SportsGeezer

Wii Fitness Gets Real, Kind of, (watch video)

The market for home exercise gear is set for what dot.com business pundits used to call "a major paradigm shift."  And while few people had any idea what in the world dot.com pundits were talking about, this likely shift is very clearly rendered in a New York Times video clip, in which two women allow Nintendo’s latest brainchild, Wii Fit, to put then through their paces. Lots of paces. Geezer is definitely intrigued. Check out the video here. And the Times article, in which many people offer their assessments of Wii Fit, here.

Take the President's Latest Fitness Test

Don't worry, the latest adult fitness test issued by the federal government is not really "The President's Challenge," they just call it that. If it were, one of the events would be a mountain bike race against three Secret Service agents through the hills of Texas. No, this is just the most recent edition of the government's idea of physical fitness, complete with an online data feedback loop to let you know if you make the grade. Accept the Challenge.

Five Muscles You Never Knew You Needed, or Even Had

Rodale's charitable effort to make a magazine for the middle-aged male tosses this piece on five muscles you never knew you had, or needed, in with the customary listings of remedies (younger women) for mid-life (younger women) crises (younger women). In Latin, they are: Gluteus medius, levator scapulae, external obliques, serratus anterior, sartorius. Also, in English, they are: Gluteus medius, levator scapulae, external obliques, serratus anterior, sartorius.
"Think of these smaller muscles as the support crew," Michael Maina, an associate professor of health and human performance at Roanoke College, tells readers. "They help your prime-time muscles perform at their best." Read all about them in Best Life.

Testing the Body Fat Tests

Washington Post reporter Howard Schneider was never a big believer in body fat as a measure of fitness, or, for that matter, of body fat measure as a measure --of anything. In this piece, which includes a less-than-information-packed video, Schneider introduces innocent readers to a technology called bioelectrical impedance, which passes a small current through conductive foot pads or handheld electrodes (and, in some cases, both). The current can pass easily through water-rich muscle fiber, but it bogs down in fat. Based on a measure of impedance (how much of the current gets through from one electrode to the other), the machines use mathematical models to estimate the amount of fat that got in the way en route. Wait, there's more about other ways to measure body fat, but it's unclear why, because, as Schneider tells us, it doesn't work.
Read more in the Washington Post.

The Triathlete's Trilemma: Which Sport to Invest In

Let's say, for the sake of the argument presented in this piece in the Times by Gina Kolata, that it really is not possible to excel in running, swimming and biking, the three legs of most triathlons. Let's say that most amateur athletes have to pick one sport to rock in, one to perform well in, and one to get by in. What would you do? Kolata gives us the wisdom of  Joe Friel, a coach and author of  10 books, including “The Triathlete’s Training Bible” (VeloPress, 2004), who warns that if you want to run faster you have to give up swimming and cycling. And then there's Gary S. Krahenbuhl, an exercise physiologist and emeritus professor at Arizona State, who tells Kolata that the physical and biochemical changes in muscle cells and in nerve-firing patterns required for improvement are very sport-specific. Kolata reminds us that there are benefits to doing more than one sport, and she quotes physiologists who advocate cross training for all recreational athletes, and especially middle-age athletes who are more easily injured and slower to recover than younger people. Know anyone like that?
Read more about the triathlete's trilemma from Gina Kolata.

Does Running Outdoors Burn More Calories?

New York Times health answer man Anahad O'Connor seeks an answer the ancient conundrum: does running outdoors burn more calories than running indoors? And the answer is....:it's hard to say. O'Connor reports that running indoors (on a treadmill) is less likely to result in injury, and research suggests that running outdoors encourages more vigorous exercise, perhaps because other people may be watching. O'Connor's bottom line? Yes. Probably. Maybe. Some.
Read more from Anahad O'Connor in the New York Times.

NYT Video Looks at Boomers Who Keep on Pushing

Geezer can't decide if this short video shot by the New York Times is enlightening, inspirational, lame, or none of the above.  It is a video. And it is short. Have a look.

Breast Practices: Exercises to Keep Up Appearances

Now you know: Geezer is not above putting the word "breast" in a headline to build a more inclusive readership--inclusive of people who respond to well, you know, you responded. Editors at the L.A.Times are, it turns out, similarly welcoming of new readers. In this recent piece, the paper recommends "exercise moves to make your breasts stand out." Here are two:
Bench presses (in the regular, incline or decline position) and "flys." Chest flys are performed lying on the back, preferably on a bench, starting with arms straight up, a dumbbell in each hand. Arms are slowly lowered to the side, until they are on the same plane as the bench or floor.
Want your breasts to stand out even more? Read more in the L.A. Times.

It's Official: Exercise Lifts Spirits

Geezer suspects that regular readers have long been on to something that researchers are just figuring out: exercise does as much for your head as it does for your body. The Boston Globe reports on continuing documentation of the mood boosting effects of pumping up, or running, or just moving around. The newspaper cites a recent study conducted at Duke University that found that three sessions of vigorous aerobic exercise a week proved about as effective at beating back depression as daily doses of Zoloft, when the effects were measured after four months. In another study, the Globe reports, depressed patients who got better with exercise were less likely to relapse after 10 months than those helped by antidepressants. And patients who continued to exercise after the four-month mark were 50 percent less likely to be depressed months later than those who were sedentary. Other studies suggest that exercise may be about as effective as psychotherapy, the other main tool for alleviating depression.
Read more about pumping up your head in the Boston Globe.

Chris Carmichael on How to Stay Fit While Traveling

Six exercises. Thirty-five minutes. No weights. Some stairs required. Chris Carmichael, Outside magazine's fitness answer man, author, and creator of Carmichael Training Systems, gives us his recipe for fitness on the road. Ready, here comes;
Push-ups Do as many as you can in 30 seconds. Rest for one minute and repeat twice.
Reverse Crunches Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest as many times as you can in 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat twice.
Windshield Wipers Lie on your back and raise your legs straight up. Lower them to the floor on one side, then raise them over your center and down to the other side. Continue for one minute. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat twice.
Forward and Side Lunges Start at one end of a hallway, step forward into a lunge, and lower your hips until your front thigh is parallel to the ground. Bring your back leg forward until you're standing, then lunge with that leg. Continue until you reach the far wall. Turn 90 degrees to your right and side-lunge back to your starting point, leading with your right leg. Do another length of side lunges back to the far wall, this time leading with your left leg. Turn and do one more length of forward lunges.
Stair Bounding Start at the bottom of a staircase of any size and bound up two stairs at a time (three if possible). Turn and descend as quickly as you can. Continue without stopping for two minutes. Rest for one minute and repeat twice.
Stair Sprints Start at the bottom of the stairs and sprint to the top, hitting every step this time. Walk back down at a moderate pace. Continue without stopping for two minutes. Rest for one minute and repeat twice.

Think you're fit now? Read Chris Carmichael on how to train for the Tour de France.

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