Very Cheap Alternative to Olympic Weightlifting Shoes
It amazes me how prevalent the recommendation for Olympic weightlifting shoes is in the online muscle building and fitness forums for people struggling with the back squat, when a so very cheap alternative is right at your fingertips! (more…)
Weight Loss Tips for Heavy Teen Girls Fed Up with Fat
If you’re a plus-size teen girl wanting to lose weight, it is perfectly okay to pursue this goal as long as you do it within reason and in a healthy way. (more…)
Should You Hold Onto a 40 Percent Incline Treadmill to Walk ?
Treadmills that go up to 40 percent incline are getting more popular, but just how high must the incline be before you should hold on while walking?
The TV commercials for the 40 percent incline treadmills show the models walking without holding on, and also while holding on.
The manufacturer wants to appeal to the largest demographic possible.
To show only a hands-off walk would deter potential buyers – who are easily influenced by what they see in commercials — who think they’d fall off without holding on.
I know that sounds really silly, but manufacturers do not want to take a chance on deterring potential buyers, so they show both a hands-off and hands-on demonstration.
So never mind what the TV commercials show.
Let’s look at this from a fitness and mechanical perspective.
First off, it’s logical to assume that anyone who’d want to purchase a treadmill for its 40 percent incline is not physically disabled.
That’s a very logical deduction. I can’t imagine a person with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or Meniere’s disease wanting to use a 40 percent incline … though anything is possible, for sure!
It’s safe to assume that people who are eager to walk on a 40 percent grade are free of disease or injury that impairs their balance and steadiness.
Should You Hold On When Walking a 40 Percent Incline?
As a former personal trainer at a health club where I worked with many people on their treadmill use, I say NO.
From the standpoint of layperson’s common sense, I also say NO.
It’s quite simple, no PhD in exercise physiology required to understand:
What’s the point of walking on a 40 percent grade if you’re going to hold on, which nullifies the slope effect?
If you hold on, you’ll deprive yourself of the 40 percent incline benefits:
• Works the low back like mad – in a way that deadlifts and yoga do not, though keep doing THOSE too if you already are.
• Provides a way to fire up your heart rate without generating impact – appealing to those whose knees can’t tolerate the impact of jogging.
• Strengthens the ankles.
• Stretches the Achilles tendon and calves.
• Works the glutes more than do lower inclines (though it will NOT make your butt bigger).
• Concentrates more work in the quads than do lower inclines.
• Can prepare your body for steep outdoor hiking.
• Can really get your heart rate up at a slow speed.
• Will improve balance and proprioception.
These benefits will be cancelled out if you hold on. Does the image below make sense?
Holding on in front causes one’s body to angle back, cancelling out the net effect of the incline!
Perhaps you’re wondering if a LIGHT grip won’t make a difference, especially if it’s on the side rails and you’re making an effort to keep your body vertical.
Well, the problem with even a light hold is that it encourages the potential to tighten it – something you may not even be aware of as you get lost in the workout.
It also subtracts workload, even if you try to keep vertical.
Why bother holding on at all?
What’s the purpose of a 40 percent grade if you’re going to hold on? This opposes its novelty in the first place.
The rails are there to grab onto in case you start feeling off-balance. Re-steady yourself and then let go.
Swing your arms (you need not exaggerate) as you would if you were climbing a steep hill outdoors.
Conducting 40 percent walking workouts without holding on will give you a true sense of accomplishment, especially if you’ve been leading a sedentary life.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Why Must Daylight Savings Time Cause Anxiety & Sleep Disruption?
How can a change of just one hour disrupt the sleep of so many people and cause anxiety?
It’s just ONE HOUR, yet throngs of people are thrown into a tizzy over such a seemingly simple change to make! (more…)
How Many Times a DAY Should You Use a Treadmill ?
Just how often in a single day are you drawn to your treadmill that you actually fear that too many visits on it can somehow damage your body? (more…)
Is Taxotere Really the Best Breast Cancer Drug? No Options?
MUST a woman take Taxotere in order to beat breast cancer?
Some women wonder if there are studies showing that chemo treatment without Taxotere results in much lower survival rates or higher recurrence rates of this dreaded disease.
Women who have read stories of breast cancer patients who’ve suffered permanent hair loss after receiving chemotherapy that included Taxotere are apt to wonder if Taxotere must be the “go to” drug for their own treatment.
• Is Taxotere the key to my survival of breast cancer?
• Does this come down to “my hair or my life”?
• Or is there another chemo drug that’s just as effective but has not been fingered as a cause of permanent hair loss in six percent of its recipients?
These are very smart questions that you should ask your oncologist if you’re worried about permanent hair loss. There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to breast cancer treatment.
• It’s your body.
• It’s your life.
• It’s your quality of life post-treatment.
Another Drug to Ask About
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has found a solvent-free, less toxic chemo drug.
It’s more effective in the prevention of the progression of metastatic breast cancer, says a report of a study led by William Gradishar, MD, who is the director of breast medical oncology at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Remember the Name: Abraxane
When compared to Taxotere in the study, Abraxane prolonged the progression-free survival by nearly seven months.
“It nearly doubled progression-free survival,” points out Dr. Gradishar in the report that’s published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (May 26, 2009).
Abraxane is free of chemical solvents and is delivered via albumin, a protein. Abraxane’s generic name is nab-paclitaxel.
Abraxane vs. Taxotere
• In the study, patients received Abraxane on a weekly schedule.
• Taxotere is typically given every three weeks.
• Beyond the study, the appeal of Taxotere to some patients is its relatively infrequent administration.
The “Best” Drug for Breast Cancer Treatment?
“No one drug is the ‘best’ – it’s usually about combos of chemo-Rx drugs, sequencing and MOST importantly risk assessment (which then dictates what chemo-Rx regimen to use,” explains Mark Levandovsky, MD, Founder and Medical Director of Preventive Medicine and Cancer Care. Dr. Levandovsky is a board certified internist and oncologist/hematologist in practice for 25+ years.
“Taxotere belongs to a taxane family of drugs that contain Abraxane and Taxol as well, each with their particular side effects,” continues Dr. Levandovsky.
“If goal is cure, these taxanes are given over 12 weeks, with each woman’s goals and unique comorbidities dictating which agent to pick.
“The effectiveness is comparable, but side effects differ both short term (fatigue, infusion reactions, blood counts/infections) and long term (neuropathy).”
More on Abraxane
“This is a win-win finding,” says Dr. Gradishar in the paper. “The weekly schedule of Abraxane has more anti-tumor effects,” he adds, “and is better tolerated than Taxotere.”
Dr. Gradishar says that Abraxane is also “able to deliver the chemotherapy drug more effectively to the tumor.”
The paper explains that weekly Abraxane “may be an appropriate alternative” to Taxotere in the first-line treatment of mets breast cancer.
Like all chemo drugs, Abraxane has the potential to cause serious side effects. But it has not been associated with permanent hair loss.
Dr. Levandovsky provides personalized care to health conscious individuals as well as cancer patients and survivors, focusing on an integration of genetic/molecular risk assessments, prevention, education, nutrition and psycho-oncology.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Freepik.com
sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526162846.htm
drugs.com/abraxane.html
academic.oup.com/annonc/article/23/11/2879/234091/Permanent-scalp-alopecia-related-to-breast-cancer
How to Love Your Chemo Curls, Even if You Loathe Them
If you despise your “chemo curls” for their unmanageability and even their looks, here’s a simple trick for learning to embrace your new hair overnight. (more…)
The Strange Way that Severe Headaches Can Lead to GERD
It’s not that GERD can cause headaches, but rather, headaches can cause GERD. Now how is this possible? (more…)
Can GERD Appear Like Magic Out of Nowhere ?
So can you get GERD one day for no apparent reason?
Or does it begin subtlety, gradually building up over time until you realize that your chest and stomach has been burning lately? (more…)
Can the Burning Pain in Your Upper Back Be Caused by GERD ?
Unexplained pain of any type in your upper back needs to be checked by a doctor, since this can mean an imminent heart attack – or just some GERD or even occasional heartburn.
GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease and is not the same as periodic heartburn or acid reflux.
GERD is when the acidic contents of the stomach reflux upward into the esophagus (the so-called food pipe) on a chronic or ongoing basis.
Over time this can lead to a condition called Barrett’s esophagus, which is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
The hairy problem with GERD or occasional heartburn is that both can cause chest pain – which scares people into thinking they’re either having a heart attack or have something else going on with their heart.
“First and foremost recurrent chest pain should be examined by a physician to rule out heart disease,” says John P. Geibel, MD, Professor of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine.
GERD, acid reflux and a pending heart attack or even stable angina (deprived oxygen flow to the heart upon physical exertion) can also cause pain in the back.
Dr. Geibel explains that “acid reflux can and most often leads to irritation of the esophagus lining that causes mild to severe erosion that can give a widespread burning pain that affects the chest, abdomen and sometimes even the upper back.”
Upper back pain can be caused by an assortment of medical conditions, and even though it can be caused by acid reflux, this is not common.
However, if you’ve noticed that your upper back pain occurs only when you experience occasional heartburn (and a heart problem has been ruled out), see what happens when you begin treating this heartburn.
TummyZen is an over the counter zinc-based formula that’s validated by Dr. Geibel’s research.
TummyZen provides fast relief that lasts for hours and also supports the esophageal lining.
With the lining of the esophagus being supported by the zinc salts, this will help prevent the back pain caused by acid reflux.
TummyZen is for occasional heartburn rather than for GERD and is minus the side effects typical of PPI drugs.
Dr. Geibel
is the author of over 250 publications and presents his research findings both nationally and internationally, and has made the America’s Top Doctors list numerous times.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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