Category: Fitness Topic

Strength Training As Self-Defense For Seniors

July 3, 2021

This is a true story that occurred in November 2019. An 82-year-old woman successfully defended herself during a home break-in in Rochester, N.Y., afterwhich the 28 year-old intruder was taken away by ambulance. Willie Murphy started lifting weights when she was 56 years old. Every senior should follow her training example.

Irene Pastore is a native New Yorker, health and fitness blogger, and personal trainer. She owns this website, and authors each blog post. To read her complete bio, visit the About Page.

Obesity In The Military

May 9, 2021

Recent News Articles Discuss The Effects Of Obesity On The U.S. Military

“Just about every aspect of our society actively contributes to the obesity epidemic”,obesity expert James Hill, PhD, Director of the Center For Human Nutrition, at the University of Colorado

NEWSWEEK.COM – 1/11/18: America Is So Out Of Shape And Fat, It’s Putting U.S. Army Solders In Danger, By John Haltiwanger

MILITARY TIMES.COM – 10/3/18:  A Staggering Number Of Troops Are Fat And Tired, Report Says, By J.D. Simkins

ARMYTIMES.COM 10/10/18:  America’s Obesity Is Threatening National Security, According To This Study, Meghann Myers

CDC.GOV (Centers For Disease Control U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services):  Unfit To Serve: Obesity Is Impacting National Security

Military.com 9/3/19 The Navy Is The Fattest, But Obesity Rates Are Up Across The Services,  By Chad Garland

NBC NEWS.COM Oct. 26, 2013: The Real’ Shape Of The American Man: Dudes, You’re Porky!, By Bill Briggs

MilitaryTimes.com 7/21/20  The American Diet Is Now A National Security Threat, By Sarah Sicard

Irene Pastore, is a Certified Personal Trainer, fitness blogger, health educator, and speaker. She has 25 years experience teaching exercise in New York City.  Read her complete bio, on the About Page.

Do Calories Count?

April 12, 2021

Think of your body like a furnace. A furnace burns fuel such as oil, or wood.  Food is the fuel your body burns in order to get the energy you need to carry out your daily tasks.

If your oil, or wood burning furnace has no fuel, your house will get very cold. If you stopped eating, you’d have no energy, and would feel weak.

Calories are units of energy derived from the food you eat. If you eat more food than you burn, your body will store the excess calories.  The results of consuming excess calories is weight gain. The excess weight gain is stored as fat.  So yes, calories do count.

Irene Pastore is a Certified Personal Trainer, fitness blogger, health educator, and speaker. She has 23 years experience teaching exercise in New York City.  For her complete bio, visit the About Page.

Can My Muscles Turn Into Fat?

April 12, 2021

Fat and muscle are different types of body tissue. They each serve different functions. When you do strength training, your muscles get bigger and stronger. If you stop strength training, your muscles get smaller, and you’ll get weaker. Muscles don’t turn into fat.  The purpose of muscle is to move your body.

The function of fat tissue is to store reserve energy. If your body has too much fat, it means that you’re eating too much food, and not exercising enough, which results in weight gain.

 

Irene Pastore, is a Certified Personal Trainer, fitness blogger, health educator, and speaker. She has 23 years experience teaching exercise in New York City.  For her complete bio, visit the About Page.

What’s The Difference Between A Sprain And A Strain?

April 8, 2021

MUSCLE STRAIN OR SPRAIN?

A strain is an injury to a muscle or a tendon. A tendon is a band of fibrous, connective tissue that connects muscle to bone.

Strains vary in intensity, from mild to moderate, to severe. Severe strains are very painful, and can be disabling.  

Returning to activity too soon, can delay the healing of a muscle strain.

MUSCLE STRAIN SYMPTOMS

♦ You can’t use the muscle

♦ You feel pain when you try to use the muscle

♦ The muscle feels weak

♦ You feel pain while you rest

♦ The muscle show signs of swelling, bruising, or redness

MUSCLE STRAIN PREVENTION

♦ Practice daily stretching after exercise

♦ Warm up before you exercise with light cardio work

♦ Avoid over-exercising

A SPRAIN HAPPENS TO LIGAMENTS

A sprain is a partial or complete tear of a ligament.  A ligament connects bone to bone.  One or more ligaments can be injured at the same time.

SYMPTOMS OF LIGAMENT SPRAIN

In the picture below, ligaments are shown in red.

♦ Pain

♦ Swelling

♦ Bruising

♦ You can’t move the affected joint

♦ A popping sound is heard when a ligament snaps

Irene Pastore, is a Certified Personal Trainer, fitness blogger, health educator, and speaker. She has 23 years experience teaching exercise in New York City..  To read her complete bio, visit the About Page.