I've spent a lot of time in gyms over the years.  When I was in college, the gym I went to was barely lit, had one working treadmill, a stationary bike from the 1950s, thousands of pounds of rusted free weights and one cable machine. Gyms in days of yore didn't have a lot of bells and whistles and yet people still managed to get a decent workout. 

Gyms today are different.  Every piece of cardio equipment has a built-in TV screen so everyone can watch their own programming (heck, one gym I belonged to a few years ago had built-in DVD players so you could bring movies.  My first thought was, "Does someone stay on the elliptical for 2 hours?!").  Treadmills, stationary bikes and ellipticals all have programs that mimic everything from beach running to hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro.  The weight machines are no less fancy.  There are specific pieces of equipment to work your calves, hamstrings, quads, biceps, triceps, low back, shoulders and wrists --all independently of course.  It seems that the technology boom has impacted the fitness industry as well.  I don't know if it's because we are convinced that technology improves our lives so thoroughly that it must also improve our fitness, or if we're all so addicted to technology that we can't conceive of spending a workout without it.

I think part of the reason why people dislike gyms is that the equipment is overwhelming.  The cardio machines have so many lights and buttons they might as well be computers, and then who knows what any of the weight machines actually do?  If you're new to fitness all of this can be intimidating.  No one wants to be the guy reading the instructions on the leg press machine or the gal who can't make the treadmill move.  Embarrassing.  And so two things happen.  First, (and most importantly), we assume that to be fit we have to have fancy equipment.  And second, if we're intimidated/don't like/can't afford the gym, we sit on our backsides.

But as I mentioned in yesterday's post, you can purchase (affordably) just three pieces of fitness equipment that surpass just about any piece of fancy gym equipment you would find in a traditional fitness facility and use these three items at home (or anywhere) thus avoiding the gym.

By now you're purchased your kettlebell and have the first vital piece of equipment.  Now for the final two pieces of equipment you're going to need:  a jump rope and a pull-up bar. 

The jump rope could be the Rodney Dangerfield of fitness, it doesn't get any respect.  I can't think of a more simple, inexpensive piece of equipment that provides such an excellent workout.  Jumping rope is an intense aerobic workout but also has the added benefit of targeting the shoulders, back and legs.  It's summer -- tell me you don't want rockin' arms and shoulders to be flaunting at the pool.  And jumping rope also helps us to improve our balance, coordination and agility.  As we age, many of us fear the day when we fall and break a hip.  Want to know the secret to not falling and breaking a hip at 65?  Don't fall.  You can accomplish that by working on your balance, coordination and agility now. Jump rope is the answer to hot arms, great fitness and not breaking a hip when you’re old. 

If someone asked me, "What's the single best all around exercise for fitness?" I would respond, "squats" -- but the SECOND best exercise would be pull ups.  Compound exercises are exercises that involve using more than one muscle group and more than one joint.  Pull ups are a shining example of a compound exercise (as is the squat, which is why it's number one in my book) which works back, shoulders, chest and arms.  Pull ups are hard, which is why a lot of people do bicep curls instead.  But by including pull ups in your regular exercise program, you will get stronger.  A lot stronger.  And for the record, look better naked.  If you can't do an unassisted pull up yet, fear not!  You can do assisted pull ups using bands or do jumping pull ups (stand on something so your head is just about at bar height then jump and pull yourself so your chin is over the bar).  By doing assisted pull up work, you will develop the strength to do strict pull ups in no time and then the sky is the limit. 

A gym membership can be a great investment for some people.  But I would argue that a more efficient and effective workout can be done at home (or anywhere) with just a kettlebell, jump rope and pull up bar.  Use these three tools consistently and I guarantee you'll be in the best shape of your life.  Use the $50 a month you would have spent on the gym and buy yourself a tiny little bathing suit to show-off your hard work.

Posted by Rachel L. May
School of Health Sciences 

Just recently I was staying up too late watching my beloved New York Mets get trounced by some team or another.  During a commercial break, a very fit woman in a revealing spandex outfit appeared in an ad for the "Newest form of exercise training sweeping the country!"  For 30 seconds, the woman moved through a variety of exercises using what appeared to be a cannonball with a handle.  She swung the cannonball, pressed it over her head, did elegant one-handed passes...all her in spandex outfit.  Meanwhile, the announcer summarized the benefits of this "modern technology" that "not even large-scale national fitness facilities are using."

At the conclusion of the ad for this piece of wondrous modern fitness equipment, I laughed out loud (LOL'ed for those of you under 25) which was a welcome change from the tears I had heretofore been shedding during the game.  For those of you who might not recognize the description of a "cannonball with a handle", this comical late night fitness ad was for the kettlebell.  You may have seen these pieces of equipment advertised on late night TV or even for sale in large retail stores accompanied by DVD training videos.

What tickled my funny bone wasn't the woman in spandex but instead the description provided by the announcer that kettlebells are a “new and modern fitness training program.”  Kettlebells have been used for athletic training and fitness by our Russian Comrades since the 1700s.  Hardly "new and modern," Russians have been using kettlebells for hundreds of years as a component of strength competitions, military training, and post World War II as a component of Olympic training for a variety of sports.  Kettlebells are typically made from cast-iron and come in a variety of weights.  Traditional Russian kettlebells come in standard weights called POODs.  A POOD is equal to 35 pounds so a 1 POOD kettlebell is 35 lb while a 1.5 POOD kettlebell is ~53 pounds.  You get the idea. 

So what have the Russians known for hundreds of years that we in America just "discovered" in Y2K?  That kettlebells are awesome, Comrade!

One of the draws of a gym is the access that members have to strength training equipment.  But you don't need a gym or its machines, free weights or resistance bands when you have a kettlebell at home.  You have an entire gym in just one piece of equipment.  Tell me that doesn't beat a membership!

Kettlebell exercises are superior because you can use them for high or moderate intensity cardio training as well as strength training that works nearly every muscle in the body.  Doing ballistic exercises such as swings, snatches and clean & jerks are full body exercises that develop strength in the legs, shoulders and core all while jacking your heart rate up and burning a bunch of calories. 

If you want to be fit and never set foot in a gym again, I strongly urge you to buy a kettlebell.  They come in a variety of weights, but America, in typical American fashion, has created a line of "fitness bells" that are too light to maximize the full potential of the kettlebell.  I would recommend that ladies purchase either an 18 lb or 26 lb kettlebell to begin with.  For gentlemen, either a 35 lb or 44 lb.  The cost of kettlebells is such that as you become stronger you can easily purchase higher weights without significant economic burden.

How do you train once you have your kettlebell in hand?  Swings are the standard movement.  You'll want to educate yourself about proper form. Sure you could look-up videos on youtube, but I’d strongly suggest the book Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel which also includes several day-by-day training programs based on swings, cleans and presses.  And for the record, I have no financial interest in this book specifically or kettlebells in general so you won't be aiding me in any way other than my increasing my sense of satisfaction from knowing that there are more fit people in the world. 

When it comes to fitness, there are few things that match the versatility or effectiveness of kettlebell training.  I carry a 35 lb kettlebell in my car (which is strapped into the passenger seat with a seatbelt -- at 70 mph a loose kettlebell can do some damage, trust me!) so that when I travel, I can do a workout anywhere (you don't even need shoes).  Work hard and you can be done with a complete workout in less than 15 minutes -- I bet that's less time than it would take you to drive to the gym!

Happy training, Comrades!  

Posted by Rachel L. May
School of Health Sciences

Pretend you're at a dinner party.  Imagine you're standing around the buffet line and making pleasant conversation.  Then imagine that the topic of exercise arises.  You have just met a new gentleman named Bob.  You take note of Bob's bulging biceps, flat stomach and round backside and determine that Bob is in great physical shape.  What do you ask Bob?  I bet you ask, "Which gym do you go to?"  In today's fast-paced, highly specialized and technologized (I made that up) world, fitness seems to always be equated with a gym membership.  This relationship, fitness = gym, is no doubt great for the fitness industry, but it can be discouraging for the majority of Americans who are not gym members.  When gyms have the lock-down on fitness, it tells us that we can only be fit if we're exercising at a gym.  That the only way to get healthier, slimmer, faster, stronger and sexier is to have a membership card and go to a building with fancy machines and equipment, the majority of which no one knows how to use. 

Let's imagine a different Bob.  We'll call him Bobby.  Bobby comes into my office one afternoon and informs me he has just returned from his physician's office.  Bobby is feeling discouraged because his physician is threatening to prescribe medication for Bobby's high blood pressure.  The doctor is giving him a 60 day grace period in which time Bobby has to demonstrate a commitment to exercise and  lose at least 15 pounds.  Bobby is glum.  Typically in this scenario (which is repeatedly almost weekly in my office) I ask Bobby what his exercise program looks like now.  Almost without exception, Bobby will tell me, "I don't exercise at all, I hate the gym."  If I had to estimate, I would say that 85% of my sedentary clients tell me, "I don't exercise because I hate the gym."

This is a problem. 

The gym can be a great tool in a fitness arsenal.  Inside the gym it never rains, is never too hot and there's always TV.  You can run, walk, ride a bike, pump some iron or workout with friends, all in one location.  You can learn new exercise programs from professionals and even hit the sauna.  Gyms can be a great resource.  But fitness doesn't = gym.

Millions of Americans can't afford the cost of a gym membership.  Millions more can't join one even if they can afford the cost because there isn't one in their community.  And more importantly, there are the millions of Americans who wouldn't go to the gym even if was free and next door to their home.  And so we have lots of Bobbies in the world who "don't exercise because they don't like the gym."

So I have good news for those of you who aren't gym members but still want to be healthier, slimmer, faster, stronger and sexier -- fitness does not = gym.  In this week's blog posts, I'm going to give you three simple and inexpensive pieces of equipment you can purchase that will bring the gym -- no, better than the gym -- right to your own home.
 
Posted by Rachel L. May
School of Health Sciences

As promised, this last post on Wild Medicine is dedicated to a plant that helps stop bleeding.  Remember those skinned knees?  In addition to helping to arrest bleeding when used externally, it is also useful for colds, the flu, and breaking a fever when used internally.  You may even have it in your garden--right now!!

What is this beautiful and amazing plant?  It's Yarrow.

Achillea millefolium was historically used as an herb for the battlefield, specifically for its anti-hemorrhagic properties for wounds.  At the end of a day outside playing, my little ones sometimes look like they've come off a battlefield.  So they have learned how to identify Yarrow, crush the leaves and/or flowers well (much like Plantain), and apply to the bleeding area.  If they can do it, so can you!

Yarrow is found all over North America, although there are several varieties.  All are excellent for medicine however.  Even the pretty cultivated kind that you may have in your garden.  A member of the Sunflower family, they have small white flowers, and the most delicate feathery leaves.  They are often found along roadsides and meadows so keep your eyes open, they are in full bloom right now!

Use them for medicine, hang them up to dry, put them in a vase to beautify your home.  Just use them!  These plants can empower you to heal yourself in a deeply fulfilling and gentle way.

In Health,
Kristin Henningsen M.S., C.H., R.Y.T.

 Skinned knees seem to be an everyday occurrence in my house in the last few weeks.  The first few weeks of shaky bikes rides with the kids, as they get the hang of flying on two wheels again, tends to bring lots of tears and lots of band-aids.  Luckily, you don't have to pack a whole box with you on that next hike or bike ride.  Instead, just look for plantain.

There are a few species of Plantago that are a great make-shift band aid.  Plantago laneolata  and Plantago major are the most common.  The broad leaves are used topically for wound healing, helping to reduce inflammation and soothe painful cuts and scrapes.  They can even soothe and heal burns!  After you pour a little water on the wound, simply grab a leaf, smush (a very technical term, I know) gently with your fingers, and apply to the wounded area.  Make sure to get that good juice in there! 
You can use another leaf or bandage to  cover the wound to facilitate healing.

Plantain is another wild medicine that is found everywhere in the U.S.  Just check your lawn, roadsides, meadows, or fields.  Try not to collect directly from the side of the road or on a lawn that has been sprayed by chemicals.  Look for long oval leaves, spreading from a central point, with parallel veins.  Of course, always be sure to properly ID a plant before you use it.  But I don't have to remind you of that.  Right?!

Gathering your wild band-aid will cheer those kids right up after a fall.  Especially if you combine it with another plant to stop bleeding--which I'll talk about next post. 

Cheers,
Kristin Henningsen M.S., C.H., R.Y.T.

Summer seems to be officially upon us (well, almost officially). You know how I can tell?  The wild flowers have truly grown wild.  Many are in full bloom.  In the fields, in the forests, and in my unkempt backyard.  Truth be told I prefer an unkempt backyard.  Many wildflowers are actually wild medicine, which means my backyard is actually an apothecary. 

This week I'll be introducing you to some of these wonderful wild medicines.  Many of them you are probably familiar with.  Ever search for a four-leaf clover?  They not only bring good luck, but good health as well.  Red clover (Trifolium pratense) blossoms in particular are an incredibly powerful medicine.  It is primarily used as an alterative, or blood cleanser, but has great applications as an antispasmodic as well.  Why clean the blood?  To increase circulation, improve urine output, and increase bile that's why!  Hint: These are all key factors in detoxification.  The antispasmodic properties of red clover helps ease summer colds by loosening up phlegm and calming pesky coughs.  Not only that, but it contains a high amount of nutrients (think super multi-vitamin) and is well-known for its benefits for fertility.

Another great thing about this herb is that it is everywhere!  Every state in the U.S., in fact.  Usually blooming from early summer through early fall, it is hard to over-harvest.  Gather the bright pink blossoms just after the dew has dried up, always leaving the third blossom alone.  Even wild medicine needs to be harvested ethically!  Avoid gathering right near roadsides, instead diving deep into your favorite field, meadow, or wild backyard space.  You can dry them to use in tea or other herbal preparation, or simply eat them raw.  Be sure to research contraindications in your favorite herb book, and have fun!  Wild medicine hunting is a great way to connect with nature and yourself.

Happy Gathering!

Kristin Henningsen M.S., C.H., R.Y.T.