The No. 1 Threat to Kids’ Health
Preventing the most common chronic childhood disease takes less than 5 minutes a day—and it could be something you regularly remind your kids to do already.
This pervasive threat to children’s health is tooth decay, and the numbers are rising—even though cavities are largely preventable. In fact, a shocking new survey just released by the Ad Council shows that only 44 percent of American kids brush their teeth two or more times per day, leaving the majority of kids at high risk for costly and painful dental problems.
Former UW strength coach Brett Brungardt takes guesswork out of athletic testing
Originally published Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 4:47 PM
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times staff columnist
———-
Brett Brungardt likes to joke about his failures as a strength and conditioning coach. It’s funny because he didn’t really fail; he was just the victim of deceptive testing.
“I came to the realization that I wasn’t a very good strength coach because, every year, the head coach in whatever sport I was working with, would come to me and say, ‘What’s so-and-so benching? What’s his 40 time? What’s his vertical?’ ” said Brungardt, whose 25-year career in professional and collegiate sports included a stint at Washington from 2002 to 2008. “I’d look it up and recite where he was. And the coach would say, ‘When I recruited him, he was benching this or running 4.5 40-yard dash. And it’s still the same. Why isn’t he better?’ I’d just shake my head. During the recruiting process, coaches weren’t getting reliable information.”
Throughout his career, Brungardt kept those stories in the back of his mind. Between chuckles, he often pondered what he could do to get less biased information. Four years ago, after leaving Washington, he traveled the world in pursuit of better ways to test. Then he decided to start his own business, Basic Athletic Measurement, which marries training and technology to evaluate athletes more accurately.
BAM testing is a local hidden gem that is growing in popularity. The NBA uses Brungardt and his team to measure draft prospects. Brungardt oversees the testing at all the major pre-draft events, including the NBA Draft Combine, Portsmouth Invitational and Eurocamp.
$50 massages through March at the MAC, super deal!
Introducing…Stephanie Wilson, LMP! Stephanie has been a great massage colleague of Katy’s since school and she highly admires Stephanie’s work. We’re so happy to have her with us so please check out a massage with her at this great price. Her work is deep tissue with a great curiosity for body mechanics and fascia- excellent to see her for mysteries of the athletic body you’d like to explore. Ironically, now all three massage therapists at the MAC are from Alaska! Interesting. On that note, Crystal will be leaving us in June to head back to Alaska so wish her well when you see her. Katy will be on maternity leave from April- mid May with a baby boy on the way.
Come on in for a session to work out those achy muscles that have been working so hard lately. You deserve it!
Stephanie:
- At the MAC Th & Sats
- Deep tissue massage, myofascial work, injury treatment, Reiki
Crystal:
- At the MAC Mon, Tues & Sats
- Deep tissue, injury treatment
We accept insurance for billing and have online scheduling at: http://www.riseupmassage.genbook.com
Read more about your therapists on our website: http://www.riseupmassage.com/?page_id=11
The 27 Rules of Conquering the Gym
JASON GAY, JANUARY 5, 2012
This is the time of year when even people who hate the gym think about going to the gym. Many of us are still digesting whole floors of gingerbread houses, and jeans that fit comfortably in October are now a denim humiliation.
Sweating is a good way to begin 2012. Exercise, like dark chocolate and office meetings that suddenly get canceled, is a proven pathway to nirvana. But if you’re going to join a gym—or returning to the gym after a long hibernation—consider the following:
1. A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself. If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.
2. Give yourself a goal. Maybe you want to lose 10 pounds. Maybe you want to quarterback the New York Jets into the playoffs. But be warned: Losing 10 pounds is hard.
How to Get Six-Pack Abs
By Adam Campbell, Men’s Health
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
The fitness industry is a crazy business, especially when it comes to abs. For example, if you want to reveal your six-pack, you generally have two product choices.
1. The too-easy-to-work method.
You know this better as “5-minute abs!” or some such hype. But if this approach were really effective, even Chris Christie would have a washboard.
2. The so-hard-it-has-to-work method.
Think 60 to 90 minutes of exercise, 6 days a week. Now if you have the time and energy for this kind of regimen, we commend you. But plenty of people are missing one or the other. And that’s just reality, not a cop-out.
So we wondered: Could there be an ab-sculpting program that actually works and is doable for most people? For the answer, we turned to Mike Wunsch, C.S.C.S., and Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., creators of Men’s Health’s newest fat-loss plan, 24-Hour Abs! The answer: “Absolutely,” says Wunsch, who teams up with Rasmussen to design the workout programs at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. “That’s exactly how we make our living.”
One important fact about Results Fitness: Even in a recession, this Southern California gym has expanded. Twice. Why? Because its trainers have developed a fat-loss formula tailored specifically for busy people. (Read: mostly everyone.) The requirements are simple: 30 to 40 minutes a day, 3 days a week. So how do these trainers do it when so many others have failed? They threw out the old guidelines. The new ones they’ve created are based on 21st-century science and the methods that work best with their clients. Now you can benefit, too.
Lose Weight Fast: Post-Holiday Diet Plan
By Julie Upton, RD, Prevention
Mon, Nov 21, 2011
An extra serving of sweet potatoes, a sliver of pecan pie, a Campari cocktail or two. By itself, each of these festive splurges seems so innocent. But like holiday presents, dietary indulgences come at a cost. Most of us never lose the 1 to 2 pounds we gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve–and over the years, they add up. The damage is even worse when December’s hearty eating patterns take hold and last well into spring, as they often do.
That is why we developed this 3-day quick weight loss plan–to get you out of party excess mode and put you on a healthy eating track for the new year. It’s simple, fast, and effective. Stick with it and you will have those extra pounds gone before you take down a single decoration.
Goal #1: Break the Sugar Cycle
The Splurge: Those dreams of sugarplums dancing in your head may be more like a nightmare brought on by too many sweet treats. While experts used to dismiss the notion of sugar addiction, a growing body of research suggests that the sweet stuff can hijack the same brain circuitry that’s affected by drugs and alcohol, leading to a vicious cycle of cravings and binges. And holiday desserts with high levels of both sugar and fat provide a double whammy. The sugar hooks you, while the fat piles on the pounds.
The Solution: Eliminate desserts that are rich in sugar and fat for at least 3 days–7 to 10 would be even better. This will help quell cravings while you start to reestablish a taste for naturally sweet foods, such as fruit and starchy vegetables.
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Kick Up Your Core
The Editors of Men’s Health
Fri, Sep 30, 2011
A fighter’s body should be a streamlined machine, as lean and muscular as it needs to be—no more, no less. That requires efficient training, says mixed martial arts trainer Chad Waterbury, M.S., author of Huge in a Hurry. This cutting-edge workout develops upper-body strength, size, and endurance simultaneously, packing so much exercise into just 15 minutes that you’ll shrink your waistline in the process. And to find out the regimen and training secrets that turned welterweight king Georges St-Pierre into a champion, read The Ultimate Fighter Workout.
Do this:
Start with 6 reps of each exercise, with no rest between moves. Then do 5 reps of each, and continue to count down until you do 1 of each. If you complete the workout in less than 15 minutes, add a rep to your first set next time—so you’ll start with 7 instead of 6. If you can start with 8 reps and finish in 15 minutes or less, consider yourself ready to rumble.
1 Judo pushup
Start in a modified pushup position, with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your feet far enough forward that your hips rise. Now lower your body until your chin nearly touches the floor. In a continuous motion, raise your head and shoulders while lowering your hips until they almost touch the floor. Reverse the move to return to the starting position. Want to see more variations of this classic exercise? Then try out these 14 Smart Pushup Improvements.
The Most Overrated Gym Machine
Are you still using the leg-curl machine? Then you should know this: “It’s not the best way to work your hamstrings,” says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., Men’s Health fitness adviser and co-owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. “In fact, it’s not even close.”
A quick explanation: The leg-curl machine targets your hamstrings because it requires you to flex your knees against a resistance. This is called knee flexion. (Get it?) Knee flexion is certainly one of the jobs of your hamstrings — but it’s not the most important one. At least not in terms of why you need your hamstrings to be strong in the real world. (For a real-world fitness plan that fits even the busiest schedule, try The Zero Excuses Workout.)
“The main function of your hamstrings is to extend your hips,” says Cosgrove. If you need a visual, think of the movement you use when you thrust your hips. An example: When you sprint, you forcefully thrust — or extend — your hips each time you push off the ground with your foot. This helps you propel your body forward.
You perform hip extension in plenty of exercises — the stepup, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, hip raise, and even the squat, to name a few. So if you want to strengthen your hamstrings, these exercises are all better choices than the leg-curl machine. After all, you rarely have to flex your knees against a resistance in every day life.
That said, if your knee flexion is weak, it’s certainly smart to strengthen this function of your hamstrings. However, there’s an even better exercise for this than the leg-curl machine. It’s called the Swiss-ball hip raise and leg curl. This movement actually requires both knee flexion and hip extension. So it works two of your hamstring functions at once. “It doesn’t matter that you aren’t ‘isolating’ knee flexion,” says Cosgrove. “With this exercise, the weakest link automatically gets the best training effect.” (Make sure The 8 Scariest Restaurant Meals aren’t the weak link in your diet.)
And though you may think it’s a simple movement, few people in the gym get this exercise right. So watch the video below to learn how to do the Swiss-ball hip raise and leg curl with perfect form.
Oh, and a note to those who feel this exercise is too easy. Remember: You can always use progressions to make an exercise harder. In this case, you can perform the same movement, but with just one leg on the ball instead of two. (You hold the other in the air.) That’s tough by almost anyone’s standards.
Want to learn more great moves to sculpt your body? Then check out The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises and The Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises, where you’ll find full-color photos of more than 500 exercises, and dozens of great workouts.
VIDEO: http://bcove.me/eivabc9q
Brian Sutton joins the MAC training team!
Brian Sutton
December 5, 2011 – Seattle – Magnuson Athletic Club (MAC) is pleased to announce Brian Sutton – one of Seattle’s sought after group fitness instructors and designer of Lifestyle Integrated Fitness Training (LIFT) fitness program has joined the MAC sport training team. Sutton will serve as a personal trainer.
“Brian brings a high level of knowledge and passion for fitness to the MAC. He brings a skill set to help people of all fitness levels reach their full potential. The community has gained a great resource with Brian joining the MAC team,” said Preston Crouser, Head MAC Trainer.
Sutton brings twelve years of experience and an extensive resume of specialty training to the MAC, including a Masters in Exercise Science, strength and conditioning coaches certification and personal trainer certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is a co-founder of LIFT in New York, and has been a Keynote speaker for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Utilizing an array of his own original programs along with other proven techniques, Sutton has nurtured active adults and recreational athletes, as well as high school, collegiate and pro athletes.
Celebrity trainer tips to avoid the holiday pounds
By Sarah Bernard | The Thread – Fri, Dec 2, 2011 2:50 PM EST
The pleasures of the holiday season are many but the pain can be equally powerful come January when we realize the damage we’ve done. This year wouldn’t it be nice to not have regrets for a change? We asked celebrity fitness and nutrition experts– the pros who keep Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston in line–to give us their tips for getting through the holidays without those extra 10 pounds. Are you in?
BOBBY STROM, celebrity trainer who has worked with Jessica Biel and Britney Spears and whipped Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively into shape for “Green Lantern”
“Give yourself one meal a week. Christmas dinner is only one meal, not a three day long event. For that one meal, say, ‘I’m going to have some candied yams and pumpkin pie and potatoes.’ That’s it. Doesn’t mean you eat like crap for the whole day. Before you eat something think, ‘If it’s not worth it, don’t waste it.’ If someone says, ‘You have to try this cake it’s awesome!’ Ok, maybe it’s worth the calories. But picking at a bowl of pretzels—that’s not worth the work you’ll have to do to take it off.”
GUNNAR PETERSON, celebrity trainer who keeps Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara in good form, and helped Jennifer Lopez train for a triathlon after having twins
“Get a training partner for these six weeks who will help motivate you to get up and out of bed. And get it done early. Set your alarm for an hour earlier—or even 30 minutes. You’ll make better choices for the rest of the day. And at night, you’ll be less likely to stay out too late because you’ll have to get up early. Mindset is also incredibly important. You have to mentally set the table. You will not gain weight. You’ve got to know it to make better choices. Draw a line in the sand.”
Katherine Kaufman Joins Magnuson Athletic Club Team
Fitness Innovator, Katherine Kaufman Joins Magnuson Athletic Club Leadership Team. Kaufman Will Deliver Challenging, Yet Flexible Programs to New Club’s Growing Membership.
November 23, 2011 – Seattle – Magnuson Athletic Club is pleased to announce Katherine Kaufman – one of Seattle’s most sought after group fitness instructors, and designer of the C.U.T.™ exercise program has joined the MAC leadership team. Ms. Kaufman will serve as Operations and Membership Development Director.
“We are thrilled to have Katherine join the MAC team. She has a contagious passion for fitness. She has connected with the community as a group fitness instructor and
trainer. She will be a great collaborator in developing the MAC vision,” said Tarn Sublett, MAC General Manager.
Trainer Tip: Intensify your ab workouts!
Our very own Breanne Curran gives us some tips on how to intensify your abdominal workouts and a quick nutrition tip too!
A Little Deception Helps Push Athletes to the Limit
By GINA KOLATA
Published: September 19, 2011
The trained bicyclists thought they had ridden as fast as they possibly could. But Kevin Thompson, head of sport and exercise science at Northumbrian University in England, wondered if they go could even faster.
So, in an unusual experiment, he tricked them.
In their laboratory, Dr. Thompson and his assistant Mark Stone had had the cyclists pedal as hard as they could on a stationary bicycle for the equivalent of 4,000 meters, about 2.5 miles. After they had done this on several occasions, the cyclists thought they knew what their limits were.
Then Dr. Thompson asked the cyclists to race against an avatar, a figure of a cyclist on a computer screen in front them. Each rider was shown two avatars. One was himself, moving along a virtual course at the rate he was actually pedaling the stationary bicycle. The other figure was moving at the pace of the cyclist’s own best effort — or so the cyclists were told.
In fact, the second avatar was programmed to ride faster than the cyclist ever had — using 2 percent more power, which translates into a 1 percent increase in speed.
Save $25 on massage through October!
Welcome Crystal Mappala to our MAC team!
We’d like you to get to know Crystal and her excellent massage work by coming in for a massage with her. Through October, if youmention this post, you’ll receive a $50 one hour massage that’s $25 off of our full priced hour. Also try a 90 minute massage for only $75! Awesome. Crystal accepts insurance for billing including Premera, First Choice, Aetna and others. You can book with her online starting Saturday, September 3rd. Her massages are a great blend of deep work and flowing relaxation, perfect for any athlete or aching body.
To learn more about Crystal, visit her page on our website here
Jicama Salad Recipe
Last Weekend I gave this one a try and it was a success. I doubled it and added some spinach to carry me through the work week as lunch , I added turkey breast and crackers for a complete lunch. But my friends last weekend loved this as well.
Jicama-Watercress-Avocado Salad with Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette, Serves 6-8.
Jicama, is also known as the mexican Turnip. I think it tastes like a hybrid of an apple and a potato. Sweet, refreshing, crunchy and a little starchy. It is a good source of Potassium, Fiber and Vitamin C. This salad is a sort of Thai fusion using ingredients that are not hard to find. Dressing has a small spicy kick from the Hot Chile oil, but not too intense. Avocado and Peanuts make it a meal of it’s own, filling enough for a summer lunch or dinner.
Massages really can make the pain go away, study finds
A new study reinforced what physical therapist have long suspected: Massage, when coupled with traditional medical treatment, provides significant relief from chronic back pain. The 400-person study was conducted by Seattle’s Group Health Research Institute.
When Nobuku Anderson walked into her home, she knew something was wrong. She had pushed her luck trying to carry the wine case purchased earlier that day. Almost immediately, pain seized her. Collapsing to the floor, crying, she inched toward the phone.
This was the first time in the decades she has been managing her back pain — the result of years of tennis, golf and “the crazy high heels you wear when you’re young” — that she couldn’t move.
Young man’s job hunt an adventure
Knowing Shelby Burford is a little like knowing Forrest Gump. The stories never stop.
I first met Burford in January, after I learned about how he had printed his abridged résumé on cocktail napkins and passed them out to fellow passengers on his flight to Seattle.
Burford, 22, chose to move to Seattle from his native Kansas City because of its entrepreneurial spirit. I guess Burford, a Baylor University marketing grad, figured he’d get started before he even hit the ground here.
I wrote a column then about Burford and his unique job search six months ago.
The other day, I met with Burford to see if his napkins had allowed him to wipe the floor with all the other folks trying to find work in times like these.
Scientifically Proven: The Worst Lifestyle Habits For Your Waistline
Last week the New England Journal of Medicine published a study following over 100,000 people over 20 years to quantify just how bad certain foods are. The short answer? Just what you think — fried foods, refined grains, and potatoes are the bad guys in your diet. An extra serving of french fries, for example, was associated with over three pounds of weight gain for each four-year study period.
Of course, what we eat isn’t the only culprit in what’s making us fat. Read on for the top lifestyle practices that researchers found were bad for you.
10 Reasons to Love Pineapple
I find it interesting to know a bit of the story behind a food. Somehow it seems to make a healthful food taste that much more delightful. That applies to a fruit that I spoke about in a recent video appearance: pineapple. Lately, I feel like a head cheerleader for this unique fruit! Here are 10 reasons why:
1. Pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.
2. Each fruit usually weighs a few pounds, but can weigh as much as a hefty 20 pounds.
3. Pineapple won’t continue to ripen once it’s picked, no matter what you try to do to it. So to determine if it’s ripe, smell the bottom for sweetness; it should have a faint pineapple scent, but it shouldn’t smell too perfumey.
Real Shortcuts to Your Dream Body
Sometimes a girl just doesn’t have the time (or money) to do a two-hour workout, hire a personal chef and devote endless hours to primping. We rounded up fitness pros, makeup mavens and lifestyle experts to spill their personal shortcuts to looking — and feeling — their best. With these beat-the-clock secrets, you’ll feel confident and wonder what to do with all that newfound free time.
HIIT the Gym
Scorch calories with HIIT, high-intensity interval training. The result is a stronger, sculpted you. According to Anthony Nehra, a New York personal trainer and author of TheFitFeed.com, the method focuses on working at a very high-intensity level for a short period of time, then recovering at a low level. Beginners: Aim for a 30-second sprint followed by a two-minute recovery walk.
Find the Right Support
A properly fitting bra will lift breasts, making you instantly appear taller and thinner, says Susan Nethero, owner of Intimacy Boutiques. The right support can also make back fat disappear instantly, since bulges are commonly caused by ill-fitting bras.
Keep Your Perfect Smile
Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss and use a rubber-tipped gum stimulator to keep stains from building at your gum line, advises Hugh Flax, a dental surgeon. Also avoid stain-makers like blueberries, red wine and coffee.
Dig Deeper
GET REAL for Kids. Super Foods = Super Powers!
SUPER FOODS = SUPER POWERS!
What makes Super Hero’s Super? I will teach kids how they can be healthier, stronger and smarter by the foods they put into their bodies and the activities they choose. Establish healthy building blocks for their lives. Make your kids healthy the fun way!
Warning! Side Effects may include:
Interest in nutritious foods, increased happiness, less picky eating, increased activity level, less colds and flus, decreased crabbiness, urges to cook and prepare foods at home. Better nourishment into their teen and adult years.
Kids : Thursdays 4:30 PM
How to Keep Your Knees Healthy
Healthy knees are important to your well-being, but painful injuries like “runner’s knee,” ACL tears and tendonitis are all too common. In fact, women are more likely than men to suffer serious knee trouble. Read how the knee works, what can go wrong and how to prevent getting hurt. Plus, learn how to strengthen leg muscles and reduce pain with a knee workout…
Although they’re the largest joints in the body, your knees are also among the most vulnerable to injury. And women face a higher risk, especially if they’re active.
But if you take precautions, you can reduce the likelihood of painful or even debilitating damage.
“Knee injuries generally fall into two categories: macro traumas and overuse injuries,” says John Hurley, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Summit Medical Group in Morristown, N.J.
Macro trauma includes tearing of a tendon or cartilage, usually the result of turning and twisting during running or sports. A tear can also occur when you stop short with feet planted in one direction and the knee forced into a different direction.
An overuse injury, on the other hand, often occurs from asking too much of your knees without enough rest.
And while they’re not completely preventable, both kinds of injury can usually be avoided with proper care.
Your new exercise Rx from the American College of Sports Medicine
Get out of that chair and move
New exercise guidelines released by the American College of Sports Medicine Tuesday may be more detailed than the last, but don’t worry — the overriding message is that pretty much any kind of activity is better than sitting on the sofa.
Thanks to copious new research the guidelines, last updated in 1998, got an upgrade. The 150-minute or more per week rule for cardio is still there, as is information on strength training. Perhaps the biggest change is the relaxing of stringent exercise guidelines, says Carol Ewing Garber, ACSM vice president and associate professor of movement science at Columbia University. The previous approach emphasized reaching goals for cardio and strength training, a la, “You must do this or you won’t improve your fitness and health,” Garber says. Sure, it would be great for people to reach those goals every week, but that probably won’t happen. “Research now supports the fact that you can do less than what’s recommended and still get benefits. Your weight may stay the same, but your overall health may improve.”
Dig Deeper…
Healthy Eats This Summer
Don’t undo your hard work in the gym.
Barbeques:
Barbeques are such an easy summer get-together. We usually find ourselves snacking throughout the evening and eating more than we are happy with. Skip the snacking and go straight for the dinner as soon as food is off the grill. Save yourself and step away from the spread, which is usually loaded with sodium and sugar. Sip unsweetened ice tea and club soda to keep your calorie count down. Curious about what all those condiments add up to? Allan Borushek, author of Calorie King Counter and Fat and Carbohydrate counter itemizes them up for us:
