Durham Ranks 11th in Fattest Cities!

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The article titled ìWeíre not fat, weíre Rubenesqueî in this weekís Triangulator was a bit disturbing to me, a registered dietitian with a degree in public health working in Durham. It stated that Durham ranks number 11 in Menís Healthís 100 Fattest Cities in America list. Raleigh ranked 47, Greensboro, 70 and Charlotte 74 while San Francisco came in dead-last.

San Francisco came in last. I used to live in San Francisco. I was thin when I lived in San Francisco. I am not thin now and am sitting in Durham. Iíd like to explore why that is. For starters San Francisco is a walking town ñ a very manageable 7 mile by 7 mile chunk of land bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, a hilly Marin County to the north, the San Francisco Bay to the east and more hills to the south. San Francisco is famous for its hills making driving a pain and walking a pleasure. Eventhough I had a car, I rarely drove it. You had to have magical ìparking karmaî if you drove anywhere without an attached garage and fines were always stiff if you decided/were forced to be non-compliant. Plus the public transportation system is excellent. So walking was always the best option.

Let me note as well that San Francisco ranks last on this infamous list yet it is an eating town. Food is a major driving force in that city, from the farmerís markets to the high end, celebrity chef restaurants. There is not a bad meal in this town. Whether you pay $5 (like for Taqueria Cancunís vegetarian burrito with huge chunks of fresh avocado) or $200 (dinner at Jardiniere, for example) you will be equally satisfied. I didnít cook much when I lived in there, it just wasnít worth it. I could get good, fresh food at a reasonable price in any ethnic version at a momentís notice. One would think that this is a recipe for obesity, evidently not.

In the fifteen years since I left the City by the Bay I have gained 40lbs. How did that happen? I certainly donít blame Durham, but leaving a walking town to live in a driving one certainly has had its impact. I went from walking to and from work, a vigorous 45 minute walk each way (burning up about 600 calories total) to driving to and from work (calories burned = ZERO!). So now Iím absorbing those 600 calories into my system every day. That alone turned into 15lbs almost immediately. Then I got married, which apparently makes you fat without eating, another 10lbs, thanks to newlywed bliss. Eventually I started working out so my weight stabilized but then I went to grad school and that just put me over the edge. It was a stressful time and the remaining weight packed on to comfort me through exams and presentations. Somehow being a dietitian and helping others meet their weight loss goals does not translate into weight loss for me, so here I am fat in the 11th fattest city in America.

So what can we do to make Durham a more healthful city? Aside from the numerous socio-economic issues at hand that warrant their own serious commentary, I think awareness is one important key. Many of us are not aware of what or how much we eat nor of how little we move our bodies. In todayís society being healthy is a conscious decision, it is not an automatic state of being like it might have been 100 years ago. We are bombarded with countless messages everyday encouraging us to make unhealthful choices and although we all know what the healthful choices are, we do not make them often enough to derive consistent benefit. This contradiction between what we know and what we do exists because many of us have never experienced health in a conscious way. It is so difficult to imagine what life would be like as a normal-weight, fit person that it requires a leap of faith in oneself to actually go for health (or a move to San Francisco!). This is why places like Empower exist, to help guide us through the leap. We need the help of trainers, nutritionists and other wellness professionals in order to create new habits consciously so that we may stand healthfully on our own. With proper guidance and motivation we can achieve our health goals and in the end contribute to a svelte silhouette for our chubby little town.

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Meet Chris Hooke

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Chris is a terrific eleven year old man with a great sense of humor. He’s been training at Empower Personal Training since March of 2010 when he came in with the goals of building up his strength and endurance.

We see Chris here once a week for a half an hour where we focus primarily on building up his strength with body weight exercises like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. He always works hard and I make a point to reward this by ending with a game or two.

Recently Chris did a triathlon and took 80th place out of 600 boys between the ages of 9 and 11 years old. We helped him plan out a schedule for training a few months in advance and he worked hard outside of the gym to build up his endurance. It has been a privilege to work with such a motivated young man and he has a bright future ahead of him.

Check out our facebook page (link) to watch a video of some footage from our training session (you’ll have to scroll down a bit). The last minute or so is an interview. While you’re there click the “like” button!

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

Looking for a Coach

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Many of us know about personal trainers. If you want to get fit someone will tell you to get a personal trainer. What many people don’t know is if you’re into endurance sports (long distance running, cycling, triathlon etc.) you can hire a coach much like you would a personal trainer.

An endurance coach works much like a personal trainer except their area of expertise is endurance athletics. A coach can work one on one or with small groups to help you achieve personal bests in whatever sport you’re competing in. A coach can meet face to face or can do most of their coaching online through email and a variety of other different tools such as www.workoutlog.com.

Many people don’t feel the need for a coach and if you’re a recreational athlete who trains just to stay healthy this might be the case. I’ve had a number of athletes come to me stating that they were training six, eight sometimes twelve hours a week and not seeing the results they wanted. A look at their training log (and if you don’t keep one you’re making a huge mistake) often reveals why. The problem with self-training is that you don’t often look at that ‘why’ and address it. You keep doing the same thing you’ve always done.

If you want to truly be competitive having that outside observer who can look at your bulk of training, make assessments and pinpoint weaknesses and stregnth is something you may want to consider.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS, ACSM-HFI

USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Master Trainer

Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training. He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

Pilates Mat Works!

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What is Pilates? It is an exercise system that focuses primarily on your core muscles. Very simply put it targets, the glutes, low back and your abdominal muscles. Pilates helps to strengthen ìcoreî abdominal muscles uniformly so that they support and balance your spine in order to maintain good posture. ìCoreî means inside or center. When the core of the body is not strong, the torso lacks the stability to move efficiently and with power.

Try these 4 exercises to see if you can benefit from Pilates’ exercises.

1. Can you hold a hip bridge for 1 minute with out getting a cramp in the back of your legs?Your bridgemust looklike a beautiful arc to pass the test with no cramping.

2. Can you curl up like a ball? Lie on your back, pull knees to chest and bring your forehead to your knees.

3. Can you hold a plank position and lift your heel towards the ceiling while keeping your hips level?

4. Can you do a “bicycle twist” placing your elbow on the inside of the knee for full torso rotation with shoulder 1 blade off the floor as you lift diagonally?

5. Can you hold1 leg up at 90 degrees while on your back with no knee bend?

If you answered no to just 1 of these you really should try Pilates training to build your strength and flexibility! Empower Personal Training believes strongly in the Pilates principles and has developed a class just for beginners. If you have never tried Pilates and have been intimidated to try you owe it to yourself to try our 4 week Intro Level Pilates Class with Connie Winstead. Connie is a compassionate instructor who gives excellent instruction to her students so they feel successful.

The class will meet beginning Wednesday March 31st at 5:30pm, and will run for 4 weeks. The cost is only $75. Call the studio at (919) 401-8024 or click here to reserve your spot today.

Kathleen Pace

Kathleen has over 10 years of experience in the health and wellness field. She has worked with a variety of different populations including athletes, former athletes, seniors and overweight and obese clients. For more information about Kathleen and Empower Personal Training visit www.becomepowerful.com.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

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Season is about to get warmer. Many people will hop on their bikes and ride in the sunny summer that we get here in good ‘ol NC.

Before you do, take a moment to think about how your bike fits you. There are a few key rules but basically all those rules boil down to two things: Comfort and Power. If you’re bike isn’t fit well, you may be suffering from a lack of both. For instance, if you ride to far back on the saddle, your shoulders are going to take the brunt of the support will you ride, you’ll find they get very stiff and sore and you’ll wonder how your shoulders hurt when you were using your legs to bike. If you’re too far forward on the saddle men will find this vastly uncomfortable and everyone will experience climbing hills to be a lot harder than they need to be. This is because you can’t get a full pull of the pedal stroke and your hamstrings can’t engage.

Whatever the reason a good bike fit is worth its weight in gold. So expect to pay for what you get. If it’s the free fit at the local cycling shop when you by your bike it may be okay for the short term but if you ride longer rides (90+ minutes) you’ll find that you won’t want to go much further as that comfort level just won’t dial in right. Seek out someone who is certified in fittings. There are a few in the area and yes, you’ll pay a good price for it, but as already mentioned, it’s well worth it.

There’s a great article here about bike fits. It’s a good read, a bit technical, but nonetheless important info that any serious rider should know about.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, ask our resident cyclist Patty – she’s a pro.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS, ACSM-HFI

USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Master Trainer

Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training. He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024