I have always been fascinated by rowing.  Growing up on the Jersey shore I had many occassion to watch a fishermen, lifeguard, or recreational rower pull an oar as their boat glided smoothly across the water.   I remember reading an article years ago citing rowers as the olympic athletes with the longest life expectancy.  It certainly made sense, especially for the rower pulling an oar for crew.  Catch, drive, finish, recover, etc.  Unlike the fishermen of yesteryear if you rowed crew your legs were an integral part of your efforts.  What an incredible cardivascular exercise.  I was further enthralled with the sport learning that my then office manager, Sue Farrell; had a brother who won an Olympic gold medal at the Helsinki games in 1952.  I speak of none other then Tom Price.  An incredible feat, especially considering according to Sue that her brother began the sport less then a year before winning the gold while attending Rutgers University.  

Whether you live near water or not makes no difference today.  Thanks in large part to the Concept 2 company in Morrisville, Vermont.   The company came from humble beginnings in 1976 when brothers Dick and Peter Dreissigacker began manufacturing composite oars.  Shortly thereafter they developed the Concept 2 Indoor Rower.  My personal experience pulling an oar began when I was a young boy rowing around the Shrewsbury River.  I graduated to lifeguard competitions during my summer months in college.  I finally saw and began using a Concept 2 Indoor Rower a few years after college in a local gym.  If you haven’t tried one give it a go at your neighborhood gym.  Most gyms have one.  Before trying one you may want to visit www.concept2.com and explore their site.  The have a wealth of information for you.  Check out Interactive Tools, Motivation and Community, and Training and Competition.   Rowing is an outstanding exercise utilizing both upper and lower body while delivering a robust cardiovascular workout.  It is no wonder rowers are in such outstanding physical condition.  Give rowing a try, and if you get hooked who knows you may end up with a Concept 2 rower in your garage like me.  Row, Row, Row Your Boat !!!   

In the near future we will be changing our name to Sports and Fitness Journal. 

Why the change?   Well, for two reasons actually.   First,  we have a much broader appeal and impact with sports and fitness together.   We felt narrowing our focus to fitness would prevent us from writing and commenting on issues that we feel are important and significant.   Secondly,  our friends and readers keep saying the same thing.   They were asking us to comment or write on an issue(s) based in sport.   We held off for a short time but all along knew it was just a matter of time before we expanded our focus and relented.   Furthermore we love sports and fitness, and narrowing the focus just doesn’t appeal to us.   So, in a matter of days we will be switching our domain name and blog banner.   We plan on implementing some other subtle changes as we progress.   In the mean time you may see an article or three dealing with a sport topic.  Bear with us please until we catch up and make the changes in graphics etc.   Thank you for your patience and support.

I am a magazine junkie.  I admit it.  My favorite ?  Fitness or sports related.  I can spent hours in my favorite Borders or Barnes and Noble skimming the titles and thumbing through articles.  I love it.  The pain sets in when I actually start purchasing and the salesperson announces my total.  Ouch.  So it goes without saying that I have learned or am attempting to learn to be an educated consumer and shop for the magazine that I will find to be the most useful.  Easier said then done my friend. 

On a recent trip to Borders (next trip will be Barnes and Noble I promise) I spent the usual thiry to forty minutes scanning covers and then perusing the contents.   This was not going to be such an easy mission.  My first pass included some dozen or more mags with a fitness or sports theme.  Finally after my initial consideration I narrowed my choice to four.  Just to give you an idea of my challenge what follows next is a compilation of titles in random order from my four finalists.  This in no way represents a listing of their table of contents.  Instead, the listing ireflects the front cover listing of what is inside.   Face it, most of us never get past the cover.  Here goes…..

• Be Your Own Coach (RW)
• Your Best Body Ever (O)
• Mind/Body Workout (WH)
• Six-Pack Abs (MH)
• Secrets of Endurance (RW)
• Sleep Your Flab Away (O)
• Health Tests You Need Now (WH)
• The Ultimate Strength Test (MH)
• Energy-Boosting Meal Makeovers (RW)
• Work Making You Fat ? (O)
• The Fastest Fat Burn Ever (WH)
• A Faster Pace For Any Race (RW)
• Super Fast Workout (O)
• Break Your Sugar Habit (WH)

• Eat This, Not That !  (MH)

MH - Men’s Health April 2008  ;  WH - Women’s Health April 2008 ;  O - Oxygen May 2008 ;      RW - Runner’s World April 2008.

Decision, decisions, decisions.  Bet you thought this was going to be easy.  Now do you see how difficult it is to simply go in and purchase ONE.  Reminds me of the old Lays Potato Chip Add challenging you with, “Betcha can’t eat just one.”  How about “Betcha can’t read just one.”  ???  I am good for at least four magazines a month.  But the choices aren’t always so easy.   The competition is tough obviously for the publications.  They are competing for audience share that in turn translate into ad sales which is the bottom line for each magazine. 

The articles have become more sophisticated.  You will of course find some consistently repeat themselves.  But I think that is a reflection of the readers interest.  Consider the number of articles you have read dealing with six-pack abs;  getting rid of fat; quick and easy diets;  and of course gain muscle lose fat.  Same songs with different lyrics.  Nevertheless we read on.

I confessed, I am hooked.  There is no cure for me.  I will always be a sucker for the same old article about abs albeit written by a different author.  Like a kid in a candy store…..

Don’t feel sorry for me LOL.  It truly is a labor of love.  I hope you share some of my enthusiasm and pass on your zeal to a friend.  Better yet, give them an old issue or a subscription for their birthday, or next milestone.  You will be spreading the word about fitness and the relevance in our lives.

Believe it or not that is the premise proposed by some experts in an article written for the Associated Press by Maria Cheng.   I was shocked when I read the title.  I have been a fitness professional for over thirty years.  All the evidence, and data I have read certainly suggest otherwise.  Being an objective individual I read the article with a great deal of interest.

According to Dr. Vincent Marks, a professor emeritus of clinical biochemistry at the University of Surrey, the obesity problem is  “absolutely exaggerated.”  He suggests that fat people and obese people are often lumped together.  He believes that just being fat doesn’t mean you will be unhealthy.  However, being morbidly obese does signify a profound health risk according to Marks.

I doubt Dr. Dean Ornish or Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn would share Dr. Marks opionion.  In fact, based on both their research and publications they would argue that fat is a major villan in heart disease, diseases of the blood vessels, and hypertension.  I recommend you read books published by either Ornish or Esselstyn on the effect diet and lifestyle have on heart disease.

I remember an incident I observed some time ago involving a student of mine.  He was computing his Basal Metabolic Rate using a table from an internet health site.  After inputing his data the results were displayed on his monitor.  A student sitting next to him asked him what the results said.  To my dismay he replied that he was in the ”obisay” group.  His friend asked him what that was, to which he replied, “I don’t know but it must be good because I have a high score.”  The sad fact was the individual who was getting his BMR calculated not only couldn’t pronounce the word correctly but he himself was  obese (not ”obisay”) by any standard. 

Sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous.  I don’t mean to dismiss the opinion of Dr. Marks but it seems that the vast amount of knowledge supports the idea that a diet high in fat, and a sedentary lifestyle definately contribute to an  increased risk for heart disease and other related diseases.  The word I read most often associated with an increase in obesity is pandemic.  Dr. Ornish reported, at a conference in California, that worldwide deaths  caused by heart disease and diseases of the blood vessels are greater then all other causes of death combined.

As a nation we treat the symptoms of heart disease and not the cause.  If we focused more attention and energy at the causes i.e. poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, perhaps we could reverse the trend.  However daunting the task may be to ignore it would be tragic.  If the prediction that the children of this generation may have a shorter lifespan then their parents occurs, who is to blame ? 

If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports website click on www.fitness.gov    The council is a voluntary advisory committee comprised of twenty members.  They are responsible for advising the President in matters of fitness and sport through the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  Their mission is to promote health, physical activity, and sports.

First formed in 1956 under then President Dwight D. Eisenhower the council continues to do wonderful things with outstanding programs.  Since it’s inception they have supported and promoted legislation, and initiatives furthering the benefits of fitness and raising public awareness.  They have collaborated with both public and private groups to accomplish their goals.

The council has numerous programs and it really is worth some of your time to visit the site and investigate some of them.  One of their key programs is the Presidents Challenge.  Since 1966 the program has challenged individuals to participate and track their activities on logs provided at their website www.presidentschallenge.org    Their awards program is designed to motivate individuals to begin and continue an exercise program.

Another popular program is the physical fitness testing program also located on their site.  The program offers different levels of participation for students.  Each program provides data for the participant to measure themselves against other students across the nation.  The student can choose from the physical fitness tests, health fitness test, active lifestyle, and presidential champion program.   The physical fitness testing program recognizes three state champions from each state.  Their are three categories based on enrollment.  My only concern here is an over zealous teacher “cooking the books”.  I don’t mean to be cynical but there isn’t a safeguard to prevent the data from being exaggerated.

Another attractive part of the program is the National School Demonstration Program whereby elementary, middle, and secondary schools are recognized for achieving outstanding results designating them as quality showcase schools for others to model.  The council also offers programs including Healthier US, Healthy People 2010, National Physical Fitness and Sport Month - May, and Corporate Partnerships.  The Corporate Partnerships involve over fifty companies who support physical fitness and sport in various ways. 

Make sure you check out the programs for kids, teens, adults, and seniors.  You will even find a BMI calculator which will calculate your body mass index after you supply age, gender, height, and weight.  Not the only way to determine someones fitness level by any means, however the BMI gives a quick way to determine body fat composition.  Fat composition does give one a insight into a health indicator that is worthwhile.

Take my word for it you can spend thirty to sixty minutes exploring the site.  It has a wealth of information that I believe most health conscious individuals will find interesting and useful.  After you visit spread the word to your friends, encourage them to visit www.fitness.gov and www.presidentschallenge.org   You will not be disappointed.  And, you will be doing your part to promote fitness. 

It’s an age old belief.  A universal truth.  If you enjoy something you will return to or continue with it.  Confucius said, ” Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  You can apply the same philosophy to almost anything I suppose.  So why not do so when choosing a fitness activity.  Choose a fitness activity you like, one you enjoy and all things considered you will stick with it for the long haul.

For me, my money is on the bike.  For a number of reasons it is my numero uno fitness activity.  Biking isn’t my only fitness activity.  As a matter of fact I am constantly mixing up routine, and also looking for new things to try.  But when all else fails, i.e. weather, boredom,  etc.  I always go with my favorite …..my Barracuda mountain bike.  Outfitted with a special set of combo tires I am steady on pavement wet, dry, or snow covered.  The mountain bike gives me the freedom to zip along any road, hop a curb or delve off road lumbering up a hill , or cruising through a field chasing rabbits.

Like me you may have a favorite activity, or not.  Whether you do or don’t doesn’t really matter.  The important thing is that you are regularly participating in some fitness activity.  A friend of mine hasn’t missed a day of running for twenty five years.  Another amigo is a circuit fiend.  Not in the literal sense of the word.  His circuits are a mix bag of activities that he is constantly changing.  But like my harrier friend he remains committed to the pursuit of fitness.  

So, whether you are bored, or possibly embarking on a fitness program the thing you must remember….the ”secret” if you will, is find something you like to do.  And then……hopefully you will continue with your committment to fitness.  Don’t give up or throw in the towel.   Remember, if at first you don’t succeed……..just keep searching for your fit.  Making fitness an important part of your daily schedule will enrich  your life both mentally, and physically. 

One of, if not the most comprehensive websites on fitness and related topics in my humble opinion is www.cbass.com . The site is the brainchild of Clarence Bass. Who is Clarence Bass? Simply put, he is an amazing individual who has dedicated his life to fitness, and the promotion of a fit lifestyle. An attorney by profession Mr. Bass has had a lifelong affair with fitness. From an early age Clarence was involved in weight training, and the pursuit of a fit lifestyle. His website has well over a hundred posts brimming with useful information that will keep you coming back for more. A renowned expert in the field of fitness Clarence has drawn the praise of many noteworthy fitness professionals including Dr. Kenneth Cooper from the famed Cooper Institute in Dallas Texas. An author of nine books Clarence continues to write informative, well documented articles on his website. In addition, he is a successful businessman, his company Ripped Enterprises sells products for the fit-minded from his website.

Something I find even more impressive about Clarence Bass is the fact that he has walked the talk his entire life. At 70, yes I said 70 years of age he is in incredible physical condition. Make sure you read the results of his visits to the Cooper Clinic detailing his physiological and medical test results that are detailed on his website.

Topics on his website include posts on diet and nutrition; strength training; aerobics; fat loss and weight control; physiological factors; motivation; personalities etc. etc.

I can’t decide if Clarence Bass has made more of an impact on the lives of fitness professionals or the every day person looking for advice about fitness. I think I have just answered my own question. BOTH. Clarence Bass is an inspiration to many. I am grateful I discovered his site years ago and continue to read it regularly. If you are interested in fitness or leading a healthy fit lifestyle you owe it to yourself to visit www.cbass.com