By Gretchen Falck, on May 31st, 2011
 Great article on the web today: Is Your Workout a Metabolism Killer? The author lists three mistakes people make with their workouts and corrective strategies for those mistakes. The first is don’t get in a rut with your exercise. The second is believing that cardio work is all you need. The third is only working out in your “fat-burning zone”. If all you do is your treadmill you could be making all three of these mistakes. All of this is great advise and those of you working out at Forza! have been doing recomended interval and weight resistance training as well as keeping bodies from getting too used to any given activity. The one caveat that I would add from my experience is that, even though I also recommend interval training and in my classes we are always working against resistance, whether with a kettlebell or our bodies, for some of us, it is still important not to work out too intensely if fat burning is your goal. The reason I say this is that if you work out so hard that your appetite increases and you consume extra calories after your workout, you will be exercising to maintain weight, not to lose weight. So, pay attention to your body. Notice your appetite after different types of workouts. And, as with everything in life it seems, moderation is the key!
By Gretchen Falck, on February 12th, 2011
A couple of months ago, a friend of the family had a stroke at the age of 43. This was quite a shock to everyone, as he seemed quite healthy and was fit and active. He had surgery to repair an aneurism and things are going fairly well for him, but he is not able to go back to work yet, and spends much of his time in therapy. So when this article came out, I wanted to share it with you in case you are one of those who can’t start your day without that can of pop. I’m not sure if Greg was a big soda drinker, but I’m guessing he won’t be now.
 A new study (reported in HealthDay MSN.com) suggests that drinking diet soda daily may increase your risk of stroke by at least 48%. This study was presented at the International Stroke Conference this past week (Feb, 9, 2011). Researchers interviewed over 2500 people in the New York area over a nine year period. After accounting for differences in factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, calorie intake, smoking, physical activity, and drinking habits, researchers found a 61% increased chance of stroke for those who consumed at least one can of soda per day. After accounting for heart disease history, vascular disease in the limbs and metabolic syndrome the risk dropped to a still high level of 48%.
Previous research by others has shown that drinking any type of soda can increase your risk of having metabolic syndrome which includes high blood pressure, low levels of good cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides, high fasting blood sugar and large waists.
Since they don’t understand why this happens, the researchers are quick to point out that they cannot say for certain there is direct cause and effect and they hope more research will be done to prove a direct cause. Afraid of offending the large soda companies? In the meantime, if you are a big soda drinking, I’d start looking at those cans as a once in a while treat rather than a daily staple.
By Gretchen Falck, on February 2nd, 2011
The New York Times has a new column by Mark Bittman “on food and all things related”. The first article appears in today’s (2/2) issue and is entitled A Food Manifesto for the Future. In his op-ed, he lists ideas for improving the American Diet. 1. End government subsidies to processed food (i.e. corn and soy beans). 2. Begin subsidies to those who produce and sell actual food for direct consumption (i.e. veggies & fruits). 3. Break up the USDA and empower the FDA. (to prevent things like the US government advertising for Dominoes to get Americans to eat more cheese while at the same time trying to get Americans to eat less fattening foods) 4. Outlaw concentrated animal feeding operations 5. Encourage and subsidize home cooking 6. Tax the marketing and sale of unhealthful foods (works for tobacco, why not pop?) 7. Reduce waste and encourage recycling 8. Mandate truth in labeling 9. Reinvest in research geared toward leading a global movement in sustainable agriculture. These are by no means new ideas. They are, nonetheless, very good ideas and I hope as we see more articles like this one. As the public becomes more aware of these issues, people will vote for politicians who are willing to make the kind of changes that will truly make a difference in the health of Americans. Mr. Bittman plans on expanding on these ideas in future columns. I’ll keep you posted as I see them. Happy healthful eating!
By Gretchen Falck, on August 27th, 2010
 Recently, I’ve taken up a new activity – SUPing or Stand Up Paddling. My family and I took our new SUP board up to the Gun Flint Trail to try it out on Bow Lake, the lake my parents are on during the summer months. After getting over the initial feeling of tippyness, the board was surprisingly stable and oh so easy to paddle. For the first time in my life, I wished I lived on a lake or river. All four of us were able to use it, my eleven year old daughter getting the hang of it faster than any of us. Over that weekend, I enjoyed several trips around the lake aboard our SUP, including an early morning glide into the mist hanging over the calm water and an evening paddle into the sunset. Since then, we’ve tried a few lakes in the area, both north and south. Last night we tried SUPing on the Cannon River, putting in near Riverside Park. The Cannon River, at least at this time of year, proved to be another great site for SUPing. Rich and I plan on doing as much SUPing this fall as we can fit in. SUPing can be a leisurely, stress reducing paddle or a great core and cardio workout depending on how much effort you put into it. Either way, SUPing is another way to enjoy being outside and taking advantage of our state of many lakes and rivers. Give it a try!
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Using Kettlebells, TRX Suspension Training, Resistance Stretching, and Body Weight Exercises, Forza! classes provide the following:
- Core Strengthening
- A Great Cardio Workout
- Strength Training
- Linking of Mind and Body
- Flexibility and Balance
- Workouts for all Ages and Abilities
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Great article on the web today: Is Your Workout a Metabolism Killer? The author lists three mistakes people make with their workouts and corrective strategies for those mistakes. The first is don’t get in a rut with your exercise. The second is believing that cardio work is all you need. The third is only working out in your “fat-burning zone”. If all you do is your treadmill you could be making all three of these mistakes. All of this is great advise and those of you working out at Forza! have been doing recomended interval and weight resistance training as well as keeping bodies from getting too used to any given activity. The one caveat that I would add from my experience is that, even though I also recommend interval training and in my classes we are always working against resistance, whether with a kettlebell or our bodies, for some of us, it is still important not to work out too intensely if fat burning is your goal. The reason I say this is that if you work out so hard that your appetite increases and you consume extra calories after your workout, you will be exercising to maintain weight, not to lose weight. So, pay attention to your body. Notice your appetite after different types of workouts. And, as with everything in life it seems, moderation is the key!
