I’m back! Like a fighter who can’t stay away from the sport he loves, I am resuming my weekly wellness column for the Patch. Fortunately, the editor thought it was a good idea, and since I’ve met and had great feedback about the column from several readers since I went on hiatus, I’m hoping you feel the same, and that like the proverbial slugger, I’ll know when it’s time to hang it up for good! A colleague who knows me well and is always a great source of inspiration suggested a good topic for this first one back: Re-starting an exercise program. How should you do it? What should you do? …

Because of some recent changes at Patch, today’s column will be my last. It’s been an adventure and a privilege to share my thoughts and ideas with you, and to get your always welcome feedback on my musings. I started writing for Patch during a time of rapid and significant transition in my life. Over less than a year, I turned 49, opened a new exercise studio, and, with my family, I put down my 13 year old female dog Hanna. I also separated from my wife, and said goodbye to my dear friend Grace, who introduced me to the Patch while she was a periodic contributor. My editors and co-…

From time to time, I’m put in the potentially awkward position of either corroborating or dispelling an assertion made by a client’s previous trainer or past or current sport coach. The following recent exchange documents one such occasion. Client: If I wasn’t a swimmer, what would you recommend for my workout schedule (besides your recommended strength training)? Me: Other than swimming, the aerobic activities that best integrate the three most important principles (minimal impact, fluid rhythm, arms and legs recruited simultaneously) include: Elliptical trainer Bike with arm sweeps or …

Pleasanton resident Paul Southern is no stranger to the world of fitness. After years as a fitness trainer, and owning nutritional supplement store Active Nutrition in the Trader Joe’s plaza from 2000 to 2006, he now owns the local Crossfit facility, ReActive Gym. Paul graduated from Foothill High School in 1990, then Park University and was a bodybuilder, a marine and is now a proud father, as this video demonstrating a charming but unorthodox promotional strategy clearly shows. I met Paul about 12 years ago when we both worked at Clubsport Pleasanton. He was a trainer there and I was the …

When my oldest son, now 21, asked me years ago who would win a fight between a boxer, a wrestler and a martial artist, I answered something like this: “Depends on how far away they are from each other.” I know it sounds like a copout, but it’s truly apples and oranges, except for some very specific parameters, in my opinion. All things being equal, as a person with experience boxing, very little with martial arts and none with wrestling, I wouldn’t want to be far enough from a martial artist to get caught with a full-steam kick before I got off a punch, or leave my jab hanging out long enough…

There was a visceral feeling of breathless anticipation in the air. An event of epic proportions and unparalleled importance was about to begin – my daughter’s seventh birthday party was upon us. Last year we’d held it at Val Vista Park. The prevailing wisdom at that time was that there was plenty for kids to do — no loud music the parents would have to talk over, and we wouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage to finance it. But here in Pleasanton, you walk a thin line trying to pull off two of those econo-parties in a row. Parents can’t really expect kids to come to their backyard to pin…

Running and Swimming – For generations, but even more so in the past few decades, running has been a popular exercise choice. The simplicity and minimal reliance on equipment and facilities are only part of the reason. For many runners, the stress-reducing meditative aspect of running is its primary appeal. But there’s no getting around the by-product of impact and sheer force on the lower body joints. The right shoes http://pleasanton.patch.com/articles/learning-how-to-run-well-at-fleet-feet can help, and so can backing off on mileage and frequency if you’re overdoing it. But swimming as a …

1. Fitness and weight loss are not the same things. I currently have two of my fittest clients ever; one is at a very healthy body composition (high teens – very lean for a woman in her fifties), and one has, shall we say, opportunity remaining to be exploited in that arena. But the truth is that the gentleman to which I’m referring is very strong and has a solid core that will safeguard against the back problems most Americans develop at some point. He also has a very high aerobic threshold, significantly lowering his risk of cardiovascular disease, our country’s most prolific killer. So, …

(Tri Valley Healthy Living is on hiatus this week. It will return next Wednesday). If you want to read about Patrh Contributor Dan Taylor's new studio, Tri Valley Trainer, visit his blog. Located on Stanley Boulevard between California and First Street, it will service mostly individual clients for private training, but also offer a few small, special interest group fitness classes such as Zumba, Pilates and boxing conditioning.

I love to eat. No, I really love to eat. And since I work out regularly and intensely, and because I eat pretty “clean” – meaning I practice the habits I advocate in this column of focusing on small amounts frequently consisting of nutrient-dense foods – I eat a lot. But the dilemma I face is that I have a very irregular schedule and am often in transit or sitting at my computer with little or no time to prepare a meal or even a simple snack. That’s how I started building the list below. Everything on the list is healthy, balanced and pretty easy to handle while driving. One exception may be …

As I write this column, I’m feeling just about every muscle in my body and I’m dog-tired. Why? Well, I’m preparing to open a new fitness training studio (more on that next week), and have been painting and preparing the flooring. And let me tell you about that flooring! The carpet that was in there, underneath the most recent layer, was 18 years old, nasty and glued to the concrete sub-flooring with an adhesive that Superman couldn’t tear apart. But Jose, with his trusty industrial scraper (and five blade changes) was able to make quick work of it – if you call four hours quick work. So what …

Q: Should I feel sore after every workout? A: No. First, let’s look at the idea of exercise-related pain from a broader view. There are actually several aspects to this phenomenon. Let’s first deal with and then put aside pre-workout discomfort. Is it an unpleasant thought to consider working out before you actually start? That could be because you’re just getting started and your body is still adjusting to the rigors of regular training. The physical part of that gets easier with consistency and as the body adapts to the process of consistent challenge. It could also be that you just don’t …

It’s not unusual, when evaluating my clients’ initial eating habits, that I see an opportunity to correct a common nutrition misconception. That’s the myth of the high-protein diet as the be-all, end-all in achieving a firm, athletic physique. How much is too much? Well, that depends on your size, what you’re trying to accomplish and your level of volume and intensity of exercise. But here’s the dirty little secret: It doesn’t vary that much based on the last two factors – only moderately. Why is that? Don’t we all have to eat tons of protein and limit carbohydrates to keep blood sugar low …

Because of some fairly recent and fundamental changes in my life, I’ve found myself deeply examining the definition of the concept of value of late. At nearly 50 years old, I’m finally getting very clear about the qualities of my life and the way I want to live that make for a fuller, richer and more purposeful experience. And it’s not just for my own benefit that I’m focusing on these issues. It is no less than the legacy I want to leave my three beautiful children; the living example of what I hope for them and even expect they will create in their lives. Health is a major element in the …

Q: What burns more calories per hour, swimming or running? A: When you talk about which activities burn more or fewer calories, there are two “whys” that need to be answered before anyone can provide a meaningful answer. The first is why you’re asking. What’s the information going to do for you? If your objective is weight loss, which is the reason most people would ask a question like this, then it’s important to frame the question with a prequalifying statement. So here it is – no matter how many calories you burn doing a given exercise, you still have to address your eating habits if you …

If your goal is to be fit and lean, there’s no getting around mastering your eating habits to emphasize "clean" calories: a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein grams for a given calorie count. The best way to achieve such calories is to eat nearly all veggies, fruit and whole grains. For protein, it's best to eat lean meat, low fat dairy, legumes and/or soy. That focus, and keeping empty calories like sugar, high fat (especially animal fats) and alcohol to an absolute minimum is the key to a flat, firm abdomen. But it’s also good if you can keep the costs down to a …

Can a person be fit and fat? First, let’s define both terms. It’s not that easy if you consider the many conflicting, subjective and emotionally charged versions of both terms. So let’s attempt to provide an easily understood working definition that most people can agree upon: Fit – a level of physical capacity and body composition that exemplifies a high level, relative to the general population, of stamina, strength-to-body weight, flexibility, core stability and leanness. Practical examples of each include: being able to hurry up three flights of stairs without being completely out of …

Swinging light dumbbells at your sides while walking adds almost no calorie burn. But adding broad, sweeping arm movements with no additional weight (like snow angels and sweeping salutations) and modest hills to your walk can more than double the fat you melt. Dirt-cheap packaged ramen noodles have very little nutritional value by themselves, but folding in an egg while the noodles are boiling and then frozen peas or mixed veggies makes it a doubly filling, healthy, complete meal. You should allow at least two to three days between strength training the same muscle groups. Eating a Granny …

Q: If your goal is to lose body fat, shouldn’t you always stay in the “fat-burning” zone that’s displayed on the cardio machine? A: The short answer is no. If you have no medical restrictions, working out at a higher level of intensity is better for a number of reasons. I’ll explain why a little later, but first let’s look at where the idea of the fat-burning zone comes from. We basically have three substrates, or calorie-containing energy sources: carbohydrates, protein and fat. There are more than twice as many calories in fat as in the other two and carbohydrates are, by far, the body’s …

Having recently initiated a radical change in my life, I find myself examining more closely some of the ways I’ve created the kinds of obstacles for myself that I usually counsel my clients about. Most people have some experience with struggling to better themselves. The problem is that two nasty cohorts work with the roadblocks that can sideline those efforts: denial and lack of objectivity. Add to that fact that it’s a pretty hefty hit to the ego to admit that we are creating our own limitations and you have a nice recipe for projection, avoidance, or both. I know I’m on shaky ground when I…