A Crucial Catch

Unless you’ve been asleep this entire month, you’ve  noticed our Ram’s players, as well as other NFL teams, sporting pink with the Crucial Catch campaign. Pink gloves, shoes, towels, even mouthguards.

It’s not just a mass movement of football players getting in touch with their feminine side. But an effort to support Breast Cancer awareness. (You can find out more about the NFL's campaign here.)

Even as big as the Komen walk is every year, I think having NFL athletes sporting pink has a much broader reach. It's one of the smartest marketing partnerships I've ever seen.

Today I have a suggestion for you and a way to support Breast Cancer awareness (as well as other deadly cancers).

As a fitness professional for over 12 years I’ve always encouraged everyone and anyone to exercise more. Doesn’t matter what your motive is. Just get moving.

Recently, the medical community has further supported the importance of encouraging adults to be more physically active, especially for individuals who have or are at high risk for life-threatening diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.*

I think that is the very first line of support for Breast Cancer awareness. Yes, you should wear pink, participate in the Komen walk, and support the cause in other ways. But there is no better way to start than with yourself. Especially if you have specific risk factors associated with breast cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 572,000 Americans die of cancer each year, with 1/3 of the deaths linked to poor diet, physical inactivity and being overweight.* The most important things you can do to help reduce cancer risk for you and your family include:

• Establishing and maintaining a healthy weight. 
• Incorporating regular, consistent physical activity into your lifestyle. 
• Making healthy food choices with a focus on plant-based foods. 

The latest recommendations from the ACS in regard to healthy physical activity levels for adults include 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activities each week.

As I tell our clients make sure you distinguish between exercise and activity. Walking your dog while she stops to go to the bathroom and sniffs the bushes is NOT exercise. Brisk walking, biking and hiking would be moderate while vigorous activities would be a Fitness Together workout.:-) There's no time for Fido to distract you here!

In addition to adding regular workout sessions into your daily schedule, you also can begin incorporating more active habits into your normal daily routine. Starting today, try incorporating as many of the following approaches (suggested by ACS) as possible to support an active and healthy lifestyle.

• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk or bike to your destination. 
• Be active at lunch with your co-workers, family, or friends.
• Take a 20-minute activity break at work to stretch, or take a quick walk.
• Walk to visit co-workers instead of sending an e-mail message.
• Go dancing with your spouse or friends.
• Plan active vacations, rather than driving trips.
• Wear a pedometer every day to increase your number of daily steps.
• Join a sports or recreation team.
• Use a stationary bicycle or treadmill while watching TV.
• Plan your activity routine to slowly increase the days per week and minutes per session. 2

Breast cancer is a deadly disease that continues to take the lives of too many mothers, sisters, wives, grandmothers, aunts and best friends in our community every year. And it doesn’t have to be this deadly (remember, 1/3 of the deaths are linked to poor diet, lack of exercise and being overweight).

But it’s gotta start with you.

Before  you point your finger elsewhere, point it at yourself. Not only will you help yourself, but you’ll set a positive example for your kids, siblings, friends, and others.

My mission in life is to help people get healthy and fit. I don't care what your reason is. But supporting breast cancer is a great way to get motivated and help reduce the risk of this life-threatening disease.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Make a point to not only support awareness in our community, but take a step to a healthier you. If you're struggling with motivation visit the Komen website. They have an awesome series called "31 Days of Impact". It highlights women and their stories behind this disease.

In health,
Tim Chudy
Fitness Together

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov.
*American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. 

Smoking, BPA, the Sun and now THIS Are Linked To Cancer

It seems every time we turn around something else is linked to cancer. Soon we'll all have to live in a bubble and eat freeze dried space-food to be safe. :-)

THIS has also been associated with increased risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, depression, and early death in earlier studies. But this is the first human study to link it with cancer.

Researchers still have a long way to go as they cannot yet prove a cause and effect relationship. But there is a "very solid association".

What is it? (hint: it's tough to know because you could sleep right through it.)

Sleep Apnea, the silent killer. Press release here.

Common causes of sleep apnea are:

• Excess weight
• Neck circumference - greater than 17 inches
• High blood pressure
• A narrowed airway
• Being male
• Being older - 2-3x more often in adults older than 65
• Family history
• Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers
• Smoking
• Prolonged sitting

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, if there is a panacea, it's exercise.

I can argue that if you were to lose weight alone you'd fix a slue of (potential) problems. And losing weight, of course, starts with diet and exercise. But know that by just getting more muscularly stronger and more aerobically fit helps regulate your metabolism and body rhythms. There's a lot to be said for getting hungry when you're suppose to and getting tired when you're supposed to. Eating your first meal at 2pm is not normal, nor is getting tired and falling asleep at 2am. Even if you do wake up at noon.

Get better sleep, get fit, and stay healthy.  

In other (bad) health news... 

2/3 of obese teens and 1/2 of overweight teens already have at least one risk factor for heart disease.

Teens! And heart disease! Can you believe that?

So much for the story of a normal 40 year old dying of a heart attack. It won't be long before a 20 year old dies from a heart attack.

We MUST get childhood obesity under control. Our friend Jean Huelsing is a champion in this arena and has been working hard at it for years. If you have a teen that is overweight or obese or know of one, I'd encourage you to look Jean up. Her program is top notch.

Age is just a number...

I've made a case against your age, or being "old", preventing you from accomplishing your fitness goals. Japanese mountaineer, Tamae Watanabe, blew that argument out of the water. She's a 73 year old climber and just set a world record May 19 by becoming the oldest woman to scale Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. She broke her own record set when she was 62.

So there you go. Your age can't keep you from reaching the top of the world!

FYI - my previous argument that Tamae shattered was Dara Torres competing in her 5th Olympics in Beijing at age 41. She's 45 now and going for her 6th in London!!! Let those two be inspiration for you this summer!


To your health,
Tim Chudy

250 Miiiiillion Dollars (believe it or not this post has to do with weight loss)

$250,000,000.00 is a lot of dough.

That's the amount of money companies are making
peddling weight loss suppleme...err... scams.

You may have fallen victim to them by handing over
your money. The weight loss results they tout
are staggering. 40 pounds in 30 days, Joe Blow
loses 150 pounds, and many other similar results.
There marketing is very good. Shady at best.
But still good.

25 mil was revenue from ONE company! A
few days ago the FTC filed complaints on 10 other
operations just like it.

Which puts it in the HUNDREDS of millions.

The saddest part; the crap they sell doesn't even
work.

Solve the worlds weight problem and you should get
a BIG check. Sell snake oil and you should go
to jail.

Try as we may, we can't redefine ourselves
overnight. That's too easy. If that worked then
all of the late night infomercials and fitness
dvd's would work.

But you CAN redefine yourself steadily, over time.

A very successful client of mine sold his
business for millions of dollars a few years back.
An article in the paper dubbed him as an overnight
success story. After talking with him, he said the
article gave him a chuckle because in reality they
were "a 10 year overnight success."

That statement made me think. It opened my eyes
that as much as we might see overnight successes
or hear about 30 day weight loss stories, the
reality is it takes steady, constant, and yes,
disciplined action.

Read that sentence again.

It takes steady, constant, disciplined action.

Let it soak in.

Because until you buy into that you will continue
to search, try, and fail at whatever it is you want to do. And waste a lot of money in the process.

STOP believing in crap. Start accepting diet
and exercise does it.

To your weight loss success,
Tim

P.S. Do you need to lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds or
more? I can help. It's a proven program that even
your doctor would recommend. Let's talk.

If you're not eating TWO servings of fish per week, please read this now

What a grorgeous Valentine's Day! The forecast
this week is very exciting given our winter so
far. I hope your Valentine's Day is full with love,
romance, and all that good hearty love stuff.;-)

And speaking of the heart, I have an interesting
fact for you.

Picture yourself grabbing a tennis ball (assuming
you don't have one at your computer) and squeeze
it tightly. Do you feel your hand grip the ball
and compress down?

That's how hard the beating heart works to pump
blood. And your heart will beat roughly 72 times a
minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a
year; and 2.5 billion times during your lifetime.
That's a lot of work.

Your heart is THE MOST important muscle in your
body.

And it only makes sense to take care of it. It
only makes sense to exercise it.

If you didn't know, February is heart health
month. Today's holiday is always a good reminder.

So it's a great time to assess how you treat your
most important muscle in the body.

**Do you exercise it?

There is nothing better for you than raising your
heart rate. Get your blood pumping, muscles
working, endorphins kicking, and heart pounding.
That type of exercise makes you feel good... and
proud.

**Do you give it what it needs?

Hamburgers, french fries, cupcakes, and alcohol.
I'm sure your heart enjoys a celebration once in
awhile, but a constant onslaught of that stuff is
a recipe for disaster. Try whole grains, FIBER,
lean meats and FISH, low fat dairy, fruits and
veggies. That stuff makes your heart happy!

**Do you give it more than it deserves?

In a recent survey 76% said they used a fish oil supplement regularly. I'm sure you've heard of Omega 3 fatty
acids if you don't already know their benefits.

Studies have shown Omega 3's, particularly EPA and
DHA support heart health, joint and brain
function, and even help reduce inflammation and
boost your immune system.

This supplement is a no brainer with "very little
downside to taking this supplement." It's a MUST
if you have any form of cardiovascular (heart)
disease or even a family history. And I bet your
doctor would agree with me.

**Do you really know it?

Do you know your blood pressure, cholesterol,
blood sugar and weight? You don't have to go to
the doctor to know these numbers. But you will
want to talk to her about them.

These questions should get you started. There are
more assessments to help you at www.heart.org.

If you haven't given your heart 5 minutes of
thought in the last year, give it now. You can
start by getting some fish oil. For less than a
buck a day you can take some preventative measure.

Then take advantage of this refreshing weather and
get outside and get your heart pumping.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Tim Chudy

P.S. ATTENTION LADIES: 90% of women have one or
more risk factors for heart disease. AND more
women die of heart disease than the next four
causes of death combined! Including all forms of
cancer. Do something now. Start with exercise,
nutrition, and supplementation.