Health, Lifestyle & Fitness

26 Sep 2009 04:48 AM

If you have a crazy work schedule, travel a lot or enjoy experimenting with unstructured fitness plans, then it might be challenging to find a consistent workout partner.

Enter man's best friend.

Fido and Fifi often make ideal four-legged fitness companions.

Exercising with a dog is the perfect solution for individuals, who long for company while they burn calories, but can't seem to mesh schedules with a two-legged pal.

That said there are some general tips you should consider before making your little wagster your main workout buddy:

Agility activities: According to experts, medium dogs, especially herding breeds, are good at agility activities. Which is not to say that big or small dogs can't do agility activities, but the herding breeds (e.g. Border Collies and Australian Shepards), overall, are best at completing exercises, such as hiking and catching Frisbees.

Arms: If you want to sculpt your arms by playing fetch with a dog, then seek out a retrieving breed such as a Labrador or Golden Retriever. Also, you don't have to limit yourself to playing fetch with a stick. Many dogs enjoy playing fetch with tennis balls, racquetballs, or other small toys.

Swimming: Most dogs love to swim. What's more, swimming is a non-joint stressing exercise for you and your pooch. If you live in a warm climate, then consider taking your pup to a lake or pond that is dog friendly. Otherwise find a pool, which allows you to take a dip with your dog.

Running: Jogging with your dog is a wonderful form of exercise. However, before bringing Spike along on your next 10-miler, you need to get him acclimated to hard surfaces first. If your dog is used to running on soft grass in the yard, you will need to make the transition slowly. Move from grass to dirt, then to gravel or cement. If you are running in hot weather, be mindful that your dog may suffer from burns to the pads from hot cement or asphalt.

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Posted by Zack Lynch

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have joined forces to publish "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women" which was released earlier this month. I just ordered my copy. Here is their reasoning why.

IN THE 19TH CENTURY, the paramount moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century, it was totalitarianism. In this century, it is the brutality inflicted on so many women and girls around the globe: sex trafficking, acid attacks, bride burnings and mass rape.

Yet if the injustices that women in poor countries suffer are of paramount importance, in an economic and geopolitical sense the opportunity they represent is even greater. “Women hold up half the sky,” in the words of a Chinese saying, yet that’s mostly an aspiration: in a large slice of the world, girls are uneducated and women marginalized, and it’s not an accident that those same countries are disproportionately mired in poverty and riven by fundamentalism and chaos. There’s a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism. That’s why foreign aid is increasingly directed to women. The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren’t the problem; they’re the solution."

I couldn't agree more.

Posted by Zack Lynch

A few weeks ago I participated in a day long discussion at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto around the topic of When Everything is Programmable. Lots of very interesting scenarios and viewpoints were shared. For my part, I stuck to the theme of our emerging neurosociety. Towards the end of the day each of us were asked to write up a 10 year scenario focused on our area of expertise. Jake Dunagan, IFTF's Director of Technology Horizons Program and fellow neurofuturist joined me in sketching out this scenario which touches on a whole set of emerging issues. This is not meant to be comprehensive, more so a quick sketch we put together in 45 minutes.

September 13, 2019 President Signs NINA (Neuro Information Nondiscrimination Act)

Inspired by the GINA (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act) legislation passed in 2008, NINA might include areas such as:

-Explicit right to cognitive liberty, brain privacy
-Bans discrimination in hiring based on neuroimaging profile
-Bans all local, state 'drug vaccine' programs
-Bans 'neuroprofiling' for travel and attendance at public events
-Subsidizes accelerated learning with neuroenablement technologies
-Legalizes use of neuroenablers
-Bans denial of health coverage based on neuroprofile
-Bans cosmetic memory erasure

The scenario is being accelerated by the development of more sophisticated imaging technologies, neuroinformatic analysis algorithms, neurofeedback technologies, research into neuroplasticity, drug vaccine, neuropharma and neurodevice R&D.

The reason this scenario was seen as important to sketch out was that right now we have a whole host of technologies that are emerging without an effective policy infrastructure. There will be severe unintended consequences as technologies accelerate across a wide variety of enabling disciplines and national governments may eventually need to step in to protect their populations and their basic human rights.

18 Sep 2009 11:21 PM

Looking for a new workout partner? Why not enlist the help of your favorite four-legged friend?

According to a new study, there are physical and mental health advantages for a dog owner and a dog when they exercise together.

Exercising with Fido will not only help you reduce your waistline, but it can also do wonders for your dog's as well. What's more, experts say working out with your pet helps promote the human-animal bond.

However, before you drag your Dalmatian on a 6-mile hike you should consider the type of dog you have. Researchers note that dogs differ in the amount and types of exercise they should be doing to maintain good health. Factors such as age, breed, weather and general health need to be considered before you involve your dog in a strenuous workout regime.

Some guidelines to consider include:

*Generally, larger dogs have higher energy needs, and smaller breeds need less exercise.

*Ideally, dogs should be taken out twice a day for exercise. Times may vary from 15-60 minutes, depending on your individual pet. Humans can benefit from the same amount of exercise.

*Allowing your dog to run loose in the backyard while you chase after him doesn't constitute as effective exercise. Aerobic exercise should be continuous with few breaks. Most dogs are content to lie in the sun and only get up for short periods of activity. This behavior could negatively influence your exercise regime.

*According to experts, medium and large dogs typically make better long-distance running partners. If your dog can run longer than you are able, you may want to consider biking while having your dog run beside you on a leash.

*Make sure your dog is in shape before taking him along on intense workouts. If you are planning to run a long distance, you need to build your dog's endurance so he can handle the longer mileage.

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17 Sep 2009 09:38 PM

Once you start exercising, keep it up. That's the message from fitness experts, who claim that there is a huge number of first-time exercisers falling into a pit of despair because they don't see marked changes in their body after only a few weeks of working out.

But the overweight and under motivated are not the only ones having issues with fitness programs. According to a new study, regular exercisers, who don't adjust well to changes, are also hurting themselves.

The study found that exercisers who adhered to a consistent workout regime suffered when they were forced to take a break.

The research, which followed people, who were slaves to the Stairmaster or a stationary bicycle, failed mood tests when they were told not to exercise for two weeks.

The results of the study showed that the forced exercise "vacation" didn't recharge one's batteries. Rather, it left the highly regimented fitness buffs feeling worse than before.

"After one week we began to see changes," according to the study's lead author. "After two weeks, those changes had deepened. Two weeks of slothfulness had pushed the former exercisers into a grim state."

Researchers noted that study participants who were kept from their normal fitness routine were significantly more tense, tired, and less vigorous. In addition, the more out of shape they became, the more their mood and energy level worsened.

Researchers concluded: The more active you are, the more energy you have and the better your mood.

Fitness experts recommend that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five or more days per week in order to life a healthy lifestyle.

What's more, fitness experts advise that if you can't get in your regular routine jogging, swimming or walking, that you get creative. Tweak your routine, choosing other activities to stay physically and mentally fit instead of bemoaning the fact that you couldn't follow your set regime.

Do you get crabby when you miss a workout?

Related Articles:

Exercise and Music

Why am I so Sore?

Getting Fit in Your Own Backyard

Staying Fit and Healthy

Confident People are More Fit

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