Charlotte Observer

Old Jail Art Center in Texas offers Andy Warhol exhibit Charlotte Observer The majority of the images are black and white, typically with artists performing or relaxing with friends. They capture a time in Austin's history when music and the people who made it felt more accessible. There's an immediacy present in many of the ... and more »

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Old Jail Art Center in Texas offers Andy Warhol exhibit - Charlotte Observer

Olivia Myeza has recently taken up the post of CEO at Birth for HumanKIND, a not-for-profit organisation that supports women experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage on their journey to motherhood. She is this weeks Changemaker.

Myeza, who is originally from Melbourne, is a wearer of many hats wife, mother, sister, leader, singer.

After leaving the world of corporate PR she spent a decade living and working in South Africa at the coalface of community development and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

During her time there, she was CEO of Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that responded to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the region, where one in three people were HIV positive.

Prior to this her roles in South Africa included resource mobilisation manager for GOLD Peer Education Development Agency; fundraising and marketing manager for McCord Hospital and South Africa director for The Oaktree Foundation.

Myeza has now relocated back to Melbourne with her family to take on the role of CEO at Birth for HumanKIND.

The Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation provides women in need often young mums and recently arrived women with refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds with free support and education during pregnancy, birth and early parenting.

In this weeks Changemaker Myeza talks about her work in South Africa, how a musical collaboration led to her marrying into a black Zulu community and how birth unites us across borders, cultures, incomes, languages and race.

What attracted you to the not-for-profit sector?

I had worked in the corporate PR sector and got really tired of making rich men richer, to speak frankly. That just isnt something that motivates my heart much.

Once I got connected with the not-for-profit sector and started doing volunteer work for Oaktree Foundation, first here in Melbourne and then in South Africa, my heart and soul came alive.

For three years in Australia and then two years full-time in South Africa I was an unpaid volunteer, raising funds to cover my living costs. It was really liberating to be able to do something for reasons other than money, but unfortunately it wasnt sustainable.

Its amazing to put your skills, time and energy into something that helps others and makes a difference in our world its a million times more inspiring and motivating than making the richer richer, and I found endless passion and energy for it. Ive never looked back and cant imagine, at this point, leaving the not-for-profit sector.

Youve returned to Melbourne after 10 years in South Africa. Can you tell us about your work there?

It was through a volunteer role for The Oaktree Foundation that I first visited South Africa in 2005 and I completely fell in love with the country. I had lost my mum to cancer as a teenager and always felt pretty sorry for myself about that, but when I got to South Africa and learnt that there are 4 million orphans in the country, mostly orphaned due to their parents dying of HIV/AIDS, I realised I was the lucky one. I had support, I never wondered where my next meal was coming from, I had access to counselling these kids dont have any of that and so many of them are growing up in child-headed households without a safe roof over their head, without enough food and without their parents.

A good friend had told me that with privilege comes great responsibility, so I followed my heart and committed to doing whatever I could in the fight against poverty, HIV/AIDS and the orphan crisis in South Africa.

And that led you to work at the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust?

Yes, I led a team of 160 staff and 50 volunteers to implement prevention, care, community outreach and economic empowerment projects that impacted thousands in semi-rural, poverty-torn communities the majority of them women and children.

It wasnt just work that kept you in South Africa, was it?

Not quite. On my first visit to South Africa in 2005 I met an amazing Zulu choir and ended up collaborating with them and recording two albums with them and a few other Australian musicians.

It was through the music collaboration projects that I met the man who is now my husband. I married into a black Zulu community and together we have three beautiful children, Asanda, 8, Lwazi, 4, and Eli,1, who represent whats called the rainbow nation of South Africa.

What was it like giving birth in South Africa?

I was lucky enough to have natural, doula-assisted births in a private hospital, which is not the case for the vast majority of women in South Africa. I witnessed, on too many occasions, the dire consequences of women not being supported through this important time of their lives. I will never forget crying with a mother who gave birth to her stillborn baby in an ambulance on the way to the hospital after having waited hours at a local clinic before any help arrived.

After 10 years at the coalface of the fight against HIV/AIDS, youve moved back to Australia. Tell us about your new role as CEO of Birth HumanKIND.

The role with Birth for HumanKIND jumped out at me as I saw it as a chance to continue using my skills to make a difference to society within a not-for-profit organisation with which I have shared values. Birth for HumanKIND runs a bunch of amazing birth support and education programs that help to catch women before they fall through the cracks in our maternal health system.

The majority of the women we work with are from migrant, refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds, recently arrived in Australia, dont speak English fluently and dont have a network of family and friends to support them. We also work with many young mums (under 25) and women experiencing domestic violence or homelessness. Broadly speaking, our clients are pregnant women who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage which is obviously something that is close to my heart.

What is the ultimate goal through your work?

My ultimate goal is to use my skills and gifts, and make use of the great education I was privileged to have received and the benefits of having been born in a developed country, to help those who are less fortunate.

To see organisations growing in their impact and their sustainability, to see team members operating in their passions and giftings, and to see lives being improved through powerful programs that have deep and lasting impact on people and communities in need.

How do you find time for yourself?

Can I pass on this one? This is admittedly a work in progress and not something that Im currently the best role model for. Being a working mother of three kids, time for myself is something that doesnt come easily. In theory I do one yoga class a week for me time, but in reality this hasnt happened for the past year since I had my last born note to self: must find local yoga studio and commence classes!

I do enjoy hot baths at home after the kids are in bed and the house is relatively clean I set it up for full relaxation vibes, play quite relaxing music, light candles and use lots of bath salts. I really love my baths and try to get at least one per week.

I also love chilling out with my husband after the day is over and watching light-hearted series that allow for escapism and comedy such as Friends, thats our favourite. We have been through a really busy period having had a baby, moved continents, changes jobs, schools and houses and so on all in the past 12 months.

Once the dust settles, I will get back into a stricter routine of me time as its so important and its not something that anyone other than you can do for yourself. So watch this space!

Read more:

Helping Women on the Journey to Motherhood - Pro Bono Australia

A series of one-hour mindfulness and meditation classes will be offered at the Ridgefield Library this summer on four Mondays: July 10, July 17, July 31 and Aug.7 at 7 p.m. Meditation offers countless benefits, including improved emotional regulation, focus, resilience, compassion, and mental and physical health.

The library is pleased to host the Community Mindfulness Project a local, secular meditation group dedicated to the study and practice of mindfulness meditation for people of all religious backgrounds. CMPs teachings draw from a variety of meditation traditions, and in addition to regular, dedicated practice, the group supports new and veteran practitioners with discussion and peer-to-peer learning.

This program is part of theBody, Mind and Spirit: Holistic Health and Wellnessseries that is made possible thanks to the Noreen L. Papa Fund. This program is also part of the Build A Better World Adult Summer Reading program that is made possible thanks to the Friends of the Library. Registration is recommended for each class.

For more information visit ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282.

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Summer mindfulness and meditation classes - The Ridgefield Press

Its Sunday night and you feel it creeping in that sense of dread as the working week begins. Come Monday morning, youll be bombarded with an overflowing inbox and endless calls. Seventy-eight per cent of people experience the Sunday Night Blues according to a Monster.com poll.

The idea of meditating might seem like an impossible task, but the ancient Eastern practice could be the answer to ending anxiety and sleepless nights. Meditation isnt just some complicated spiritual activity reserved for monks on mountain tops, as coach Will Williamsexplains. It can be as simple closing your eyes and focusing on the breath for 10 minutes.

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For Will, it all started in an East London bar. He was working in the city at the time in a stressful, high-powered job. I was out one night and my friend told me about this amazing meditation technique. He was a big shot himself. So I thought, if hes up for it, then maybe I should give it a go. Will had tried yoga and other relaxation techniques in the past to alleviate anxiety, but nothing quite clicked. Within two weeks, my stress levels totally lifted. I became happier and more productive, he says.

Will quit his high-flying career and spent two-and-a-half years travelling the world, practising with meditation masters, learning new techniques and gaining his first formal meditation coach training. I became aware that it was the West that needed meditation more than anyone else, says Will. Technology has taken over and removed us from who we really are. People are more directionless. They go to work each day, not really knowing why. Its just to pay the bills. Theres been a loss of connection. Meditation is great for lowering stress and reconnecting to who you are again.

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Meditation is also particularly good for anxiety - or quelling that pervasiveSunday Fear. In fact, vedic meditation has been shown to be 250 per cent more effective at reducing anxiety than other technique, according to a study by the Journal of Counselling and Development. More people come to me because of anxiety than any other situation, notes Will. In the vast majority of cases, meditation reduces anxiety.

Our brain restructures itself according to experiences. If we keep living life in this high-octane way, our brain starts programming in anxiety on a daily basis. It just gets worse and worse. Thats why anxiety sufferers find themselves more easily triggered. To offset that pattern, Will recommends meditating twice per day to encourage your brain back to its optimal state.

Youll start to see the benefits of meditating after just a few weeks. The results are astonishing. Meditation calms your nervous system, so youll see an improvement in your sleep quality. Youll find yourself less anxious and less reactive in demanding situations, says Will. After three months, youll find yourself having more stamina because the frontal cortex of your brain will be recharged with more physical, mental and emotional energy, explains Will. This means youll be more productive, more creative and your relationships will improve because you are in a good space. Youll feel happier and find more joie de vivre. There will be a spring in your step again.

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If youve struggled with meditation in the past, just keep trying different techniques until one sticks. Choosing a meditation style is like dating. Its not like you hook up with the first person you meet and decide to get married, says Will. You need space and time to actually start going out and dating other people to see where the chemistry is. Its the same for finding a meditation technique that works for you.

So next time you experience that sinking feeling on a Sunday night, try something new and sign up to a meditation course. Feel freedom from all that worry and soon the Sunday Fear will be a thing of the past and youll be ready to smash Monday when the alarm slams into action.

Go here to read the rest:

How Unlocking The Benefits Of Meditation Can Help You Conquer Sunday Fear - HuffPost UK

Next year marks the half-century of Dr. Kenneth H. Coopers best-seller, Aerobics, in which he told us to get off our duffs and quit our unhealthy ways, and set in motion a national guilt trip.

People around the world know Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper as the father of aerobics.

But theres another side to him: Ken Cooper, businessman.

Yes, hes still a physician first. But being a good businessman has been his great enabler.

Age: 86

Claim to fame: Got America focused on fitness with his best-seller Aerobics, published in 1968.

Start: Was as Air Force doctor responsible for the astronaut fitness program

Now: Chairman of family-owned company medical clinic and fitness operation with revenue close to $100 million.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Today, the Cooper Aerobics Center is a 30-acre urban oasis with a nonprofit research center, medical clinic, fitness center with a restaurant, spa, luxury hotel and conference center, swimming pool, tennis courts, walking trails, on some the priciest real estate in Dallas.

The company also sells vitamins and supplements and offers corporate wellness programs.

The family-owned company generates annual revenue that will approach $100million this year and is profitable, said his son Tyler Cooper, the companys CEO.

Once Ken Cooper was labeled a charlatan. Now at 86, hes considered an international treasure.

Next year marks the half-century of his best-seller, Aerobics, in which Cooper told us to get off our duffs and quit our unhealthy ways. He set in motion a national guilt trip.

To mark the 50th anniversary, Cooper is working on an updated version of his seminal book and his memoirs.

The course of Coopers life was changed by a water-skiing incident at Lake Texoma in 1960, when he was an out-of-shape, overweight 29-year-old Army medical resident.

Hed gained nearly 40 pounds over the course of med school, his internship and early marriage, and hadnt been on water skis in eight years.

Id gone to pot, like 80 percent of my medical-school colleagues, Cooper said.

Once behind the boat, Cooper got nauseated, his heart was racing and he thought he was having a heart attack.

It turned out to be temporary cardiac arrhythmia. But it was a permanent wake-up call.

He lost the weight in six months and ran his first marathon.

Today hes 5 feet, 11 inches tall (having shrunk a couple of inches) and weighs 168 pounds exactly what he weighed in high school when he was running track and playing basketball.

I was prediabetic. I was hypertensive. All that disappeared after I lost that weight. Ive kept that weight for 56 years now.

That was divine intervention, Im sure it was. Otherwise I was right on the same pathway as my other medical colleagues and Id be dead already. Im sure of it.

In 1970, flush with $25,000 in savings and a 1968 paperback best-seller (Aerobics), the 39-year-old colonel and doctor left the Air Force in San Antonio, where he was responsible for the astronaut fitness program, and moved to Dallas to practice preventive medicine.

Most people thought Cooper was loopy.

People said, Theres no way you can make a living trying to take care of healthy people. People want physicians when theyre sick and not when theyre well, Cooper said. First couple of years, I thought they were right.

He set up the Aerobics Center in a two-room office with two employees: another doctor and a secretary.

Coopers dream began to manifest in late 1971, when he borrowed money to move to an old mansion on 8 acres.

The center prospered throughout Dallas go-go years. But things came to a screeching halt with Texas real estate and financial debacle. In 1988, he almost lost it all.

Cooper had borrowed $15 million to invest in expansion and still owed $9.6 million when the bank that lent him the money failed and was taken over.

The new out-of-state bank said the property was worth only $5.6million and called the loan even though Cooper had never missed a payment.

Cooper fought the bank for the next three years, had bankruptcy documents drawn up and spent $600,000 in legal fees.

I was under stress like you wouldnt believe, Cooper said. I got four foreclosure notices that last year of 91, always delivered by a messenger on a Friday afternoon at 5:30, threatening to lock the gates on Monday. I panicked the first time, didnt sleep for a weekend. The second, third and fourth time, it didnt bother me.

He finally was able to renegotiate his debt.

Fifteen years later, in October 2004, Cooper paid off the loan and burned the mortgage.

I dont think we saved the ashes, he said.

Cooper attributes the companys success to four things: divine intervention, an extraordinary staff that includes 24 physicians, proving to companies that wellness programs increase profits and providing service that keeps patients coming back.

Ive tried to impress upon our physicians that our patients dont have to come back. They pay big dollars to come here. We dont take insurance, he said. Yet, we have a 74 percent return rate. Fifty-four percent are corporate sponsored. Our patients come back because they are equally concerned about how much we care as they are about how much we know.

That is the secret to our success as an organization.

In 2014, Cooper became chairman and turned over the CEO reins to his son, who was born eight days after Ken saw his first patient at the center.

Cooper said the companys future is in Tylers hands particularly when it comes to the grand plan of establishing the Cooper brand internationally.

Does this signal that the patriarch is heading toward the corporate finish line?

The question draws equally incredulous responses from both.

Im confident that my dad will be thinking of something new and working on improving health around the world until the day he dies, said Tyler Cooper. Theres no last hurrah in my dads mindset.

More:

Aerobics pioneer still in the fitness business at 86 - The Seattle Times

The Randolph Senior Center recently partnered with Peak Physical Therapy & Sports Performance for a presentation on the benefits of tai chi to help improve balance and prevent falls.

Peak Physical Therapy & Sports Performance is a South Shore practice specializing in comprehensive treatment in orthopedic, spine and sports medicine specialties.

Presenters Katy Mercurio and Meghan Harrington addressed the many merits of Tai Chi, a soft martial arts discipline based on the principles of yin and yang.

Mercurio and Harrington demonstrated the ancient Chinese practice which involves soft, slow movements in opposite directions to increase strength and improve flexibility and concentration. Core principals of Tai Chi include upright posture, coordinated breathing, weight shifting, and slow, fluid, rounded movements. The measured, smooth and continuous movements help strengthen the internal muscles that support and bolster the spine. In addition to physical benefits, Tai Chi can calm the mind.

Tai Chi is a moving form of meditation that when incorporated into an exercise program can help reduce the risk of falls, particularly for the geriatric population, said Eric Edelman, owner of Peak Physical Therapy & Sports Performance.

For information, visit http://peaktherapy.com.

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Demonstrators show Randolph seniors benefits of tai chi - Wicked Local Randolph

San Marcos, TX Due to an increased demand, the Tiger Lady of San Marcos, Brenda Bell, recently expanded her weekly Easy Tai Chi classes at the Price Center from one session to three. The updated class schedule is every Tues. from 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m., and each Thurs. from 9-10 a.m. A $5 donation for each class is requested.

Bell began Tai Chi after a long and strenuous boxing career in Los Angeles, California. Relaxation is an important component for every class. Bells mission is to help people find peace and clarity within their daily lives.

We need to stay positive and patient, Bell said. We need to be visible and open-minded. New and returning participants enjoy a calm and relaxing environment under Bells direction with each session.

The Price Center recently served as the site for the first ever World Tai Chi Day celebration in San Marcos thanks to Bell. More than a dozen people gathered under the Heritage Pecan trees in the Garden for a 1-hour group session.

A variety of ongoing healthy and engaging classes and gatherings bring young, old and in-betweeners together throughout the Center each week. Light physical activities like Community Dance, Zumba Gold, Tai Chi, and Traditional and Chair Yoga classes are available daily.

Tai Chi is perfect for active older adults who are looking for a modified exercise class that is beneficial for the mind, body and soul. Everyone can participate in Tai Chi and all ages are welcome.

For more information about the class, please call Bell directly at (512) 216-1011, or stop by the Price Center at 222 W. San Antonio St., Mon. Fri., 9-5 p.m.

Link:
Easy Tai Chi Expands At Price Center - San Marcos Corridor News

AN MMA fighter has been detained by Chinese police after battering an ancient martial arts practitioner.

Xu Xiaodong was forced into hiding after a short video went viral showing him beating the living daylights out of a Tai Chi master in just 12 seconds.

The clip enraged many across the country who saw Xus victory as a slap in the face to Chinese culture, delivered by Western-style fighting technique.

Xu himself claimed he was on a mission to expose fake masters of traditional martial arts.

YOUTUBE

Tai Chi is a traditional and performative style of martial arts endorsed by the Chinese government its origins date back more than 700 years.

Consequently, Xus arrest has been seen by many as an attempt to curb his continued perceived attacks on Chinese culture.

For many years in China, there have been very few people who have dared to point out anything fake about Chinese martial arts, he told Vice News.

Now I have pointed out [what is fake], I ignited the pond of gasoline.

YOUTUBE

Theres no issue. I was very happy. I enjoyed it.

He was detained by several officers just minutes before he was due to fight another Tai Chi master his first comeback fight since the controversial bout in April.

The Chinese Wushu Association, a government run group, said of Xus actions earlier this year: The Chinese Wushu Association adamantly opposes such suspected illegal actions that violate the morals of martial arts.

Read more here:
MMA fighter who BATTERED Tai Chi master detained by police in dramatic clip - Daily Star

Site Description

ExRx.net (Exercise Prescription on the Internet) is a free resource for the exercise professional, coach, or fitness enthusiast featuring comprehensive Exercise Library (>1600 exercises), fitness assessment calculators, and reference articles. Its content is also available on CD-ROM.

Now celebrating over 16 years online! ExRx.net is a recommended resource in ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th ed. (pgs 224, 349). ExRx.net has also been an NSCA authorized CEU provider since 2008. See our NSCA CEU approved study module.

We've recently added 5 exercises found under Hip, Back, Shoulder, and Forearm menus.

We've also created pages on Weight Training Volume, Developing a Fitness Test Battery, and Food for Kids Tidbits.

Also find updates to Balance, Equilibrium, and Stability and Injury Etiology.

And finally, check out our new Fillable PDF Forms for exercise professionals available in the ExRx.net Store.

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ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Internet

By Dr. Mercola

A recent study shows that ten minutes of brisk exercise triggers metabolic changes that last at least an hour. What's more, the more fit you are, the more benefits you will get.

Researchers measured biochemical changes in the blood of a variety of people. Metabolic changes that began after 10 minutes on a treadmill still were measurable 60 minutes after people cooled down.

According to USA Today:

"Checking a metabolite of fat breakdown, the team found people who were more fit as measured by oxygen intake during exercise -- appeared to be burning more fat than the less fit ... The extremely fit -- 25 Boston Marathon runners -- had ten-fold increases in that metabolite after the race."

However, there's more to exercise than what this study presents.

Knowing what type of exercise creates the greatest beneficial biochemical changes can make a huge difference in your health.

The science of exercise has come a long way over the past decades. We're constantly discovering new information and details about how exercise creates the health benefits we typically associate with it, and more importantly, how we can exercise more efficiently and effectively to maximize results.

In this article, I will discuss an uncommon exercise technique that can make a dramatic difference in your health, and why.

But first, the study summarized above essentially confirms what I've been stating for years: that exercise is a key player for controlling your blood sugar and normalizing your insulin levels.

I actually view exercise as a drug with regard to being properly prescribed and having proper dosage. And it's one that you can readily substitute for some of the most common drugs used today for things like diabetes, heart disease and depression. All of these conditions will improve with exercise and with the help of an experienced natural health care clinician.

Nearly one in four people in the US have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes and it is my experience that most of them could be reversed with the appropriate diet and exercise regimen -- exercise being the crucial key.

In this study, the researchers measured the biochemical changes that occur during exercise, and found alterations in more than 20 different metabolites. Some of these compounds help you burn calories and fat, while others help stabilize your blood sugar, among other things.

Essentially, being of a healthy weight and exercising regularly creates a healthy feedback loop that optimizes and helps maintain healthy glucose and insulin levels through optimization of insulin receptor sensitivity.

And as I've explained on countless occasions, normalizing your insulin levels is the most important factor for optimizing your overall health and preventing disease of all kinds, from diabetes, to heart disease, to cancer, and everything in between.

It runs neck and neck with vitamin D as the two most important physical elements that you can do to improve your health.

This is also good news for those who are out of shape or overweight, because although it may take a little longer for you to correct your biochemistry, this same positive feedback loop will continue to create ever increasing health benefits as you persist and get fitter and leaner.

Best of all, just 10 minutes of BRISK exercise led to beneficial biochemical changes that were still measurable an hour later. And this is where what I have to say next comes into play.

Walk into any gym and you'll see most of the people crowding around the aerobics equipment, but there's actually a way to exercise that is FAR more effective than aerobic exercises like walking or running on a treadmill or elliptical machine for an hour, and it's called Peak Fitness.

Later, I will review all the types of exercise needed for a truly comprehensive routine, but first I want to explain just why Peak Fitness is so essential for your health, and how you can benefit from this particular style of training in ways you cannot get from ANY other type of exercise.

I've been trying this out for a several months now and in the first three months alone I dropped five percent body fat without ever touching a treadmill.

But boosting fat burning is just the beginning.

Dr. Al Sears first introduced me to his PACE concept but I always found his material too general and non specific and no information on the use of this exercise for growth hormone. I really started to understand this when I met Phil Campbell at a fitness camp earlier this year in Mexico. He wrote the book Ready Set Go which details how these exercises for super-fast muscle fibers can increase growth hormone.

So that is the history and what we sought to do is to provide the material in a digestible format, just like we do with the medical news, to provide you with a simple to comprehend guide that can explode you into fitness and health. In addition the the peak cardio exercises promoted by Sears and Campbell, we are seeking to promote a holistic approach to exercise.

Peak Fitness is a term I am coining to represent a comprehensive exercise program that includes far more than typical cardio training. The major change is that once or twice a week you do Peak Fitness exercises, in which you raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then you recover for 90 seconds.

You would repeat this cycle for a total of eight repetitions. These cycles are preceded by a three minute warm up and two minute cool down so the total time investment is about 20 minutes.

It has been my personal experience that using this approach is far more effective than traditional cardio for a number of reasons that I will describe below. I was able to use this to help me lose over ten pounds of body fat and get my percent body fat down to 12 percent, but my goal is single digits.

The intensity is absolutely individual. For some it may be as simple as fast walking alternating with slow walking.

You can improvise it into just about any type of exercise, and you really don't require a gym membership or any equipment to do it. If you do have access to equipment, using an elliptical or recumbent bike work really well.

One of my favorites is to use a recumbent bike. It is extremely challenging, and I enjoy that! This is the one I chose and am personally committed to, but the alternatives are almost limitless.

They key is to push your heart rate into that training zone for 30 seconds and then recover slowly for 90 seconds.

We call it "Peak Fitness" because if you graph your heart rate, you will see that it peaks 8 times during the workout.

One of the major reasons I am so enthusiastic about Peak Fitness is that it can actually increase your growth hormone level.

Yes, I realize that many athletes are injecting this illegally to achieve fitness, but it is expensive and fraught with side effects.

Peak Fitness exercises, on the other hand, can actually cause your growth hormone to increase naturally, without any of the expense or side effects.

In order to better grasp the benefits of Peak Fitness exercises, you first need to understand that you have three different types of muscle fibers: slow, fast, and super-fast. And only ONE of these muscles will impact your production of a vital hormone called HGH, or human growth hormone, which is KEY for strength, health and longevity.

Currently, the vast majority of people, including many athletes such as marathon runners, only train using their slow muscle fibers, which has the unfortunate effect of actually causing the super-fast fibers to decrease or atrophy.

In fact, neither traditionally performed aerobic cardio nor strength training will work anything but your slow muscles. These are the red muscles, which are filled with capillaries and mitochondria, and hence a lot of oxygen.

Next you have the fast type of fiber which is also red muscle, and oxygenates quickly, but is five times faster than the slow fibers. Plyometric burst type of exercises will engage these fast muscles.

The super-fast ones are the white muscle fibers. They contain far less blood and less densely packed mitochondria. These muscle fibers are what you use when you do anaerobic short burst exercises.

High intensity burst cardio is the form of exercise that will engage these super fast fibers. They're ten times faster than slow fibers, and this is the key to producing growth hormone!

As you reach your 30s and beyond, you enter what's called "somatopause," when your levels of HGH begin to drop off quite dramatically. This is part of what drives your aging process.

It has been my experience that nearly everyone over 30 has dramatically abnormal levels of this important hormone because they begin leading increasingly more sedentary life styles.

Children and most animals in the wild do not run marathons or lift weights, they move at high speeds for very short periods of time and then rest. This is natural and what optimizes the production of growth hormone.

The higher your levels of growth hormone, the healthier and stronger you're going to be. And the longer you can keep your body producing higher levels of HGH, the longer you will experience robust health and strength.

Dr. Harvey Cushing discovered HGH in the form of somatotropin almost a hundred years ago. Many individuals choose to inject it, though it is a banned substance in many professional sports.

As I said earlier, I don't recommend doing this as I believe the health risks and cost are in no way justifiable.

Ideally, you really want your body to produce it naturally, as injecting HGH does have side effects. And the way you produce it is by exercising your super-fast muscle fibers.

Once you regularly participate in these 20 minute exercises about twice a week, most people notice the following benefits:

First of all, please remember that you can perform this with any type of exercise. While having access to a gym or exercise equipment will provide you with a larger variety of options, you don't require either. You can easily perform this by walking or running on flat ground.

You will certainly want to work your way up to this point, but ultimately you want to exercise vigorously enough so you reach your anaerobic threshold as this is where the "magic" happens that will trigger your growth hormone release.

Whatever activity you choose, by the end of your 30 second period you will want to reach these markers:

If you are using cardio equipment like an elliptical or bike, you don't need to reach any "magical" speed. It's highly individual, based on your current level of fitness. But you know you're doing it right when you're exerting yourself to the point of typically gasping for breath, after a short burst of activity.

An added boon is that you'll save a tremendous amount of time because Peak Fitness will cut your hour-long cardio workout down to a total of 20 minutes or so, including your recovery time, warm-up and cool down.

The actual sprinting totals only 4 minutes!

Here's what a typical Peak Fitness routine might look like using a recumbent bike:

Be mindful of your current fitness level and don't overdo it when you first start out.

If you are not in great shape and just starting this you may want to start with just two or three repetitions, and work your way up to eight, which is where the magic really starts to happen. You may need to start with just walking and when you do your 30 second bursts your legs would be moving as fast as possible without running - and your arms would be pumping hard and fast.

If you can do a Peak Fitness workout twice a week, and follow the dietary recommendations I'll go over next, you will increase your production of growth hormone.

To maximize your growth hormone release you need to:

The last part is absolutely crucial.

If you consume sugar or fructose, especially within two hours post-exercise, you will increase somatostatin which will in turn obliterate the production of growth hormone!

This is yet another example of why gulping down sports drinks that are chockfull of high fructose corn syrup can do your body more harm than good, and will just shut down your body's production of HGH and negate many of the benefits from your exercise.

You really do need a comprehensive approach to exercise, which is a major part of our Peak Fitness exercise approach.

Ideally you want to have a variety of exercises and avoid doing the same ones all the time, as this will lead to a relative tolerance and you will not provide your body with the variety of stresses it needs to continuously adapt, improve, and grow stronger.

There are four additional types that will turn your Peak Fitness regimen into a truly comprehensive exercise plan:

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10 Minutes of Exercise Yields Hour-Long Effects