[FitDream] pssst...overheard at Boot(y) Boot Camp

Published: Wed, 02/10/10

                                                                                                                                                                                
a personal note from Lani                                          February 11, 2010  
 
Hi ,

My Love Your Body Boot(y) Boot Camp for February is in full swing. I just pulled a sampling from comments made this morning in our class forum, which is on fire!  A sneak peak for you:
 
"Lani, I weighed this morning and am down 5lbs since 2/1!!! woo hoo!"  I also broke down and did a few measurements because I just couldn't help myself.  I'm down 1/2 inch in my waist, 3/4 inch in my hips and 3/4 inch in each upper thigh. I am beyond thrilled!  Thanks for kickin' my booty!"   ~Phyllis B
 
"Every day, I feel tighter around the waist/abs/glutes/thigh area. I honestly feel like I'm carrying myself differently - more confident. And dare I say it? Sexier?! Maybe I have a little swagger in my step?"  ~ Val D.
 
"Lani, I have lost 3 lbs. since Feb. 1 and I have lost 7/8" off my waist and 1/4 inch off my abs. I am loving all that we are learning in this boot camp not only with respect to exercise but also with respect to how to make better choices with our eating.
Thank you so much for one of the most fantastic classes I've ever been enrolled in!"~ Jean M.
 
"Down 3  3/4 total inches. Down 3 pounds. I have finally gotten UNSTUCK after one month! Thank you so much Lani!"  ~ Barbara B.
 
"You have me working out harder than I would have alone.  I'm down 6 lbs for sure, 3 - 4 inches"  Rhonda K.
 
"I have had a breakthrough in my eating, and I'm not craving the junk.  I lost 2 pounds the first week, and I don't lose weight easily, so I was pretty floored!" ~ Trisch R.
 
 
There's more where this came from, just wanted to share the edge of the excitement. We're having a blast in Boot(y) Camp and week 2 is just getting underway.

On to the rest of this edition of FitDream! 
 
Today's Feature Article is about the anti-inflammatory effects of high-intensity exercise. That's right, high intensity!
 
You have no doubt heard the news about inflammation being a precursor to disease. Two prime causes of inflammation are inactivity and diet.  More about diet later;  today we'll focus on fitness.
 
Simply becoming active has an overall, general anti-inflammatory effect. After all, we were meant to move, run, jump and play.
 
But until recently, it was believed that high intensity exercise, which causes the muscle to become locally inflamed as part of the natural healing and building process,  is overwhelmingly pro-inflammatory in nature.
 
As it turns out, that is only a partial snapshot of what is happening.  I've completed quite an extensive review of the literature and have some fascinating information to report to you.  The only problem is when I tried to fit the entire article along with references into this newsletter, my template crashed!  So, to read today's lengthy and heavily referenced article, please follow the link at the end of the excerpt below to the complete version online.
 
We're counting down to the Winter Olympics.  Time to revel in the athletic endeavors and feats of world class athletes!  Yum!
 
Hearts, hugs and stars
 
P.S.  If you missed this month's Boot(y) Boot Camp, stay tuned to see what I've got planned for May.
 
 


feature article
 

 
The Anti-inflammatory Effects of High Intensity Exercise: More Reasons To Go For The Burn
 
by Lani Muelrath, M.A.
 
Chronic inflammation spells bad news for our health, plain and simple.

And though inflammation is a natural and necessary way that the body stimulates healing,  when inflammation becomes continuous and chronic, it becomes damaging.  The most common causes of inflammation in the body are physical inactivity and diet.

And until recently, high-intensity exercise has been considered a factor in inflammation as well.
However, new information tells us we've only been seeing a part of the picture.  This is good news!
 
Exercise scores again:  a new look at the evidence
 
For some time, high intensity exercise has been seen as a source of inflammation to the body.  By high intensity, we're talking something that pushes the muscle to perform and makes you reach deep to build new muscle:  interval training, intense resistance training, long distance running.

The kind of training that you know from the burn you feel in the muscle that the muscle is breaking down a little bit.

Yes, this natural response is inflammation at the muscle as the body scrambles to repair and build new muscle (see Taking the mystery out of how muscles are made).
 
However, that's just a piece of the puzzle.
 
This "pro-inflammatory" view has also been adopted also due to the detection of  the release in the body of myokines, a type of cytokine,  as a response to muscle contraction.  And cytokines are seen as pro-inflammatory markers.  One cytokine that has been correlated with high intensity muscle demand is one known as IL-6.

But hang on a minute. This IL-6 release in response to intense exercise is evidently not the whole story.
 
Though the release of cytokines as been lumped together as pro-inflammatory when detected in the system, evidently it makes a difference what the cause of the cytokines release happens to be.

Are you still with me here?  Let's take a closer look.

Whenever we move, our bodies release signaling molecules that communicate to the rest of the body.  Muscle, like fat, has been proven to have endocrine properties. When it comes to muscle, myokines are released in response to voluntary contraction of the muscle.
  
These myokines give instructions to the body about how to function, and they hold the key to controlling chronic inflammation. The most important myokine related to muscle and inflammation is Interleukin-6 (IL-6). When muscle contracts, IL-6 is released. (4)
 
The myokine IL-6 has previously been linked with a pro-inflammatory response in the body.  It was thus concluded that intense muscle workload, stimulating the release of IL-6, was inflammation inducing.

But as it turns out, intense exercise is good anti-inflammatory medicine. What we're finding out is that when IL-6 is released during intense muscle workload, it is unique in that as part of this response, major anti-inflammatory inhibitors are released as well.

Thus, seeing the complete picture (anti-inflammatory cascade) rather than part of the picture (IL-6 release) makes a huge difference in how we can classify the effects of intense exercise.......Read the rest of this article online HERE
 
 
Also NEW on the blog this week:
 
 
It's Ski Week N. California



events  and  announcements
Fit Quickies(TM) Launched January 24!   Special Package Prices
 
 
 
  February 1, 2009 - February 28 - 2009
Currently Underway
 
 
 

 
Next session:  August - October 2010
 
 links & info

ISSN:  191-5737

February 11, 2010
Vol. 2, Issue 50
 
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about Lani
 
Lani Muelrath, M.A., specializes in helping women succeed in their w*eight and body shaping dreams by transforming their relationship with their body, eating, and exercise. Rewriting behaviors and patterns into those that are consistent with the fitness, health, mental outlook and positive energy we desire is her forte!

With over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and trainer, Lani is a Guest Lecturer in Kinesiology at San Francisco State University, and is recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Instruction. She created and starred in her own CBS TV show, and is the Healthy Living Examiner at examiner. com.She is also the Fitness Expert at the McDougall Health and Medical Center.
 
If you want to move forward your  fitness - and life - Lani's compassionate and knowledgeable approach and tools for mastery make it possible.

Lani overcame her own lifetime struggle with w*eight over 10 years ago when she lost 50 lbs, which she has maintained easily with the tools that she now teaches in her signature program, Woman's Fitness BluePrint: An Action Plan for Success.  

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FitDream Ezine is written by Lani Muelrath. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to: lani@lanimuelrath.com.
 
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