With Bizarro's Dan Piraro right after his show tonight
Another AMAZING day here at the Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa. Since yesterday's check in, I already have about 5 more stories to tell. And it's so late I really should just turn out the light and catch some zzzs but there's such a full agenda again tomorrow, the backlog will be enormous!
Let's start with the end of the day. Dan Piraro of Bizarro fame had us rolling in the aisles with his after-dinner show tonight. Briefly? A hilarious life story told in slides, and a take-no-prisoners jump right into a boatload of Bizarro cartoons with Piraro's strong environmental and humanitarian vegan message. You've seen it in his work. We got to see a pile of them all at once with inside anecdotes and spontaneous hilarity.
Dr. Michael Greger, US Humane Society
Other stories from today? Oh, man! Where to start?
Breakfast with Dr. Michael Greger (left), Director of the Humane Society of the U.S. Full of energy and ready to go with an amazing arsenal of research reports from the Clinical Journals, Michael educated and entertained us TWICE today with a wildly informative and entertaining presentation which he delivered game show style.
The facts and jokes were so fast and furious I didn't have time to keep up with my notes!
Dr. John McDougall took stage early today with a jam-packed presentation about diet and Multiple Sclerosis. Deeply woven into the presentation was his work with Dr. Roy Swank, his mentor and inspiration from decades ago, who pioneered investigative research into the connection between diet and M.S. A moving, and quite technical presentation, though quite clear, in Dr. McD's usual well-illustrated style.
Dr. Daphine Miller delivered a fascinating and colorful piece about her work The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets from Around the World.
Daphine Miller and John McDougall grab some chat time before her sho
Daphine traveled all over the world spending time in medical practice, volunteer work, and pure investigation to find out the health secrets of selected cultures and discovered several commonalities: whole foods, simple traditional edibles from their gardens and farms, sense of community, and simplicity.
She had some amazing photographs from Peru, Crete, Camaroon, Iceland, and more.
More surprises! I shared a meal with Ann and Larry Wheat (below) , owners of Millenium (world famous vegan restaurant in San Francisco!) 
Their restaurant (long-standing success at 16 years and running!) according to the buzz is THE place to go for a good meal in San Francisco, no matter what your dietary persuasion. I've got a copy of their menu and more details so that I can put together a great feature for my Healthy Living San Francisco column at examiner.com. Watch for that!
Oh! Millenium chef Stephanie Boston did a LIVE cooking presentation with Savory South Indian Breakfast Foods. And passed around samples. Indian food? BIG fan. Perfect.
Jeff Novick, R.D., amazed us all with his presentation on "Nuts and Health: What the Science Really Says". How he gets all the facts from the papers organized into simple graphs, logical interpretation, and with his usually entertaining and humorous flair is always impressive.
More to tell but it's almost tomorrow and we start EARLY around here. Tomorrow Dr. Dean Ornish, Doug Lisle, John Robbins, more Jeff Novick and John McDougall and Hans Diehl. Whew!
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With the adorable Jeff Novick, R.D., my Nutrition Consultant
The McDougall Advanced Study Weekend is underway! Minutes after my arrival I ran smack dab into Jeff Novick, RD, my Better Bodies for Busy Women Nutrition Consultant. Jeff is on the weekend's agenda with 2 presentations. First, he'll be presenting the findings from his recent research and paper on "Nuts and Health: What The Science Really Says". And I can't wait to hear his "Calorie Density" presentation once more. Always enlightening – and funny.
Dr. McDougall opened the conference with a presentation based on his brilliant paper on colonoscopy – of course after all kinds of good humor about "pre-dinner" topic choice!
Dinner was amazing, and I had the privilege of sitting at the reserved Forums table along with Jeff (Nutrition Expert at McDougall Health and Medical Center) and several other friends from forums.
I think we all went back for seconds. Well, at least I did, and I wasn't the only one elbowing the fast-flying trays of veggie lasagna. Oh, and there was Shepherd's Pie, yams with peanut sauce, summer squash, all the salad, beans, and other fixin's you could want, 2 kinds of soup, tabouleh, and oh! ice cream and brownies for dessert. And I didn't have to cook a minute! Ya- hooooo!
THEN (I can't believe how much has happened already) I met Ann Wheat, owner of the very, VERY famous Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco. I'll track her down tomorrow for more conversation.
Off to evening festivities then with Dr. Hans Diehl, the creator of the brilliant CHIP program – Coronary Health Improvement Program – that has changed the lives of tens of thousands all over the country through a specific curriculum that teaches
Drs. McDougall and Diehl joke about "too much hot air" possibly causing projector overheat and malfunction
eat foods AS they are grown – and exercise, stress reduction, and balanced living. I've been wanting to meet Dr. Diehl since presenting at the local CHIP program and seeing the impact of this powerful program.
Tomorrow's itinerary is jam packed. And of course more great food!
"Health isn't everything, but without it, everything is nothing" ~ Arthur Shopenhauer.
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Is there really a button you can push that instantly makes workouts easier and more effective?
Would that be music to your ears?
The answer is YES. And the "music to your ears" part? Literal.
You Knew It All Along, Didn't You?
Let me ask you a question. Right off the top, if I were to ask you if you enjoy your workouts more with or without music, what would your answer be?
I betting my sweet bippy that your answer would be with music. And we have the research to back up why.
I don't know about you, but when I'm doing my BURST training (see "How To Supercharge Your Energy" in my FREE Fitness Breakthrough Kit), if I lose my tunes I lose my oomph.
And when it comes to going to the edge of muscle challenge with any of my muscle-challenging, body shaping workouts, a music soundtrack invites the extra mile from me.
And now I know it's not just all in my head. The truth about exercise and music is that it can – and does – deliver more intensity to your workouts. And getting the most out of your workout time is high on the list of what busy women who value health and vitality need, am I right?
Pushing the "play" button on your favorite tunes delivery device will give you an effective edge on your workouts.
Bongo Guy, And 4 Ways Tunes Can Transform Your Workouts
Last week at our our picnic lunch at the park, when we showed up there was a lazy, easy summer atmosphere. Families and college students splashing in the creek.
Then the bongo guy showed up. (Doesn't every college town park have one?)
After just a few thumps on the drum, everything sprang into action. Hula hoops magically appeared and spontaneous dance emerged everywhere. You've seen it before. We can count on the drums to get our blood pumping.
It's in our DNA.
Here are 4 ways that music gives your workouts more steam
1) Music reduces in your sensation of fatigue
“Music is like is a legal drug for athletes,” says Costas Karageorghis, Ph.D., from London’s Brunel University School of Sport and Education, one of the world’s leading authorities on music and exercise. “It can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 percent.”
That feeling of music giving power to your workouts tests out in the lab. Music has a way of distracting us from the fatigue sensations that your body delivers.
Call it courage in sound bytes.
2) Music ramps up your motivation
Altering your mind's "in the mood to move" state with music results in increased exercise performanc. An easy way to psych yourself up for grown up P.E.
3) Music improves your motor coordination
Rhythmic music (there's the drum factor again) enhances gross motor tasks, improving exercise performance.
4) Music increases your sense of relaxation
Now, this may sound counter to "exercise intensity". But in practice, this translates to getting into your exercise "groove". Ever danced for hours endlessly and wonder where the time went? Even if your limbs were aquiver by the end of the evening and you were drowning in a pool of dance sweat? See what I mean? Elevated hormones that contribute to being tired during exercise are somehow mitigated by music. This results in better performance.
Bottom line?
The beat of a soundtrack strengthens the fibers of connection between brain and body.
As the beat drives harder, you push harder. Without thinking about it. This is evidenced in the research that clearly shows the perceived exertion during workouts is reduced when you have music to drive you.
You end up working harder and giving more – naturally. The result is more effective workouts that burn more calories and inspire you to push for more muscle.
It's why I comb the music royalty libraries to buy tunes that will add driving fire to the Fit Quickies™ Tracks. And the added plus? Tunes, beat, and music together connect me with my dancer's roots.
Play around with beats and tunes during your workouts. Watch your strength and endurance soar. Not to mention the joy of movement.
Do you find music makes YOUR workouts better? Tell me about it in comments below!
ref:
1) Len Kravitz The Effects of Music on Exercise Performance.
2) Carl FosterPhD, John Pocari, Phd, and Mark Anders, Exploring the Effects of Exercise Intensity
© Lani Muelrath 2010
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