You may be surprised to learnthat how wella workout enables rapid physical progress is not one of them. In fact, prescribing “by the book” to expedite cardiorespiratory and strength gains can often promote dropout.3 The factors (or resources) that can reliably predict long-term exercise success or failure are as follows:

1. The amount of social support received by the new participant (from a spouse, partner, family, friends, peer group or other exercisers)

2. The participant’s ability to use self-management and self-control strategies (e.g., positive self-talk, goal-setting practices, relapse prevention or dissociating from discomfort)

3. The participant’s ability to tolerate physical discomfort

Of the three, ability to tolerate discomfort may be the most important (and least attended to by exercise professionals).Obviously, all the knowledge about promoting physiological gains through theoretically valid exercise programming will do nothing if the intensities, durations and frequencies prescribed cannot be tolerated well enough for a training effect to take place and be maintained.

A made a halfhearted effort to exercise on Sunday, but because I had too large a lunch that day, I just wasn’t able to exercise to expectations comfortably, so I backed it down a bit. My only other exercise session was on Tuesday. I tried to exercise on Thursday, but the exercise room was locked.

I actually gained a pound or two this week, most likely because of some large meals and lack of exercise. I’m not pleased with myself, but I’m trying not to be too hard on myself.

Lastly, I will be going on a much needed and deserved vacation after next week. This presents a new challenge of eating well and trying to exercise while away.

Armand, do you have any advice on vacation exercises? I doubt I will have access to a treadmill.

Self assessment:

Nutrition: C- (I’m also still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, although I’m trying. My protein intake is improving. However, due to entertaining, larger portions and lack of exercise, I gained a pound or two.)

Fitness: C- (I only got one good exercise session in this week, in addition to a halfhearted one.)

The following is for Armand:
Sunday:
Walking: 20 minutes at 4.1mph at a 3 percent incline
Two sets of 20 ab crunches
10 stretches
160-170 bpm
Tuesday:
Walking: 30 minutes at 4.1mph at a 6 percent incline
2 sets of 20 ab crunches
Arm of chest exercises (25 to 50 pounds)
10 stretches
160-170 bpm

Sharon’s Reply

Dear Dan:

Having out-of-town guests really changed your eating habits! At least you get more protein when you eat out. The grilled tuna, trout, seafood gumbo, oysters and crawfish were excellent sources of lean protein.

You may have felt so full, because protein takes a little time to digest, plus the portions in restaurants are way too big. You don’t usually serve yourself such big meals at home. Also, some of those meals were higher in fat.

You often go on very little food, and then a large meal will certainly make you uncomfortable. Be careful, because a lot of large meals will stretch your stomach capacity and then that will be your normal feeling of fullness. People often have trouble cutting back meal sizes after a week of vacationing and overeating.

Be careful of the chips — the salsa is fine. Count each chip as one gram of fat. If you are ordering in the restaurant, ask if you can have a plate of celery, also — you can dip that in the salsa and save calories. At home, use the lower-fat tortilla chips, or make your own with baked tortillas. Slice tortillas into wedges, spray with non-fat cooking spray, season, put on tray in oven and bake until crisp.

Is the spinach artichoke heart dip homemade? Is it a low-fat recipe? If it is, please share it with us — if not, write it down and I’ll make it lower in fat.

I’m surprised you only gained 1 pound. Was it the influence of the company or the restaurant meals? What will be the nature of your vacation? Will you be eating at relatives’ homes, restaurants or campsites? I can give you some tips next time.

Sharon

Armand’s Reply

Dan,

Interruptions to your regular schedule, such as entertaining guests, definitely can impact your exercise routine. What you need to do in the future is plan ahead and figure how to fit in exercise around the interruption.

For instance, perhaps you could have exercised first thing in the morning before the guests woke up. Is it conducive for you to walk outside around your home rather than on the treadmill at your fitness center when necessary?

As far as your upcoming vacation, it is really important that you stick with your exercise plan while away. While on vacation, people typically consume more calories and exercise less. My recommendation is to get your exercise out of the way first thing in the morning before any planned activities. Doing this will make you feel better for the rest of the day.

I suggest you set a realistic goal of how many exercise sessions you want to get in during your vacation. For example, at least three sessions in one week. If you don’t have access to a gym, a sample session could be walking outside for up to 30 minutes followed by pushups, then abdominal crunches, then your stretches. Good luck!

Armand

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Another agrees, saying, “Specialty group classes require special training, and even the possible use of special equipment. This could require a fee to make the class profitable. Either way, it needs to be marketed and understood by the prospective participant that [the specialty class] is not just another fad exercise class, but one that can actually be a part of their lifelong fitness plan. Then, if the class can prove itself to be worthwhile to the client, there will be no difficulty in charging for it.”

Two respondents feel that it is a fairness issue between members who take the classes and members who don’t: “I believe that charging extra for specialty classes is not only important to the bottom line and financial health of the company, but [it] also places monetary responsibility on the people who use these services, and does not penalize the people who do not use [them]. It would not be fair to ask people to subsidize something that they do not use….”

Says the other, “While it may ease the ‘bottom line’ financially for our facility, charging members for additional classes [also] makes sense service-wise. Why should everyone pay for a class that only a few take part in?”

Another respondent feels that the price depends on where the club is located: “It may be feasible to [charge extra], especially for mind/body classes that may require specialty certifications and equipment. (Pilates is an example.) In larger metropolitan areas, health clubs may find it more competitive to offer these types of programs for a very nominal charge, whereas smaller operations in rural areas may have to price class fees a bit higher to pay for a top-notch instructor.”

Exercise intensity can be prescribed in terms of heart rate (HR) by using specific heart-rate values that are approximately equal to 60 to 80 percent of V02max. One method involves monitoring HR at each stage of a maximal graded exercise test (GXT). Heart rate is plotted on a graph against the V02max (or MET) equivalents of each stage of the test in order to define the slope of heart rate response to exercise (refer to Figure 1). From this relationship, the exercise heart rate associated with a given percent of V02max can be obtained. While this method is generally the most accurate approach for determining an appropriate level of exercise intensity, it is often impractical since it requires a person to complete a maximal GXT — with its associated logistical and safety considerations.

A line of best fit has been drawn through the data points on this plot of heart rate and oxygen consumption data observed during a hypothetical maximal exercise test in which V02max was observed to be 38 ml per kg -1 per min -1 and maximal heart rate was 184 beats per/minute. A target heart rate range was determined by finding the heart rates that correspond to 50 percent and 85 percent of V02max.

For this individual, 50 percent of V02max was approximately 19 ml per kg -1 per min -1 and 85 percent of V02max was approximately 32 ml per kg -1 per min -1. The corresponding heart rates are approximately 130 and 168 beats/minute. The target heart rate range for this individual is 130 to 168 beats/minute.

Adapted from ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger, 1995.

Another method for assessing exercise intensity is based on the observation that 70 and 85 percent of maximal heart rate is equal to approximately 60 and 80 percent of functional capacity (V02max). For example:

THR range = maximal HR x 0.70 and 0.85

where:

THR = training heart rate

maximal HR = 220 – age (low estimate)

or

210 – (0.5 x age) (high estimate)

The third method for determining the exercise heart rate for training is to calculate the heart rate reserve (HRR). Developed by Doctor, the HRR method of determining the training or target heart rate range requires a few simple calculations:

First, subtract your resting HR from your maximal HR to obtain your HR reserve.

Then, calculate 60 percent and 80 percent of your HR reserve.

Then, add each value to your resting HR to obtain your THR range.

Among the common NTDs are anencephaly and spina bifida. In spina bifida, the spinal column fails to close and is exposed, while anencephaly means that most or all of the baby’s brain is missing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that women who are pregnant or capable of getting pregnant consume 400 to 600 mcgs of folic acid before and during pregnancy.

Researchers from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and Trinity College, Ireland, investigated the impact of products fortified with little amounts of folic acid on folate levels and whether their elimination from the diet would have a negative effect on those who normally consumed them.

Fifty-one women between the ages of 17 and 40 who were neither pregnant nor scheduling a pregnancy were instructed to eliminate folic acid-fortified products from their diet for 12 weeks. The researchers designated the 21 women who usually ate folic-acid-fortified foods at least once a week “consumers.” The 30 “nonconsumers” ate such foods less than once a week. All the subjects had an initial folate status within the normal range, which was assessed by measuring red-blood-cell (RBC) folate concentrations.

The exclusion of fortified foods (primarily breakfast cereals) resulted in a significant decrease in the average total folate intakes and RBC folate concentrations in consumers, but not in the nonconsumers. Past research has shown that the higher the RBC folate concentration, the lower the risk for NTDs. The findings seem to validate the fortification of breakfast cereals, since such products were the only folic-acid-fortified foods the subjects consumed before participating in the study. When fortified cereals were removed from “consumer’s” diets, their total folate intakes and RBC concentrations dropped significantly.

The report also showed that those who regularly consume foods fortified even at low levels will have considerably higher intakes than those who eat them less frequently. The researchers found that the women who ate folic acid fortified foods at least once a week had on average a 35 percent higher intake of the vitamin.

Folic acid fortification became mandatory in 1998. The FDA requires that 140 mcgs of folic acid be added to every 100 grams (about 3 1/2 ounces) of enriched grain product.

But folic acid fortification is not without controversy. While folate fortification may help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), there is also the possibility that symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency may be masked, which may prevent its early detection. Many older people and others who are genetically predisposed may not absorb adequate amounts of B12 from their food. Raising the levels of folate fortification too high could create a serious problem in that population.

It is because of the potential detriment to the elderly that Dr. Victor Herbert of the Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Center opposes the current folic acid fortification policy. Although the actions taken by the FDA are considered by many as promising in the fight against NTDs, Dr. Herbert states: “Folate fortification alone helps a few but harms many. Whenever there is fortification with folic acid, foods should also be fortified with vitamin B-12.”

But do you know whether your Web site is operating all of the time? There may be some real problems with your site that you don’t know about. There may be various times of the day when your site simply becomes unavailable. You may have potential customers or clients trying to access a Web page that doesn’t exist.

There are many situations where a site simply vanishes from the Web, often because of errors by the Internet service provider (ISPs) or another company that hosts a Web site. ISPs are continually changing and upgrading their computers, often with the result that some minor configuration problem leads to the disappearance of a few customer sites. A company can be completely unaware that its Web site has not been working for several days. In other cases, all too often a company updates various pages on its Web site, but makes a mistake, causing one or more pages to vanish.

It doesn’t make any sense to establish a Web site, only to frustrate customers who are unable to reach the information you have made available. But there are some inexpensive tools that can help to ensure that your site is working correctly at all times.

I’ve signed up with Netmechanic Server Check Pro http://www.netmechanic.com), a service that checks my Web site every few minutes. If the site has suddenly become unavailable, I’m notified by E-mail. If it continues for more than a few minutes, I can then contact my ISP and find out what’s wrong. The service costs $10 (U.S.) a month, which is a small fee for significant peace of mind.

I also use a variety of programs that ensure all of the pages at my site are in good working order at all times. Siteman (http://www.morning.asn.au/siteman), a program available for $60, tests a copy of my Web site that is stored on my hard drive and advises me of any missing pages or images. The program includes other capabilities, making it worth the investment.

Finally, if you would like more sophisticated information about the quality of your site, you could use a program such as Sitesweeper (http://www.sitetech.com) or Linkbot (http://www.tetranetsoftware.com), both of which will test your Web site. After doing so, they will build a report detailing any missing pages or images, links to external Web sites that don’t work and a variety of other information.

You can discover a wealth of link-checker programs for Windows and Macintosh systems. Check out Tucows for an extensive list (tucows.iosphere.net/htmlval95.html and tucows.iosphere.net/mac/htmlvalmac.html).

Establishing a Web site is one thing, but you must regularly verify its quality.

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We spent hours together in the basement of an apartment complex in the north Bronx, all screeches and giggles, pretending to run from a monster rumored to be hiding there.

Other days, we idled away hours at the swing in the woods by the Hudson River, sailing over the treetops together on the well-worn rope. When we grew older, and more rebellious, we huddled together in the schoolyard, sharing gossip, secrets and cigarettes.

After the cholesterol information and testing sessions, and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing, individuals received a detailed explanation of their PSA and/or cholesterol values. Recommendations for further examination were made for individuals who fell into high- and mid-risk categories.

The primary purpose of Wellness Warehouse, according to Moreno, is to “promote wellness for the employees at AlliedSignal,” so the screenings would have been successful even if they only prevented the occurrence of prostate cancer in one individual.

Another goal of the screenings is to reduce insurance rates, since statistics show that healthcare costs can be reduced up to $3,005 per individual each year if prostate cancer is prevented. The company could save more than $60,000 in medical costs if one coronary bypass surgery is prevented.

Although financial benefits resulted from the screenings, more important is the knowledge acquired by employees about prevention. Prostate cancer is almost entirely preventable. The event resulted in 224 prostate and 136 cholesterol screenings — a total of 360 employees educated about the long-lasting benefits of good health.

Based on choreography from the New York City Ballet, the classes are geared toward all fitness levels and concentrate on building firmer abdominals, arm definition, a more elongated musculature and overall strength.

“It provides a new slant on the ‘mind-body’ workout concept,” says training manager Ann Marie Miller. “By using music and modified dance pieces from the NYC Ballet repertoire, we bring a taste of New York culture into our clubs.” Since the classes began last January, Miller says they have been drawing the attention of a variety of members, particularly those looking for an alternative to traditional step and aerobics classes. The ballet workout has become so popular, she says, all classes currently have waiting lists.

The development of the workout, which involved input from professional dancers and exercise physiologists, created a win-win marketing venture for both New York Sports Clubs and the NYC Ballet. Not only did the joint venture lend prestige to the sports clubs, but it put the ballet company in touch with a new group of potential subscribers.

“We have been able to use attractive posters from the NYC Ballet to promote the program in our clubs,” says Miller, “and we encourage NYCB to distribute season schedules and subscriber information in our clubs.”

New York Sports Clubs will gain further exposure when the book The New York City Ballet Workout is released next month.

1) If doable, work together with the current space. It takes much time to alter walls. It is pricey as well. If you want to remodel or update, try to come up with ideas as to how to use your existing space more efficiently. If you want to make the kitchen bigger, then move or take out just one wall. The drywall, amount of framing and electrical work required will then be limited.

2) Keep the sink at its current location. Significant costs will be added to your project if you need to relocate plumbing, and this process is also time-consuming. It is still possible to replace the sink. Just keep it in the identical location as the old one so that pipes won’t have to be rerouted, as that could result in a mess that could involve damage to your flooring.

3) Avoid moving the gas line as well as gas appliances. You will spend a lot more time to finish up your kitchen remodel if you move the gas line. The expertise of a professional may be needed in many areas. This work must be scheduled in advance, with time blocked out for moving the line as well as for making any repairs to flooring and walls that may be necessary after the move has been completed.

4) Select standard-sized stock cabinets for your job. Since you will be able to pick up these cabinets right away or have them delivered, you won’t have to wait for custom cabinets to be built and delivered. Those stock cabinets will be all set to just put into place and affix to the floor or walls. This saves time usually needed for assembly of special-order cabinets and the on-the-job time needed to construct custom cabinets.

5) If you purchase semi-custom or custom cabinets, lend a hand and put them together for your contractor. If you have done a bit of do-it-yourself renovation, it is not that hard to put together pre-cut cabinets. But putting these cabinets together may be time consuming. It is possible to save time during the remodeling project if you can put the cabinets together ahead of time so that they are ready for your contractor to hang.

6) Install large stock cabinets for a pantry instead of constructing a closet. That way you’ll save time since you won’t be knocking out a wall, reframing and hanging drywall for a closet. You may discover that you prefer the look of the matched cabinetry all through remodeled kitchen.

7) Instead of installing new cabinets, you could reface them. If the cabinets you’ve now are in fairly good shape, have them refaced rather than replaced. This will keep you from wasting time. The work may be completed in one day, in some instances.

Put in a brand-new countertop. The renovated kitchen will appear shiny and fresh with a new countertop. You can totally alter the character of your kitchen by selecting the countertop material.

9) Avoid putting in a backsplash. If you’re trying to speed up your kitchen remodeling, don’t bother with installing or replacing the backsplash. Tile installation requires a good amount of time to dry and set all the way through. If you don’t have much time, then postpone this to a weekend project later.

10) If you want to install a window seat, it is possible to utilize stock cabinets for the base of the seat, rather than purchasing custom seats. This makes for an attractive and affordable option that will save you time. It is not difficult to locate stock cabinets that are the correct height for your seat. Just pick cabinets which match or conform to your kitchen cabinets. Then all you have to do is set the boards atop the cabinets and put on some cushions.

Those 10 ideas can be real time savers when it comes to your kitchen remodel. As you start planning your project, you will possibly think of others. However, you may have a successful start with these 10 ideas for remodeling kitchen more quickly.