Nice guest post from Emma Taylor.
I loved both Sacred Hoops and Quiet Strength.
Archive for the Guest Authors Category
11 Game Changing Books Every Good Coach Needs to Read
Posted in Guest Authors on March 13, 2012 by mboyle1959Excellence: Nature vs. Nurture
Posted in Guest Authors, Injuries, Training, Training Females, Uncategorized, Youth Training with tags Early specialization, Kevin Kneeld, USA Hockey ADM, Youth Sports Training on March 9, 2012 by mboyle1959Great guest post from Kevin Neeld
We live in an era where the human genome has been mapped, gene cloning is available, and specific physical traits can be traced back to the presence or absence of specific genes. This is “nature”, or maybe more appropriately, mankind’s discovery and manipulation of it. In understanding how much peak performance in any category (physical, psychological, etc.) is pre-determined by genetic limitations, it’s easy to see why so much attention is being paid to the nature component of athletic excellence. After all, it’s extremely unlikely that the son of two short, overweight, generally unathletic parents will grow up to be a world-class hockey player. It’s a sad reality.
That said, extremely unlikely certainly does not mean impossible. Athletes in every sport have gone on to compete at high levels despite having the cards stacked against them. Using height deficiencies as an illustrative example, look at what athletes like:
- Muggsy Bogues, who at 5’3″ was drafted 12th overall in the 1987 NBA draft, competing 14 years in the world’s most elite basketball league as the smallest player ever to reach that level. He still holds records as the Hornets’ career leader in minutes played (19,768), assists (5,557), steals (1,067), turnovers (1,118), and assists per 48 minutes (13.5).
- Wes Welker, who at 5’9″, entered the NFL, a league that boasts largest, fastest, and strongest athletes in the world, and is 2nd all-time in all purpose yards during his first three seasons, holds the Dolphins’ all-time records for total kickoff returns, kickoff return yardage, total punt returns, and return touchdowns, has led the Patriots in receptions twice (2007 and 2009), holds the four highest single-season reception totals in Patriots history, as well as four of the top ten receiving yardage totals, including the franchise record. He also holds the franchise records for most receptions in a single game, most receiving yards in a single game, and longest reception. He had three consecutive 110-reception seasons, is the only receiver in NFL history with at least 110 receptions in any three seasons.
- Theo Fleury, who at 5’6″ and having been drafted in the 8th round of the 1987 NHL draft, went on to have 1,088 points (455 goals, 633 assists) in 1,084 NHL games. He also won a Gold Medal with Canada at the World Juniors and Olympics, a Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989, and was elected to 7 NHL All-Star games.
While all of these athletes surely have/had other redeeming qualities, the point is that they succeeded despite clear genetic disadvantages. It’s worth pointing out that, while the genetic ceiling is very real, only an exceptionally small percentage of the athletic population ever converges on that limitation. Most don’t put in nearly enough general and specific preparation work to ever fully realize their potential. And while some do possess the raw genetic gifts to still succeed at high levels despite this lack of preparation, this provides a distinct advantage for the athlete that, whether among the world’s elite talents or relatively average, is willing to maximize his or her potential. In other words, 70% of 100 (the raw talent) isn’t as high as 90% of 85 (the potential filler).
The more important question that arises out of this discussion is what should we be emphasizing to our youth athletes? Do we discourage participation simply because someone does not have the genetic gifts thought to be important in any given sport?
This raises an equally important question about the true purpose of sports participation. Expanding the capacity of the game is undoubtedly a goal of athletic development programs, but on a wider scale, for reasons related to nature and nurture, this only applies to an exceptionally small segment of the athletic population. At USA Hockey’s ADM Symposium last year, Kristen Dieffenbach presented that roughly 10.9% of high school hockey players will go on to play NCAA hockey, and roughly 3.7% of NCAA players or 0.31% of high school players will go on to play pro hockey. So for the other 99.69% of high school players, a system solely designed toward expanding the capacities of the game doesn’t seem worthwhile. Not to mention that our current systems force most kids out of sports before they even reach the high school ranks.
In reality, many of the major benefits of sports participation stem from the character-building opportunities associated with playing. Amongst other things, this includes setting and hunting goals, building confidence and resilience through practice and competition successes, learning to appropriately process criticism, and developing social skills related to teamwork and leadership. These are all qualities that will serve to enhance the athlete’s quality of life long after his or her “career” ends. Theoretically, this would make playing sports inherently valuable, regardless of the athletic outcome. Of course, the development of these qualities is dependent upon a system of inclusion and relative equal opportunity.
In the U.S. the well-documented flaws of early talent identification haven’t prevented most youth sports programs from forming elite teams and funneling kids into single-sports participation with short-term success aspirations despite participating in long term athletic development sports. This system has created PHENOMENAL youth athletes that quit, sustain unnecessary injuries or simply plateau when they reach the age of actual elite competition, causing many advisers, junior programs, colleges, and even pro teams to regret their early commitments. These athletes win the race to the wrong finish line. And in the process, have the fun, freedom and development associated with unstructured play stripped from their youth. Surely, this is not the answer.
We have created a development system that produces worse athletes, which is largely masked by the absolute growth in sports participation. More athletes participate, so a few succeed DESPITE the system, not because of it. Without question, sports participation should prioritize athletic development, but not at the expense of all of the other benefits. Placing an excessive emphasis on genetic limitations undermines the path, and all of its associated lessons, an athlete could take to fulfilling his or her potential. From an athlete perspective, they need to focus on what they can control, and not be victimized by the things they can’t. From an athletic development systems perspective, we need to make a significant change toward the restoration of sanity, toward allowing kids to develop a love for playing before we superimpose adult paradigms of pressured competition. It starts with parents and coaches standing up for what is right, and spreading the word to as many people as they can. What are you going to do today to help right the ship?
To your success,
Kevin Neeld
P.S. Arguably the best long-term athletic development model, to maximize participation and fun, as well as long-term peak performance and excellence, can be found in USA Hockey’s American Development Model. If you haven’t already, check out their site: USA Hockey’s ADM
Gaining Knowledge from Reflection
Posted in Guest Authors, Random Thoughts, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training with tags Jim Keilbaso on February 25, 2012 by mboyle1959Great guest post from Jim Keilbaso originally published at StrengthCoach.com but, too good not to share here:
Gaining Knowledge From Reflection
Good coaches and trainers are constantly looking for ways to increase their knowledge base. We spend a great deal of time reading books and articles, watching videos, attending clinics, and talking to other coaches. Yet, there is another very simple practice that people often forget to use. I was taught this concept a long time ago, but it took me years to actually put it into practice. Another excellent way to learn is to simply take the time to thoroughly reflect on your own experiences.
For example, earlier this year the University of Kentucky brought me in to work on acceleration techniques with their Men’s Basketball Team. The coaching staff recognized that there was an opportunity with their ultra-talented recruits, and they had a very clear picture of what they wanted. I stayed in Lexington for three days with the specific purpose of getting each player to accelerate more efficiently and cover the court faster than ever.
I spent my time in Lexington doing a lot of teaching, individual evaluation and consultation with their staff on how to approach training. Everyone I worked with — coaches and athletes — were very professional and 100% committed to improvement. The training sessions were very successful, and I left feeling like I taught the team a lot. It wasn’t until later — when I took the time to sit down and reflect on the experience — that I realized how many valuable lessons I learned from my time with the team.
None of these concepts were completely new to me, but they were all hammered home in a way that can only be done through experience. Here are 8 valuable lessons I learned from my experience with the University of Kentucky basketball team:
1. Skill is king in most sports.
In most team sports, speed, strength, power and conditioning are all important, but great skills kill them all. You can be a physical specimen, but if you can’t play the game, your best sport option will be the CrossFit games (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Watching the amazing skill level of these guys drove this point home. Sure, helping them accelerate faster was helpful, but their ability to shoot, dribble, defend, etc. is hands-down what makes them so exceptional, and will ultimately be their ticket.
2. Recruiting trumps training.
Strength coaches can boast about their programs as much as they want, but the bottom line is that finding the right talent is the best way to make a training system look good. There are some things that strength coaches don’t really teach, like being 6-foot-9, 250 pounds and moving like a cat. Don’t get me wrong. A great training program can elicit fantastic results, but we sure look a lot better when we have superior athletes to work with.
3. Size matters.
I was watching sophomore forward Terrence Jones play 2-on-2 with an incoming freshman trying to check him. Terrance has put in a lot of hard work in the weight room with strength and conditioning coach Mike Malone, and he has gotten a lot bigger and stronger. He was dominating the younger player, saying things like “you’re too little!” and flexing his muscles. He told me later that because he’s bigger and stronger, he feels like he can do things he couldn’t do before. What a confidence booster! You can train an athlete however you want, but putting on some size and strength sure seems to make a difference.
4. Fine tuning can make a big difference.
Elite athletes already have most of the puzzle pieces in place. Athletes at this level only need slight advantages, so making one small improvement has the potential to pay big dividends. My only job was to get every player better at covering half the court. They already excel in most areas of game, are in great shape, can jump out of the gym and they work on fundamentals every day – that kind of stuff is in place for most elite level athletes. Getting an elite basketball player one or two steps faster down the court could mean the difference between a breakaway and having to reset your offense. It could mean running down an opponent’s fast-break to block a shot at a critical point in the game. All of the players bought into this concept and recognized that it could give them a significant advantage. When you get elite athletes looking for tiny advantages over their competition, exciting things can happen.
5. Strengthen weak links.
Most athletes have a lot of strengths and a few weaknesses. Of course, you should always capitalize on your strengths, but finding an athlete’s weak link may prevent a lot of problems down the road. Maybe he has terrible foot or ankle flexibility, which is altering his running mechanics. Maybe she lacks internal hip rotation which is making it difficult to perform certain movements. Whatever it is, finding and improving it can make a huge difference to an athlete’s career. It may improve his game or it may just keep him healthy. Continue to capitalize on strengths, but attacking the weak link can be a difference-maker.
6. The basics are not broken.
Athletes in all sports and all levels often need similar training. There are way more similarities than differences because the basics just plain work. Sure, every athlete may need some individualization, but just about everyone can benefit from improvements in strength, speed, power, and conditioning. You may attack them differently for each sport or athlete, but the basics should be the foundation for most athletes. Here I was teaching elite level athletes the same concepts we show middle school kids….and it was helping! We don’t need to find revolutionary new methods. The future of training more likely lies in figuring out better ways to apply what we already know works.
7. There are no cushy jobs.
The grass is always greener on the other side, and I hear coaches all the time saying things like “Man, I wish I had that situation.” Well, watching Mike Malone bust his tail with these guys drove this point home. A job like this sounds great (great athletes, great program, great facilities) but there’s a lot of pressure in situations like this. Expectations are high. A lot of hard work is put in, and coaches get fired from great situations all the time for reasons completely out of their control. Jobs like this don’t come easy, and you never get to sit back and enjoy the scenery while you’re there. A lot of people think certain jobs would be great, but be careful what you wish for. It’s tough being at the top.
8. The “out-of-towner” theory is true.
For credibility, there’s nothing like being an expert from out of town. You can tell an athlete something a million times, but having an “expert” come in from out of town grabs their attention like nothing else. It’s kind of funny, but everyone seems to respond to this. The same holds true in parenting. You can tell your kids that something is important, but when an influential coach or teacher says the same thing, it’s a total revelation. I’m sure the coaches at Kentucky could have taught acceleration and speed training, but they also knew the value of having someone else say it.
I was only at UK for a few days, and while I taught a lot, I think I ended up learning even more. Often, in situations like this, you never sit back afterward to reflect on the experience. You get wrapped up in what you’re doing and teaching, and it’s hard to turn it into a learning experience for yourself. I see this all the time with interns, grad assistants or volunteers who are working so hard they don’t take the time to reflect on their experiences. I even see it with coaches and trainers who are so busy teaching, that they miss out on valuable lessons. I’m absolutely guilty of this.
A lot can be learned when you’re open to it. It’s going to be difficult, but from now on, I’m going make an effort to spend a little more time reflecting on important experiences in my life. This helped me gain more than I ever thought it would, and I don’t want to miss out on that in the future.
Jim Kielbaso MS, CSCS is the Director of the Total Performance Training Centers in Wixom and Rochester Hills, MI. He is a former college strength & conditioning coach and the co-founder of www.UltimateStrengthAndConditioning.com. Jim has written three books, produced several training DVDs and speaks at conferences and clinics around the country. You can follow him at http://JimKielbaso.com.
Want See A Great Story
Posted in Guest Authors, MBSC News, Media, Training, Uncategorized with tags Kyle Holland, Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, Paul Parravano on February 11, 2012 by mboyle1959Take a look at this when you get a chance. Kyle Holland has done an awesome job.
http://mattphotos.wordpress.com/tag/mike-boyle-strength-conditioning/
Endurance Exercise Is Bad For You?
Posted in Fat Loss, Guest Authors, Injuries, Media, Random Thoughts, Training, Training Females with tags cardio training, endurance training, Marathon running, sudden death on January 25, 2012 by mboyle1959I’ve been saying for years that I think endurance exercise is bad for you. I think the risk of injury outweighs the benefits. Now it appears that research agrees with me but for a far more significant reason. A sore knee is one thing but increased risk of heart attack? Take a look at this quote from the this article on the Mercola website.
“Clearly, when it comes to exercise, more is not always better. As I’ve learned in more recent years, the opposite is oftentimes true. Granted, this warning does not apply to the vast majority of people reading this, as most people are not exercising nearly enough. But it’s still important to understand that not only is it possible to over-exercise, but focusing on the wrong type of exercise to the exclusion of other important areas can actually do you more harm than good. Even if you don’t end up dying from sudden cardiac death during a race, years of marathon running can take a toll on your ability to achieve optimal health.”
Nutrition Advice for Females
Posted in Fat Loss, Guest Authors, Media, Nutrition, Random Thoughts, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training, Training Females with tags Intermittent Fasting, Neghar Fonooni, Nutrition for female athletes on January 24, 2012 by mboyle1959This is another in a series of guest blog posts from our StrengthCoach.com series on changes over the past year. This one comes to us from Neghar Fonooni a performance training specialist, athlete, nutrition enthusiast, mother and veteran.
Eat several times per day. Eat only small meals. Never go hungry. Keep your metabolism fueled. That is what I have been taught to think and what I have taught my clients for the past several years. That is how countless people have lost body fat (myself included) and created a new food paradigm. I was of the school of thought that fasting was “dangerous” for your metabolism and could slow or even halt your body’s ability to burn fat.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am in no way insinuating that eating this way is not a beneficial, safe and effective option. What I realized this year, however, is that there is another way (several, in fact) and that one method does not fit all, at all times in every circumstance. My preoccupation with food preparation, portioning and eating every few hours was starting to take its toll. I was food obsessed and it had to stop.
I had heard a lot about Intermittent Fasting through the community and always thought, “absolutely, no way, not for me, EVER.” It wasn’t until John Berardi of Precision Nutrition published a free e-book on his experiments with fasting, did I begin to give it any serious thought. I read the e-book and subsequently decided to self-experiment to see how my body and mind would react to fasting. I started with one 16 hour fast per week, and now I fast almost every day for 15-17 hours. I began by only fasting on my non-training days and now I train fasted almost exclusively. I have no way of knowing if this method of eating will work for me a year from now, but I am confident that it’s the best method for me NOW and here’s why:
1. I created a healthy relationship with food.
As long as I can remember I have been food obsessed. I would count down the hours, even minutes, until it was “time” for me to eat again. If I wanted to eat something outside of my schedule or my plan, I felt guilt and shame. This usually resulted in weekend binging on cookies and pizza only to start the same strict cycle again on Monday. I was tired of thinking about food, preparing so many meals and worst of all-watching the clock. Intermittent Fasting allows me to go about my day without the thought of eating. I typically eat my first meal between 1-2 and my last meal between 7-9. Most of the time I eat lots of protein, vegetables and healthy fats but every now and then I don’t. I also do not require myself to fast. Meaning, if I want to eat, I eat and if I want to fast I fast. This has rid me of the guilt and the unhealthy ties I have associated with eating. I think about food much less, and more importantly when I am thinking about it, I am most certainly not obsessing over it. I feel a mental and emotional freedom that I gained mostly as a result of my fasting experiment.
2. I eat more at once. Although I have (mostly) shed the negative food relationships of my past, I still love eating. I love cooking, creating healthy recipes and most of all, I love enjoying food and feeling satiated. Fasting allows me to have bigger meals in a smaller feeding window instead of tiny meals all day long. At first, the small meals really worked for me. They held me accountable, kept me energized and controlled my caloric intake. After awhile I began to feel deprived and wanted more. I had constant cravings and often overate as a coping mechanism. In one sitting I will often eat 3 eggs scrambled with veggies and cheese, ½ an avocado and 4 slices of nitrate free bacon. For a girl my size, that’s a lot of food-yet I maintain a very low body fat, a lean physique and I get to enjoy a larger meal.
3. I spend less money and time on food.
Although my caloric intake is probably about the same, I actually buy less food because eating less often allows me to buy fewer varieties of food. Since I only eat 2-3 times per day, I don’t mind eating the same thing every day for a week. I buy less, waste less and prepare less. Now I spend a fraction the money I used to on weekly groceries and have much more time to write, train and study without having to plan, prepare and pack so many meals. I’m more productive and I have more money in my pocket!
4. I have better training sessions.
Initially, I doubted my ability to train in a fasted state. In the past I have felt shaky and weak if I hadn’t eaten for a few hours and my training would suffer. I felt instant anxiety at the thought of training fasted, until I realized that there was a method, not an accidental starvation period. When I adhered to the method, I discovered that not only could I train fasted, I liked it. I had a greater mental clarity and focus, and felt much more alert and energized. Typically I eat at 8 or 9 the night before, train at 1130 or 12 with a BCAA and beta-alanine supplement and then eat a large, clean meal around 2. My lifts have not suffered at all. In fact, I have hit several PRs, including a 20kg strict pullup and 72kg single leg deadlifts. I will say, however, that sprints or other intense conditioning work at the tail end of a fasted training session have proved more difficult, especially if I haven’t taken the supplements.
Ultimately, I don’t call myself an intermittent faster and I subscribe to no dogma. This is part of my journey towards a healthy nutrition paradigm. But, Intermittent Fasting is something that has given me new insight to my body and my relationship with food, as well as helped me develop a more open mind to concepts outside of my comfort zone. For more quantitative data on the subject, I highly recommend reading the free PN e-book on Intermittent Fasting experiments.
Neghar Fonooni www.negharfonooni.com
A Definition of hard Work and Commitment
Posted in Fat Loss, Guest Authors, Random Thoughts, StrengthCoach.com Updates, Training, Training Females, Uncategorized, Youth Training on January 21, 2012 by mboyle1959I don’t usually do many guest blogs but Brett Klika’s recent piece that he wrote for StrengthCoach.com was so good I just had to share it. Brett works at Todd Durkin’s Fitness Quest 10 when he is not writing and lecturing.
The most significant thing I’ve changed my mind about in the last year is my definition of “hard work and commitment” as it pertains to personal training client’s effort. This stems from quite a bit of reflection after having the opportunity to work with many diverse populations from around the U.S. and the world in the last year. I’ve began to communicate this new perspective in my speaking, writing, and consulting.
For years I had found myself getting repeatedly frustrated with client’s level of commitment to their exercise and nutrition program. This sentiment is shared amongst personal trainers both in the U.S. and abroad. This frustration reached a point at times where I actually questioned the validity and effectiveness of my career pursuit.
In the last few years, I have traveled quite a bit speaking in both the personal training and corporate worlds. I’ve spoke with trainers, clients, and every day people from all over the world on the topic of personal fitness. It has become apparent that there is a disconnect between what our clients really want and need, and what we are providing as personal trainers.
The fact of the matter is our clients don’t want to be like us. Many of them are wired to be fulfilled by different life pursuits than rocking a 6-pack on Facebook. They know that to attain success in their given pursuit, they need their health. This is where they bring us into the picture. They tell us their goals which are quite often just an echo of what their spouse, friends, doctor, etc. has been harping on them for years. They may or may not be truly interested or have any idea what is involved with achieving these goals. What many of them want to say is “I just need to figure out how to tolerate physical activity so I can get these people off my back and not feel like such a slob”. This isn’t in the well-accepted script however, so they default to the norm, “Lose weight, more energy, improve health” etc.
When we take these goals at face value and start piling on unfamiliar and un-intuitive expectations, it becomes overwhelming. They come to us because they either don’t like, or are unfamiliar with exercise and we cram it down their throats in hopes to create spitting images of ourselves. Imagine if you were to take time out of your day, money out of your bank account, drive out of your way, and do something you don’t like to do while someone reminds you repeatedly of your shortcomings?
I speak quite a bit on financial and business development in personal training. How many trainers go home and do what I recommend after they carefully outlined their goals for me? How many of them shorten their 3-hour daily workout to do some business planning to grow their career each day? I can tell you. Almost none. Even though they were gung-ho when we were talking about it one on one, it didn’t happen. Why? Because personal trainers for them most part aren’t good at business. Numbers, administration, and analytics are not intuitive. They are confusing and challenging to the point of being avoided for many. That’s why we are in a profession with the median income at about $30,000 a year with a college degree. Is it fair for a financially successful person to call us “lazy and unmotivated?”
Our business acumen as trainers is our client’s exercise and nutrition. If you as a personal trainer were to use a business coach, how would you want them to treat you? How drastically could you change your behavior in a short amount of time? You have always related to the world around you physically, now you have to do it through numbers and other intangible concepts. The point of this level of empathy is not to disregard our expectations for our clients. We may, however, have to learn to read their true needs better. We can’t assume that every client that comes through our door wants to be like us. This will save a mountain of frustration for both parties.
We need to offer education, accountability, and support that matches their (not our) specific needs. Our focus should be to provide an educating, motivating, and enriching environment that creates a positive experience with physical fitness and wellness. The clients that want more will seek and do more. The ones that don’t will still make a marked positive change in their lives and avoid succumbing to the masses of diseased and defeated Americans. Either way, neither we nor our clients can lose.
Defeat only comes when we let frustration and unrealistic expectation get in the way of our much-needed mentorship.
Brett Klika C.S.C.S. www.brettklika.com
For a copy of his new e-book and exercise program “The Underground Workout Manual- Exercise and Fat Loss in the Real World” visit www.undergroundworkoutmanual.com.
Don’t Give Up on Your Kids!
Posted in Guest Authors, Hockey, Media, Training, Uncategorized, Youth Training with tags Early specialization, kids and ice hockey, youth training on January 8, 2012 by mboyle1959This is a great story for all the sport parents that we all know. Please share it. Parents are constantly told that if there child is not on the best team, in the best league etc. that they will never make it. It’s just not true. However, the people that want you to spend your money want you to believe it is.
http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/11/19/road-to-nhl-long-winding–and-rewarding–for-flames-glencross
Is Strength and Muscle Loss Reversible in Older Adults
Posted in Guest Authors, Training, Training Females with tags Aging, Michael Stare, Strength loss in elders on October 28, 2011 by mboyle1959The following is a guest blog from physical therapist Michael Stare of Spectrum Fitness Consulting in Beverly, Ma. I don’t run a lot of guest blogs but, wanted to share this.
“In conversations with hundreds of people on the topic of aging, it seems that the consensus amongst those not in the fitness industry is that people inherently become weak as they age. Some recent research calls into question whether this is true.
It is true that people will tend to lose approximately 5-10% of their muscle mass every decade after the age of 40, and that rate significantly increases after 65 years old.
Countless studies have proven that much of this muscle and strength loss can be prevented with resistance training. This is true of all types of older adults, whether they are master athletes or previously sedentary.
So How Much Strength Can Older Adults Regain?
The issue has been solved about preventing muscle loss. But until recently, no one has looked at how much can be regained relative to younger adults. Essentially, can older adults who undergo supervised training regain strength and muscle mass that compares to younger men? Let’s look at some recent research on the topic:
Candow, et al JSCR, 25 (2) 2011
The researchers trained a group of older men 60-71yrs old with a supervised heavy resistance training program 3 times a week for 22 weeks. At the end of the study they measured muscle size and strength. Not surprisingly, they all gained muscle and strength. What was surprising was how much.
They compared the average strength levels and muscle size achieved by the older adults to the average strength and muscle size of a group of younger men 18-31 years old who were all physically active but not involved in resistance training. The results showed that there was not a significant difference in the muscle size or strength in the older men after supervised training compared to the younger men!
This means that older men can expect to attain the same amount of strength and muscle with a supervised training program as younger, physically active men!
Is it really that important to be stronger?
Research has shown a very strong correlation between strength and death from all causes: essentially, stronger older men have a lower risk of dying from all causes (Ruiz, et al. BMJ July 2008;337:a439).
Strength is a the most important factor in fall prevention, and is also related to the performance of activities of daily living, balance, and walking ( American Geriatrics Society; British Geriatrics Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. Journal of the American geriatrics society, Vol. 49, 2001, pp. 664-72. Speechley, M. Canadian journal on aging, 2005.)
So the evidence is clear: being strong is important, more so for older adults.
Why Strength Training Is MORE important for Older Adults
In addition to the above evidence, increasing strength is significantly more important for older adults (anyone older than 60 and yes, that includes you Mom, Dad, Mary if you are reading 
. Simply put, strength is like money. The less you have, the more important it is. If a fit 35 year old loses 50% of their strength, while they will struggle with high level strength, they can still perform all of their daily functions with little issue. If a 75 year old loses 20% of their strength, that might be the difference between living independently and needing assisted living.
Can you do it?
Getting stronger is certainly something you can do. No matter your injuries, pain, age, weight, diseases, or time constraints – you can respond very well to strength training. The research is clear on this, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. There are some inspiring videos of Spectrum clients that you should check out on the blog here ”
More Vitamin D support
Posted in Guest Authors, Nutrition with tags Mercola, Vitamin D on October 24, 2011 by mboyle1959From the Mercola.com e newsletter
“Based on this research, it now appears as though most adults need about 8,000 IU’s of vitamin D a day in order to get their serum levels above 40 ng/ml. Not only is this significantly higher than previously recommended, but this also means that even if you donot regularly monitor your vitamin D levels, your risk of overdosing is going to be fairly slim, even if you take as much as 8,000 IU’s a day. This is the type of vital information that is so sorely needed, and GrassrootsHealth is really serving an unprecedented service to all of mankind for facilitating this much needed research.”
to read the whole article http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/22/carole-baggerly-on-vitamin-d.aspx
