Exercise Guide

Like sushi, Sumo, and Hello Kitty, the idea of walking 10,000 steps per day is “made in Japan.” It originated with Japanese researchers, most notably a Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, who wanted to determine the calorie burn resulting from brisk walking. He then wanted to take that research and try to stem the rising tide of obesity in his country.

Dr. Hatano’s research determined the average person took 3,500 to 5,000 steps per day, and that increasing that count to 10,000 steps per day would result in better health and lower weight. Combine sophisticated research with the penchant for Japanese technology, and the pedometer is born.

Pedometer use quickly swept Japan, with millions of citizens strapping on a “Manpo-kei” (10,000 steps meter). The trend also caught on in the USA, where we have our own problems with obesity in adults and-alarmingly-in children as well.

However, Dr. Hatano is not the original inventor of the pedometer. Based on Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings, it is generally believed he created the earliest versions of a device to count steps.

Thomas Jefferson was also involved, hundreds of years after da Vinci, as he brought a step counter back from his sojourns in France. Jefferson was a staunch advocate of regular walking for mental and physical health.

Jefferson penned a well-known epistle to his nephew, Peter Carr, where he advised him on what he needed to do to become a productive member of society. There were a number of subjects Jefferson wanted him to study, but he also wanted him to walk regularly. He said:

The object of walking is to relax the mind. You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk; but divert your attention by the objects surrounding you. Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.

He also said Carr should carry a gun with him, but no books. I’m thinking that practice would be frowned upon today, however.

The great thing about walking is that anyone can do it, and you can do it anyplace at just about any time. There are exceptions of course to the above statement, but it is the absolute simplest form of exercise.

You don’t need any special clothing (although comfortable shoes are nice) or special equipment (although a pedometer is recommended). You can do it alone or with a group. You can do it with your family, your friends, or your pets.

Do you need a formal “program”? Not necessarily, but it can help. Some programs will walk you through establishing a baseline, setting goals, and working to meet those goals. A good program can help you stay on track until you meet your health and fitness goals.

So it’s not important whether the pedometer or the 10,000 steps program came first. The important thing is to get out and move!

Visit http://www.rypsports.com/pedometerinfo.html to download a FREE e-book that will teach you more about pedometers and help you select the right one for you.

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In order to live a long healthy life, you must have a strong healthy body. There is no way around it. Proper dieting and exercise are a MUST. The good news is, it is not an impossible task. Like climbing a mountain, it will require some sweat equity. What a great investment of your time!

Just like building your financial strength, it is your responsibility to build your physical strength. No one can do it for you. We can encourage you and give you suggestions, but you must do it.

Two different types of exercises are required to become fit, strength training and cardio. The purpose of this article is not to go into the HOW’S, but to encourage you to get started and make exercise a part of your daily life.

My wife and I were headed down the wrong path physically. As health store owners, we knew better and had in the past been physically fit to a point. We had done it with cardio only. When we bought our business exercise stopped for several years and we became unfit.

In 2000, we heard of a fitness program called, Body for Life Challenge, by Bill Phillips. His challenge, “Do my program or go start an ant farm.” We took the challenge instead of the ant farm. In three months this one event turned our lives COMPLETELY AROUND.

Allow me to brag on my wife a little. Her dress size dropped from 12 to 4 in 12 weeks. Her weight dropped from 132 lbs. to 110 lbs. You would think that with such a change in dress size, her weight lost would have been more.

This is the beauty of combining weight training and cardio (which she had never done before), fat is burned and muscle build. Muscle takes up less body space than fat so her dress size dropped more than her weight, respectively.

We encourage you to go out and buy the book, Body for Life, by Bill Phillips, read it, understand it and get started with your transformation. The book is your road map. Or you could go start an ant farm. How boring is that!

You may say, “I am already fit.” Do the program and you will see that you may not be as fit as you think. If you know that you are not fit, then you most definitely need to do the program. For every mountain there is an excuse not to climb it. If you are not fit, it is those excuses that got you were you are today. We encourage you to climb this mountain. The view is worth the sweat it takes to climb it. We wish you the best!

Fred Fishburne and his wife are owners of ProHealth Nutrition, Inc., a very successful health store in McDonough, Ga. Visit at: http://prohealthnut.com

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Exercisers spend millions of dollars on special sports drinks, even though none increase endurance more than the food from which they are made.

You become tired during exercise because you run low on fluids, salt and calories. As long as you replace these three components, you do not need to pay extra for a sport drink.

If you are going to exercise for more than 25 minutes, you can increase your endurance by drinking fluids. If you are going to exercise for more than 45 minutes, you can increase your endurance with sugared drinks, which provide a quick source of calories. Sugared drinks such as fruit juices, soft drinks and sports drinks can be absorbed just as rapidly as water.

The potassium listed as an ingredient in some sports drinks is irrelevant since you will not become potassium deficient from exercise, and you get plenty of potassium in virtually all foods. The only mmineral you need to replace during exercise is salt.

When you exercise, you lose water through sweat. Sweat contains much less salt than blood does, so you lose far more water than salt, which causes blood levels of salt to rise. You have to lose more than two pints of water for the salt concentration in your blood to rise high enough to make you feel thirsty. By the time you feel thirst, it is too late to catch up on your fluid loss and you will have to stop exercising. By then you are dehydrated and you may become nauseous, get muscle cramps, or feel dizzy. If you ignore the warning signs of dehydration, you can convulse and pass out.

Eating salt stimulates you to drink, and raises your blood salt level high enough to make you feel thirsty and able to retain fluid. Some sports drinks contain salt, but most people don’t like the taste of a salty drink, so the salt content is usually too low to meet your needs for salt during heavy exercise.

Previous studies showing that temperature or carbonation affect absorption have been not been supported by more recent research. Your drink can be chilled or warm, as you prefer. If you prefer the taste of a sports drink over other beverages, use it. If your favorite beverage is a cola, iced tea, lemonade or plain water, that’s what you should drink when you exercise. Research overwhelmingly shows that you will drink the most of the fluid you like best.

Since your drink won’t supply enough salt to meet your needs when you exercise for several hours, you’ll also need to eat salted peanuts, potato chips or anything else with salt that tastes good to you. For calories, it doesn’t make much difference what you eat as long as it doesn’t remain too long in your stomach and cause intestinal discomfort.

When you’re not exercising, don’t get in the habit of using sports drinks or any other sugared drinks to quench thirst. They’ll add up to a lot of calories with little other nutritional value. Use plain water or other calorie-free beverages instead.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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