This past weekend I presented at Matt Hughes' training camp The H.I.T. Squad in Granite City, IL. It was a great experience. The seminar was put on by Argonauts Elite Training Gym. Presenters included Shawn Nevels, Chase Karnes, Sam Luker, and myself. Here is a short video of the seminar that Chase has put together- The H.I.T. Squad Seminar.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Childhood Obesity
Children today are facing numerous risks. One that is easily preventable is the epidemic of childhood obesity. In order to fix a problem we must first recognize the cause. Blame has been placed on TV, video games, junk food, fast food, busy parents and the reasons go on and on. Growing up I watched TV, played video games, even ate candy, junk food, and occasionally got a happy meal. My parents stayed busy working full time jobs while having their hands full with me and my 2 little sisters. They took us all around town and sometimes the state to practice, games, and other activities that we were involved in.
So what is so different about kids today? One factor that is often overlooked is the lack of activity in children today. Growing up I was outside running, jumping, climbing, crawling, throwing, hitting, and playing anything until dark. In grown up world we call that a workout, but to a kid it’s just playing. Kids need to play. It is not only good for physical development but also vital for the development of their brain and nervous system. Studies have shown that active children perform better in school than their inactive peers.
Another major contributing factor is the food they are given. A 2004 study revealed that 1/3 of kids under the age of 19 years old eat fast food everyday! Fast food consumption increased 5 fold from 1970 to 2000. Where do these kids get the fast food? Kids eat junk because we give them junk. Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as Adult Onset Diabetes, accounted for 45% of pediatric diabetic cases in the 90’s compared to only 4% before 1990. A few comorbidities associated with childhood obesity are depression, high blood pressure, esophageal reflux, and sleep apnea. Even heart disease is being detected in children as young as 5 years old. 60 % of obese children ages 5-10 have at least one cardiovascular risk with 25% having more than one. These comorbidities were once only found in older populations but are now rapidly increasing in our youth.
Kids eat what they are given. Growing up I personally did not eat the healthiest food. I actually didn’t eat a lot of vegetables, but then again I very rarely ate fast food. Food packed full of high fructose corn syrup and preservatives are a detrimental factor in the modern day diet.
Preventing childhood obesity begins with us. It is up to us to improve the future. One in five kids age 6-17 is overweight. Studies show that overweight children are more likely to be overweight adults with increased health risk which results in decreased quality and quantity of life. Overweight parents are more likely to have overweight children, so the cycle continues. We must break the cycle. Be the solution and not the cause. Get out and play with the kids. Sit down to a home cooked meal. Quality time along with exercise and good food will be beneficial to all. It is more often our habits and not our genetics that we pass on to our children.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6
Be Better
-TILLER
So what is so different about kids today? One factor that is often overlooked is the lack of activity in children today. Growing up I was outside running, jumping, climbing, crawling, throwing, hitting, and playing anything until dark. In grown up world we call that a workout, but to a kid it’s just playing. Kids need to play. It is not only good for physical development but also vital for the development of their brain and nervous system. Studies have shown that active children perform better in school than their inactive peers.
Another major contributing factor is the food they are given. A 2004 study revealed that 1/3 of kids under the age of 19 years old eat fast food everyday! Fast food consumption increased 5 fold from 1970 to 2000. Where do these kids get the fast food? Kids eat junk because we give them junk. Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as Adult Onset Diabetes, accounted for 45% of pediatric diabetic cases in the 90’s compared to only 4% before 1990. A few comorbidities associated with childhood obesity are depression, high blood pressure, esophageal reflux, and sleep apnea. Even heart disease is being detected in children as young as 5 years old. 60 % of obese children ages 5-10 have at least one cardiovascular risk with 25% having more than one. These comorbidities were once only found in older populations but are now rapidly increasing in our youth.
Kids eat what they are given. Growing up I personally did not eat the healthiest food. I actually didn’t eat a lot of vegetables, but then again I very rarely ate fast food. Food packed full of high fructose corn syrup and preservatives are a detrimental factor in the modern day diet.
Preventing childhood obesity begins with us. It is up to us to improve the future. One in five kids age 6-17 is overweight. Studies show that overweight children are more likely to be overweight adults with increased health risk which results in decreased quality and quantity of life. Overweight parents are more likely to have overweight children, so the cycle continues. We must break the cycle. Be the solution and not the cause. Get out and play with the kids. Sit down to a home cooked meal. Quality time along with exercise and good food will be beneficial to all. It is more often our habits and not our genetics that we pass on to our children.
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6
Be Better
-TILLER
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Small Changes Lead to Big Difference
Little changes make a big difference in the end. A small change now can result in a big change over time. Health and fitness industry often bombards us with the before and after pictures in advertisements but we never see what happened in between. So how do people lose 100 pounds or drop 12 dress sizes or get ripped abs? It didn’t happen over night. It took time and effort. Lots of effort and time. But it all started with one small change. Change is something that we naturally resist. Our bodies naturally reject change, especially severe radical changes. The majority of people who have successfully quit smoking did it gradually. Cold turkey often leads to severe cravings that the mind is not strong enough to resist and you’re back where you started. So if you want to make a change make it gradual.
Drinking 5 cokes a day? Start with substituting 1 with some water. You still get 4 a day.
Going out to eat everyday? Pack a healthy meal twice a week.
Sugary snacks at work? Bring some fresh fruit to work.
Take a few minutes to improve your life. Small steps will turn into a great journey to a better you.
Be Better
-TILLER
Drinking 5 cokes a day? Start with substituting 1 with some water. You still get 4 a day.
Going out to eat everyday? Pack a healthy meal twice a week.
Sugary snacks at work? Bring some fresh fruit to work.
Take a few minutes to improve your life. Small steps will turn into a great journey to a better you.
Be Better
-TILLER
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Write it down
“Can you set me up a diet plan?”
“Gladly. What have you eaten over the past 3 days?”
“Everything? I don’t remember everything.”
“No big deal, just write down everything you eat and drink for the next 3 days and I’ll be glad to help you out.”
This is a conversation that I have had more times than I can count. Usually, then I get a response that they just want me to write something down for them or they say ok but never mention it again.
When it comes to making a change, we have to know where we have been and where we are in order to know where we are going. When it comes to diet and exercise, it is difficult to see our faults and make the proper changes. One way to make a change in our diets is to take a close look at what we are actually eating. And because most of us can not remember everything that we ate today much less 3 days ago, keeping a dietary food log is the best way to remember everything we eat.
Keeping a food log is very easy. Keep a 3x5 note card in your pocket and write down everything that you eat. Now you don’t have to carry a scale around with you and measure everything, but be as accurate as you can. Make sure to include all the liquids too.
After a few days, take a look at your card. Don’t beat yourself up if it didn’t go exactly the way you had hoped. Focus on the good choices that you made and look for ways to improve. Don’t try to change it all in one day. Set a goal to make one change this week.
Writing it down makes it real. Writing it down helps you remember. Writing it down will help you make the proper changes and choices. Writing it down will help to make you better.
Be better.
-Tiller
“Gladly. What have you eaten over the past 3 days?”
“Everything? I don’t remember everything.”
“No big deal, just write down everything you eat and drink for the next 3 days and I’ll be glad to help you out.”
This is a conversation that I have had more times than I can count. Usually, then I get a response that they just want me to write something down for them or they say ok but never mention it again.
When it comes to making a change, we have to know where we have been and where we are in order to know where we are going. When it comes to diet and exercise, it is difficult to see our faults and make the proper changes. One way to make a change in our diets is to take a close look at what we are actually eating. And because most of us can not remember everything that we ate today much less 3 days ago, keeping a dietary food log is the best way to remember everything we eat.
Keeping a food log is very easy. Keep a 3x5 note card in your pocket and write down everything that you eat. Now you don’t have to carry a scale around with you and measure everything, but be as accurate as you can. Make sure to include all the liquids too.
After a few days, take a look at your card. Don’t beat yourself up if it didn’t go exactly the way you had hoped. Focus on the good choices that you made and look for ways to improve. Don’t try to change it all in one day. Set a goal to make one change this week.
Writing it down makes it real. Writing it down helps you remember. Writing it down will help you make the proper changes and choices. Writing it down will help to make you better.
Be better.
-Tiller
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wave Runner
Went to the beach to visit some friends last weekend and got in a good interval run. If you are heading to the beach for the weekend try out this interval run. It is a very simple, quick, and great exercise. No watch needed. Begin with a light jog along the edge of the water. As a wave rolls in, sprint to keep yourself just out of the incoming water. Try to run as straight and fast as possible while keeping just out of the water. Then as the wave recedes, slow to a jog as you follow the wave back into the ocean. Then when the next wave rolls in repeat! Good quick interval run in the sun. Enjoy your weekend.
Be Better
-Tiller
Be Better
-Tiller
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Finding Balance
Everyday on the news we hear about the trouble on wall street and the numerous companies asking for a bailout and declaring bankruptcy. I don’t have a degree in finance and nobody has ever asked me for financial advice but I do know a little about finding balance. Doesn’t matter if its money, life, or our bodies; knowing the difference from input and output is the key to success. In business the goal is to have more money coming in than going out. It really is not as difficult as the big shot finance guys make it look. And when it comes to our bodies, it is the same way.
With the body it is really simple. It is calorie balance. Caloric output vs. caloric input. If the goal is to lose weight we must take in fewer calories than we expend. Gaining weight occurs when we take in more energy than we use. That is it. It really is that easy. No rocket science. No fancy spread sheets. Just simply two things to look at:- the amount of calories taken in and the amount of calories used. If you are gaining weight then your input is more than your output. Losing weight simply means that output is greater than input. If your weight is holding steady then you are in energy balance.
Body composition (fat mass vs. muscle mass) is slightly more involved but is still very simple to understand. Body composition is improved by increasing muscle and/or decreasing fat. The same principles apply to body composition as with total body weight with the main exception being where the gains and losses occur. If the goal is to lose fat then we have 3 options: increase exercise, decrease the amount of food we eat, or improve the quality of food that we ingest. Gaining muscle is a little tougher with our choices being to increase the amount of food we eat or improve the quality of food we eat while increasing the demand on our muscles. This is why gaining muscle is so hard. We must increase work as well as give our muscles more quality food.
There are 3 simple ways to lose weight and decrease body fat. 1. Improve the quality of food you eat. 2. Decrease the amount of food you eat. 3. Increase the amount of work that you do. Thats it.
Contrary to what we hear on the news everyday, it is not hard to figure out balance. Our bodies, just like out budgets need to be balanced. Keep it simple. Input vs. output. Everyday we have a choice.
BE BETTER
-Tiller
With the body it is really simple. It is calorie balance. Caloric output vs. caloric input. If the goal is to lose weight we must take in fewer calories than we expend. Gaining weight occurs when we take in more energy than we use. That is it. It really is that easy. No rocket science. No fancy spread sheets. Just simply two things to look at:- the amount of calories taken in and the amount of calories used. If you are gaining weight then your input is more than your output. Losing weight simply means that output is greater than input. If your weight is holding steady then you are in energy balance.
Body composition (fat mass vs. muscle mass) is slightly more involved but is still very simple to understand. Body composition is improved by increasing muscle and/or decreasing fat. The same principles apply to body composition as with total body weight with the main exception being where the gains and losses occur. If the goal is to lose fat then we have 3 options: increase exercise, decrease the amount of food we eat, or improve the quality of food that we ingest. Gaining muscle is a little tougher with our choices being to increase the amount of food we eat or improve the quality of food we eat while increasing the demand on our muscles. This is why gaining muscle is so hard. We must increase work as well as give our muscles more quality food.
There are 3 simple ways to lose weight and decrease body fat. 1. Improve the quality of food you eat. 2. Decrease the amount of food you eat. 3. Increase the amount of work that you do. Thats it.
Contrary to what we hear on the news everyday, it is not hard to figure out balance. Our bodies, just like out budgets need to be balanced. Keep it simple. Input vs. output. Everyday we have a choice.
BE BETTER
-Tiller
Monday, June 29, 2009
Website
Back on blogger! Been working on a website and haven't posted a blog in a while. You can check out my site at www.drbrookstiller.com. It is a work in progress. I will be posting my blog here as well as on the websites blog at http://blog.drbrookstiller.com. I'm new at this whole website thing. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for the website or blog topics.
Be Better
-Tiller
Be Better
-Tiller
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
