The 7th Habit: Sharpen the Saw
Author, teacher, and management consultant, Dr. Stephen Covey, died in 2012 due to complications related to a bicycle accident. In 1996, Covey was named one of the top 25 most influential people in the country by Time magazine.
Iron Sharpens Iron
Rick and I are in East Lansing Michigan this weekend to attend our first ever Michigan State University football game. We have an infinity for the Spartans because we've been influenced
Why Do I Strength Train?
Most people don't know the answer to this question (even people who are self-described fitness fanatics). To be clear, they understand what drew them to strength training in the first place, but they really don't understand the benefits of a properly performed strength-training program. This is true of "beginners" as well as most fitness zealots.
Cardio doesn't do what we think (or hope) it does
It's the prevailing myth that so many fitness enthusiasts still cling to: Cardio will help me lose weight. For nearly 12 years, we at Discover Strength have worked at combatting this misnomer. I don't think we've been very effective. Not a day goes by where I don't hear clients mention that they need to increase their cardio to really start improving their body composition. In full disclosure, I love cardio. In fact, I have a bias toward cardio. I run marathons and I do cardio religiously five days per week. I'm almost rooting for cardio to be effective for weight loss. However, I'm also aware of what the research continually tells us:
Cardio doesn't do what we all think it does.
That is, cardio isn't effective for weight or fat loss. If we survey all the people on a treadmill, elliptical machine, in a spin class, or in a kickboxing class, and we ask them, "What's your objective?" 99% of the answers will be along the lines of, "To lose weight" or, "burn calories." Stated otherwise, we're all using cardio to help us lose weight; but cardio simply doesn't help people lose weight. What is cardio good for? As the name implies, cardio is great for improving cardiovascular fitness and function and potentially mitigating cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Cardio IS valuable, but not for the reasons most of us perform it.
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