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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Plyometrics


I recently told my father I would email him some of my workout routines that Marcus and I have put together. Marcus puts them together for his martial arts class or to help make my workouts more intense; I’ve put them together because I like variety, and because sometimes I obsess and search workouts on the internet.

So, instead of just emailing him, or rather, emailing my Mother so she can print for him (see the blog Hello? The power of CONNECTING and how technology has changed things for reference on my Father’s computer skills), I decided to write a blog about it...for my Mother to print for him.

This is almost ironic because my early education in fitness was primarily from my Father. He taught me how to ride a bike and lift weights properly. One of his oldest friends had me leading aerobics in gym class at age 12. I swear my Father knew all of the phy-ed (physical education) teachers in the whole city where I grew up. My father’s influence was omnipresent, at least in my formative years around workouts and fitness.

So it’s an interesting flip of roles that I’m now checking in with him on his workouts. That I’m now talking to him about his diet, workout routine and overall health. And of course, it’s no coincidence that the man I’ll likely marry (Marcus) is a serious fitness junkie - though he’s mellowed on his own workout routine in the last few years because his kidneys are napping. In the past, Marcus would train in Jeet Kune Do 2-4 hours a day after an 80-mile bike ride. On the days he didn’t bike, he’d cross train by doing what he called The Bruce Lee workout, which consisted of thousands of kicks, punches, or slips. According to Marcus, Bruce Lee’s notes illustrated Bruce taking a move, like a round-kick for example, and repeating the movement 5000 times. Marcus was a little less ambitious – he only repeated the kicks 1000 times. It’s probably good that Marcus has mellowed.

The truth is, it’s not that my Father doesn’t know what to do, it’s just that...well maybe he doesn’t know what to do about his eating, because since retirement he’s slowly gained weight. But I think he had a routine while teaching, and since he was a fitness teacher (high school, mostly), he was working out throughout the day. As a retiree, his routine is a little more sedentary, to make a gross understatement. He’s still strong as an ox, in fact he lifted 250 lbs on his 70th birthday, but he carries extra weight, and his blood sugar, as well as his pant-waist size, reflects his more retired lifestyle.

So...I told him he should be getting more out of his workouts and that it’s probable he’s become a bit complacent in his workouts. He replied, true to form and sarcastic, “a little?” Yes, Dad, a little is your influence creeping into my language. (My Father has always had a great sense of humor, annoyingly great at times when he was pointing out his children’s idiosyncrasies.)

So after all of that, here’s a few exercise routines for my Dad or anyone else out there.

Very important FORM note for all exercises:
Feet should be pointed STRAIGHT, stance should be between hip and shoulder WIDTH. We’ll call this balanced stance. (The exception on this is The Crab.) Patella (point just below knee cap), must be over 2nd toe. KNEES should not pass beyond your TOES. (Your butt has to move backward & torso down to thighs to maintain this proper form. Use a mirror to ensure your knees don’t wobble as you go down. If they do, SLOW DOWN and correct your form. Go SLOW DOWN, and quick UP, if you can. If this still creates a wobble, go SLOW the whole time until you build up strength. This will strengthen your knees & help prevent knee injury. Also, get barefoot-style shoes for your workouts. (I like vibram fivefingers.) This will strengthen your feet, legs and all the very important stabilizer muscles. For squats, imagine a ski jumper or as Marcus likes to say, “knees to boobs.”

For this blog, I’ll share the plyometrics Marcus does before class and recommends for clients. (I do these 3-4 times per week.) For tomorrow’s workout blog, I’ll share my variation on the 300 workout. (The movie 300.)

Sifu’s Plyometrics:
Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Marcus calls it 30-30s. Repeat the whole set 2-4 times per workout. You may get sore so the first time you may want to only do 2 sets.

Kick & Twist
Kick with right leg, twist torso toward right leg with left arm swinging forward.
30 seconds for each leg.

Dynamic Lunges
Stand hip-width apart. Step forward into a lunge, be sure your knees bend to 90° angles and not beyond. After lunge push yourself up back to starting position. Switch right and left every other lunge forward.

Switch-step Jump Squat
Start in balanced stance. Step forward 1-foot with the right leg, step backward 1-foot with the left leg, squat down. Jump up, switch your foot position, repeat.

The Heisman
Looks very similar to The Heisman trophy. Side-step dynamically, lifting inside knee to elbow. Keep pelvis tucked and back straight.

The Superman
Start in balanced stance. Squat down, jump up with arms extended toward the sky. Pretend you’re trying to take off like Superman.

The Crab
Wide stance, feet/knees turned out, thighs parallel to the ground. Shuffle to the right starting the shuffle with the left leg, land in the original wide stance. Back straight; hands in prayer pose in front of your chest.

I realize words alone don’t describe this as well as pictures, but we will have pictures, diagrams and video sometime in the near future. Leave a comment if you have questions. These exercises are great because they work on cardiovascular but are also strength-building.

Dad, let me know if you have questions, though I suspect this will be like riding a bike.



It was fun the first time...
You still have time to VOTE! Plus, voting is unlimited, so you can vote many, many times! Also, share on facebook, twitter or just forward an email to your friends. Voting closes July 3rd.
Share this with everyone you know & vote many, many times!



Monday, June 28, 2010

Borrowed Time

First of all, apologies for being so missing in action during this last week or so. I was very busy and continue to be busy with the video we submitted to Oprah. Also, blogger has been temperamental, so even though I've posted new blogs, they don't always email out to everyone as scheduled.

Just so we're clear, the video for Oprah is just the beginning. Both Marcus and I have been steadfast in our intention about this: For the highest good is all we're looking for with Oprah or whatever else may come our way in regard to creating a show that is centered around what Marcus does with his clients. I will absolutely be a player in that I created the show with Marcus and also plan on doing my spiritual and hypnotherapy work with clients on the show, and/or with our clients that we are now seeing.

You've seen the video, so you know a little bit, but I want to tell you all a little more...

Bear with me here. It's good that I'm typing because I get rather emotional when I talk about this.

You see, I got a comment today from an angel disguised as a human. This person had no idea she touched me so profoundly. I randomly spoke with her today about hypnotherapy (as she's a teacher at my hypnotherapy school) and when I mentioned the video we submitted to Oprah (she hadn't connected Marcus and me as a couple yet since she only knows him through facebook), she told me I had to pass along a message. This is what she said,

"Marcus' unconditional positive regard for his clients really comes through on the video. That is why I voted for him...like a hundred times or something. I watched a lot of the videos but this was the only one I voted for. I was very impressed and I'm not easily impressed."

Now this is a very nice compliment. But it reminds me of something else.

Recently Marcus' intensity and what some refer to as "aggressiveness" has come up in conversations. Now let me just say here that he is a very straight-forward dude, and once you're his client (in case this isn't already apparent), he will be a very strong presence and advocate for your health. He checks in constantly with his "birdie" (higher wisdom/spirit guides/whateveryouwannacallit), and though he's human, the mass amounts of information and years of study and meditation have helped him to tap into knowing what will best help his clients get out of their own way. But in the past I've had a hard time with people who I've perceived to be aggressive too... The difference is, when I've seen clients speak their truth with Marcus, he celebrates that they are standing up for themselves. He does not get more intense or aggressive. He wants people to speak their truth and find their voice. Also, he doesn't like yelling or being aggressive, but sometimes he turns up the intensity when people are in their resistance...

Anyway, something occurred to me today under the weight of these two things - Marcus' intensity and his unconditional positive regard.

Marcus is literally on borrowed time. (Geesh. Tears are brimming as I write this.)

He's on borrowed time. When his kidneys failed 12 years ago, his estimated life expectancy was 7-10 years. Once he changed to a different dialysis, they estimated 10-12 years.

We are now, ladies and gentleman, in the 13th year.

Everyone that was simultaneously receiving dialysis with him when he was first diagnosed is now dead. Including an 18-year old girl who seemed to be doing well for years, but then..wasn't.
If you were dealing with people who were resisting their own health and happiness and you were living past when all the doctor's said you'd live, you might be a little intense too.

He knows his way is not the only way. We've spoken a lot about this. Heck, he encourages me to seek other martial arts teachers to see what else I can learn from others.

But his intentions are honest and good. He feels sometimes the best way to get people to let go of their shit is to turn up the heat. Also, once a client signs on to work with him, no matter what they're paying or trading, he will give his all to help them. And he has done literally everything he's had his clients do from dancing naked in your home to fasting to meditation, to overcoming obesity, food obsession, martial arts and sitting with the question, "How glorious are you?" 

And as my new friend said, and I agree, "His unconditional positive regard for his clients really comes through."

That's my man. I'm blessed to be with him. He's blessed to be with me too, for certain.

And just so you know, on a daily basis, I cannot think about this...his being on borrowed time. I just do my best to stay present and enjoy every moment we have together.

Maybe we're all on borrowed time. When you think about it, we are. We're all on borrowed time, but I suspect it tastes different when the doctors are actually telling you that you have x months/years to live. Though it's good to remember, and evident with Marcus, that doctors are sometimes wrong.

How would you live your life differently if you were on borrowed time?

How will you live your life differently...knowing you ARE on borrowed time?

It was fun the first time...
You still have time to VOTE! Plus, voting is unlimited, so you can vote many, many times! Also, share on facebook, twitter or just forward an email to your friends. Voting closes July 3rd.


Share this with everyone you know & vote many, many times!


Friday, June 25, 2010

The People Whisperer - My Video for Oprah!




Oprah has a contest for people to get their own television/talk show, and I thought the show Marcus and I have been developing around the work he does with his clients and students would be a natural fit. When the show gets made, I'll likely be the host and resident Hypnotherapist, but for this short submission, we centered things around Marcus.

But getting this to Oprah depends on how many votes the video gets...

So, all you have to do is go to Oprah's website by CLICKING HERE and voting by clicking the GREEN button below the video.








Share this with everyone you know.
Voting closes July 3.

We didn't do it alone though. We had a lot of help. As you can see, Marcus was on camera a majority of the filming, so that left a lot of the logistics to me... I did too many jobs to mention, including sound mixing, producing, and production manager, but I promise I'll hire out once we get funding. We had an amazing DP Allan Palmer, an amazing producer, and Jayme who gracious gave of his resources as well. Also, we could not have done this without Marcus' students, who graciously gave of their time and energy. All in all, it was amazing, and we got it all done in one week.

Thank you everybody!

One last reminder to VOTE!








P.S. If the links above don't work or if you want to forward the exact link, please use the full link here or try pasting this into your browser.

http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=19017&promo_id=1
__________________________________________________



If you miss my regular, writing blogs, they will start up again now that I'm done with this project. Stay tuned for more, though we must ROCK THE VOTE! until July 3rd!


If you received this from a friend and want to subscribe, click KatieStrandWorld, and enter your email address on the right column. Thanks!



Saturday, June 19, 2010

Another reason to eat organic/pesticide free

Here's the latest from Dr. Mercola.

As if we needed more reasons to eat organic/pesticide free. The most common excuse I hear is that it's expensive. Sure, it can be expensive, but so is cancer. And, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of pesticide.

A while back I saw a bumper sticker that was very telling about how pesticides have changed our food. Here's what it read:

Remember to eat ORGANIC FOOD, or as your grandparents called it, FOOD.

From Dr. Mercola's website, mercola.com:

Cancer will kill more than 13.2 million people a year by 2030, almost double the number who died from the disease in 2008. Only 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2008.



Around 56 percent of new cancer cases worldwide in 2008 were in developing countries and these regions also accounted for 63 percent of all cancer deaths.


According to Reuters:


"The projection for annual death rates of 13.2 million and annual diagnosis of 21.4 million were based on assumptions that underlying rates of cancer would remain the same over the next two decades".


The rate of men dying from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer has doubled over the past three decades. In the late 1970s, fewer than 1.5 per 100,000 men died from melanoma; that figure has now risen to over 3.1 per 100,000.


The death rates for women have also risen, from 1.5 per 100,000 to 2.2 per 100,000.
According to BBC News:


"The figures suggest men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are ignoring them and putting off going to see their [doctor]".
In addition, a new study joins the evidence showing just how profound of an effect pesticide use can have on human health. Researchers found that women with a history of farming had a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
The scientists were attempting to find groups with heightened cancer risks because of their jobs. They assumed the most common group would be male industrial workers, but to their surprise, they found it was women with breast cancer who had a history of farming.

According to Sustainable Food:
"Researchers believe chemicals and pesticides are to blame for the increased breast cancer rates in female farm workers. Some pesticides and farm chemicals are carcinogens, while others mimic estrogen. Chemicals that mimic estrogen are linked to cancer and other diseases, particularly if exposure occurred during childhood."
Meanwhile, cancer research keeps discovering the power of foods against cancer.
For example, breast cancer cells, even those of the most aggressive type, died after treatments with peach and plum extracts in laboratory tests. Normal cells were not harmed in the process. Two phenolic compounds are responsible for the cancer cell deaths. Phenols are slightly acidic and may be associated with traits such as aroma, taste or color.
Eurekalert reports:
"According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 192,370 new cases of breast cancer in females and 1,910 cases in males in 2009. That year, 40,170 women and 440 men died from breast cancer. The World Health Organization reports that breast cancer accounts for 16 percent of the cancer deaths of women globally."
Sources:

Reuters June 1, 2010
BBC News May 30, 2010
Sustainable Food May 14, 2010

Eurekalert June 2, 2010
Dr. Mercola's Comments:


There's quite a bit of news about cancer lately. Cancer rates for various types of cancer are on the rise, and pesticide exposure is increasingly being identified as a significant risk factor.



The good news is, studies are also emerging showing the powerful potential of food and lifestyle to prevent and combat cancer.



Cancer Rates on the Rise

According to the United Nations' cancer research agency, cancer rates are predicted to double by 2030 if the current trend continues. More than half of all new cancer cases are now occurring in developing countries, and 63 percent of worldwide cancer deaths also occur in these poorer nations.



The agency launched a database to track the global incidence of cancer in 2008. Based on the collected data, the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide in 2008 were:



Lung cancer

Breast cancer

Colorectal cancer

The deadliest cancers were lung cancer, which claimed 1.38 million lives worldwide that year, followed by stomach cancer and liver cancer, at 0.74 million and 0.69 million deaths respectively.



In addition, BBC News reports that the rate of men dying from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has also doubled over the past three decades.



In the late 1970s, the death rate from melanoma was less than 1.5 per 100,000 men. That figure has now risen to over 3.1 per 100,000. The death rates for women with melanoma have also risen, from 1.5 per 100,000 to 2.2 per 100,000.



According to BBC News:



"The figures suggest men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are ignoring them and putting off going to see their [doctor]".



What Could Possibly Stop or Reverse This Troubling Trend?

If we begin with the rising incidence of skin cancer, a common presumption is that melanoma is caused by sun exposure. However, there's almost no evidence at all to support that stance. There is, however, plenty of evidence to the contrary.



Over the years, several studies have confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, while melanoma rates seem to rise with sunscreen use!



One such study discovered that melanoma patients that had higher levels of sun exposure were less likely to die than other melanoma patients, and patients who already had melanoma and got a lot of sun exposure were prone to a less aggressive tumor type.



In addition, melanoma strikes indoor workers more frequently than outdoor workers to begin with. It is also more common on regions of your body that are not exposed to the sun at all, so clearly the simplistic "sun equals cancer" theory is fundamentally flawed.



The missing piece of information that can explain this puzzle is the fact that melanoma rates are rising as sun exposure and vitamin D status is decreasing dramatically.



Although the sun does increase genetic damage in your skin, and can cause skin cancer, your body has a cleverly designed system to avert cancer growth. But when you avoid sun exposure entirely, you also circumvent your body's built-in system that helps prevent skin cancer naturally, because the key to unlock this mechanism is vitamin D.



As you probably know by now, vitamin D is formed in your skin from exposure to sunlight. The vitamin D then goes directly to the genes in your skin where it helps prevent the types of abnormalities that ultraviolet light causes.



Hence, when you avoid the sun entirely, or slather on sun block whenever you go out, your skin is not making any vitamin D, and you're left without this built-in cancer protection.



This is one of the primary reasons for the rise in melanoma!



Vitamin D – the Key to All Cancer Prevention?

Continuing on to address the rise in cancers of all kinds, you find that vitamin D is a MAJOR player here as well.



Researchers have discovered that at least 16 different types of cancer can be prevented by increasing vitamin D levels, including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. As you can see, these include the three most common cancers, as well as the most deadly.



Optimizing your vitamin D levels can cut your risk by as much as 60 percent, so just imagine the reduction in worldwide prevalence that could be accomplished if the importance of vitamin D became common knowledge!



As a reader of this newsletter, you are ahead of the game.



Just remember that to reap the benefits you need to make sure your vitamin D levels are within therapeutic range. For all the latest information on therapeutic vitamin D levels, and vital updates on testing and updated dosing recommendations, please review my article: Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.



Pesticide Use is Taking Its Toll

In addition to science finally discovering the impact of vitamin D deficiency on cancer rates, researchers are also finding strong links between pesticide exposure and cancer.



A new study illustrates how profound of an effect pesticide exposure during childhood can be on future health. Researchers found that women who worked on farms when growing up had a greater risk of developing breast cancer.



According to Sustainable Food:



"Some pesticides and farm chemicals are carcinogens, while others mimic estrogen. Chemicals that mimic estrogen are linked to cancer and other diseases, particularly if exposure occurred during childhood."



The answer, of course, is to promote organic farming and eat as much organically-grown foods as you can.



As Sustainable Food says, "those kinds of chemicals shouldn't be near our cucumbers, much less near our children." Keep in mind that although farmers are physically exposed to the pesticides they use during the course of their work, you and your children are consuming these same pesticides with every bite of conventionally-grown food you eat.



Although the level of exposure may be less than a farm worker, the chronic exposure from eating pesticide-laden food day in and day out for years can cause tremendous harm.



Healing Foods Come to the Fore

The good news is, cancer research keeps discovering the power of foods against cancer.



According to a Texas A&M AgriLife press release, their researchers have found that breast cancer cells, even those of the most aggressive type, can be killed with extracts of peach and plum, while leaving normal cells unharmed.



Two phenolic compounds, which occur naturally in fruits, are believed to be responsible for the cancer cell deaths.



The press release reads:



"It was a differential effect which is what you're looking for because in current cancer treatment with chemotherapy, the substance kills all cells, so it is really tough on the body," said Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research plant breeder who studies stone fruit.



"Here, there is a five-fold difference in the toxic intensity. You can put it at a level where it will kill the cancer cells - the very aggressive ones - and not the normal ones."



Byrne and Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos originally studied the antioxidants and phytonutrients in plums and found them to match or exceed the blueberry which had been considered superior to other fruits in those categories."



Again and again we see promising results such as these. A number of plants, fruits, herbs and spices have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties that could offer effective prevention. Others show potential in the actual treatment of cancer.



Examples include:



Broccoli

Sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua L)

Black cohosh

Black raspberries

CLA from grass-fed beef and grass-fed dairy products

Huang qin

For even more examples, please review the related articles below, and for a comprehensive list of all my cancer prevention strategies, please see this previous article.



The signs are clear, there's plenty you can do to prevent cancer from happening to you, and it starts with living as purely as you can, and eating as healthy as possible.

Friday, June 18, 2010

The sweaty t-shirt experiment

I heard about this study years ago, but was reminded recently by one of my hypnotherapy professors.

How fascinating. They've scientifically proven people choose mates based on scent and it's so deeply ingrained in our biology that we choose people who will (with us) create offspring with the highest probability of surviving and flourishing.

I don't think it works with deodorant or perfume, though most people know that those things don't truly mask a person's natural odor completely, so something in our olfactory system can probably smell through the cover-up.

Let me know what you think, and if you've experienced some olfactory arousal with your current or previous loves.



Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice

Evolutionary psychology is a relatively new field. Scientists like Victor Johnston study the human brain and human behaviors -- why we do the things we do -- in the context of evolution. This clip outlines the "sweaty T-shirt" experiment, which showed that the sense of smell may have more to do with mate choice than previously thought. Females sniffing the T-shirts recently worn by males favored the scent of those whose immune response genes were different from their own. Meredith Small and Geoffrey Miller are also interviewed. From Evolution: "Why Sex?"
Credits: © 2001 WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.
Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice
Resource Type:
Video
Format:
QuickTime or RealPlayer
Length:
3 min, 11 sec
Topics Covered:
Adaptation and Natural Selection
Backgrounder

Sweaty T-Shirts and Human Mate Choice:
Maybe it's not similar interests, horoscope signs, looks, or proximity that make women and men fall in love. According to evolutionary scientists, when people throw up their hands and say "it was just chemistry," they may be on to a fundamental factor in mate choice.

Subtle chemical signals, or pheromones, have long been known to draw pairs together within the same species, and for a specific reason. In mice, for example, experiments showed that pheromones acted as attractants between males and females who were genetically similar except that they differed in a certain type of immune system gene. That difference is actually a survival benefit: The combination of two individuals' different MHC (major histocompatibility locus) genes gives their offspring an advantage in beating back disease organisms.

So the mice could smell a genetic difference. But could modern humans, who aren't known for a particularly good sense of smell, also make that distinction?

In the first "sweaty T-shirt" experiment, a Swiss zoologist, Claus Wedekind, set up a test of women's sensitivity to male odors. He assembled volunteers, 49 women and 44 men selected for their variety of MHC gene types. He gave the men clean T-shirts to wear for two nights and then return to the scientists.

In the laboratory, the researchers put each T-shirt in a box equipped with a smelling hole and invited the women volunteers to come in, one at a time, and sniff the boxes. Their task was to sample the odor of seven boxes and describe each odor as to intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness.

The results were striking. Overall, the women preferred the scents of T-shirts worn by men whose MHC genes were different from their own.

The experiment did not test men's perceptions of female scents, but the results certainly suggest that evolution has provided humans, not just mice, with a transmitter and receiver for genetic information that could influence mate choice.

And all this even before the first date!

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/6/l_016_08.html



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