Here are some tips for preventing injury from shoveling snow:

• Warm up first and take frequent breaks.

• Lift small shovelfuls; don't pack up the entire shovel.

• Do not twist. Move your legs to turn instead of twisting at the waist.

• Push instead of lifting if you can.

• Use a push shovel or one with a bent handle that lightens the load.

• Use your legs for lifting, not your back. The biggest muscle in your body is the gluteus maximus (your butt muscle). Use it!

• Bend your knees.

• If at all possible, do not lift and toss snow overhead (or above shoulder height).

 
Best advice: If you can, get someone else to shovel for you!
 

I thought it might be fun to share my Thanksgiving menu, since so many clients and friends ask what I make. And I thought it would be even more fun to let you vote on which recipe(s) you'd like me to share in future newsletters. Vote in the Comments section below. You may vote for more than one recipe, but please, one vote per recipe per person.

First, what you won't see in my menu: no dairy products or ingredients (dietary restrictions), no stuffing (none of my guests like it and I don't want to be tempted with an entire batch for myself). Also, missing are dinner rolls and gravy (we just don't eat rolls and don't like gravy smothering the turkey). We are all health-conscious and weight-conscious, but we love food. You might even say that for some of us, eating is our hobby.

[drumroll, please...]

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Salad with mezclun greens, Granny Smith apple wedges, dried cranberries, candied pecans; homemade lemon vinaigrette and apple cider vinaigrette dressings

Carrot, parsnip, and leek soup

Roast turkey breast (because we're too small a party for a whole bird)

Baked sweet potatoes (plain, no recipe needed)
Cranberry-apple relish
Glazed rainbow carrots and pearl onions
Lemon-herb roasted golden beets with rosemary
Lemon green beans
Roasted brussels sprouts
Roasted cauliflower

Apple cake (made by a guest, recipe not available for sharing)

If you're having trouble getting started or staying on track with an exercise program, consider working out with a friend 
Here are some benefits to working out with a pal:

• Camaraderie
• Moral support
• Peer pressure to stay on track
• Cost: less expensive than a private session (if you hire a trainer)
• Variety: add in some 2-person exercises
• Fun

Here are some tips for safe raking:

• Warm up with light activity for 5-10 minutes.
•  Use a rake that’s the right size.
  
• Wear gloves to protect your hands and wear shoes with good traction.
• Use good body mechanics: Engage your abdominals, bend from your knees and not from your waist, don’t twist, and keep the rake close to your body.
•  Pace yourself; don’t try to do it all in one day.
•  Keep yourself hydrated, and stretch afterwards.

 
If you don’t feel physically up to the task, hire a trainer to help you get in shape. After all, you don’t want to injure yourself raking so that you can’t shovel snow in a few months.

Here's an oldie but goodie:

Subject: Exercise Diary
 
For my birthday this year my wife purchased me a week of private lessons at the local health club. Though still in great shape from when I was on the varsity chess team in high school, I decided it was a good idea to go ahead and try it. I called and made reservations with someone named Tanya, who said she is a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and athletic clothing model. My wife seemed very pleased with how enthusiastic I was to get started. They suggested I keep an "exercise diary" to chart my progress.
 
Day 1.
Started the morning at 6:00 AM. Tough to get up, but worth it when I arrived at the health club and Tanya was waiting for me. She's something of a goddess, with blond hair and a dazzling white smile. She showed me the machines and took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She seemed a little alarmed that it was so high, but I think just standing next to her in that outfit of hers added about ten points. Enjoyed watching the aerobics class. Tanya was very encouraging as I did my sit ups, though my gut was already aching a little from holding it in the whole time I was talking to her. This is going to be GREAT.
 
Day 2.
Took a whole pot of coffee to get me out the door, but I made it. Tanya had me lie on my back and push this heavy iron bar up into the air. Then she put weights on it, for heaven's sake! Legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made it the full mile. Her smile made it all worth while.  Muscles ALL feel GREAT.

Day 3.
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the tooth brush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I am certain that I have developed a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer. I parked on top of a Volkswagen. Tanya was a little impatient with me and said my screaming was bothering the other club members. The treadmill hurt my chest so I did the stair monster. Why would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by the invention of elevators?  Tanya told me regular exercise would make me live longer. I can't imagine anything worse.
 
Day 4.
Tanya was waiting for me with her vampire teeth in a full snarl. I can't help it if I was half an hour late, it took me that long just to tie my shoes. She wanted me to lift dumbbells. Not a chance, Tanya. The word "dumb" must be in there for a reason. I hid in the men's room until she sent Lars looking for me. As punishment she made me try the rowing machine. It sank.
 
Day 5.
I hate Tanya more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. If there was any part of my body not in extreme pain I would hit her with it. She thought it would be a good idea to work on my triceps. Well I have news for you Tanya - I don't have triceps. And if you don't want dents in the floor don't hand me any barbells. I refuse to accept responsibility for the damage, YOU went to sadist school, YOU are to blame. The treadmill flung me back into a science teacher, which hurt like crazy. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like a music teacher, or social studies?
 
Day 6.
Got Tanya's message on my answering machine, wondering where I am. I lacked the strength to use the TV remote so I watched eleven straight hours of the weather channel.
 
Day 7.
Well, that's the week. Thank goodness that's over. Maybe next time my wife will give me something a little more fun, like a gift certificate for a root canal.
 

Exercise isn’t just about pumping up your muscles; it also makes you smarter.
 
Here are four ways you can increase your brain power through exercise:

1. Improve immediate mental performance with quick-and-dirty exercises such as jumping rope or running in place.
   
2. Reduce and prevent depression through sustained, moderate exercise three times a week.
   
3. Pick up a new sport or skill. A workout that requires hand-eye coordination or fancy footwork can help your brain cells grow and improve your concentration skills.
   
4. To retain your memory, do some mild activity every day such as short walks, gardening, cooking, or cleaning.
   

 Want to get smarter? Pump up your brain.
 

The 5 most beautiful words in the English language: it doesn’t hurt any more.
 
I am neither a physical therapist nor a rehab expert. But often pain is caused by weakness. Building strength is how I can help people reduce pain.
 
For example, as I always do, I checked in with a client before starting our workout so I could determine what, if any modifications would be needed.
 
"How’s your shoulder?"
--- It doesn’t hurt any more.
 
"How’s your lower back?"
--- It doesn’t hurt any more.
 
"How’s your knee?"
--- It doesn’t hurt any more. It hasn’t hurt since we started working together.
 
The 5 most beautiful words in the English language: it doesn’t hurt any more.

 Failure is good!
 
Lifters sometimes train to failure. For maximal strength gains, occasionally attempting a lift you know you cannot perform challenges every muscle fiber and sets you up to successfully make that lift in the future.
 
Before you try this at home: you must be able to lower the weight with control. This is called a negative. And you must have a capable spotter, unlike the guy in the cartoon above.
 
Viewing failure as a goal is an attitude adjustment you can take outside the gym, too.
 
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” ― Truman Capote

People often ask me, “What’s the secret to making progress in strength training?” In a word: consistency.

Working out once a week, or once every two or three weeks, just doesn’t cut it. Your body needs time and repetition to adapt to the physiological stress caused by exercise.
 
A successful fitness program is progressive, meaning it builds, systematically, on previous sessions.
 
You need to do strength training 2-3 times a week, week after week, month after month, with just an occasional week off to rest your body. Those who make progress make time to work out.
 
Notice I did not say, “find time” to work out, because if you’re passively looking for the time, you won’t find it. You have to make the time, by scheduling it, on a regular basis, in your calendar.
 
My clients know that I’ve blocked off times in my week for my own workouts, and that I treat them with the sanctity of a doctor’s appointment. In fact, the only appointment I will schedule in those time slots are for medical appointments that I can’t schedule any other time. I’ve followed this practice for 20 years. Trust me, it works.

In the last post I recommended Better than Before, a book about habits. The advantage of a habit is that it requires no thought or decision-making; you just do it automatically, such as brushing your teeth and hair.
 
The people who get the best results and who achieve their fitness goals soonest are those who make exercise a habit. They say, “I walk 20 minutes at lunch time and 30 minutes after dinner. Strength training is Mondays and Wednesdays. Water aerobics Tuesdays. Yoga Friday.” They have a regular routine and just do it.