Stew Smith Fitness News

This week my brother-in-law got a check up as he nears his 40th birthday and was alarmed with elevated cholesterol scores. Knowing he is not the healthiest eater and chooses to get his exercise by playing sports (basketball, volleyball, etc), he asked me what he should eat / not eat and do for better exercise. It is important to know and understand your cholesterol scores as well as know the difference between HDL, LDL, and triglycerides as high cholesterol has long been proven to lead to heart disease, the number one killer in the US. As defined by the National...

If you are like a majority of the people who exercise regularly, often the question of what do you do first - Cardio workouts (Running, swimming, biking, cardio machines at the gym) or Resistance training workouts (lift weights or PT) is discussed. This article will further discuss that question on several different levels. What combination is best for the following common exercise goals: - Fat Metabolism- Muscular Strength Gains- Overall Health- Fitness Test Training Fat Metabolism - For optimal burning of stored fat, you need to take into consideration nutrition and understand how the body uses the foods we eat...

This week, I received an email from an Army Soldier who was having a difficult time running a few months ago. His breathing patterns were so erratic that he was basically hyperventilating while running his two mile PFT run. Once he started breathing properly as well as exhaling fully, he was able to perform better in the run -- not only did he run faster, but he had more energy to finish. The Soldier stated… “It finally clicked! Not only was I able to breathe and finish while running, but I was able to run faster without getting tired or cramped...

Here is an email that I receive with increasing regularity as of late. More and more young people have elevated blood pressure or high blood pressure and this is affecting their ability to join the military. Here is an email from such a person:I'm trying to get in the Army National Guard. I passed the ASVAB and most of the physical. I said "most" because they found that I had high blood pressure. To be honest it took me by surprise because I work out, jog everyday and do not have any type of substance abuse problem. I don't smoke,...

This week the question comes from a gentleman who was once fairly active, former military, but has not done anything in about five years other than an occasional weight lifting session at his gym. The question is, "How do I get back into working out again without killing myself after a five year hiatus?" What I recommend for situations like this is to start off easy. So many times I have seen people start off Day One with a 3-4 mile run because "that is what they used to do." This philosophy can also be seen in the weight room with...