Shout Out Health

Your Daily Dose: GLEE Schools the Homophobes...Healthy Headlines, Hormone Therapy...and More

Don't have time to find today's hottest health headlines? Here's what making news as we speak (we opt for the upbeat or amusing, when at all possible, you can find all the bad news on CNN, right?)... Enjoy!

HORMONE THERAPY: Hi, Chris!

I NEED A HERO: Do Dems have votes for DADT repeal?

MUST SEE: GLEE's school for homophobes ...

MUST READ: Dignity for All Students Act moves ahead in New York...

MIND BODY: Take a mind, body, soul vacation!

MUST READ 2: Reconsider Federal ban on gay men's blood donation...

FITNESS: Ready for Summer? More Muscle, Less Fat...Week 4

Put down the dumbbells for now, because this week is cardio only.

Do five to six interval training sessions, each lasting thirty to forty-five minutes. To review interval training, see the third paragraph of Week 3. The best time of day is first thing in the morning, before eating anything, but after having eight to sixteen ounces of water. It’s okay to do the workouts at another time if you’re just not a morning person, but morning will be MOST effective.

As the fat starts to burn away from the midsection, you’ll want those abdominal muscles underneath it to
start to show through. So, after three of the cardio workouts this week, do three sets of fifteen reps of the physioball crunch with progressive resistance as explained in my Six-Pack ab primer.

On the other two or three cardio days, do three sets of fifty repetitions of the ‘Bicycle Crunch’ -- Lie on a mat and start with your hands behind your head and your hips and knees at right angles; contract your left obliques (side abs) as you bring your right shoulder and your left knee slightly closer together and then repeat on the opposite side; make sure that you keep your eyes focused on the ceiling directly above you and that the movement is controlled by contracting your obliques and not by flailing your elbows and legs; make the movement smaller and more focused than you have seen or done in the past.

Continue with the three days in which you eliminate starch and sugar, but this week do them consecutively, three days in a row. On the first day, sugar will be largely eliminated from the blood stream and your body will start releasing and burning fat more selectively. By days two and three, sugars stored in your muscle (glycogen) will also have been burned leaving your body little choice but to get energy from stored fat. But it is essential to eat proteins and vegetables (and some dairy and healthy fats are okay, too) frequently. If you are not eating frequently enough, and find that you are hungry all the time, your body may have trouble releasing the fat to be burned in the muscle cells. Don’t make that mistake and diminish the amount of fat you are capable of burning this week. For more on nutrition, don’t forget to request my two-page “Supportive Eating Guide” by sending an email to [email protected] with “Supportive Nutrition” in the subject line.

ASK THE LIFE COACH: Too shy? Build a social life you'll LOVE!

Q: I'm trying to expand my social life in healthy ways, and find more like-minded people, but I'm a bit shy, so I'm more comfortable playing it safe. I'm 34, have a good career but my social life sucks, and I'm not a bar person. Any advice?

A: I think it's safe to say you’re not alone. You’re probably in the majority, actually. But how do you get to the you’s of the world? How do you get off The Island of Misfits and into a life that has the kind of friends and support you’re longing for? How do you overcome the shyness that seems to creep up when you’re in social situations that intimidate you?

 

To me, building a social life takes a certain kind of muscle. To get started, make it easy. Make it light and fun. When you’re trying to come out of your shell, don’t try to live by “no pain, no gain.” Nope. That approach will only push you deeper into yourself. But know this: shyness that goes unchallenged leads to isolation so push back on it a bit.

Here’s a tip: When you’re looking for friends, go to the places that make you happy. Put yourself in environments that relax you or inspire you. When you’re in a place that lights you up, you’re way more likely to connect with others because, well, you’re lit up. Ever heard of MeetUp.com? It’s a great concept. It’s built on the premise of pulling like minded people together. Check it out. The idea is go where your people are. What do you love to do? Go there.
 
I moved to New York City when I was 40 years old. I knew two people. I made it my mission to meet people. How’d I do it? I turned it into a game; a game I’m still playing. As soon as I connect with someone, I exchange cards. Then I follow up (most people never do this) within a day or so. From there we go have a drink. A lot of times it ends there but many times it turns into a pretty cool friendship.

A few other ideas:

• Get a dog (hell, borrow one). Dog walkers always connect.
• Throw a party with a few pals. Have each person bring someone to introduce to the group. You can quickly turn 4 people into 8.
• Use your job as a way to connect. Invite someone new from your office to lunch.

At the end of the day, social confidence is a muscle. So get into the gym and build the muscle. Start with the easy weights but do challenge yourself. Don’t worry so much about the results at first, just get in there and start finding a new way of being with people. Lastly, take yourself off the hook. You do not have to be that guy that has all the friends. You might be someone who thrives with a small group of friends. Beautiful. On the other hand, you may discover when you get into it that you’re better at connecting than you think and soon you might have a group of friends that requires a social secretary.

Feel free to contact me privately via this link if you'd like more, and good luck! -- John Dulworth, CPC

Your Daily Dose: GLAAD Slams Newsweek...Healthy Headlines, Hormone Therapy...and More

Don't have time to find today's hottest health headlines? Here's what making news as we speak (we opt for the upbeat or amusing, when at all possible, you can find all the bad news on CNN, right?)... Enjoy!

HORMONE THERAPY: Happy Friday!

I NEED A HERO: GLAAD demands Newsweek apology...

MUST READ: The dangers of the gay closet...

MUST READ 2: Minnesota house passes end of life rights bill for gay couples...

MIND BODY: Quiet your mind with these stress-relieving tools...

GOOD NEWS: Chinese research aims to kill HIV...

FITNESS: Ready for Summer? More Muscle, Less Fat...Week 3

OK, it's time to switch things up. You’ve built some muscle these past two weeks (here's Week One and Week Two); now lets use your faster metabolism to really burn off some fat.

This week, do three strength workouts using the same exercises, but do them as a circuit - perform fifteen repetitions of each exercise going down the list without resting in between exercises.

When you've finished the circuit of exercises, immediately get on a cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical or bike) for 6 minutes of interval training done as one-minute intervals, starting with an ‘up‘ interval. The last minute will be a down interval. Follow this with two minutes of rest. Repeat three times. Finish with twenty minutes of interval training. And do two additional 30-minute cardio workouts this week the same way I suggest in week 2.

Got that? It's intense to be sure, but effective, trust me!

Week 3 is the first of two weeks of extreme fat loss. We want to bring our nutrition into line with the changes we’ve made to the exercise program so that the two work together to create an environment where your body is burning more calories and selectively burning more calories from fat.

A VERY effective tip that makes stored body fat more available to be burned is called ‘carbohydrate manipulation’ and here's how it works: On three of the days this week on which you are not strength training, completely remove all starchy carbohydrates and simple sugars from your nutrition plan. Eat as much lean protein and vegetables as you like. It’s okay to eat some healthy fats, but don’t overdo it. It’s very hard to remove ALL sugars, but do your best - anything with more than about 8-10 grams of sugar is too much. And drink more water than you are accustomed to drinking. Try to get your daily calorie count equal to roughly your body weight multiplied by 12.

Now here's some really good news: I have found that it is not unusual for clients to lose two to three pounds of body fat (in a week) on a program like this one.

This week builds on the two before it and won't be as effective unless you’ve added some muscle to your body. If you feel like you want or need to add some more muscle at this point, repeat week 2 before going on to week 3. The work is getting intense but believe me, the results will be worth it. Good luck! I'll be back next soon with our 4th and final week. -- Greg Rothman, MS PT ([email protected] or Empower Fitness on Facebook)

Take A Poll: Controversy Alert! Can Gays (Successfully) Play Straight?

Holy controversy! While we've explored gay stereotypes in recent polls that certainly pushed lots of
buttons, a Newsweek column questioning the effectiveness of gay actors in playing straight roles is generating oodles of online buzz, and charges of outright homophobia from the likes of Kristen Chenoweth and ew.com.

Because homophobia and its ramifications are such a clear and obvious health issue -- would the high rates of depression, anxiety, and even suicide in the LGBT community persist without it? -- we've posted this poll.

Please take a moment to tell us your thoughts and leave a comment below.