Dish-Houston

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR SAMIR BECIC:

             In the 21^st Century, the health and medical industry is going to have a reawakening. As time progresses, the correlation between fitness, media, politics and religion is becoming blatantly apparent.

            The more we understand how society works, the more obvious the parallels between these areas begin to intersect, affect each other and their functions in society.  The way that fitness impacts the health and medical industry is greatly influenced by politics and agendas marketed through the media.  Considering that 60-70% of known illnesses can be managed, controlled, or completely avoided with fitness, healthy nutrition and spiritual balance, we still need to convince politicians to support this idealism through any means available to them, and motivate the media to spread the message. 

Even though we are witnessing influence from politics and media on the health and medical industry of today, it is not revolutionary enough.  I would personally like this influence to be in spreading the message of healthy lifestyle and its impact on the masses.  Considering that we are the most obese country in the world, and statistics are showing that by 2015 over 75% of Americans will be overweight- the right message from politics and media can be a breaking point in a positive direction towards a healthier and fitter America.  More media personalities need to be aware of how healthier lifestyle can have a positive impact on American society and how their influence as ambassadors for healthy living can be crucial in changing this nation towards being a leader in health and fitness.

Political leaders can be one of the building blocks towards attaining healthy lifestyle in mainstream America.  Their influence in making the laws and their presence in media can be imperative towards exciting the masses into changing their nutrition for the better and being more physically active.  Coupled with corporations, politicians can produce the necessary financial means to support the media in starting to become more proactive in providing the exposure needed to make wide-ranging changes towards a healthier U.S.  Through having a healthier workforce, corporations will also see great added benefits to supporting the new health and fitness movement.

            Based on statistics, such as for every $1 spent on wellness initiatives, corporations can save as high as $10, we can conclude that healthy employees benefit the employer.  Conversely, we can conclude that the money that corporations spend on employees’ unhealthy lifestyle is so high that it can determine the future existence of the company and standing of the employees’ job security.  On the other hand, if the company did not have such astronomical health costs, that money could be used for improving the quality of the workplace, more benefits for the employees, and possible higher income.  The new emergence in the corporate world is the Religious non-profit sector such as the “Super Churches” that have enormous influence on its followers- which is a substantial portion of the population.

            The Mega-Churches of today hold a strong influence on the general opinion of mainstream America.  Followers look for daily guidance from pastors and heads of ministries on the best way to live their lives and raise their families.  It is enormously important to provide the churches with the correct knowledge on fitness and proper nutrition so they can influence and better their members lives.  I am glad that some mega-churches are currently trying to do this and are already having very respectable results in the field.  One of these churches is Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, which continuously provides their members with educational materials, programs, and motivation to live healthier and fitter for themselves and their families.  It also helps that Joel Osteen himself is a very fit man, that in addition to his spiritual guidance, he also inspires people to live healthier lives.  I see that several national churches are following Lakewood’s admirable example, and I truly believe that even more will follow suit.

            With this being said, it becomes apparent that all the segments of society need to be rearhwakened and re-educated in terms of what “truly” makes a population healthy.  To achieve this, we need all the factors mentioned above to work in a synergetic manner to accomplish the greater good in terms of health and fitness on a national level.  In the past, there were too many quick-fixes, like short-lived diets and “magic” weight-loss pills that didn’t work- the proof is in in 11% obesity rate increase over the past decade.  With proper education in fitness and healthy nutrition- a.k.a. Healthy Lifestyle- we can change the significance of what health means to the United States citizens.  The Health and Fitness Revolution will change the public opinion towards long-term healthy lifestyle instead of short-lived trends.

By DISH Contributor Samir Becic:

Since the beginning of time, humanity has depended on fitness.  “Survival of the fittest” was especially crucial throughout history and the evolution and humankind.

Throughout the prehistoric ages, man used his body as a tool for hunting and gathering and survival.  Today, although man is no longer driven to fitness in order to sustain life in the primitive sense, the modern man uses fitness to encompass health and well-being.   It is important to understand the evolution of health and fitness to mankind throughout the ages to fully comprehend its fundamental necessity in today’s society and the foundation to the modern fitness movement.

                From the time of the primitive man until about 2500 B.C. fitness was used as a necessary tool for hunting and gathering.  As time progressed towards the birth of Jesus, fitness was not solely used for sustainability but became necessary in order to maintain the biggest empires in the world, through military strength.

            Some of the biggest ancient empires in the world, including: Persian empire, Macedonian empire, and Roman empire were built on an extremely fitness oriented mentality.  Physical fitness was of the number one importance to ensure the strength and longevity of their empires.  It is of no surprise that all of them collapsed because of deterioration of physical fitness with the birth of extravagant lifestyles.

            The Greek-Macedonian Empire is still today regarded as one of the fittest empires to date.  In Greece, the Spartans were and still are viewed as the personification of extreme fitness.  Because of this, the Spartan army was one of the deadliest armies the world has ever known.

            By contrast, the Chinese and Indian empires used fitness not only for military purposes but also for health.  Their political and philosophical leaders, including Confucius were encouraging people to partake in exercise in order to prevent certain diseases like heart disease and diabetes. They discovered that through yoga and martial arts, they not only became fitter, but also healthier- this was the crucial breakthrough in the history of mankind.  For the first time, fitness became a known to cure many physical ailments.

            During the Renaissance period, an intellectual expansion occurred, so did a curriculum of physical fitness and fitness philosophy. Many intellectual thinkers of the time, such as John Locke, Martin Luther, and Richard Mulcaster maintained the positive correlation between fitness and intellect.

            After the Renaissance came the National period in Europe, which was marked by the first modern fitness movement of gymnastics.  This came at a time when nationalism was prevalent in Europe which inspired many gymnastic experts to develop their own programs.

-         Germany: Johann Guts Muths and Friedrich Jahn believed that through gymnastic programs, Germans could be fitter and more resilient against foreign invasion.

-         Sweden: Per Henrik Ling developed gymnastic programs for educational, military, and medical use.

-         Denmark: Frank Nachtegall spread gymnastic programs throughout the school systems.

-         England: Archibald Maclaren spread the benefits of fitness and regular exercise to breed a healthier and stronger youth.

-         America: based its methods on the popular European training styles of the time.  Benjamin Franklin was a strong proponent of maintain regular exercise for health purposes.

The industrialization period in the U.S. and Europe was marked by a more sedentary lifestyle and an increase in deaths due to the increase of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Type II Diabetes.  This was a significantly important as proof that physical inactivity was strongly correlated with an increase of diseases and illnesses.

In the early 20^th Century, we noticed a new movement in gymnastics and general fitness throughout the western world.  Western world leaders urged and encouraged their citizens to be physically active for the purpose of national security and the health of their nations.

During the roaring Twenties comfort and fun was put ahead of exercise and fitness became viewed as less important.  Soon after that, the Great Depression hit, and fitness continued to be less emphasized than the growing financial crisis.  Therefore, a general lack of health became a growing trend during this time period. 

With this being said, we can clearly see throughout history that there is a correlation between lack of physical fitness and economical decline. 

The Modern fitness movement, as we know it today, evolved from the military competition between the nations during WWII and the cold war.  It was becoming clear that men were not physically fit to serve their countries in military service during the draft.  The people that developed the new fitness movement were visionaries such as Jack Lalanne, who is regarded as the father of American Fitness. Presidents like John F. Kennedy were strong believer in fitness for health, emphasizing fitness as the “basis for all other forms of excellence.”

Being in the health and fitness industry my entire life, and working for the biggest fitness corporation in the world at the time, I witnessed major changes in how people view fitness and healthy lifestyle today versus 15 years ago.  The Health and Fitness Revolution is happening and healthy lifestyle will be a major force and grow to epic proportions in the health industry of tomorrow.

In the 21^st Century, fitness, proper nutrition and spiritual balance will be the basic fundamental of healthy living and will make a major impact on how we view the health industry. In the next 10 to 20 years, these components will become even more significant and will change how fitness and healthy lifestyle is viewed in the health and medical industry.  There is a famous Latin saying “historia est magistra vitae” which suggests that history is life’s teacher.  Holding this true, we should acknowledge that economical prosperity and national security are dependent on the physical health of a nations’ population and that with physical activity, healthy nutrition, and spiritual balance we can manage, control, or completely avoid 60-70 % of known illnesses.

*This article is based on the research of the University of New Mexico by Lance C. Dalleck, M.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.

Hey DISHIES! Want tight, beautiful legs and tushy like the Rockets Power Dancers??

DISH Trainer Cari Shoemate shows us how with Yasmine!

DEFINE Body and Mind, Houston’s most results producing and transforming workout studio announces the opening of their 4^th location, located in  West University. The studio will offer DEFINE’s signature DEFINEbody (ballet barre) exercise class combining Pilates, yoga, and core strengthening.  They will also be offering two new services:  a new full body rhythm based cycling class, along with a new demonstration kitchen to bring food education and health-supportive cooking classes to further balance clients healthy lifestyles.

“At DEFINE, we want our clients to see the results not only physically, but in every aspect of their lives,” said Henry Richardson, Founder and Lead Instructor of DEFINE: body&mind. “At the West University location, we are taking our services to the next level for Houstonians.  There will be something for everyone as we aim to help every client DEFINE their balance.”

At the corner of Bissonnett and Kirby, the new studio offers a new trademarked class, DEFINErevolution. DEFINE’s take on indoor cycling incorporates the ultra-effectiveness of their DEFINEbody class onto the bike, combining principles of isometrics with cardio blasting high intensity fun.  For 45 minutes DEFINErevolution incorporates choreographed movements to high-energy music on a stationary bike for a full body workout.

In addition to the revolution class, the fitness studio welcomes another novel concept to the brand, DEFINEfoods. Between the two studios at the West University location, a demo kitchen offers workshops and cooking classes highlighting healthy eating practices. 

DEFINE West University will be the fourth location opened under the leadership of Henry Richardson. The business-savvy, fitness expert, who was named by Houston Magazine as Houston’s “Fitness Guru” and recently named as one of Houston Business Journal’s 40 under 40, welcomes Erin O’ Leary Stewart as a co-owner in his latest venture.

Erin O’ Leary Stewart is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City. Erin has spent time working in the raw food and vegan kitchen at Pure Food and Wine and owned and operated her own healthy cookie and granola company, O’Cookies Wholesome Bites. She danced professionally in the performing arts world and instructed ballet-barre classes at Physique 57 in New York. Erin brings this expertise to DEFINE West University by providing food education and health-supportive cooking classes to further balance healthy lifestyles. She will also be a lead instructor of DEFINEbody and DEFINErevolution classes.

DEFINE West University is located at 2518 Bissonnet. DEFINE offers products and services that are specifically designed to help each client look and feel their best. Signature classes, DEFINEbody and DEFINEmind, strengthen and lengthen the entire body with a combination of Pilates, ballet and yoga to fitting and current music. Classes are offered seven days a week from passionate and enthusiastic instructors with a time schedule to fit any lifestyle. www.DEFINEbody.com.

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR CARI SHOEMATE:

Spring is here again and this is the perfect time to reevaluate your workout routine! Many of you probably made resolutions or set some goals at the beginning of the year and now it's time to ask yourself if you are happy with your results. If you aren't...it's probably because you didn't have a good plan or maybe you did but just didn't stick with it. One of the main reasons people don't stick to their workouts is because they get bored or aren't excited to do them.

Also, after a certain period of time your body gets used to those same movements and weights you are using every week and you will stop seeing results. The solution is to change things up! This is always a good idea and I recommend making some sort of major change every 3-6 months and minor changes every 2-3 weeks. For major changes that could mean changing gyms or doing your workouts in a new place. If you have nice weather, take advantage of it and do some of your workouts outside! A change of scenery (indoors or out) can do wonders for you workouts.

Another big change you can make are trying a different workout time and make sure to fit it in your schedule. Or, try a new workout partner. If you are happy with all of those elements, then try making some small, minor changes every few weeks to spice things up. Try a new class at your gym, try a new technique like drop-sets, use cross-training or buy an interval timer. Remember that change is good and its necessary if you want to grow and strengthen both your mind and body!

For More workout tips from Pro Cari Shoemate, visit her website Cari-Fit.com