Blog Posts by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance

I'm a believer of a little pain. Always have been. I really feel that when you exercise, a little post-workout muscle pain means a lot of gain. There is such a thing as overdoing it, but a little pain means that you had a good workout the day before. Scientifically speaking, It means that you created the stress or trauma in your muscles necessary to adapt in order to grow muscle. And, if you don't have any soreness, your muscles have adapted to the exercise, resulting in 'no gains' during your workout.

Recently, I conducted a little research at a local spa - Exhale - to prepare for a client presentation. I took a class they call 'Core Fusion' which is basically a one hour fitness class that combines core conditioning, pilates and yoga in order to produce 'long, lean muscles, a flexible, youthful body, and a sense of peace and relaxation.' Well, I'm not sure I would agree with the last part of that description...I was not at peace...and I was definitely not relaxed. I was in

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Having been an aerobics instructor and a personal trainer, I am always amazed at the number of trainers who really don't cut the mustard. I often wince when I see trainers 'training' individuals when they are clearly incompetent. Mostly because the people they are 'training' are in the dark about what they should be getting from the relationship and service. As a result, I've put together a list of 'Top Ten Ways to know if Your Trainer is Worthless.' Hopefully you'll find these insightful and helpful and maybe even a little amusing.

#10. Late Lolita and Early Eddie: You find that even though you are paying your trainer through the nose, he or she still manages to arrive late and cut the session short. They may chalk it up to how busy they are, but you are paying them good money and they are providing you a service...make sure you are paying them for a full session and that you aren't getting short changed.

#9. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Your trainer is more concerned with

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ScaleI travel a lot for business, and, as a result, I have gone to a lot of gyms in a lot of hotels. A lot of these gyms have scales and being human, every once in awhile I give into the temptation to 'test' out one of them. The last time I 'tested' one, I nearly fell off the scale. It reflected a 7 pound lighter me…WOOHOO! right? Not so much.

Although you would think I'd be happy about my rapid weight loss, I wasn't. Instead, I was dumfounded as to how I could possibly weigh so much less in only a few days. It was virtually impossible. Moreover, I didn't need to lose weight. And, lastly, it made me doubt the accuracy of my home scale…the scale I've used and trusted every week for the last 3 years. All of this just confirmed to me that although we as humans are mentally drawn to the scale like a moth to a flame, weighing yourself is a poor way of measuring your level of fitness, wellness and overall health.

1. Quality vs. Quantity: First off, weighing yourself is only one

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I don't have children. I'm not sure when I will have children, but I do know that when I do, health, both mental and physical, will be an important part of my raising them and teaching them about life.

This morning, I had an interesting dialogue with my family about legal action and laws around childhood obesity. Across the US, there are numerous strategies being implemented or being considered to address childhood obesity head-on. Some programs take a preventative approach by offering healthy options in the school cafeteria, while others take a more aggressive approach by disceminating BMI ( Body Mass Index ) Report Cards to parents when their children have either too low or too high of a BMI score; and others, take an even more drastic approach of accusing parents of child abuse and neglect.

I have to wonder, what approach is most effective? Do we wake up parents to the urgency of the situation by placing the blame on them? Do we humiliate children to get them to

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If you watch TV at all, you've probably seen the commercials for Kellogg's special attempt at a special diet with their famed Special K products. Basically, they claim if you eat two 1 cup bowls of their cereal a day, you will lose six pounds in two weeks.* In short, the program instructs you to start your day with a piece of fruit, a cup of their cereal and skim milk. And then at lunch, you get to do the same thing. And then at dinner, you get to eat normally. Oh, yes, and you get two snacks a day that are Special K branded. Argh! This kind of marketing ploy makes me crazy! Why? Well for one, this is a very unhealthy, unbalanced diet approach. You aren't getting all the nutrients that you need to keep your body functioning properly. This is what you are getting:

• Little to no fiber. Fiber is important in that it makes you feel fuller longer. Further, it prevents or relieve constipation, as well as lowers risk of diabetes and heart disease. Without it, you can experience

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I've been a true loyalist to Origins, Aveda and The Body Shop for the better part of ten to fifteen years. I admit, I walk into a store and I fall hook, line and sinker for the scents they pump through their stores. The Body Shop was one of the first companies that tauted no testing on animals. And being the animal lover that I am, this appealed to me greatly. Whether it be a mouse or a dog, if it has fur and four legs, I'm pretty much in love. Aveda was one of the first shampoos that I bought that went beyond the cheapo brands. And well, Origins has had an image of being pure and natural from the get-go. Let's chalk up all of this to great brand imaging and strategy: If you have ever come face to face with these companies' marketing campaigns, you can't help but conjur up thoughts and images of nature, fresh, organic, healthy products that are going to make you look and feel great...naturally.

After working with an aesthetician on Sheer Balance's recent article of 'The Detriments of

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I'm not one to eat a lot of bread...but when I do, I want it to be good. I'm most tempted when we go out to eat for dinner on the weekend. I am most happy when the bread is multi-grain, fresh made and warm when it gets to the table. And thanks to a few trips to Italy, I am doubly happy when there is olive oil on the table to accompany my warm, fresh bread.

In a society where we understand so much about health, it amazes me that so many restaurants still serve white bread as the default, and butter, an unhealthy saturated fat, as its faithful companion. There is no reason, however, that we have to accept this as the standard. Personally, when I sit down for dinner and the bread and butter soon follow, I ask the waiter or waitress if they might bring olive oil. Granted, I can't ask for them to bake a loaf of whole grain bread for me, but most restaurants have olive oil on premises and can provide it when requested. Nutritionally, the case for olive oil is a no brainer. Olive oil is a

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ExerciseOften, when people exercise they try to fit in different types of exercise (cardio, abdominals or core, strength and flexibility) into their workout. This is fine and can be very productive, however, it is important to order the types of exercises so that the workout is most effective. Whether doing a couple of types of exercise or all of these types, it is good practice to follow this order:

1. 5 minute warm up and stretching
2. Abdominal or Core Exercises
3. Strength Training
4. Cardiovascular / Aerobic Training
5. Cool Down

Why does this matter? Here is a brief overview of the reasonings:

Warm Up and Stretching: A warm up is important because it increases blood flow to the muscles that you will be working. This helps to warm up your joints and increase your heart rate and body temperature...all helping to prevent injury, improve flexibility and prepare your body for the exercises to come.

Abdominals: You use your core muscles (abs and back) for almost every movement that youRead More »from Getting the most out of your Workout