According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 70-85% of adults suffer from lower back pain during some time in their lives. It is also the most frequent cause of activity limitation in people over the age of 45.

For many Americans, lower back pain is a result of being in a seated posture for most our days, without changing our body positions. The following are a few tips to prevent lower back pain:

• Change positions at least, every 30 minutes, during your workday. Cross one ankle over one knee and lean forward to stretch your glut. Stand up. Walk to the water cooler or copy machine. Take a phone call standing up.
• Stay well hydrated. Sufficient fluid in your body keeps your joints “lubricated and padded”. (This also will induce more frequent restroom breaks, which will force you to be more active during your day, and utilize your muscles.)
• Exercise regularly. This will increase circulation to those muscles that were “turned off” while your were seated throughout the day. This will also help you manage your weight.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Too much weight on your body can stress your body’s frame to the point of strain, causing back pain.
• Keep a well-balanced strength workout between the muscles of your back and abdominals.

You can also find exercises that you can do at your desk and at home that will keep your core strong and help you prevent lower back pain at the new online health club, V4 Fitness, launched by my company, Balanced Strength. You can still register for a free account through this Friday, February 13. Log on at http://v4fitness.com to set up your account. You can find the exercises by going to the Exercise Library and entering “core” in the search field.

See you there!

Image found at http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com

The majority of us Americans have not-so-fond memories of the Presidential Fitness test. In our youth, some may have asked, “Who wrote these tests?” Even Junior Seau jokes about how he dreads doing pull-ups, on Insider Training with Gabby Reece, because they remind him of those days of old. Now, we have a President who sets a fantastic example of healthy and fit living.

However, I have read that our President has been accused of being workout obsessed because he spent two hours working out, one day during his campaign. Exercise has been proven to alleviate one’s stress. President Obama is going into the White House with a healthy, low blood pressure level, healthy BMI, and body composition, with one of the most stressful jobs in the world today. I tip my imaginary hat to the man for keeping up his daily fitness routine, so that he can remain our healthy Commander-in-Chief for the term of his presidency. In fact, 2/3 of the American population (yes, that’s how many Americans do not get the recommended amount of physical activity) have lost the excuse that “I am too busy/too stressed to exercise.” If the President can do it, yes, you can you, too! “Yes we can.” (Sorry, that is not getting old for me anytime soon.)

I was going to finish this post here, but I am sure that single parents are saying that they don’t have help at home with their kids, thus restricting exercise options. My solution: visit your local YMCA or Boys & Girls Club (if necessary, they also offer financial assitance for families who qualify), parents can workout while the kids get to participate in various programs. Some locations even offer childcare for the kids who are not yet old enough to participate in the art and fitness classes that they provide. For those of us in California, where there isn’t snow or sleet, take your kids out on a walk with you. Getting/staying fit is easy, if you let it be.

In addition to the above suggestion, the next one applies to each and everyone of us: Make a daily appointment with yourself to exercise, and keep it. Your date can be with the well-lit stairwell at your office for 15 minutes per day.

If you would like more guidance, feel free to contact me offline, comment, our visit my website~www.balancedstrength.com. Also, register for a V4 Fitness account for free through January 31, 2009. It is an online health club, complete with daily exercises, fitness tips, and interaction with our total fitness coaching staff of nutritionists, personal trainers, and life coaches.

V4 Fitness Preview Photo, www.balancedstrength.com/v4fitness/

Most of us have set health & fitness-themed New Year’s resolutions, as we have in years past. Many of us have had difficulty meeting those goals…

I’m plugging a little shameless self-promotion in this blog post, since a project that I have been working on for nearly 6 months will finally go live this week–just in time to give you tools to achieve success in conquering those pesky resolutions!

Balanced Strength, Inc. presents V4 Fitness…a members-only, one-stop, total fitness community that provides you with resources and expert advice on exercise, clinical and integrative nutrition, Habit Reprogramming™, weight loss, injury prevention, and stress management.

We strive to help the busy working professional learn how to get and stay healthy and fit when time is your endangered resource. Your membership entitles you to:

• Communicate with experts in fitness & wellness at your convenience.
• Interact with others in the private blog, “Coaches Corner”.
• Access the comprehensive Exercise Library.
• Receive daily exercises that you can do in your office and at your desk.
• Receive healthy lifestyle tips.
• Be accountable for a daily healthy habits checklist.
• Track your wellness progress.
• Register for online fitness competitions that help you get fit fast.

Sign up on our preview list at http://balancedstrength.com/v4fitness/ before January 1, 2009, and you will receive a free one-month membership upon our launch!

For more information about V4 Fitness and your membership benefits, visit http://balancedstrength.com/v4fitness/.

For the month of January, I am also offering my workshop, “Ready, Set, Fit” free to your corporations! After attending this workshop, you will have the tools to overcoming the obstacles that keep you from meeting your health & fitness goals and set milestones toward achieving your successes. Contact christine.kwok@balancedstrength.com for more information and to book your event.

In this morning’s NBC news in Dallas, it discussed walking conference rooms in NYC. I encourage everybody to go for walking meetings. After all, physical activity spurs creativity. However this morning’s news is quite the boardroom breakthrough.

This company’s conference room is equipped with projectors, telephones, and computers, similar to our “mainstream” conference rooms. However, instead of tables and chairs, it has treadmills. Instead of going to meetings in suits and dress shoes, you get to wear walking pants, t-shirts, and sneakers. In an hour-long meeting, an attendee can burn anywhere from 150-400 calories. Incidently, Dr. James Levine published a study with Mayo Clinic that concluded that “thin” people burn 350 calories more per day than those people who are obese.

Photo courtesy of http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness.html?no_interstitial

If you find it difficult to go for that three mile walk per day, or 10,000 steps per day. A treadmill workstation is a great multi-tasking alternative. See the above photo of walkstations at Mutual of Omaha.

For those of you who are interested in creating your own walking workstation, I found an online DIY treadmill desk. While actively working, I recommend walking on the treadmill workstation at a pace of about 2 mph. Also, keep the ramp between 1-2%.

Fennel bulbs

After making mashed garnet yams and crispy fennel, a la Pace Webb, I was left with long fennel stalks. I was planning to try Pace’s fennel apple salad. However, I didn’t have apples, nor gorgonzola in the refrigerator. What I did have was celery, so I thought about what would compliment the flavors and texture of celery & fennel. The product…

4 celery stalks, 2 fennel stalks, 1/2 small onion, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 tbsp olive oil, pinch of kosher salt, pinch of ground pepper, dill & fresh parsley to taste

Chop celery and fennel into 1/8-1/4 inch slices and roughly dice onion. Heat the olive oil in a pan over med-low heat. Saute celery, fennel and onion, with salt, for 2 minutes. Add frozen corn, heat for 3 more minutes. Add pepper, dill, and parsley. Stir for another minute to marry the flavors. Then plate.

For a lunch salad, you can add grilled chicken or toasted pine nuts and gorgonzola cheese crumbles.

Not including any chicken or other additions, this whole recipe, which serves at least two (more if used as a side dish), contains about 300 calories-total. The health benefits include being high in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. The sweetness of the corn can curb a sweet tooth, while the high fiber content helps inhibit the absorption of fat.

Yes, you see that correctly, Part 2.5. Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to blog the follow-up with my exercise prescription to manage your stress levels (Part 3). However, an article from Market Watch was just published. It discusses how stress can cause tension and pain in the neck, shoulders, and back, and why. Dr. Norman Marcus also says, “Even though you might feel you deserve to overindulge, don’t use the pressure of the financial crisis to suspend healthy habits: Excessive drinking, overeating, smoking or self-medicating can only make the situation worse,” which reinforces what was stated in Part 1. Happy reading!!! Click here for the article.

The Problem: As I train my clients along the bluffs of Santa Monica, overlooking the ocean, I expect this area to be peaceful. Being in LA County, I expect to hear some sirens and a little honking of car horns. However, in the last few weeks, I have noticed much more driver stress. I am assuming this is due to the economic distress many Americans are now feeling, especially when the majority of reports coming from financial experts is that this is a “once in a lifetime” economic crisis.

The proof is not just in the road rage, but that restaurant sales, spa visits, and other service- and product-oriented sales are down. I’m sure some of you readers may have considered, if you have not already, quit your gym membership. If you are not using your gym membership, I say fine. You really don’t need a gym to maintain a fitness regimen. However, if going to the gym is your means of getting in your workouts, find other ways to save.

Exercise: In times of crises and stress, ultimately, it is exercise and maintaining good health that will help you cope, mentally and physically, with the demands. Regular exercise (I recommend 45-60 minutes/day, 5-6 days/week–does not have to be in a single bout) helps you sleep better and faster, keeps you mentally alert, controls your blood pressure, blood sugar, and balance your hormones.

Nutrition: During stressful times, we also tend to turn to “comfort food” in order to feel good. Normally, I say it’s OK to have a little piece of chocolate, a scoop of ice cream, or a small serving of fries. However, during these times, it’s more difficult to practice moderation. My advice is to resist the urge and have a glass of water. (If you still feel hungry, after a few minutes, have a small palmful of sliced almonds.) A well-hydrated body is a well-coping body. Avoid caffeine as much as possible, in order to minimize feelings of anxiety.

Breathe: Also, don’t forget to breathe. Taking a few minutes at the beginning and end of your day to practice breathing exercise in a quiet place will help you relax, as well.

Look out for the next few segments of “Economic Effects on Exercise.” I will be giving you tips on how to save money in regard to your gym memberships, quick and efficient exercise routines, and nutrition tips that will help you reduce your stress. Please leave me a comment if you have any questions or would like me to cover any other topics.

Contrary to some scientists’ previous belief, runners are less likely to suffer from injuries later in life. In fact, research from Stanford University says that it slows the human aging process.

Running is weight-bearing, keeping the bones of your lower body strong, which prevents osteoporotic hips (and hip replacement surgeries). It is also great exercise for your cardiovascular system, keeping you heart healthy.

In previous decades, physicians were concerned about the impact of regular running on the joints of seniors and thought that such regular impact would eventually weaken their joints and cause stress fractures. The opposite was proven in this study conducted by Stanford University of runners over the age of 50.

Of course, before anybody begins a fitness program, they should consult with their physician to see if they have any contraindications or limitations that they need to be aware of. If you want to begin a running program and discover your own fountain of youth. I highly recommend attending a few running clinics (your local running shoes store usually holds a few each year) or meet with a fitness trainer with such expertise, in order to be guided through appropriate programming and technique. This will help prevent future injuries; thus, keeping your body young.

Feel free to contact me for a free phone consultation and/or referrals for coaching.

Picture of a "healthy thin," lean body.

In yesterday’s morning news, on KTLA, Michaela Pereira covered the issue of seemingly healthy obese people. Yes, that is an oxymoron; thus called “seemingly healthy obese.” The category of obesity starts at 29% body fat, which is considered borderline obese. As one’s body fat content rises, so does their risk for cardiovascular disease and other obesity-related illness. Healthy body composition measures are at 24% or below for women, and 20% or below for men (which is my recommendation over the current, more relaxed 28% and 24%, respectively).

How can a person who has a 24 inch waist be at a higher risk than somebody else with a 40 inch waist for a heart condition? Simply, the person with the larger waistband will have a much healthier heart if she or he exercises regularly, while the waif person does not. Being thin does not assume healthfulness. No matter what one’s size or stature, he or she must exercise regularly and maintain a healthy, balanced diet, in order to prevent illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, atherosclerosis, some forms cancers, and so much more.

“Skinny fat” does exist. I have performed skinfold caliper tests (the body fat “pinch test” is much more accurate on people, between the ages of 18-55, than you think) on hundreds of people. I am confirming that there are many people out there who fit size 2 jeans with flat stomachs who have a body composition of 28% and higher. I have also tested size 10s who are proudly below 22%. The NY Times reports that 24% of seemingly thin people are metabolically unfit. In this same article, 1/3 of overweight people are reported as metabollically fit.

What about BMI, body mass index? It’s a quotient of one’s height and weight. This number, although much better than scale weight rankings, has its flaws. It does not consider body composition. Under this scale, Jerry Rice would be considered obese. However, the BMI scale is a good indicator of health risk for the majority of the American population, considering more than 3/4 do not participate in the recommended amount of exercise, which is 30 minutes per day, five times per week.

What’s a healthy minded person to do? (Although the former body comp tests reference women, the following recommendations are for men, too.) First of all, when beginning an exercise programming, consult with a physician to see if you have any restrictions. Next, consult with a certified fitness professional to guide you through an appropriate program that is tailored to your needs and goals. Of course, regular meetings with a trainer are ideal. However, if your budget is a restriction, I recommend bimonthly or quarterly consultations with the certified fitness trainer to make sure you are staying on track and to change your routine (to prevent plateaus). Appropriate programming will include a mixture of flexibility, strength and cardiovascular exercises. Nutritional guidance is important, too. Participating in regular exercise does not give you a pass to eat whatever you want. Make sure that your meals are nutritious and in controlled portions–portion sizes will be saved for another blog post at a later date.