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Source: Courtesy of DeAnna Baldwin / DB

If you met DeAnna Baldwin a few years ago, the 34-year-old Los Angeles native and former basketball player was a serious meat eater. She could wake up in the morning and consume a whole steak for breakfast like it was nothing, and would scarf down hot links before a big game, assuming all the physical activity would keep her from putting on too much weight. But if you get to know her now, she wouldnt touch any of that.

I dont think that I would ever eat another piece of meat, she told me over the phone.

Baldwin is now vegan, and shes never felt better. The headaches that used to plague her before have virtually disappeared since she went plant-based, and in the last 18 months, shes managed to shed about 100 pounds of weight that caught up with her in her late twenties. She made the change all because she wanted to fuel her body better, and at the same time, respect the animals she at one time loved to eat.

I am very conscious about the types of foods I put in my body, making sure its organic, making sure it doesnt contain any animal products and really focusing on mental clarity as well, she said. I think the first step for me was being mentally ready to change my life and lifestyle.

We talked to Baldwin about how she was able to make the jump from loving a good hunk of meat to passing it up for a fully plant-based diet, how her body has transformed both inside and out, and how truly, if she could go vegan, anybody can.

MadameNoire: In the time that you were playing ball, how were you treating your body when it came to food, and how would you describe your build?

DeAnna Baldwin: During college I really wasnt the best eater, but you know your metabolism is a lot higher so I did more workouts to compensate for that. We worked out seven days a week, lots of cardio so it really didnt catch up to me until I hit about late twenties. During that time, I started powerlifting and I was getting really bulky, but it wasnt the healthiest. I was also in grad school so I had a lot of stress, so that was my way of releasing it.

So how did you end up going vegan?

What I did was, I started valuing the things that I was eating. I had a friend, and we were talking about changing over to a plant-based diet or vegan diet, so I started by cutting out all meats and only ate dairy, as far as cheese and egg whites, in a month. I just went completely vegan.

What ushered in that desire to make this change to the way you eat? Was it just the way your body was feeling before you went plant-based or maybe some new knowledge you obtained about the benefits of a vegan diet?

It was a combination of the two. I started reading up on a lot of different foods and how it affects your body, all the chemicals that theyre putting in foods. And also, I didnt like the way my body felt. I was in shape as far as strength, but I wasnt in shape as far as my cardiovascular. I could barely run a mile straight or Id be winded when going up stairs. I would be tired all of the time. I really wanted to physically feel my best and prolong my life.

How has your body changed since you started eating vegan? Obviously you said that youve lost 100 pounds in a short amount of time, 18 months, but what are the other ways you have transformed and how has that inspired the way you train?

First off, I used to get really bad migraines. I havent had a headache or migraine since Ive been plant-based and vegan. Also, Ive lost a lot of body fat, which is great, compared to me eating meat. I was a carnivore. I would eat a piece of steak for breakfast. Getting my protein from plants compared to meat, it is actually taking my workout regimen up a notch. I have a lot more energy to really push past my limits in the gym. My body fat has gone down. Ive got more muscle mass and have been able to modify my speed to back when I was like in high school.

How do you specifically get your protein now, especially as someone who still weightlifts but doesnt eat meat?

I eat lots of legumes, lots of nuts, lots of beans, kale, spinach, broccoli. A lot of vegetables contain a lot of protein. Lets say I would have four grams of chicken but I would still be hungry. I can get twice as much protein if I eat two heavy bowls of salad. I love to eat so I get to eat a lot more all day [laughs]. I also eat protein shakes that are based off of hemp powder or pea powder.

What is your advice to someone looking into veganism, since it is more popular these days, but theyre feeling somewhat doubtful that they can do it? You at one point were eating steak for breakfast, so as a reformed carnivore, what would you share with others?

The first step is knowing that youre not going to be perfect. I know people believe, oh they went vegan overnight. It takes some time to really learn about your body and about what food you put in and what actually doesnt have any animal byproducts. Theres so many things that say theyre vegan and theyre not. They have a lot of milk solids in them. So I would say, really focus on watching a documentary that can tell you about veganism from an animal activism perspective. Youre more respecting animals and living things that have mothers. When you look at it that way, youre kind of able to separate eating vegetables compared to eating a piece of steak. And also for me, meat and things started tasting funny. Thats when I started doing research on what was really being put into the meat. Doing the research, finding out what works for you, your body type, what types of food combinations you would put together where you would be fulfilled is important.

If you wanted to, start out with different types of meat substitutes to go with your vegetables so youre not missing it as much. And also, you get full more off of lettuce and vegetables over a meat and rice meal. So eating a lot of vegetables, you think you wouldnt get full, but youre going to get full and youre just going to be eating a lot more. Anyone can do it. If I can do it, and I literally could eat meat all day, like three hotlinks before a game, anyone can do it. The key is to take it one day at a time and know that youre not going to be perfect. If you do fall off or mess up, you can always get back on the train and keep going.

Be sure to follow DeAnna on Instagram and check out the rest of our Fitness Fridays profiles here!

Continued here:
Fitness Fridays: DeAnna Baldwin Went Vegan To Feel Her Best, And As A Bonus, Lost 100 Pounds In 18 Months - MadameNoire

Peloton (NASDAQ:PTON)is having a good run in an otherwise brutal trading week. The market has rattled off its worst two-day slide since 2015, but shares of the high-end fitness specialist managed to close higher on Monday and Tuesday.

The stock's success this week is largely due to the same event that's been sending most of your portfolio's investments lower this week. With coronavirus fears mounting, investors are connecting the dots for companies that can thrive in an environment where homebodies are the new normal. Peloton provides a differentiated experience that duplicates a gym workout or spinning class without having to leave the home or office.

The Peloton story remains largely unappreciated on Wall Street. Even after back-to-back days of gains in a market deluge, the stock is still trading below September's IPO price of $29. It's surprising to see Peloton stock as a disappointment, especially when it shares some surprising similarities to market-darling Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Yes, I did say Apple.

Image source: Peloton.

When you think about what sets Apple apart from rival makers of smartphones, tablets, computers, and other gadgetry, it boils down to a combination of pricing power, a well-oiled ecosystem, and the recent push into high-margin services. The iPhone will set you back more than a comparably equipped smartphone pieced together by anyone else, but you know it's the price of admission into the proven and popular iOS ecosystem. Let's approach Peloton from that angle.

Peloton stationary bikes and treadmills start at $2,245 and $4,295, respectively. Obviously, it doesn't cost Peloton that much to actually make these cardio machines. No company would stay in business for long if they had to sell stuff for less than it cost them to make it, but markups matter.

Most of the makers of workout gear compete on price, and that keeps profit margins lean. Peloton, on the other hand, has more pricing flexibility as a result of its aspirational brand and expanding ecosystem.

Peloton's gross margin for its connected fitness products clocked in at a healthy 40.5% in its latest quarter. Put another way, for every $1,000 in hardware revenue that it generated during the quarter, it still retained $405 after accounting for the components and manufacturing costs.

The bad news here is that Peloton isn't currently profitable despite the big head start it has over the competition in terms of pricing power. It's spending a lot more than what's left over as gross profit to cover its corporate overhead and ambitious marketing strategies. However, this leads us to the importance of Peloton's ecosystem. Owners pay $39 a month for access to its weekly live classes, as well as thousands of pre-recorded sessions available on demand.

Retention rates are high in an otherwise fickle world of fitness regimens. Peloton loses just 0.74% of its subscribers in a typical month. When you make a four-figure investment in hardware, you're going to want to stick around. Peloton also offers a cheaper subscription membership for folks who don't want to experience a growing catalog of visual workouts without the system-connected gadgetry.

Investors lately have gravitated to Apple as an investment -- even as hardware revenue declined in fiscal 2019 -- as a services play, and the same can be said about Peloton. Buy an iPhone or an iPad, and you're going to be an App Store customer or pay up for iCloud storage. Peloton's the same way with its digital subscriptions, and the gross margins are naturally higher on that end.

A subscriber base that has nearly doubled over the past year pushed Peloton's gross margin up to 42.3% in its latest quarter. It sees gross margin clocking in between 43.5% and 44.5% for the entire fiscal year. For comparison's sake, Apple's gross margin has been just below 40% in each of the past four fiscal years.

Peloton is a great story, and it's unfortunate that the spread of the novel coronavirus is what's finally drawing attention to the investment this week. The company has so much in common with what sets Apple apart in consumer electronics -- let's see if the bullishness actually sticks around this time.

IPO investing isn't for the timid, but if you can appreciate a fast-growing brand that's killing it on the services front -- like Apple -- you may want to take Peloton out for a spin.

Excerpt from:
Peloton Stock Is the Apple of Fitness - The Motley Fool

In Rushville, Illinois, the finishing touches are being put on a brand new $5 million fitness and community center.

It's all thanks to an anonymous donor.

Rushville residents have to travel nearly 30 minutes to work out.

Also, city leaders said the town lacks gym space for youth and adult sports leagues.

They said the new will fix those problems.

The exterior of the new Rushville Fitness and Community Center is nearly finished.

Construction crews are working to transform the inside into a new facility that promises to benefit the community.

"It will have a community and fitness room," Fitness and Community Center President Tim Ward said. "We're going to have a gymnasium that we've needed to bad in this community for years."

Ward said the new facility will fill a number needs in the community.

"We can have a multitude of events for children, like basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, pickle ball for the adults and indoor walking for the seniors and everyone."

The center will also have an indoor pool to use year round.

Ward said right now, options are limited when it comes to exercise and activities. He said a multi-court gymnasium and indoor track will benefit people of all ages.

"We'll be able to do indoor walking and exercise daily and swimming and watch our kids play basketball on weekends in a nice new gymnasium," Ward said.

Rushville Mayor Carson Klitz said he hopes this attracts more people to town.

"It's going to help the town be more competitive," Klitz said. "When you couple that with the other things we have to offer, if we're attracting people to drive 30 miles to work, they'll come here if they have a choice between us and surrounding towns."

Ward said they're working to finish up dry wall and paint the gymnasium right now.

"This is a blessing for the community of Rushville," Ward said.

Construction crews said the plan is to open the facility in June. It will be owned by a 501(c)(3) corporation and operated as a not-for-profit.

The hours are yet to be determined, but the current plan is to allow 24/7 access to the fitness portion.

The cost is 35 dollars a month for ages 18 to 35 and 30 dollars a month for seniors.

See more here:
Rushville Fitness and Community Center near completion - WGEM

The energy required for a bacterium to grow and colonize the host is generated by metabolic and respiratory functions of the cell. Proton motive force, produced by these processes, drives cellular mechanisms including redox balance, membrane potential, motility, acid resistance, and the import and export of substrates. Previously, disruption of succinate dehydrogenase (sdhB) and fumarate reductase (frdA) within the oxidative and reductive tricarboxylic acid (TCA) pathways in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) CFT073 indicated that the oxidative, but not the reductive TCA pathway, is required for fitness in the urinary tract. Those findings led to the hypothesis that fumA and fumC encoding fumarase enzymes of the oxidative TCA cycle would be required for UPEC colonization, while fumB of the reductive TCA pathway would be dispensable. However, only UPEC strains lacking fumC had a fitness defect during experimental urinary tract infection (UTI). To further characterize the role of respiration in UPEC during UTI, additional mutants disrupting both the oxidative and reductive TCA pathways were constructed. We found that knock-out of frdA in the sdhB mutant strain background ameliorated the fitness defect observed in the bladder and kidneys for the sdhB mutant strain and results in a fitness advantage in the bladder during experimental UTI. The fitness defect was restored in the sdhBfrdA double mutant by complementation with frdABCD. Taken together, we demonstrate that it is not the oxidative or reductive pathway that is important for UPEC fitness per se, but rather only the oxidative TCA enzyme FumC. This fumarase lacks an iron-sulfur cluster and is required for UPEC fitness during UTI, most likely acting as a counter measure against exogenous stressors, especially in the iron-limited bladder niche.

Continue reading here:
The oxidative fumarase FumC is a key contributor for E. coli fitness under iron-limitation and during UTI. - Physician's Weekly

For those who continue to procrastinate on their New Years resolutions to work out more, Cornell has another barrier to using its fitness centers: price.

Student wellness comes at a cost at Cornell the University charges students an annual fee of $159 or a semester fee of $100 to access the fitness centers, such as access to any exercise equipment, cardio machines or weights.

The membership includes access to all five fitness centers and group fitness classes. Non-members are also provided with some free wellness services such as nutrition or fitness consultations, counseling to quit smoking and other programs dedicated to student wellness.

There are four gyms spread throughout campus: Helen Newman and Appel are located on North Campus, Teagle is on Central and Noyes sits in West Campus.

In the Ivy League, Cornell is not unique in charging its students for an annual or semester-based gym membership. Columbia University and The University of Pennsylvania also charge their undergrads for access. Columbia pricesits membership at $247 for the spring semester pass, while Penns fee is $334 for the year.

However, other universities likeHarvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth and MIT offer undergraduates free access to their fitness centers.

For many students, Cornells gym fee deters them from utilizing any of the Universitys facilities. Craig Schulman 22 said he neglects going to the gym because of the hefty fee.

[Its] why I dont have a membership. A lot of my friends at other schools arent charged for the gym and $159 is a lot of money.

Lance Rombro 23 also voiced his annoyance.

It seems unreasonable that we attend such a prestigious and well-endowed institution, yet the University makes working-out and student wellness a luxury, Rombro said.

However, Cornell does offer some costless options through its Fitness for Free programs. programs. One of these options is that students can access Appel, Helen Newman or Noyes without charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, but a swipe-in is required at any other time during the week.

Students can also play basketball, table-tennis and badminton at Noyes and Helen Newman, or take a free PE class.

Visit link:
Student Fitness, Health and Wellness: A Necessity or Luxury in the Eyes of the University? - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

MONTREAL Head coach Thierry Henry was the first to admit that his Montreal Impact team did not have the fitness level to match that of Deportivo Saprissain their Concacaf Champions League clash last week.

They didnt have 90 minutes in them, Henry said. Everybody knew. Its not an excuse, its a fact.

Henry gave credit to Saprissa and their head coach Walter Centeno for how they played in the second half. The Frenchman said that his counterpart changed tactical formations four times during the game in order to help his team get the 2-2 first-leg draw.

Montreal midfielder Samuel Piette admitted that Saprissas tactical changes surprised [them]" a little bit. Since the Impact have not been able to bridge the fitness gap between both clubs in a single week, Piette said Henry focussed on tactics.

This week, we worked on the possibilities that we could be facing [on Wednesday] if theres a change in the scoreline, Piette said. I think that this is how well be able to make up for the lack of fitness on our side.

The Impact started the first leg in spectacular fashion scoring two early goals. Henrys squad can attribute the early success to their five-man backline, which was unseen until last Wednesday. After the Impact coach admitted to not having a great preseason,the tactical change helped his squad get an early result.

Theres something that wasnt working in preseason, you dont have to be that clever to see that it wasnt working, Henry said. You also need to see what the team is offering you and how they respond.

So we went that way and it worked out at the beginning because it surprised them, I think. Are we going to play the same way [Wednesday]? I cant answer that.

The Impact are back home at Olympic Stadium with a 2-2 scoreline and two important away goals. For Montreal native Piette, it is imperative that his squad do not defend for 90 minutes to keep a 0-0 draw.

Its delicate but the most important will be not to be only defending for 90 minutes, Piette said. For one, its very tough physically and secondly, when its been 10 or 15 minutes that you havent had the ball you tend to lose your confidence on the ball.

The Impact will also host their MLS season opener on Saturday when they take on the New England Revolution (3 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, TVAS in Canada). For Saphir Taider, having the first game of the season on the back of their minds will not affect how they play in the CCL.

Its not because were not favorites to win [the CCL] that we need to think of it as a bonus, Taider said. We need to play this competition with a desire to win and to go all the way. The team did it five years ago so why not this year?

Its modern football. Its the football of today where games follow each other and we need to do it too and play every three days. Its part of our jobs so its not really a problem.

As for Henry, being available to play even on a two-game week is whats expected of a soccer player.

Theyre here to be able to play and whoever is going to be fit to play is going to be at our disposal to start the game against New England, Henry said. Thats what you expect from your team, whatever game it is.

However, Henry added that he will delay his thought process for Saturdays formation until the final whistle of Wednesday's CCL affair.

For me, there is a sense of urgency in every game, Henry said. Now, does it have an influence on how were going to play against New England? I can only tell at the end of the game. Because I didnt expect that we would lose two players in the first 27 minutes of our first game. Thats something that you cannot predict. Lets see how well finish the game against Saprissa.

See the rest here:
Montreal Impact counting on tactics to bridge fitness gap in Concacaf Champions League second leg with Saprissa - MLSsoccer.com

With new exercises invented every week, new gurus trending by the day and a fresh study that contradicts all the other ones released every time you think youre getting the hang of things, its easy to think that fitness is confusing but it isnt.

The fundamentals stay the same, and the science is pretty well agreed so by simply arming yourself with a few basic facts, you can step into any gym forewarned against whatever fresh nonsense the #fitstagrammers are preaching. These are the 10 biggest myths in fitness exercise your synapses for a couple of minutes by memorising them, and do your curls with confidence.

Yes, theres something masochistically satisfying about limping your way down a flight of stairs the morning after a big legs workout, but delayed onset muscle soreness Doms to its Insta-buddies isnt actually a convincing indicator of progress. Its thought to be caused by micro-tears in muscle, and tends to crop up when you do movements youre not used to, when you deliberately slow down the eccentric (or muscle-lengthening) part of whatever move youre doing (such as the downward bit of a squat) or just do a ridiculous number of reps. Conversely, then, you can eliminate soreness almost entirely by keeping the reps low, or doing moves that dont have an eccentric, such as throws and sled pushes. There is such a thing as pain-free progress.

There are two key ways to get stronger: increasing the size of your individual muscle fibres, and recruiting more of them to fire together when you need to use them. The first is what bodybuilders aim to do, but the second is what your body would do automatically if you had to lift a car off a loved one. In sports where excess size is a negative, it is what competitors teach themselves to do. This is how female Olympic weightlifters in the lighter weight categories can outlift larger men. Getting big requires specific, targeted training, including lots of volume and extra calories and protein and it almost never happens by accident.

This ones been popularised by modern fitness gurus, who will (fairly sensibly) point out that weight isnt a true measure of progress, as fluctuations in the amount of water being retained can lead to day-to-day shifts in the numbers, and putting on muscle can lead to the numbers going up while youre making progress in the right direction. This doesnt mean you should toss away your scales entirely. Yes, you have to understand that short-term fluctuations are inevitable and dont represent changes in body fat, says Emma Storey-Gordon, the trainer/owner of ESG Fitness. But, over time, changes in scale weight are predictive of body fat. Even if you are also building muscle, the rate at which you can lose fat will be much quicker than the rate at which you can build muscle. Dont become overreliant on them, but scales can show whether youre moving in the right direction.

Actually, its more like the opposite: properly done squats will strengthen the stabiliser muscles around your knee joints, safeguarding you against injury as well as making you a bit more capable of bounding up escalators. As for running, a 20-year study conducted by Stanford University found that consistent runners (many of whom were well into their 70s by the time the research period ended) showed a lower incidence of arthritis than non-runners as they aged. It also showed that runners have a lower risk of osteoarthritis and hip replacements, suggesting that pounding pavements isnt actually as bad for you as advertised.

While we all lived in the offline wilderness, the myth persisted that you could, for instance, target the fat around your midriff by doing hundreds of situps. That myth has been mostly wiped by the ubiquity of the internet, but replaced by the more subtle half-truth that its possible to single out problem areas by thinking hormonally: that since, for instance, the stress hormone cortisol causes belly-fat buildup, a bit more sleep and a few sessions on the Calm app should see your abs emerge. And while this is technically, sort of, true, deliberately messing with your hormones is tougher than advertised and not really advisable. The truth is, we all have stubborn fat areas that seem to take the longest to get lean, says Storey-Gordon. There are various reasons for this hormones and sex both play a role, for instance. These cant be easily changed, so you cant really choose where you lose fat from. Dont give up, though. Stubborn areas will get leaner alongside everything else. Patience is the key.

CrossFit and endless neon-tinted, EDM-soundtracked fitness classes have made rest a four-letter word in the fitness industry, but constant movement for the sake of it could actually be hindering your gains, not helping them. For most people especially beginners periods of recovery between sets or intervals allows for higher-intensity, better-quality movement, lower risk of injury and a greater training stimulus that is likely to lead to superior results, says the performance and wellbeing coach George Anderson. Or, in other words: if you push yourself for an hour straight, youll be forced to lift lower weights, go slower and generally put in less work than you might with some strategic downtime. And the optimum varies for fat loss, anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds between sets is ideal, but for strength you might spend five minutes preparing for ultra-intense efforts.

As sparse-and-spartan gym spaces emphasising basic barbell movements have proliferated, so, too, has the idea that using machines to train is at best inefficient, at worst dangerous. Machines force your body into awkward, over-linear movement patterns, goes the theory reducing the input from important stabiliser muscles and stopping you from moving naturally. But while there is some truth to this, not every machine is the enemy. Whether youre a time-poor, technique-free novice or a more advanced lifter, machines can involve less setup, allow more work and provide extra stimulus to isolated muscle groups, says the trainer Dan Osman. That said, the leg press is no substitute for learning to squat properly.

Lets be honest: youve never seen Britains greatest living Olympian, Sir Steve Redgrave, dry-heaving over the side of a cross-trainer. It may be intuitive and burn some calories, but thats all this outdated relic offers, says Dr Cameron Nichol, the founder of RowingWOD. When done correctly, the rowing machine uses 86% of your muscles spanning nine major muscle groups. The rower also works with the time you have if you need a short, horrible finisher, a 500-metre sprint will leave you sucking air and burning fat, while a more ponderous 10k feels almost meditative and the Olympic-length 2k is a test of will as much as power.

Once, the four-minute Tabata 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times seemed the logical endpoint of the workout-shortening craze, with claims that it could replace much longer training sessions while offering roughly the same benefits. Now it seems almost glacial, with three, two, and one-minute workouts promising to harness high-intensity interval trainings (HIIT) mystical powers and leave you more time for Candy Crush. The truth? Anything is better than nothing, and its certainly possible to make some gains in whatever limited time you have, but longer workouts have effects that no micro-workout can mimic. Oh, and by the way: in the original Tabata study, the test subjects who were professional cyclists worked so intensely that some of them refused to countenance trying the protocol again. If youre not doing that, theres no guarantee it will work as advertised.

Is running better than lifting for longevity? Do you need the mobility yoga offers more than a really jacked set of quads? Is Zumba just a waste of valuable time that you could spend boxercising? Whatever training style you experiment with, youll find someone ready to argue that everything else is useless and stupid, that you should stick with them or go home, says Dr Michael Banna. This kind of absolutism risks deflating people by telling them that their efforts have been pointless. The reality is, any physical activity has health benefits; the right type is the one that doesnt injure you, make you sad or make you want to stop. Ideally your physical activity should include a mixture of cardio, resistance and mobility work spread across the week but do what you enjoy.

Joel Snape is a former editor of Mens Fitness and runs the website LiveHard

Go here to see the original:
Soreness is good and scales are pointless: the 10 biggest myths in fitness - The Guardian

Differences in health policy weren't the only bones presidential candidates had to pick last week. They also sparred over details of their personal health. And with the next debate and Super Tuesday primaries fast approaching, these skirmishes are likely to escalate.

In the run-up to the Las Vegas Democratic presidential primary face-off, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' national press secretary, Briahna Joy Gray, told CNN that opponents are trying to use his October heart attack against him. Then she mistakenly claimed that Mike Bloomberg "has suffered heart attacks in the past" a statement she quickly walked back after a Bloomberg adviser said in a tweet it was a "Trumpy lie."

He did not have a heart attack, Bloomberg's camp explained, trying to differentiate its candidate's health status. He had stents. The former New York mayor, according to the campaign, had coronary stents inserted two decades ago after a cardiac test indicated they might be useful.

Feathers still ruffled, the two candidates went at it again on the debate stage.

"I think the one area, maybe, that Mayor Bloomberg and I share, you have two stents, as well," Sanders said Thursday to his rival onstage.

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Bloomberg responded, "Twenty-five years ago."

It's not surprising, with the oldest crop ever of presidential candidates, that their vital signs are becoming a talking point.

"When it comes to politics, personal health is just one more issue to try and leverage," said Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

That got us wondering how this information fits into the facts voters weigh. And in evaluating a candidate's long-term health or electability, does it really matter whether a patient got a stent as part of treatment for a heart attack, like Sanders, or for another reason, such as to relieve chest pain or following a cardiac stress test, like Bloomberg?

"In this day and age, with the way technology has advanced and the skill sets of the cardiologists, I would say they are practically the same. We expect good results for both," said Dr. Hadley Wilson, a practicing cardiologist in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a member of the American College of Cardiology's board of trustees.

Stents are almost always used when a person is having a heart attack.

Heart attacks can occur when plaque breaks off inside the blood vessels of the heart, causing a blockage. To open the blocked artery, physicians insert stents, which are small, wire-mesh tubes. Afterward, patients are treated with medications to reduce the risk of subsequent heart attacks.

Back when Bloomberg got his, they were commonly used in nonemergency situations to prop open narrowing arteries, with the thought that might prevent a heart attack, said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a cardiologist in New York and a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.

But, since then, "we learned stents don't prevent a heart attack and that using medication might be equally beneficial," Steinbaum said, adding that the best preventive measures are lifestyle choices, such as eating a good diet, exercising and not smoking. Patients still sometimes get stents to alleviate symptoms, such as chest pain, or for other reasons.

Thursday's debate also highlighted the broader question: Just how much of a candidate's medical history is fair game for public consumption?

Sanders, who faced criticism in October for delays in reporting his condition, said he has since released "the full report of that heart attack" including letters from his primary care doctor and two cardiologists attesting to his overall health and recovery.

But candidate Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said Sanders had not provided enough detail and neither, he said, had the others.

"Under President Obama, the standard was that the president would release full medical records, do a physical and release the readout," he said during the debate. "Now, President Trump lowered that standard. He said just a letter from a doctor is enough. And a lot of folks on this stage are now saying that's enough."

Buttigieg himself has yet to provide a full medical record.

"But I am certainly prepared to get a physical, put out the results," he said during the debate. "I think everybody here should be willing to do the same."

Some observers agree there's no such thing as TMI (too much information) when it comes to POTUS (the president of the United States).

"When the country is hiring someone to have their finger on the nuclear button, the expectation of personal privacy is very, very limited," said David Blumenthal, head of the Commonwealth Fund and co-author of "The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office." "It's hard to imagine something [health-related] that would not be relevant."

That argument, though, doesn't always hold up.

When he ran for president in 2008, the then-70-year-old Sen. John McCain released more than 1,000 pages of his medical records.

By contrast, the campaigning Donald Trump initially released a glowing letter from his personal physician that concluded he would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." After criticism that the letter lacked specifics, Trump added information on his height, weight and cholesterol levels and went on to become the oldest president, at age 70, to take office, beating out Ronald Reagan, who was just weeks shy of that milestone on Inauguration Day in 1981.

This year, candidates Bloomberg and Sanders are both 78; former Vice President Joe Biden, 77; and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 70. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is 59, and Buttigieg is the youngest, at 38.

Anything that might be "relevant to a candidate's ability and competence to govern and their longevity of service" should be disclosed, said Blumenthal, who is also a medical doctor.

Voters could then decide what they thought was important. The information might also affect how voters view the choice of a vice president, especially if the candidate for the highest office had a serious illness or something else that might limit their term, he said.

Specifically which records, though, and how to release them is a complicated issue.

Caplan, at NYU, has long advocated setting up a special independent medical panel to evaluate presidential candidates' health and make their findings public.

"It would be like an executive physical, which is what a lot of companies do before they pick a CEO," he said.

And deciding what to test for would be, in itself, complicated. Without a special panel which, even Caplan admits, would meet political inertia the challenges would be numerous. Even locating all the necessary records would be difficult.

The candidates "may have moved around the country, their doctors may have died, or records may not be available," noted Lawrence Altman, who covered many presidential elections as a reporter for The New York Times and is now a global scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

While there is no specific requirement that candidates release any information at all, what readers and voters want to know varies widely.

"It depends on their interest in the candidate," Altman said. "A lot of people superimpose their political choices or feelings on the medical aspect. They are willing to dismiss something if they really like the candidate or make a big issue about it if they don't like the candidate."

Read this article:
Getting to the heart of presidential fitness: how much do we need to know? - Salon

Annie Thorisdottir recently announced that she and her partner were expecting a baby. As a result, she has officially declined her invitation to the 2020 CrossFit Games.

Thorisdottir is the two time winner of the CrossFit Games. As a result, she has become one of the most popular, and recognizable faces in the sport. Not to mention, it certainly helps that she is also a very sweet person outside of competition, as well.

That is why, when Thorisdottir revealed that she and fellow CrossFit athlete Frederik Aegidius were expecting a child, it was met with universal praise from the CrossFit community. However, when fans realized that her due date of August 5th coincided with the end of the CrossFit Games, there were some concerns. Obviously being in her third trimester makes competing a little more difficult.

Now, three weeks after the initial announcement, the inevitable had been confirmed. According to an announcement from CrossFit HQ, Annie Thorisdottir has officially declined her invitation to the Games.

Two-time Fittest Woman on Earth, five-time podium finisher 11-time CrossFit Games qualifier Annie Thorisdottir has declined her invitation to the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games.

Thorisdottirs spot will pass to Maddie Sturt, who sits next in line for an invite as a result of placement in the 2020 CrossFit Open.

Thorisdottir scored second place in the 2020 CrossFit Open, which is where her invitation came from. Subsequently, as the statement explained, her invite goes to Maddie Sturt. This gives the 23-year old Australian athlete her fifth appearance in the big competition.

As much as fans are sad that they will not see Annie Thorisdottir at the 2020 CrossFit Games, you cant help but be happy for her, and Frederik Aegidius. This will be just her second time missing the Games, since 2009. Regardless, when the competition is taking place she is likely going to have some bigger things on her mind.

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Annie Thorisdottir Officially Declines Invitation To 2020 CrossFit Games - FitnessVolt.com

Technogym founder Nerio Alessandri with actor Sylvester Stallone

You may never have heard of Nerio Alessandri, but you may well have used the gym equipment he designed.

Alessandri is the founder of Technogym, one of the most popular gym equipment brands in the world, with 50 million users globally across 100 countries. Founded in 1983, the company now makes products ranging from free weights to rowing machines.

It has already supplied exercise bikes, treadmills and more for several Olympic Games and will this year provide equipment for the event in Tokyo. It has also sponsored Formula 1 and soccer teams including A.C. Milan.

The business is now worth around 2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) and since it went public on the Milan Stock Exchange in May 2016 has seen its share price increase by 156%.

Speaking to CNBC, Alessandri said being self-funded helped the company to grow sustainably in the early days. He maintained a steady cashflow by getting customers to pay half of the equipment price upfront and then the other half upon delivery.

In fact, he says that it was only 12 years ago some 25 years after the company was founded that Technogym took on private equity investment.

He attributes part of the business' success to "sustainable" and "profitable" growth.

Before Alessandri hit the big time and started rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, he began by designing the first prototypes of his fitness equipment in his family's garage, near Cesena, Italy.

Born into a farming family, Alessandri describes in his book "Born to Move" how he was brought up by parents "who didn't have much money but who did have a great deal of dignity and humility."

He says that he "quickly caught on that money was a problem" for his family and so, at age 10, started helping out his parents by taking an afternoon job packing fruit at his grandfather's warehouse.

At age 12, he realized he could make extra money using his passion for technical and mechanical design.

He tells how a wealthy friend at school asked him for advice on the best model of portable stereo to buy, which were "all the rage" in Italy in the 1970s. Alessandri then bought it off his friend for a half the price after he got bored with it, refurbished and sold it on for a profit.

Alessandri did the same with a Caballero scooter and Volkswagen Golf car: buying, improving and selling them on for more money.

The Alessandri family garage where Technogym was launched near Cesena, Italy.

Not long after graduating from high school, Alessandri got restless and wanted to build a business of his own. Initially, he revisited his childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer and sent a letter to legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani, who was opening a store in the region.

Alessandri never did hear back from Armani, but while continuing at his day job he became interested in the world of fitness after visiting a local gym and seeing that it only offered very basic equipment.

Seeing an opportunity to put his design skills to good use, he started designing equipment in his father's garage and, in 1983 aged 22, he founded Technogym.

As orders for his gym equipment started rolling in, Alessandri quit his day job and when Technogym outgrew the garage, he moved his burgeoning business into an old mattress factory.

Alessandri said another factor behind Technogym's success is its focus on culture.

He told CNBC that his goal was to "leave a legacy for the next generation" which would be made possible by having a strong culture.

Part of this comes down to maintaining a "curiosity" and "passion" for the business, he said, which fuels "continuous improvement," and he also emphasized the importance of being honest and transparent.

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How Nerio Alessandri started Technogym, worth $2.4 billion, in his garage in Italy - CNBC

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