The Aspen City Council tries again to come to grips with the Aspen Club & Spa proposal that the club says is critical to the future of the club.
Post blogger Ed Troy, a personal trainer in Basalt, continues with his health tips for Aspen Post readers. "I once had some one tell me I could live off 700 calories per day and 50 grams of protein then cited some source that was probably correct," he blogs. "But what would my quality of life be like? Hmmm I thought; I suppose that number of calories would support enough respiration and a pulse to supply my brain with a little oxygen and sugar. I guess if I were hooked up to machines, I might be able to reduce the calories even further. Granted there would be cellular life competitive with a petri dish experiment, but would I have LIFE? The question is nearly rhetorical even silly, but we do have anorexia and various grades of excessive weakness/thiness. We also have the opposite, and this is even more common."
"Because these exercises use so much muscle mass, when they are done repetitively, one can get exceptional results across the spectrum of fitness components.," blogs Post blogger and personal trainer Ed Troy.
Posts filed under 'Fitness'
In my fit tip on sleep, I wrote about how people need to get more sleep. It has been programmed into our DNA for 35M.Y., yet many try to show they can live off the least amount of sleep possible. What for? Why not reduce the amount oxygen and test yourself. Although truly foolish, this isn't the only foolish thing we as humans come up with.
I once had some one tell me I could live off 700 calories per day and 50 grams of protein then cited some source that was probably correct. But what would my quality of life be like? Hmmm I thought; I suppose that number of calories would support enough respiration and a pulse to supply my brain with a little oxygen and sugar. I guess if I were hooked up to machines, I might be able to reduce the calories even further. Granted there would be cellular life competitive with a petri dish experiment, but would I have LIFE? The question is nearly rhetorical even silly, but we do have anorexia and various grades of excessive weakness/thiness. We also have the opposite, and this is even more common.
People gobbling in gluttony every form of garbage that has ever been called "food." We see those who have been engaging in 7000+ calories a day, where the chief burning of calories can be reduced to metabolic functions and feeding.
So we have many who indulge themselves in rapturous rationalized extremes, at the edges of theoretical survival. I have often asked; why not seek individual harmony, resonance and vital rhythm as optimums for life? Most of you watch plenty of television (maybe not for those of you reading this) and have more entertainment than Caesar, preoccupied with tabloid twittle, multi thousand calorie meals and wonder why you are not healthier. I wonder in amazement how your bodies keep you alive, despite these fitness horrors. I often wonder why people in the health professions from doctors on down including personal trainers won't say the reason you are unhealthy is you are too LAZY to do something about it, too undisciplined to modify eating in a healthy way and yes procrastinators. Well there I said it. I will be honest, and I have 2 reasons.
1) A friend who was exceptionally smart, knew who every person was in the House and Senate and most of those who held the seats before. He could track legislation like nobody's business and I miss him. He's dead. Died of a heart attack at age 37. For 7-8 years before dying, I gave him crap about his lunches; gargantuan affairs, usually oversize wider and bigger than your "footlong" subs, stuffed with an inch and a half of cold cuts, bolognas and salamis and the like. Day after day, I gave him a hard time about it because I cared, and he would remind me that he was OK, that one of these days he would get fitter and lose weight. After a couple of years of my daily questioning of his eating and lack of fitness habits, I stopped, deciding that just doing it seasonally would suffice. Whatever I did was not effective. He died. I learned I can't make someone understand when they are filled with rationalized delusions. If you are 150 lbs. overweight I don't need to tell you that you are OK; you're not. You might be ok for the next ten minutes, but what about 5-10 years from now. Other than the inheritance, how would your loved ones feel? (this is supposed to be humourous).
2) Another friend, gone. Age 39 heart attack; I hadn't seen him in ten years and when I did he had gained well over 100 pounds topping the 3 century mark, no small achievement. I did ask, "what are you doing with yourself?" Just living and working. Years of fast food crap and multi thousand calorie meals and no exercise led him to a very premature death -- just senseless.
These reasons rival drug O.Ds. in what I call stupidity. I want to smack both of these guys upside the head, New York style and wake them. It won't happen. If you are in a situation where you are not healthy, someone should tell you. While I won't smack you upside the head, I hope this serves as your wake up call.
March 9th, 2010
Medical consultaion with your M.D. is recommended with any exercise program.
Getting Sleep,
Yes we are livin’ in the USA, and that means in a collective sense, we are the fattest and most sleep deprived post industrialized nation by far. From time to time as Your Personal Trainer, I hear many silly statements, by those who think beyond their biology, our biology as human beings. Silly things, like cleverly skipping breakfast to lose weight, even though the entire health industry, from the A.M.A, dieticians, fitness professionals and weight loss specialists know that one of the most effective ways to gain weight in the form of fat, is to skip breakfast.
Even worse, are those who think sleep is somehow an enemy. I wonder, an enemy of what? What does sleep do; eliminate fatigue, poor decisions, aid in physical and mental recovery? The answer is yes. The next question is why someone, anyone would want to be weak confused and tired instead of having sleep. Oh they wisely tell you, “they have no time too busy to sleep,” or, “they don’t need sleep.” Really? The last time I checked there were 168 hours in a week. So, computing a 50 hour work week and 2 hours on commuting per day leaves 108 hours. Subtract 63 hours per week for sleep (9 hours per day/night) leaves one with 45 hours per week. This leaves more than 6 hours and 24 minutes to do what you want, per day. If one takes 6 hours per week for exercise, one is left with 39 hours of TV, Internet surfing, family time, cleaning, household chores, shopping, eating, bathing and getting dressed and whatever else there is to do. Personally, I find the “I don’t need sleep” and “I don’t have time to sleep,” arguments ridiculous to listen to. When you look at the numbers, which were extremely conservative, they ruthlessly show the excuses to be bankrupt. No personal trainer or health professional worth their salt is going to be a yes man to enable this nonsense.
Most people would serve themselves, their families and communities well by clearing the debris from their egos and hubris concerning silly beliefs such as not needing sleep, and get more sleep, make better business decisions, drive while in a wakeful state and give quality time to those that matter and those that want to matter. In short, for those who actually believe the silly stuff, save it for those who admire the tooth fairy harvesting the money tree. Those who prefer reality and are looking to take meaningful actions to be healthy, should do all that you can to ignore the silly stuff and work with appropriate health professionals for serious plans for your well being and fitness.
Your Personal Trainer
February 18th, 2010
If you are Republican;
1) Who proposed it -- not what was proposed. "What" is utterly irrelevant.
2) Make sure you say "no," whether you know or not, what you are saying "no" too.
3) Know the difference between; know no and no know, in the presence of Democrats.
If you are Tea Party;
wun) doo you speak american?
tew) yur a leeder and a leecher (oui) wee hate you. (if you don't get it, this is your party and you can cry if you want to)
If you are Democrat;
1) First find common ground with other parties --
(a) Does the sun rise in the East and set in the West?
(b) If I drop your bowling ball from five feet high on your big toe, will it hurt?
2) Offer spell check to the other parties.
3) Argue with other Dems about including other parties in discussions.
4) Make sure you become reviled, because decisions require consensus and acclamation.
Well there you have it. A brief check list for all who are political!
February 9th, 2010
Medical consultaion with your M.D. is recommended with any exercise program.
After your 10 minute warm up, seek a peak effort within the next ten minutes. Do this once a week. If you are engaged in multiple exercises, anerobic components of cross training or weight lifting for example, seek those peaks in only one or two exercises a week. Tri-athletes should look for a peak in only one of their disciplines per week, as an example.
Enjoy your active lifestyle!
Your Personal Trainer,
Edward Troy
January 28th, 2010
Many of you don't know that I am a personal trainer. I am also teaching Power Fitness (boot camp type) classes I designed, at the WIN Institute 10:30 -11:30 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Saturdays at 9:30 AM. I am generally very fit and healthy. I just got over the flu, I am not sure which one it was. The influenza viruses attack muscular tissue. My resting pulse rate went from 40-41 to 49-50. I lost 8-9 lbs, considerable aerobic fitness capacity and anaerobic glycolysis capacity, I can't tolerate as much "burn" as before. Near maximal strength appears to be relatively intact.
I mention this because the flu is nothing to dismiss. Your health, wellness and fitness going into the flu, if you are unlucky enough to get it, are very important. I can see how ones health could be very seriously compromised. For the first time, I wish I had taken a flu shot.
November 18th, 2009
In a world where trends come and ago, commercialism and consumerism thrive, and the corporate atmosphere is permeating emerging markets, the concepts of authenticity and purity are steadily being challenged.
With the explosion of communication and media, how do we really protect a sense of integrity with certain aspects of our lives? How do we maintain certain rituals that have traditionally transcended money and pop culture?
The sudden expansion of yoga in the United States is topic that synthesizes many of these questions and dilemmas. It seems everyday that there is a new yoga studio popping up around town, or a different lineage of yoga that is suddenly the trendy practice, or a different guru penning a new book on the topic.
What makes yoga such an interesting case is simply the history of it. Developed originally in India, yoga was understood as a spiritual practice that could also prepare the practitioner for meditation, which begs the question: How has the practice of yoga changed? Is the intent the same? And, is the assimilation of yoga into western culture actually a good thing?
In response to these questions, two local instructors have recently developed a new approach to teaching yoga.
River Morgan, 28, and Mary Cate Hauenstein, 26, both raised in Aspen, have spent years studying the different lineages of yoga while also contemplating how to preserve and teach these practices to a western audience.
Most recently, they have developed a system that tries to separate the claws of commercialism with yoga by stripping away the root of the problem — money.
Starting last week, Morgan and Hauenstein began conducting donation-based yoga classes held at the Aspen Club that are open to the public, and not just members. This system allows the yoga students to pay as little or as much as they want, therefore removing the financial pressure of attending the classes.
“When there is money involved,” said Morgan, “there can be an expectation for results. They want the value of the money, which can change the nature of the class.”
When money is removed from the equation, Morgan noticed a dramatic difference.
“It definitely takes away the politics of yoga,” she said. “It is no longer a situation in which you pay for an experience. Students come to class with a different perspective — they are open to learning, to deepening their practice without any pressure.”
Click here to read the full article at the Aspen Daily News
Aspen Community Yoga
July 8th, 2008
I liked the freedom of setting my own hours. Working for the club was like working for myself. It enabled me to finish school. I had to finish it up at Regis University and finished through their online program. But I definitely found my niche. I was driven to learn, I had passion for the knowledge I was gaining, particularly the study of physiology. I really liked the clients. I like the relationships I was developing. I really enjoyed it. I was sure I’d be passionate about it, though working with people might ruin me liking the exercise thing. But that ended up not being the case. Working with really athletic people is absolutely an advantage to being in Aspen. You’re dealing with performance and not obesity, and it’s one of the better places to be.
Continue Reading June 30th, 2008
It’s all action-focused, forcefulness. I’ve changed a lot since then. There are so many different ways to go about being fulfilled. I grew up in a home with very competitive athletes. My sister is a professional windsurfer, my brother is on the U.S. Sailing team, an Olympic athlete. I didn’t perform at that level. So that’s all I knew. How to go about it all the way.
Continue Reading May 5th, 2008
Acupuncture is a medical modality, originating from China, with a 5000 year old history. It is a method of inserting sterile, disposable needles into specific acupuncture points to encourage the body to promote its own natural healing ability and to improve overall bodily function. Many people have only heard about Acupuncture for pain management however, Chinese medicine is a complete and comprehensive medical system with the ability to diagnose, treat, and most importantly prevent disease. Acupuncturists are trained in Chinese Medicine as well as Western Medicine, allowing for these practitioners to work closely with Medical Doctors and within the western diagnostic system. The treatment differs in that Chinese Medicine practitioners are trained to get to the root of disease by treating with herbal formulas and natural remedies to promote the body’s own healing ability.
Continue Reading March 27th, 2008
We had entered the “practice” portion of the “Women’s Health Conference: From Theory To Practice”—and that meant a group of us was walking in the woods to the Rio Grande Trail and thence into Clark’s Market in Aspen with Dr. Bob Vogel, the University of Maryland professor of medicine who doubles as chief of medicine for the Pritikin Longevity Center and Pritikin Research Foundation.
The idea of the conference, sponsored by the forward-thinking Aspen Center for Integral Health (acih.org) was to dig down deep into what goes down in the real world. Thus: the walk, a moveable lecture about what remains for us to feast upon in the healthiest of worlds.
Continue Reading March 24th, 2008
Previous Posts
