentle, seniors, health, stretching, yoga poses, exercise, breathing, balance, healthy aging, workout