Patty Hartong's Blog

So- you have a common cold, but still want to work out? The answer to whether you can exercise when you're sick depends on what your body is telling you. No mater what you think or read always remember: IF YOU ARE contagious!!!!! STAY HOME! Pumping iron, running, or the CSD Ultimate Fitness class usually makes you feel great, right? But when you are fighting a common cold, you may wonder if you should put your workouts on hold. The best advice is to be flexible with your exercise routine. The Common Cold and Exercise “Research has shown that when someone has a cold virus, in general, it is safe to exercise,” says Leah Mooshil Durst, MD, medical director of the Friend Family Health Center, Inc., and clinical associate at the University of Chicago. “There is no difference in how the body responds to exercising when it is fighting a cold virus. Some of the participants in [a] study even said they felt better from their exercise session in spite of their colds, but this did not help them get better faster.” Infectious disease specialist Catherine Liu, MD, assistant clinical professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, agrees. “Exercising with a cold or the flu is probably unlikely to cause complications if you do not have other medical problems,” says Dr. Liu. “However, if you have an underlying medical condition such as asthma, heart disease, or other medical illnesses, you should check with your doctor first, as exercise may worsen an underlying medical problem.” Moderate exercise does not lengthen your illness or make symptoms worse, but it may not shorten illness or reduce symptoms either. One possible benefit for people who are generally well-hydrated is that exercising can break up congestion, notes Dr. Durst, but if you are dehydrated from being sick, your congestion could worsen. When You Can Exercise With the Common Cold “When you are sick, the most important thing to do is listen to your own body,” advises Liu. You can exercise if: · You want to and have the energy. · Your symptoms are mild, such as just a runny nose. · You have been fever-free for 24 hours. When You Shouldn’t Exercise With the Common Cold Avoid exercise when: · You have a fever. · Your body aches. · You have a cough. · You have flu symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. · You have a cold along with chronic health concerns, such as heart disease or asthma. · OR... IF YOU ARE contagious!!!!! STAY HOME! Some people believe that you can sweat out a cold, but Liu clarifies that this is not the case. “Sweating does not help get rid of a cold,” she says. If anything, the opposite is true. “Rest and staying hydrated by drinking liquids are important in helping you get better.” Don’t Forget Cough and Common-Cold Etiquette Gyms can be hotbeds of infection if people don’t take the right precautions. If you do go to the gym when you have a cold or are recovering from being sick, remember your sick-person manners: · Cover your mouth with a facial tissue when you sneeze or cough, or cough into your shoulder, not your bare hands; hands are more likely to spread germs. · Wipe off any equipment you use. · Throw used facial tissues in the trash. · Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer before and after your workout. “Proper respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene are essential to prevent the spread of disease,” emphasizes Liu. Taking these steps can also prevent you from becoming sick if other people have decided to work out with their common colds, particularly if they are not practicing good hygiene. When Being Sick and Exercising Collide “A person should always seek medical attention if during exercise they experience chest pain or [a feeling like] indigestion, difficulty catching their breath, wheezing, feeling faint, worsening body aches, or cola-colored urine,” advises Durst. So if you happen to love exercising so much you cannot bear to take a day off while you are dealing with a cold, it won’t hurt you to throw on your shoes and workout clothes. But at the same time, if your body is inclined toward a day of rest, it might be wise to oblige — you’ll be back on the treadmill soon enough. By Madeline Vann, MPH Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Are you kidding me???? I just read this article in SELF mag. Online, Jan 11, 2011. Please do not believe this article. To burn 300 calories, you must work extremely hard (if it is even possible). .Articles like this is precisely what is wrong with the fitness industry, fitness magazines and those wanting to make money off the naivety of the general population. It is wrong and I hate it. “““““““. Kettlebells are fantastic but they are NOT easy to use. Learning to use a kettlebell requires time as well as the coaching of a QUALIFIED trainer. It is like learning how to drive a car. What would happen if you gave your car keys to you your teenage daughter who has never driven a car? Something bad will happen. Same thing with the kettlebell, if you don’t know what you are doing, you will get hurt. Kettllebells are not for bicep curls and sit ups, they for total body workouts. Don’t believe the crap in this article, if you want to burn 300 calories in 15 minutes, you need to do some serious work and I mean serious! It would be painful and very uncomfortable. So let’s be realistic; if you are looking for an easy and quick way to burn calories, read this: THERE IS NO EASY WAY! And by the way, a 10 lb kettlebell is a joke! Burn 300 calories fast: Just throw 1/4 th of your bag of McDonalds French fries in the trash! See full article: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/fitness/burn-300-calories-15-minutes. Cheers- Patty

Hello Silver Lakes Fit Females and Males – If you are reading this – you care about your health and fitness. You might be looking for answers on how to lose weight, gain muscle mass (ie: to burn more calories) or lose bodyfat. Well, I have them! First you must do the following: Stop reading this RIGHT NOW and go do 5-10 pushups (on your knees is fine – but on your toes is best). Follow that with 20 jumping jacks (low or high impact) come back and do 5-10 more push ups and 20 more jacks. Repeat 5 times! Go – do it – stop reading this““and just go do it. Come back afterward and read the next part. ................................................................................................. Next Part: Then go right to the kitchen and throw away all the foods that are making you or keeping you FAT. Do it – throw it away – come on, right now - just go do it! You know what they are. Did you do it – or, are you still reading this hoping I will have more (or different) pearls of wisdom? ........................Well, I don’t. Being fit and strong and in good physical shape takes work – hard work. You need to take yourself out of your comfort zone and sweat! Period! It doesn’t matter your level of fitness – you need to stay active. Bigger goals take harder work but everyone can be physically fit. Stop expecting something for nothing“.. Stop waiting for the pill or book or whatever you think will work this time. EXERCISE 4-6 days a week and eat healthy 90% of the time. It is ok to cheat but only 10% of the time – that’s it“. Like Nike said – “Just do it”. Yours in Health- Patty

Pumping iron, running, or dancing your way through a salsa class at the gym usually makes you feel great, right? But when you are fighting a common cold, you may wonder if you should put your workouts on hold. The best advice is to be flexible with your exercise routine.

The Common Cold and Exercise

“Research has shown that when someone has a cold virus, in general, it is safe to exercise,” says Leah Mooshil Durst, MD, medical director of the Friend Family Health Center, Inc., and clinical associate at the University of Chicago. “There is no difference in how the body responds to exercising when it is fighting a cold virus. Some of the participants in [a] study even said they felt better from their exercise session in spite of their colds, but this did not help them get better faster.”

Infectious disease specialist Catherine Liu, MD, assistant clinical professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, agrees. “Exercising with a cold or the flu is probably unlikely to cause complications if you do not have other medical problems,” says Dr. Liu. “However, if you have an underlying medical condition such as asthma, heart disease, or other medical illnesses, you should check with your doctor first, as exercise may worsen an underlying medical problem.”

Moderate exercise does not lengthen your illness or make symptoms worse, but it may not shorten illness or reduce symptoms either. One possible benefit for people who are generally well-hydrated is that exercising can break up congestion, notes Dr. Durst, but if you are dehydrated from being sick, your congestion could worsen.

When You Can Exercise With the Common Cold

“When you are sick, the most important thing to do is listen to your own body,” advises Liu. You can exercise if:

·         You want to and have the energy.

·         Your symptoms are mild, such as just a runny nose.

·         You have been fever-free for 24 hours.

When You Shouldn’t Exercise With the Common Cold

Avoid exercise when:

·         You have a fever.

·         Your body aches.

·         You have a cough.

·         You have flu symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or rash.

·         You have a cold along with chronic health concerns, such as heart disease or asthma.

NEW Hot Tub & Pre Summer Bikini GOAL – Time for the “Get Your Bikini Ready Challenge”. It starts and finishes with a bikini/bathing suit picture. Come on ladies – let’s get real““ The more transparent we are, the more accountable we will be. Accountability = honesty = real results. You can’t lie to yourself or others in a bathing suit. Join today: Reply to this email if you want to be added to the Challenge. You will make it official by Signing the Bikini Contract. This is not a “six pack abs goal”. The Goal is about having the confidence to put on a bathing suit and feel like a beautiful fit female, no matter what! It is the “pride in ownership” in our own body that makes us winners. Start date –Waist Measurements, Body fat% and Bikini Picture due by Jan 22nd. This will include a workout commitment of 4 days a week minimum. I will send out a calendar that you will use as a fitness log. Walking counts! It is an 8 week Challenge. Results will be due March 22nd, with Final Results for everyone due in by April 1st. You must complete 4 days a week of some type of exercise (walking counts), and then turn in your fitness log, measurement, bodyfat and after picture (in your bathing suit) to be added to the drawing. I know some of you are working on your own personal goals, which is perfect. The challenge might help you stay on board“.. Also - This will go hand in hand with our 2011 Fitness Testing Challenge. So it is a big Challenge. If you have not had your fitness tested in 2011 -see me to get started. If you need a nutritional jump start – go back to your Jeans Challenge journal and nutritional rules. Complete the questions and keep your food journal with 90/10% cheats. It works! If it is not broke – don’t try to fix it. Let me know if you have any questions. Good Luck - Patty

To:

360 Days to Get 2011 Right

I just finished my most recent workout, day two workout of the New Year. I feel great – Motivated and on fire – How about you?

My New Year pledge: Do not over train to the point of injury.

Whatever... the point is this: Excessive demand, workload and expectation are distressing and counterproductive.

If you always work out in the fast line you always crash and burn - leading to injury, boredom and lack of results.  

Do you see where I'm going with this? Slow down. Take it easy. Steady as she goes. What's the rush?

We're always working on it. Right?

So“..What is your goal? What are you working towards? Do you plan on getting to a finish line or is this for life? Calm down if you miss a workout due to things beyond your control. Calm down if you ate that “thing” you think is bad. One day at a time – knowing you are always doing your best. Do not obsess, know your limits and chill when you need to chill, because we have 360 more days to figure it out““

Think about it!

Stay healthy and happy with life, family and friends. Remain balanced, confident - and as always - a fit female!

Patty

Calm down and do not panic. I'm here for you! If you feel as if your life has suddenly gotton out of control and your good nutrition habits have fallen by the waste side? - then let's talk! Stop the chaos (ie: cookies/extra drinks at parties) and go back to the jeans challenge. Try on your jeans and see where your head is....ie: if you "think" you derailed or if you "really have" derailed. Ok - they fit.....then give yourself a break and calm down. All is well. It is just your "chick head" talking. If they don't fit - then we need to talk........ Go back to your food journals. Just do it. No excuses - It is the excuses that allow us to gain those extra holiday pounds and not deal with it. (and believe me - one day you will have to deal with it). For today - 1-Cut back (what ever that means to you) 2-Drink a lot of water 3-Go back to 5-6 small meals 4-Limit sodas or alcohol 5-Have a plan and stick to it - PERIOD! 6-Be prepared - 7-Practice positive thinking! See the fit female in you. If you think of other ideas - let me know your thoughts! Happy Holidays....and be kind to yourself..... Patty

What do you do to avoid Holiday weight gain?

Tweak of the Week: Burn 100 Calories Anywhere
Exercise will help you reach your weight-loss goals — we know that. But a recent Scottish study of roughly 20,000 adults also found that exercise reduces stress, eases anxiety, fights depression, and boosts happiness and energy levels. The study found that participants could get these benefits with as little as one 20-minute workout per week.
While we recommend more than one workout per week for weight loss, anything is a good start. In fact, you don’t even have to hit the gym to burn calories! The study found that almost any type of physical activity works: cleaning your house, gardening or brisk walking.
If you can’t fit in a full-on workout, here’s a list of activities that will burn around 100 calories. As an added bonus, most of these motions have to be done anyway, so by tweaking them just slightly you’ll be burning more calories while cleaning your house, yard or car.
How to Clean and Burn Calories

Do these chores at a brisk pace. Try not to take breaks and use some elbow grease to get things sparkling. It might also help to turn on some tunes and time yourself, trying to do it a little faster each week.
Washing Windows — 30 minutes will burn about 150 calories.
Doing the Dishes — Skip the dishwasher and do them yourself to burn 75 calories in 30 minutes.
Rearranging Your Room — 30 minutes of moving furniture burns 225 calories.
Vacuuming — Burn about 100 calories in 30 minutes.
Painting — Tired of your beige bedroom? Pick a new color and burn roughly 100 calories per 20 minutes of painting (think Karate Kid).
Outdoor Fat-Burning

Cutting the Grass — Mowing the lawn will burn 160 calories in 30 minutes, as long as you’re pushing the mower yourself.
Washing the Car — Burn about 150 calories in just 30 minutes (bikini optional).
Gardening/Raking Leaves – The digging and raking you do are big-time calorie burners. You can burn up to 100 calories in just 15 minutes!
Biking — A leisurely bike ride (approximately 10 mph) will burn more than 100 calories in 40 minutes. Grab the family and get pedaling!
Swimming — No need to go all Michael Phelps here. Just a 15-minute slow swim will burn about 100 calories.
Frisbee — A fun 30-minute Frisbee toss with your kids or friends will burn about 100 calories and hardly seem like exercise at all.
Pushing a Baby Stroller — Pushing a stroller burns about 60 calories in 20 minutes. Don’t have a baby? I’m sure your relative, friend or neighbor will be happy to lend you theirs.
Walking — It’s one of the simplest ways to burn calories because you don’t need anything to get started. Fifteen minutes of brisk walking will burn approximately 100 calories. A brisk daily walk at lunch time or after work will make a difference.
Dancing — Who doesn’t love to shake it? 20 minutes of dancing at a moderate pace will burn 100 calories. As Lady Gaga says, “Just Dance!”
*All of these numbers are based on a 150-pound individual.