Years ago I trained in a traditional, American martial arts school that emphasized a family style of Kung Fu that dated back over four hundred years. A typical class involved a period of meditation, calisthenics, stretching, forms work, and then application of fighting technique. I trained for a solid eight years before I decided to [...]
Metabolic syndrome is a primary driver of poor health throughout the developed world. Metabolic syndrome is defined as a group of health conditions that raise the risk of developing serious illness, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, liver and kidney disease, and diabetes. These health conditions can include significant belly fat, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, [...]
Frailty Sarcopenia is the scourge of aging. It is the process of losing muscle mass and strength that begins some time around the age of 40. Sarcopenia can greatly impact your quality of life by reducing your ability to perform normal tasks such as carrying groceries and climbing stairs. If left unchecked, it [...]
I recently read that through the use of accelerometry analysis, it was estimated that less than 10% of the US population meets the 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week prescription recommended by the CDC. Some argue that the 10% figure is overly pessimistic, as there is another estimate as high as 47%. [...]
Phat Phil The discussion that follows is derived from my personal fitness bible, The Barbell Prescription, written by Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Andy Baker. Sullivan runs a business known as Greysteel and he specializes in strength training for middle aged folks and the elderly. Andy Baker is a well known strength trainer. Be [...]
Regular meditation practice has been associated with a number of benefits backed by clinical research. I’ll dive into the primary benefits here and encourage you to conduct further research if you still have doubts. Stress Reduction The primary benefit derived from meditation is that it can help reduce stress. Stress reduction is critical to overall [...]
I read a friend's post on Facebook today about the workout/diet roller coaster she's been on over the years. Today she commented that she did six workouts last week. I think she is doing a mix of Pilates and some cardio. A friend congratulated her on her workouts, to which she made the reply about [...]
If you are like me, somewhat obsessed with fitness and over 40 years old (I am pushing 60 now), you are likely familiar with P90X. The P90X fitness program, created by Tony Horton, came out about twenty years ago. It was all the rage, and even some celebrities notably worked out with that program. P90X [...]
You're over 50. For much of your adult life you've been saving and investing for retirement so you can enjoy the good life and relax. Unfortunately, it's likely that you didn't bother to invest in your health and fitness. I say likely because according to the CDC, over 46% of Americans aged 40 to 59 [...]
While I was actively training in kung fu, we started each class with meditation. In this article, I’ll discuss the beginner level meditation. In the video at the end of this post, I demonstrate how to get into meditation position in a classroom setting. Starting with your feet together, and arms held in a soft [...]