Balance Blog

Why muscles deteriorate when you age is a question scientists are still trying to answer, but they do know one thing — the best approach to restoring or maintaining muscle mass and strength is exercise, particularly resistance training.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, doctors and scientists are trying to establish the age-related loss of muscles as a medical condition under the name sarcopenia and that “researchers involved in the effort say doctors and patients need to be more aware that muscle deterioration is a major reason the elderly lose mobility and cannot live independently.”

They say about 10 percent of those over 60 are affected by sarcopenia in some way and some of the causes of deterioration include: hormonal changes, sedentary lifestyles, oxidative damage, infiltration of fat into muscles, inflammation and resistance to insulin.

And though there’s no established way of predicting who might develop it at this point, studies have shown that strength, like gripping force, or muscle function, as measured, say, by walking speed, can be more important than measuring mass.

Read the whole article here.

We here at Balance Gym are already aware how important exercise is to staying strong and mobile later on in life when conditions such as sarcopenia become more of a risk. Which is why we not only offer top notch personal training for all ages and activity levels, we also offer senior fitness and Pilates classes. For more information about these programs, check out our Web site.

Balance Gym is expanding its territory.  Adding to its Thomas Circle/Logan Circle and Kalorama/Dupont locations, Balance has claimed the 2241 Wisconsin Avenue space that was formerly SomaFit.  In honor of this newest addition, Balance Gym will be hosting a lively Grand Opening Party on September 18, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. including endless freebies and entertainment.  Refreshments courtesy of Whole Foods, Sushi-Ko, and Nectar Juice Bar, classes from Pilates and pole dancing to Balance BootCamp and Tangolates, massages, a strong man act, and other activities will energize the new space and welcome the community and potential members.

Balance Gym Glover Park/Georgetown is an award-winning fitness facility featuring luxurious locker rooms, relaxing steam rooms and lounge areas, the renowned SomaSpa, fully equipped studios for specialized classes and a wide range of cardio and weight equipment.

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No, we can’t believe it’s taken this long either, but there’s finally a study proving that the  more water you drink, the better chance you have at losing weight.

Funded by the The Institute for Public Health and Water Research, the study found that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake.

Brenda Davy, Ph.D., senior author on the study, who presented the results at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) said water may be so effective simply because it fills up the stomach with a substance that has zero calories. People feel fuller as a result, and eat less calorie-containing food during the meal. (Check out the press release here.)

You might think this is old news, but Davy told the audience that this is the first study with evidence from a randomized, controlled clinical trial that compares weight loss among dieters who drink water before meals with those who do not.

The study included 48 adults aged 55-75 years, divided into two groups. One group drank two cups of water prior to their meals and the other did not. All of the subjects ate a low-calorie diet during the study. Over the course of 12 weeks, water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, while the non-water drinkers lost about 11 pounds.

So tell us, how much water do you drink a day? Do you find that it makes a difference?

Spare tire. Muffin top. Beer belly. Love handles. These nicknames may all sound playful, but if you have a little more wiggle in your middle, no jokes about it, it can be deadly.

According to an Associated Press article, a recent study from the American Cancer Society found men and women with the biggest waistlines have twice the risk of dying over a decade compared to those with the smallest tummies.

Researchers followed more than 100,000 people from 1997 to 2006, taking note of their waist circumference, height and weight to determine who was at highest risk. They found that even if you have a normal BMI (body mass index) but a bigger waist size, you’re still at risk. Nearly 15,000 people died during the time frame of the study  and other bigger belly risks include dementia, heart disease, asthma and breast cancer.

“Four extra inches around the waist increased the risk of dying from between 15 percent to 25 percent” the AP reported. “Oddly, the strongest link - 25 percent - was in women with normal BMI.”

How do you know if you’re at risk? The article suggests breaking out the old measuring tape. Men should have waists no bigger than 40-inches and women no bigger than 35. If not, it’s time to start eating better and get into the gym!

Here at Balance Gym, we recognize that everyone isn’t a natural athlete and there are some who aren’t the biggest fans of working out, which is why we offer a wide array of programs such as CrossFit, BootCamp, Zumba, BodyPump and Pole Pressure; top notch certified personal trainers and all the equipment you could ever want. We have something for everyone because everyone deserves to be healthy!

Today’s post comes from Balance Gym owner and personal trainer Graham King as he shares with us his experience about making the 100-mile bike ride to Dewey Beach in support of Autism Speaks with Bike to the Beach.

It’s Friday, 2:30 a.m. and my alarm is going off.  Having seemingly just gone to bed, this is not a welcome sound, but I know what awaits me: 105 miles of hills and cornfields. I struggle to get out of bed and start putting on my gear. Bike shorts (spandex are a privilege, not a right!), bright yellow Bike to the Beach jersey, and all the accouterments (gloves, shoes, helmet with the mirror - yeah, I’m that guy). Then I grab my bike.  This spring I bit the bullet and purchased a carbon fiber Trek Madone.  I never thought that a man weighing 210 pounds would benefit from a lighter bike.  Boy, was I wrong; after all the training rides, all I have to say is wow!

After last year’s ride, I couldn’t wait to ride again. The ride, the people, the experience were all simply amazing.

This year Balance Gym put together a team of 15 riders: me, Mark, Danielle, Nader, Devin, Rod, Monica, Jen, Lisa, Ed, Mike, Evan, Karly, Bryan, and Shannon.  Our group was a motley crew of bikes and people: Evan riding a fixed gear, Bryan and his (very pregnant wife) Shannon riding a tandem, Ed waking up late and driving to Annapolis, and Rod on his Craigslist bike.

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Today’s post comes from Libby Deal, fiancée of Balance Gym Trainer Jonathan Reff. The two are training together, along with Libby’s cousin to help support research for Diabetes. Help support them and their cause at http://www.active.com/donate/nycellmatesontherun/teamwong

Running the New York City  marathon has always been on my “bucket list.” Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself to run it with my fiancé and my cousin for a charity that I believe in, I was ecstatic.

For those unfamiliar with the world of marathons, the NYC Marathon is one of the more difficult marathons to gain entry to.  There are only a few ways to gain entry, which are:

• Be a member of the New York Road Runner’s Club and complete 9 NYRR races in the calendar year AND either volunteered at a NYRR event or donate $1,000
• Meeting the qualifying time standards in half or full marathon in a certifiable race
• Be lucky enough to “win” a bib number in the lottery system.
• Run for charity!

When I looked over the list of charities that had a guaranteed entry program, the Chicago Diabetes Project immediately jumped out at me.  Unfortunately, diabetes has been very prevalent in my life.  Both of my Grandfathers were diabetic, the majority of my aunts and uncles are diabetic, my father is diabetic and I have several friends, both young and old, who suffer from diabetes.  Witnessing the rigors of living with the disease through my friends and family — and having lost my maternal grandfather to diabetes related complications — has motivated me to do anything I can to help find a cure for this relentless disease.

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With 20 Cosi locations in the DC area, including several with a few miles radius of Balance Gym Thomas Circle, Balance Gym Kalorama and Balance Gym Glover Park, it’s quite possible you’ll find yourself stopping in for a quick bite at lunch or on your way home.

Though many of those salads and sandwiches may look fresh and healthy, just like any fast food restaurant, the best advice I can give you is try to walk in with a plan.

First tip: stay away from the flatbread pizzas. According to the Cosi Web site, the lowest calorie option is the serving of cheese flatbread and that comes in at 683 calories, 29g of fat, 95g of carbs, 948mg of sodium and 34g of protein. And that’s the best one! The worst is the seasonal Chicken Gorgonzola w/Fig flatbread, which boasts a whopping 1073 calories, 41g of fat, 1057mg of sodium and 57g of protein.

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Many athletes at Balance Gym will tell stories about how Sports Beans, Gatorade or power gels have helped them run or bike those extra miles during a race. Well now scientists are saying that perhaps all the body needs is a carbohydrate rinse!

A recent article in the New York Times reports:

“Athletes can improve their performance in intense bouts of exercise, lasting an hour or so, if they merely rinse their mouths with a carbohydrate solution. They don’t even have to swallow it. … It appears that the brain can sense carbohydrates in the mouth, even tasteless ones. The sensors are different from the ones for sweetness, and they prompt the brain to respond, spurring on the athlete.”

The scientist also discovered that when used on mice, they only responded to the carbohydrate mix, not to an artificial sweetener. So the body knew the difference between the two.

However, Scott J. Montain, an exercise researcher at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, tells the New York Times that athletes are still better off eating calories to fuel the body, instead of “sipping and then spitting out expensive, sticky spit.”

What do you think? Would you want to try the carbohydrate mix?

Most Balance Gym members won’t let a little heat and humidity get in the way of their workout routine. With the temperatures reaching close to a 100 degrees most of this week though, those sweaty routines and wet clothes (smelly socks!) can create friction causing those nasty little inconveniences known as blisters.

Thinking only a wimp would worry about blisters? Think again. Those sores can be painful enough to make you change up your running — or even walking — style to avoid putting to much pressure on them, causing even more problems and possibly even injuries. And let’s not forget about the possibility of infections.

Have no fear, Vicky Hallett recently offered some great advice for prevention and treatment of blisters in her Washington Post column “MisFits.” Hallett recommends possibly buying new shoes and making sure you have the proper (not cotton!) socks. And if that still doesn’t work and you end up with a blister anyway, don’t try to drain it — instead give it some ice.

Read the whole article here!

Today’s post comes from Balance Gym personal trainer Jim Bathurst, CSCS, who always finds time for  a workout on the road. Even if it means doing Tabata rounds of burpees in his hotel room.

So you’re getting ready to take a nice three-day weekend out of town, or perhaps even a week-long vacation to the coast. Or maybe you’re not so lucky, and you’ll be spending the next seven days in a windowless convention center.

For some, they forget about the gym entirely between marathon long beach tanning sessions, or for the unfortunate - marathon long business training sessions. But you’re not that person, are you? You still want to get something done. Excuses when you’re out of your normal routine are still just excuses.

Rather than run through a list of exercises, this article will highlight some other strategies that I’ve found useful for both myself and my clients to get a semi-respectable workout while you’re on the road.

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