Fitness Contrarian

One of my personal training clients was telling me that he is feeling unhealthy and really tired. I was surprised because he is in great shape and typically feels great. However, anyone can get caught up working too hard, not sleeping enough and letting their diet slip for a few weeks. Even the fittest people feel out shape from time to time. It happened to me last summer and I wrote about it in a post titled “Are You Feeling Out of Shape Now that it is the End of Summer”. If you’re feeling unhealthy try these tips that I gave my client (…)

The idea of losing your ability to think clearly and remember people and places is a very scary thing for anyone who is getting older. Unfortunately Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is on the rise in the U.S. (an estimated 4.5 million Americans live with dementia). But you should not feel hopeless; there are things you can do to prevent this common form of dementia or delay it from emerging. Genetics do play a role but how you live and eat can have a big effect on preventing the disease (…)

I have always felt that rest and relaxation are just as important as hard work, although it’s easy to forget. We all need to kick back and recover from all the stresses that life can bring. Being an athlete, I had to learn this the hard way with numerous over-use injuries over the years. But I think at least for now, that I have finally reached a point in my life where I can balance hard work and play time.

I came across a wonderful article called The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week. This article is written by Joshua Becker who has a great website called Becoming a Minimalist. Joshua has a nice way of explaining the importance of taking some time off to rest and recover from the everyday grind. Without proper recovery, we can’t live a happy, healthy and fulfilled life. Checkout all of his relaxing tips for your body, mind, and soul(…)

When listening to a public radio station last year about over the counter drugs, I was surprised when a doctor pointed out that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is most likely the most dangerous drug you have in your home. He said it’s especially dangerous if you mix acetaminophen and alcohol. He pointed out that even the normal recommended dose when mixed with a few drinks can be a detriment to your liver.

This prompted a discussion about taking Tylenol and drinking with a friend of mine who is a doctor. She said she would never take Tylenol for a hangover or right after she had a few drinks because it could lead to serious liver damage. I know a lot of people who do this all the time. Fortunately, I don’t take Tylenol for my headaches because it doesn’t work as well as ibuprofen or aspirin(…)

Adults who take the popular sleep medicine zolpidem better known as Ambien have a much greater risk of nighttime falls and diminished cognitive thinking, according to a new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

When I came across this study it really concerned me because so many of my clients and friends take Ambien and other types of sleeping pills. Everyone is always talking about how they can’t remember things like they used too. Conventional Wisdom (CW) would say we’re just getting older but this study makes you think, are we just getting older or are we doing things like taking sleeping pills that are actually fogging are brains and messing with our cognitive skills (…)