The Cure for Back Pain? Lift More Weight!

The answer to managing nagging back pain might prove counterintuitive: A new study suggests pushing those sore muscles with weight training and improving overall body strength could help, researchers say.

Weightlifting enhanced quality of life for back-pain patients by as much as 28%, says a study done at the University of Alberta and presented at the American College of Sports Medicine.

More frequent training led to better results. The research was done on 240 men and women who had had no back surgery, damaged vertebrae or nerve root problems. All had chronic, non-specific lower-back pain as a result of injury to soft tissue in the lower back.

"Why does increasing strength even make a difference?" asks lead researcher Robert Kell, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. "Let's say you garden or go out for a full day of activities and come home tired. We are more apt to injure our backs if we are fatigued. By increasing overall strength, it makes it easier for us to complete activities of daily living."

Strengthening only one part of the body will not cut it, Kell says. The benefit comes from bench presses for the chest, lateral pull-downs for strengthening the back, and leg presses. All three were correlated with pain reduction. When strength increased in those exercises, pain and disability decreased.

"A lot of work is done with the upper body that is strenuous, so it's important to have strong chest and back muscles so you don't hunch forward," he says. "It's also important to have strong leg muscles, because if you reach down to pick something up and your legs are fatigued, you'll lift more with your back."

Anyone with lower back pain should consult a physician before proceeding with an exercise plan. For a long time, people had been advised to rest in bed when lower back pain flared, but that often led to stiffness and muscle weakness. Now many physicians recommend strengthening the stomach and leg muscles, walking and gentle stretching.

"Exercising is counterintuitive based on how you feel," Kell says. "It hurts, so you want to stop. We associate pain with something being wrong or getting worse, so we think we should rest more often. But really what happens if they get up and exercise with low back pain, the joints loosen up and feel better."

Back pain can prevent people from staying active and is one of the most common complaints that send people to doctors or emergency rooms.

A January report in the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the prevalence of the injury, the costs, the risks and effectiveness of an array of treatments from surgery to spinal injections, and use of anti-inflammatory drugs. The report says that even in successful trials, "most patients continue to experience some pain and dysfunction," and it adds data suggesting that the current management of musculoskeletal disorders, much of which is back pain, is not highly successful.

Kell says his study offers some hope. "If you continue to strengthen the body, the pain will subside, either substantially or to a small amount, but it will subside," he says.

During the first three weeks of the 16-week study, participants worked out with low levels of weight and fewer repetitions to prevent further injury.

"It was nice gradual work in the beginning," he says. "Then when their bodies are ready for the stress, the last 13 weeks I used a heavier, more demanding program. I did not want muscle growth. I didn't want them to get bigger, I wanted them to develop strength.

"I started out using 55% to 60% of the maximum amount of weight. During the last three or four week period they were lifting 75% to 83% of maximum lift. Anything around 80% is considered strength training with a healthy person."

The Fitness Toilet - Seriously

What More Can I Say About This Gem? The latest product from world-renowned over-the-top toilet maker Toto makes each trip to the bathroom like a visit to the doctor's office. It features a weight scale, a body fat meter, a blood sugar and blood pressure monitor as well as urine temperature measurement and analysis to help women keep track of menstruation cycles. Plus the whole thing can be networked to your PC via Wi-Fi. I’m not joking. And as for the cost of this beast? Well, you could train with us three times per week for over a year for less, but then what fun would that be?

Proven Fitness Tricks to Blast Off Fat Faster

Tired of plugging away without seeing the pounds disappear faster? Here are some simple tricks that can help transform your usual regimen into the ultimate fat-blasting routine. Whether you use some or all of these gems, our insider tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve.

Know this: “You’ll be able to comfortably work out longer and harder if you’re cool,” says Len Kravitz, PhD, coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. “Being too hot stresses your body out, so you don’t perform as well.” Translation: You burn less fat.

Do this: Where thin clothing, even if you think you’re “too fat”! I promise you’re not. When exercising at home, put a fan in front of your workout area. Hitting the gym? Wait to use the cardio equipment that has a fan built into the console, or at least find the one under the ceiling fan.


Know this: “Wearing a heart-rate monitor makes it easier to burn more body fat by showing just how hard you’re really working,” Kravitz says. “Keeping your heart rate in the right zone prevents you from slacking off, so you make the most of every minute.”

Do this: Invest in a heart-rate monitor and wear it every time you exercise. We love Life Fitness’s new Dual Watch and Heart Rate Monitor ($60; at CVS stores nationwide). It’s simple to program and use and it doesn’t require a chest strap-just touch the face with your fingertips. And it comes in a variety of sizes, too.


Know this: “Warming up for five minutes before each workout helps you lose more weight,” says Heather Dillinger, an IDEA Health and Fitness Association elite-level personal-fitness trainer. “It not only makes your muscles more pliable but also increases their range of motion, so you end up using more muscle fibers as you exercise.”

Do this: Choose a warm-up routine that hits all of your muscles, not just your legs. The easiest option: Do three to five minutes of low-intensity walking while pumping your arms back and forth (you can do this on a treadmill too) or do the same thing on an elliptical machine.


Know this: “Saving your energy for the end of your cardio workout may prevent you from losing as much weight as you can,” says metabolism expert Dixie Stanforth of the department of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.

Do this: Instead of starting out slow and then finishing up strong, do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout. After doing your warm-up, try exercising at a high intensity for 15 minutes before slowing down to a more moderate pace for the last 15 minutes.


Know this: “Two smaller workouts can be more effective than one,” Stanforth reveals. That’s because every time you do high-intensity exercise, your metabolism stays revved for an hour or more afterward. Splitting up your workout boosts your metabolism twice, giving you additional calorie-burning time from the exact same routine.
Do this: Divide your workout (especially cardio) into two smaller, high-intensity sessions-preferably, doing one in the morning and one at night.


Know this: If you’re convinced that you’re melting fat while exercising, you’ll make a mind-body connection that will actually help you lose fat faster. In a 2007 Harvard study, participants who believed they were getting a good workout showed greater reductions in body fat than subjects who performed the same activities but didn’t feel like they were really exercising.

Do this: The next time you do anything active, remind yourself every few minutes that you’re giving it your all. This little mental move may motivate you to push yourself harder, leading to even greater fat loss.


Know this: “The less time you rest between sets when strength training, the more calories you’re likely to burn,” Dillinger notes. “Keeping rest periods short keeps your heart rate at a higher rate, which naturally increases the number of calories you’re using.”

Do this: The best rule of thumb is to take only a 30-second break between sets (meaning you’ll need a watch with a second hand – or a personal trainer)

Ditch Hydroxycut...Keep Your Liver

O.K., so what’s worse than a diet product that doesn’t work? How about one that trashes your liver as well as your wallet!

Hydroxycut products, well-hyped dietary supplements used for weight loss, have been linked to liver damage and are being recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries linked to Hydroxycut products, which are also used as energy enhancers and as fat burners.

The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March. Other serious liver problems reported included liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems.

The FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using 14 Hydroxycut products manufactured by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Oakville, Ontario, and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, New York.

The company is voluntarily recalling the following products: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets, Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix), Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets, Hydroxycut Liquid Shots, Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink), Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed, Hydroxycut 24, Hydroxycut Carb Control and Hydroxycut Natural. Video Watch more on the FDA's concern »

According to the FDA, last year, Iovate sold more than 9 million units of Hydroxycut products, which were distributed widely to grocery stores, health food stores and pharmacies.
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"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risks. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they experience symptoms possibly associated with these products," said Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Liver damage is rare, but patients who experienced problems were taking doses recommended on the product label, the FDA said. Symptoms include brown urine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, stomach pain, itching and light-colored stools.

The FDA has not determined what specific ingredients are responsible for the problems, because the products contain a variety of overlapping ingredients and herbal extracts.

Dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don't need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement.

The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it's on the market. Since December 2007, any serious adverse event reported to the manufacturer must now be reported to the FDA within 15 days.

The Truth About Stretching

You see them everywhere, people yanking an ankle behind their back before setting off on a jog. Gym-goers being urged by trainers to lie on the floor and put their legs over their heads. It looks like sensible preparation for exercise, but it really does much more harm than good. Not only does it increase the risk of injury, it may also hinder performance.

Research on 23 studies of athletes who performed stretching exercises before tests of sporting performance showed nearly all had a bad effect. One study showed that static stretching before a jump test reduced the maximum height by three-quarters of an inch. A review of six studies of stretching before exercise found that not one demonstrated it prevented injury. Ian Shrier, a Canadian epidemiologist who conducted both reviews, in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, said: "At first people thought I was crazy." But other researchers have since reached similar conclusions.

The best way to prevent injury and prepare for exercise is to do a proper warm-up routine to get blood flowing to the muscles. Doing calf stretches before a run does not benefit the leg muscles because they are never stretched in the extreme position while running. Almost all over-use injuries are strains that occur when the body is in the normal range of motion and are the result of improper training not lack of stretching.

Dr. James Brown, a specialist in sports medicine and spokesman for the UK Association of Doctors in Sport, said: "Stretching before exercise probably increases the risk of injury. Your muscles are never going to get warm. Unfortunately you do still see people doing it everywhere. You won't see elite athletes doing it. They will do a warm-up. If you go jogging or go to the gym at lunchtime there is no need to stretch first. If one stretches at all, one should stretch after exercise or at a time not related to exercise.

WARMING UP

• Start with a gentle warm-up, of the muscles you plan to use

• Increasing blood flow to muscles gets them contracting the way they will need to for the exercise

• Static stretching can stiffen muscles and dynamic (ballistic) stretching can cause immediate injury. Don’t do it!

• If you still feel you need to stretch, do so only at a time when you are not exercising. Consider taking yoga to learn stretching techniques that may be useful.

10 Ways to Tell if a Fitness Product is Crap

There are many weight loss and fitness products around, and by now I’m sure you’ve already noticed. They are advertised online and in magazines, available in stores, and shown repeatedly in TV infomercials. Sometimes they may be supplements or pills, sometimes equipment or machines, and sometimes books or entire programs. While the types of products may change, one fact remains consistent… the majority of them are complete crap.

This of course leads to one tiny problem. How are you supposed to know which are the ones to avoid? To help you answer that question, here are 10 foolproof ways of discerning whether or not a weight loss or fitness product is crap…

1. There is a celebrity involved.

If you see some type of ad for a fitness product, and there is a celebrity using it, endorsing it, or even just hanging around drinking coffee in the background… this product is crap.

It could be Chuck Norris and the Total Gym, or it could be Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) and the Ab Lounge… as soon as you spot someone who has their own Internet Movie Database page, you will know that this product shouldn’t be bought by anyone, anywhere, at any time.

2. It looks like a prescription drug

Xenadrine, Lipozene, Relacore, Hydroxycut…the list goes on and on. These sham products look like prescription drugs, have names that sound like prescription drugs, and many have prices to match. Many use “doctor” spokespersons or serious- looking announcers and say that these pills are only for use by “serious dieters”.

There are only four real pharmaceuticals approved for modest weight loss – and only one of these (Ali) is available without a prescription. Ali is also the only one of these occasionally advertised on TV. None of these are good for more than about a 7% weight loss under the best circumstances.

EVERY other pill you see on TV, radio or the Internet is WORTHLESS. They are just the same useless combination of vitamins, herbs and dietary supplements that have been sold to the unknowledgeable for years.

Believe me, real pharmaceutical companies have been spending billions for decades looking for the real fat-destroying pill. Rest assured that if they ever succeed, the news will be bigger than the discovery of a cure for cancer. You won’t hear about it on a commercial, you’ll hear about it on CNN and every other news outlet in the world. You’ll also need a doctor’s visit, prescription and probably $300- $400 a month to get it.

3. It guarantees results in X amount of time, or when used for X amount of time.

If some type of fitness machine promises “the body of your dreams in just 6 weeks guaranteed” or a weight loss pill says you’ll “lose 30 pounds in just 3 weeks guaranteed,” then it is and always will be crap. Unless your dream is to look pretty much just like you do right now, you will not have the body of your dreams in a matter of a few weeks.

The same goes for those products that promise results if you use their product for an unusually short period of time. For example, a sales pitch that goes “In just 8 minutes a day, you can have the slim sexy abs you’ve always wanted!”

Really the only thing you’ll be doing during those 8 minutes a day is wondering how you wasted your money on crap.

4. Tony Little is involved.

5. It’s available in “3 easy payments of $19.95.”

Well this one certainly narrows it all down, doesn’t it? If you are interested in losing weight, increasing muscle, or just getting in some form of better shape, and the product you think will help you achieve this goal costs “just 3 easy payments of $19.95,” now would be the perfect time to turn off the TV and run away.

Nothing available for 3 easy payments of anything will actually live up to whatever weight loss or fitness claims it makes. And yes, I feel perfectly fine lumping all of the “3-easy-payments” products into one category. Why? Because they are all crap. Every single one of them.

In fact, the only way any of these products could live up to their claim is if they claim up front to actually be crap.

6. It claims to chisel, sculpt, define or firm your body.

The words above don’t really exist. Well, they do, just not in the form they were just used in. See, they are not realistic verbs. They are gimmicky marketing verbs. Words used to give you this amazing picture in your mind of what you’ll look like after you buy this product. Too bad they are all usually synonyms for crap.

Here are the things you can realistically do to your body. You can gain muscle. You can lose muscle. You can gain fat. You can lose fat. That’s it. That’s all. That’s the entire list of physical changes you can make. You can’t “firm” your “buns.” You can’t “tone” your “problem areas.” Those phrases are the epitome of weight loss and fitness crap.

Weight training increases muscle. A proper diet and/or cardio activity decreases fat. That’s all. If you happen to gain muscle, and then happen to lose fat, you will very likely appear to look more “toned” and “defined” and “ripped” and “firmed.” While they all still sound a little suspect in my opinion, they aren’t as bad when used as adjectives. However, any product that uses any of the above gimmicky marketing words as a verb to describe what it will do to you is likely a rip-off.

7. There is an asterisk next to a testimonial or before and after picture.

This occurs in print ads, web sites, and TV commercials. You have to look real close. You know that part when someone is telling you something like “I tried every weight loss program and product around. Nothing seemed to work. But then I tried Product XYZ and just look at me now! I lost 40 pounds in just 6 weeks!” …that is your signal to look closely for an asterisk at the beginning or end of it.

Did you find one? If so, look towards the bottom of the ad for the asterisk’s meaning. 99% of the time it will say something along the lines of: *These results are not typical.

Yeah, it really does say that. Of course, you do have to possess the ability to read the last line of an eye chart in order to actually see it. But to their credit, if you could clearly see this product was crap, why on earth would you still buy it?

8. There is any type of a testimonial that includes a before and after picture.

Okay, maybe not everything showing before and after pictures and testimonials is crap, but the majority of them are. Quick weight loss just is not possible. Without the aid of a chainsaw and a dislike of one of your legs, you will not lose 30 pounds in 3 weeks like supposed users of certain weight loss and fitness products claim.

I know, the pictures look amazing and the stories sound true. Here’s the thing though, they are lying. Faked pictures are as common as can be. And during the rare time when they aren’t lying, they are just showing you one extremely rare example (usually followed by as asterisk) of the results people have gotten.

If a million people lost 5 pounds, and one person lost 20 pounds, who do you think they will feature in the advertisement? But then again, it’s mighty hard to sell crap if you do it the other way around.

9. It’s a magazine.

You know all of those fitness magazines? Well, for the most part, they’re crap. The same goes for the seemingly hundreds of “women’s” magazines that always seem to have a headline on the cover such as “Learn how to drop 10 pounds in time for bikini season” or “10 tips to slim down those thighs.” It’s all junk.

I mean, at some point it is possible that the information contained in these magazines could be okay. However, there is a finite amount of actual useful weight loss information in the world. In fact, there probably isn’t even enough to fill one whole magazine, let alone every issue of hundreds of magazines for weeks, months and years.

What does that mean? Well, it means these magazines keep putting out the exact same information over and over again, just slightly reworded.

This issue might have “20 weight loss secrets” and the next issue might have “20 diet tips.” It’s just the same junk repeated over and over again with just a slightly different look to it. This time low fat is the way to go. Next time it will be low carb. Five issues later it will be low fat all over again.

Avoid seeking weight loss and fitness advice from a source whose only goal is to sell next month’s magazine.

10. It implies that hard work isn’t actually required.

If there is a claim that you can eat whatever you want and some weight loss pill will “do all of the work for you,” it’s crap. If it shows you something and says “just look how easy it is!” be sure to replace the word easy with the word crappy.

No matter what your diet and workout goals are, the honest truth is that it will always require hard work. Constant and consistent hard work for that matter. Anything that claims otherwise or seems too good to be true will be crap 100% of the time.

So then, what’s left?

After putting every weight loss and fitness product through this list, how many of them make it all the way through? Not too many, huh? Really it’s just things like free weights, or a treadmill, or a gym membership, or good food. These don’t fit any of the above descriptions.

But then again, if these are the only types of “products” that make it through, maybe these really are the only types of “products” you really need.

The Worst "Mall Food" Ever

The weather's getting nicer, but there's one indoor place you can't resist going to, sometimes on even the sunniest days: the mall. And whether you blame stress, shopping fatigue, or the irresistible smell of food-court treats slamming your senses from the minute you walk in the door, you'll probably end up chowing down at the mall during your shopping trip. Here's the danger: Studies have shown that the more temptation people resist, the harder it becomes to continue resisting.

That means after hours of being surrounded by tempting sales, special offers, and life-changing, one-time deals, your ability to resist the enticing edibles of the food court may be severely compromised. And considering the industrial strength calorie bombs we found this week, a lack of willpower in the presence of mall eateries can be a very dangerous thing. What follows is a list of the worst foods we discovered in our scramble to save shoppers serious calories. Proceed with caution.

"MOST FAT" in a Breakfast Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun

• 1,100 calories
• 56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)
• 141 g carbs
• 47 g sugars

FAT EQUIVALENT: 8 White Castle Hamburgers

Cinnabon and malls are inseparable. But just because Cinnabon might be good for the Gap doesn't mean it's at all good for you. This dangerously bloated bun -- among these Fattiest Foods in America -- contains nearly an entire day's worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. Reconsider your breakfast or snack options, but if you absolutely must eat something, make it Stix. Cinnabon Stix

• 379 calories
• 21 g fat (6 g saturated, 4 g trans)
• 41 g carbs
• 14 g sugars

"MOST SUGAR" in a Drink Smoothie King

• Grape Expectations II (40 oz)
• 1,096 calories
• 0 g fat (0 g saturated)
• 266 g carbs
• 250 g sugars

SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 13 Dunkin' Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Smoothie King calls this a way to "snack right"; we call it one of the quickest ways to pack on extra pounds. Even if most of the sugar comes from some form of fruit or fruit juice (in this case, ultra-sweet grape juice), the resulting blood-sugar surge (and inevitable energy crash) from this much sweetness may leave you struggling to find that perfect gift for your friend's birthday. Drink This Instead: Slim-N-Trim Orange-Vanilla 20 oz

• 250 calories
• 1 g fat (0 g saturated)
• 46 g carbs
• 38 g sugars

"MOST SODIUM" in a Soup Au Bon Pain Large Macaroni and Cheese Stew with Bread Bowl

• 1,120 calories
• 42 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)
• 3,070 mg sodium
• 157 g carbs

SODIUM EQUIVALENT: 22 small orders of McDonald's French Fries!

Whether it's made from a giant fried tortilla or a massive hunk of sourdough, if you r serving vessel is edible, you're asking for trouble. In this case, the bread bowl adds a belly-building 600 calories to what is already one of America's most decadent, over-the-top spoonables. If soup's your thing, you'll have a hard time keeping the sodium down no matter which bowl you order; good, old-fashioned tomato soup is as good as you'll do at Au Bon Pain. Eat This Instead: Medium Old Fashioned Tomato Soup

• 200 calories
• 7 g fat (3 g saturated)
• 1,150 mg sodium
• 27 g carbs

"MOST CALORIES" in a Sandwich Quizno's Large Tuna Melt Club with cheese and dressing

• 1,820 calories
• 147 g fat (27 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
• 2,020 mg sodium
• 85 g carbs

CALORIC EQUIVALENT: 12 Taco Bell Fresco Style Beef Tacos

Tuna off the grill or straight from the can is perfectly healthy; tuna drowning in mayonnaise, blanketed in melted cheese, and slicked with oily dressing is decidedly not. Not only does this sandwich carry with it nearly an entire day's worth of calories and sodium, it also contains as much fat as 49 strips of bacon.

Eat This Instead: Small Tuna Melt, no cheese, no dressing

• 500 calories
• 33 g fat (5 g saturated)
• 630 mg sodium
• 37 g carbs