March 13, 2006

Celebrities who have babies seem to bounce back to their pre-baby figures in a nanosecond. Unfair, perhaps, but consider: They have unlimited access to the best fitness trainers who can aerobicize them into shape. The non-celeb crowd now has some help too. "Lose That Baby Fat!" (M. Evans and Company Inc., 2006) by LaReine Chabut takes a sensible approach to post-pregnancy exercise.

Jeannine Stein

"Lose That Baby Fat!": Chabut, a fitness author, video instructor and model, admits, somewhat sheepishly, that she had never really worried about her figure — until she had a baby. "Losing my figure for the first time in my life was traumatic," she says. "Once I had a baby, I had to work my butt off to get back in shape." The result was this book, which tackles post-baby fitness reasonably. Chabut counters the usual excuses for not working out (time, money, etc.) and peppers the pages with women's baby weight confessionals that lends a you're-not-in-this-alone flavor. The workout regimen begins with walking and stretching, then progresses to exercises for abs, arms and chest, glutes, shoulders and upper back, and legs. A few programs are offered, such as circuit training and weight training. Exercises are illustrated with black and white photos, and a stability ball is used for many of the routines. Chabut takes a reassuring tone throughout the book, letting women know that a better body can be achieved over time. "When you're pregnant," she says, "so many people tell you, 'Eat what you want, you'll lose it….' You can't carry a baby for nine months and not have any changes. But women should know that it's going to change and it will go back eventually and you will see the light of day."

Price: $17.95, available at bookstores.

For a great comprehensive primer on fitness balls, try the popular "Exercise Balls for Dummies" by LaReine Chabut ($14.95 at Amazon.com). There's good, basic information on choosing a ball, filling it with air to the proper firmness and using it in a fitness routine. The bulk of the book (245 of its 360 pages) provides details on specific exercises you can do with your fitness ball. There are instructions, black-and-white photos and "do and don't" tips. The book also includes advice for pregnant women as well as children and seniors.

Dummies can get on the ball
The only thing truly remarkable about Exercise Balls for Dummies is that it was just published in May.
Exercise balls are nothing new in gyms and living rooms across America. But they might still be intimidating to anyone who has ever rolled off one in midcrunch -- or for those who have never tried one at all.
This new For Dummies book -- written by LaReine Chabut, lead instructor for The Firm fitness videos -- offers practical tips on buying exercise balls, as well as using them to burn fat and build every major muscle group. In addition, there are sections on using balls to work out during pregnancy and adding accessories, such as resistance bands and hand weights, for more effective workouts. Easy-to-follow photos accompany the exercises.
The benefits of exercise balls have been well-documented, and if nothing else, they're a good way to change up a stale workout routine. Just don't try those crunches with this book in one hand, or you really will look like a dummy when you fall off.
- Stephanie Allmon
Exercise Balls for Dummies
by LaReine Chabut
Wiley, $21.99

By Anne E. Stein
Special to the Tribune (Chicago Tribune)
Published October 23, 2005

Most of us think that in terms of health, what goes on while we're awake is more important than what goes on while we're asleep. Think again, says Dr. Gerard T. Lombardo, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York Methodist Hospital.

When your sleep is disrupted by insomnia, sleep apnea or even teeth grinding, there can be significant consequences to your mental and physical health.

Sleep apnea (when breathing stops repeatedly during sleep), for example, has been associated with hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Soda, lack of exercise and weekend sleep "bingeing" can affect children's mental and physical growth.

In "Sleep to Save Your Life: The Complete Guide to Living Longer & Healthier Through Restorative Sleep" (Collins, $24.95), Lombardo also discusses how children's lack of sleep may correlate to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and he explains how to manage narcolepsy and shift-work challenges.

For retirees who suffer from insomnia, a common problem, Lombardo has advised scheduling a more full and productive day, with exercise, socializing, work and other projects.

"The day ends with a new ritual: the satisfaction that comes when any project has come to a successful conclusion." Instead of worrying about not being able to fall asleep, he says, "you take a deep cleansing breath and relax."

A Field Guide to Buying Organic

by Luddene Perry and Dan Schultz

Bantam, $14

With gas prices soaring, it's tempting to look around and see what trims can be made to the budget with relatively little pain. For organic shoppers, that means asking if paying $3.75 for whole-wheat bread versus $2.25 for the non-organic stuff is worth it. This isn't a simple question, and the answers depend on why you're buying organic.

If it's for health reasons--you want to avoid pesticides, for example--well, you should know that pesticides are allowed on some organic foods.

Perhaps you buy organic because you believe industrial food production degrades air, water and soil and is harmful to farm workers' health.

Or maybe you want to help the small local grower. This guide sorts out the arguments and notes conventional foods that may be acceptable to organic buyers.

If you live in New York state, where 80 percent of the dairy herds are small and among the healthiest in the nation, conventional milk can be a safe purchase.

In "mega-dairy" states like California, however, organic buyers should probably stick with organic milk and cheese.

The Hardness Factor

by Dr. Steven Lamm

HarperCollins, $25.95

What better way to entice men to visit their doctor than with the promise of better sex?

Males are notorious for avoiding doctors; a 2000 survey by the Commonwealth Fund found that more than half the men surveyed hadn't had a physical or cholesterol test in the previous year, and 25 percent said they would handle worries about health by waiting as long as possible before getting help.

Once they're in the doctor's office, both men and their docs shy away from discussing "sensitive issues."

Only 25 percent received advice on urinary symptoms, and just 10 percent discussed impotence.

Dr. Steven Lamm's approach to men's health is pretty simple: When you are physically and emotionally healthy, he says, your penis is hard when aroused. So although "The Hardness Factor" is a book about how to have satisfying erections, it's also a book about how to be a healthy man.

"When I tell a man that obesity is not just about being 30 or more pounds more than an ideal weight for his age and height but that it affects hardness and influences his ability to obtain and sustain an erection suitable for penetration--and will do so until he loses some weight--he listens carefully," writes the New York City-based doc. "He now has real motivation."

Poor erections also can indicate less obvious but deadly problems, such as coronary-artery disease, and ignoring the connection between hardness failure and health can be dangerous.

Lamm's six-week hardness program includes exercise, supplements and menu suggestions designed to increase a man's sexual fitness--and his lifespan.

Exercise Balls for Dummies

by LaReine Chabut

Wiley, $21.99

It used to be that exercise balls (also called Swiss, stability or fit balls) were used mainly by athletes and others recovering from injury. Now everyone from casual exercisers to body builders have worked exercise balls into their fitness routines to improve flexibility, build a stronger core and create more interesting workouts.

Why use an exercise ball?

The ball's unstable base makes it an excellent tool for challenging exercises requiring strength and control; it strengthens the body's core by allowing you to train the deeper abdominal muscles that other pieces of equipment don't reach, and you train one muscle group while using others for balancing, which helps tone the entire body, writes LaReine Chabut.

Chabut includes exercises for athletes as well as pregnancy workouts on the ball, exercises for seniors and kids, and yoga-based ball routines.

Chabut also lists the five most effective ball exercises.

No. 1 is the abdominal crunch:

- Lie on the floor with lower legs on ball at 90-degree angle. Tighten abs and grasp ball between legs and pull toward you, lifting it off floor.

- With hands on either side of head, slowly lift shoulders toward knees; hold for a few seconds and slowly roll shoulders back to floor.

-Don't forget to exhale as you curl up and inhale as you go back down.

Performance Nutrition for Team Sports

by Monique Ryan

Peak Sports Press, $19.95

Evanston-based sports nutritionist Monique Ryan has two new books that athletes and parents of athletes should consider adding to their bookshelves. Aimed at children, teens, adults and coaches, "Performance Nutrition" provides specific menus and tips for taking in the best fuel before, during and after training and competition.

Daily meal plans are based on the athlete's particular sport, goals and game time. Also included is advice on hydration, maintaining healthy levels of fat, consuming carbohydrates and building muscle, and overviews on ergogenic aids (such as creatine) and tips for the vegetarian athlete.

Chis Swingle
Staff writter

(July 17, 2005) — Exercise balls are an inexpensive piece of home exercise equipment that can add some variety to your workout while helping you improve muscle tone, flexibility and posture.

When you sit on the fully inflated ball, your bent knees should be at a 90-degree angle when your feet are flat on the floor directly under your ankles. Exercise Balls for Dummies (Wiley, $21.99) offers these guidelines:

18-inch (45 cm) ball: for people under 4 feet 8 inches tall.

22-inch (55 cm) ball: for people 4 feet 8 to 5 feet 3 inches tall.

25-inch (65 cm) ball: for people 5 feet 4 inches to 6 feet tall.

29-inch (75 cm) ball: for people taller than 6 feet.

Look for burst-resistant or antiburst balls, weight-tested to more than 600 pounds and made of vinyl or other latex-free material because that's best for firmness and won't be slippery. Inflate the ball to the diameter listed on the box, or until it feels like it has a slight give when you sit on it.

Leigh Vigneri, a physical therapist at Rochester General Hospital's outpatient rehabilitation program at 1850 E. Ridge Road, Irondequoit, uses exercise balls with clients, as well as resistance bands — another handy, affordable piece of home exercise equipment. Today and each Sunday through August, she demonstrates some exercises with the ball or bands that are suited to beginners.

Vigneri recommends doing each exercise 10 times at a comfortable pace. Start with one set a day, several times a week. You can build up to three sets per day.

It's wise to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

Arm raise

Sit on top of the exercise ball with your knees bent and your hands at your sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles and keep them tight as you raise both arms in front of you and then overhead as straight as is comfortable, then slowly lower to the starting position.

Side arm raise

Sitting on the ball, with abdominal muscles tight, raise both arms out to the sides to shoulder height. Slowly lower to the starting position.

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