John Di Bartolo's House of Step » Uncategorized

Fake smiling not good for you

admin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:59:00 +0000

In what may come as a blow to those who work in customer service oriented industries, a recent study shows that people forced to put on a happy face when they’re not feeling happy are harming their own health. If indeed this discovery is true, it’s at odds with the old advice that smiling is good for you, even if it isn’t genuine.

It should be noted that the study was performed in Germany, a country for which the “problem” of fake smiling does not seem to be an issue.

Tokyo train hell

admin — Sat, 24 May 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Jesus. And I thought the 1 train during rush hour was bad.

Girl told by Wii she’s not wee

admin — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:05:00 +0000

It was only a matter of time. A 10-year-old girl was categorized as “fat” by her Wii Fit, and now the National Obesity Forum is calling for the game to be banned from being played by children. Apparently her Body Mass Index (a questionable way of determining one’s fitness level) was determined to be too high despite claims from her father that she’s an active and healthy child.

Nintendo has apologized but will not place a warning on the game.

Wii Fit makes you fit… a wee bit

admin — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:58:00 +0000

The “Wiimote,” the revolutionary controller that comes with the Nintendo Wii gaming console, is basically a wireless wand that players wave in the air to control the action on the screen. Popular games like tennis are enough to work up even the laziest couch potato into a sweat.

The Wii Fit takes this side effect and makes it into a goal. The package includes a small platform that you step on, balance on, do yoga moves on, etc., while the software coaches you from your TV screen. You can do anything from boxing to yoga to (gasp!) aerobics.

Is my job in jeopardy? Unlikely. Although the Wii Fit will certainly get your heart pumping more than the average video game, it’s really only going to benefit fitness amateurs. Anyone who has set foot in a gym will probably find the Wii Fit fun but unchallenging.

Although I haven’t used one myself, I can’t imagine that a platform (and sometimes the wand) provides enough feedback and motivation for the user to truly learn proper form for exercises. As a first step, however, The Wii Fit, is an impressive application of technology to health. Surely as the level of technology increases, so will the similarity of the product to a true fitness experience.

Another last-minute sub

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:14:00 +0000

Apologies for the last-minute sub, guys. I got chosen to serve on a jury, and the hours we are required to be available run too close to my Friday class. (After Friday, this won’t be a problem any more.)

Good news. We’re cool again.

admin — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:16:00 +0000

Back in 2004, New York Magazine declared that “step is in again.” In the past four years, either the writers had a lapse of memory or step once again fell out of fashion because, once again, it appears that step is in.

I’m sure this comes as a relief to many of you. Far be it from us to follow an outdated fitness trend.

Sports bottles potentially unsafe

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Do you use a refillable plastic water bottle during class? You may want to consider throwing it away.

Polycarbonate plastic is durable, hard, and clear, so it is often used in sports water bottles as well as baby bottles. The problem is that this type of plastic contains a chemical called bisphenol-a (or BPA for short) which has been linked to unhealthy hormone changes in animals. The effect on humans is still unknown, but there’s no reason to believe we’re safe.

The Canadian government has recently declared BPA a toxic chemical. In response to this, Nalgene has stopped making these potentially unsafe bottles and has replaced them with bottles made from a new BPA-free plastic. (They maintain that BPA is safe and state the change is only due to customer demand.)

Your best bet? Play it safe and swap your old plastic bottle out for a newer one. Better yet, get one made of stainless steel.

More fitness crapola

admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:13:00 +0000

Apparently swiveling back an forth on a $175 barstool will help you lose body fat, improve your immune system, and help you combat everything from depression to premature death. Such are the claims by the good folks over at RedExerciser.net. Based on this video clip, however, the side effects of the Red Exerciser appear to be loss of dignity as well as loss of ability to count backwards from twenty.

Enough with the water, already!

admin — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 19:25:00 +0000

From time to time, I get reminded of the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. When I decide to follow this regimen, it comes with a wonderful side effect — peeing eight times an hour. For this reason, it’s usually not long before I go back to my under-hydrated ways.

“But water helps flush out those toxins and improves skin tone,” you say to me. “It can curb your appetite as well as cure a headache!”

Well your guilt trip won’t work on me any longer. Although not drinking when you’re thirsty is certainly not good for you, there is apparently no evidence supporting the claims that drinking excess water will improve your health. This surprising bit of news comes in an editorial in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. (Nephrology is the study of the kidney, so these people might know a thing or two about water.)

This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no benefit to drinking lots of water. Perhaps there is something to be gained, but more studies need to be done in this area before any conclusions can be drawn.

iPod + Fitness

admin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Aside from allowing us to listen to music on the treadmill, what could an iPod possibly have to do with fitness?

I was talking with a member once about ways to combat boredom in the weight room. My advice to him was to listen to podcasts during his workout. Sure, music is a nice mood-booster, but I personally need something more substantial to keep my brain busy while lifting. My favorite podcasts to listen to: This American Life, Radio Lab, Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, and This Week in Tech. All of these and thousands more are free, so if you haven’t figured out the whole podcast thing yet, crawl out of that rock you’ve been living under and get busy.

To call podcasts a “fitness” application of the iPod is a bit of stretch. There are, however, more direct ways to use an iPod to help you workout. PumpOne (formerly called PumpPod) is a company which sells videos of workouts that can be played on any video-enabled iPod. To take it a step further, Apple and Nike partnered together to create the Nike+ running program which, with the addition of a sensor to a specially equipped Nike sneaker, is able to monitor and record your running progress.

Now, in what appears to be the next logical move, Apple appears to be expanding on the Nike + iPod idea to create a “digital fitness companion.” From what I can gather, the plan is to make the iPod (with additional hardware to provide feedback) into a mini personal trainer.

Creepy? Just a bit. Cool? Absolutely.