PJ's Fitness Blog
A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.
Tis the season to give indeed, but did you know that this act can also help your workout? Scientists have discovered that your endurance will increase about 20%, right after doing something nice for someone.
Scientists looked at whether doing good deeds affects willpower and physical endurance. Volunteers were given a dollar and told to keep it or donate it to charity. The decision made, they were asked to hold a weight for as long as they could. To the surprise of the Harvard University researchers, those who had done a good deed were able to bear the load for almost ten seconds longer than the others.
In a 2006 study, Jorge Moll and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health found that when (more…)
I had to tell you about this new site, MyUrbanWellness.com - is just too cool to NOT talk about. MyUrbanWellness offers wellness products and services to people in the greater Seattle area at discounts of 50% or more.
If you are a reader of this blog, you are probably already spending lots of money on wellness, but you are not even sure you are getting the best service because it’s too expensive and time-consuming to shop around!
Well, MyUrbanWellness.com does all that for you. They screen each product or service carefully to make sure it is top quality. Then they make sure the merchant is “green”, by verifying they are making conscious efforts toward sustainability and are ecologically conscious. And best of all, by going through MyUrbanWellness, you get big discounts on the wellness products and services you need.
Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. It’s just a really great deal. It’s free to sign up. Then you automatically get reminders each time a new deal comes out – about 3 times per week.
Check it out and sign up for MyUrbanWellness.com today.
Great question, huh? I bet you know my answer already. Of course it’s better! Science has proven it over and over. Science has also shown that Prozac is about as good as a placebo, so it’s not hard to beat that over-used drug for elevating your mood. Even so, exercise is definitely the king for getting you happy, and curing depression.
The reason exercise works so well is because it is better at changing your brain chemicals than anything else you can do. Ever wondered why? God created us to move and to keep moving all day. Our modern society however, requires most of us to sit down all day instead. This unnatural lifestyle screws up the chemical balance in our brains and causes a downward spiral of depression, junk food cravings, more sedentary choices, obesity, etc., etc., until we are dead (10-20 years earlier than we have been).
A recent article in Time points out that exercise is indeed the best drug out there. High intensity exercise like the X Gym workout or the X Gym DVD is of course best; and activities like stair climbing offer the most intense “high” with the least time required, but for those who are obese or just want to get moving again, a simple walk can be the first step in a process that will change your mood and entire life.
Many regular X Gym members have eventually fired their “shrinks” because they just don’t need them anymore. When they are exercising regularly, they find it easier to eat better too. The X Gym member who suggested I write this post said, “I knew there was a reason I was (more…)
It’s done! I’m super excited about it, and it’s just in time for the holidays!
The special introductory price is only $19.95 (plus tax, shipping and handling)! Get a copy for yourself, your friends, family, travel buddies, kids in college, and anyone else who wants to get in shape fast with very little time required.
Just click the “Buy Now” button below to have it shipped to your door within 2-3 weeks, or stop by the Alki or Kirkland X Gym to get your copy today!
For those who love to get right to the bottom line, here are the results of my trip to LA on 9/25/09 with Chris Beams to take on the 75 story US Bank Building:
Chris placed 1st in his age bracket (30-39) and 3rd overall in the men’s open category. This was his 2nd competitive race.
I placed 1st in my age bracket and 2nd overall in the men’s open category. This was my 4th competitive race. For the official results on everyone, click here.
My niece Andrea placed 2nd in her age group and 16th overall. This was her first race!
For those of you who like videos, check out our stair blog at www.flightclubseattle.com.
Now, for those who like stories and details, read on, because it was a heck of a weekend filled with more fun and fitness insanity than I have ever experienced!
Wow! Now that was a hard climb! It was an eye opener too. All those piddly little 60 story practice climbs in Seattle helped a bunch until I got about that high in the US Bank building, but then I bonked. The remaining 15 stories were shockingly brutal! I felt like a little dutch boy in the Sahara dessert, walking up a sand dune wearing 10 pound wooden clogs!
My throat was part of that metaphor too. It got so dry and parched, I was horse for (more…)
