We've Moved!

Hello!

Thanks for reading Get in Shape With David. If you're looking for recent blogs, redirect your browser to our new site: Get In Shape With David at http://www.getinshapewithdavid.com.

Feel free to peruse the blog entries posted here, and I hope to see you on the new site.

Fitness Friday: Be All There

Sugar Content in 'Health' Foods

How much sugar is in your food?

If it's processed in any way, probably more than you realize. A recent Mother Jones article shared information from the Credit Suisse Research Institute on sugar consumption and health — then equated the amount of sugar in food to the amount in a Krispy Kreme donut.

There are a few surprises. 

2.2 teaspoons of sugar

5.4 teaspoons of sugar

One donut = 2 teaspoons of sugar, or 10 grams.

The American Heart Association recommends:

• 6 teaspoons a day for women (100 calories)
• 8 teaspoons a day for men (150 calories)

Read the labels. Know what you're eating — and decide for yourself if it's a "health food" after all.

Tai Chi Tuesday: Spending the Weekend With Richard Clear

Fairfax, Va. recently had a visitor from Maryville, Tenn.

Sigung Richard Clear gave Tai Chi Chuan workshops, including healing, chi energy and fighting the Tai Chi way.

Friday night was the healing workshop.

I have completed level 4 healing with Sigung Clear, and he demonstrated a few healing techniques I never saw before. (This is Sigung Clear's M.O.: just when you thought you have seen the best he has to offer, he goes a bit deeper into his bag of tricks.)

I was pretty impressed when he mimicked someone's posture in order to match the other person's energy to release the other person's tension.

Saturdays workshop was on borrowing energy — and 4 ounces moves 1,000 pounds.

This is probably the most sought-after skill for most Tai Chi practitioners. Within a couple of hours, all participants were comfortable applying this skill, and we were moving each other with little to no effort.

Sunday we practiced fighting skills (mostly evading and rolling). There were some great drills in evading punches and grabs.

If you have n opportunity to participate in one of Richard Clear's workshops, I highly recommend it. Check his website (http://www.clearstaichi.com/tai-chi-workshops) for workshops or request one for your kwoon.

Fitness Friday: Doubt Kills

Courtesy Abmiwomen

Apple Cider Vinegar: All That — and Natural, Too

image courtesy Health4Us

Open a bottle of apple cider vinegar for a plethora of health benefits.

Need a little help lowering your blood sugar? Pour two teaspoons into part of your meal; healthy diners will see a 20 percent drop in post-meal blood glucose.

Improve your skin health by taking a teaspoon or two a day, diluted — or apply it undiluted directly on your skin to relieve sunburn or heal blemishes.

Sinus problems? Indigestion? More relief is in the bottle, according to WebMD and IDEA Fitness Journal. A teaspoon or two in a glass of water could help settle a sour stomach, prevent indigestion (if taken before a meal) and drain sinuses.

Hair conditioner? Fever reducer? Cure for hiccups? Yep, yep and yep.

Have you tried any of these remedies? Or have you used apple cider vinegar for a different ailment?

Tai Chi Tuesday: Wu Chi Position, or How to Increase Chi Flow

If you have been practicing Tai Chi Chuan for a couple of years abut you do not not feel chi flow through your entire body, check your body positioning.

Get into your best wu chi position. Have someone take a picture of your positioning.

Now, ask yourself the following questions about your position:

1. Back: slightly rounded?
2. Crown of your head: pointed upward. (chin slightly and gently tucked downward).
3. Hips: tucked underneath you?
4. Knees: bent enough? (For most people, it's about two inches.)
5. Chest: slightly rounded and hollow?
6. Feet: about shoulder width apart?
7. Sole of the foot: can you feel it? (Triangle made by the ball of the little toe, ball of the big toe and the heel).
8. Shoulders: down and relaxed?

Make adjustments as necessary.

When you are ready, form a small ball with your hands in front of your body. (Your arms should be down and relaxed, hands relaxed with fingers slightly opened).

Breathe into your dan tien. After a minute or two, you should feel your tai chi ball.

Remember, the feeling is not the same for everyone: you could be heat, vibration, tingling or magnetic with opposing polarities.

When you do get a sensation, hold it for a couple of minutes, and repeat to be sure what you felt was real (though, in most cases, there is little doubt).

Be sure to practice often — and find a class, and a teacher, in your area to help you. Feel free to e-mail me if you have questions or need help finding a class.