What Girls Want (Boy's Guide to Girls Fact #6)

Emily is tall, smart, and sassy. She has freckles and red hair. Samantha is about your height, pretty, and sweet. She has long brown hair and always dresses nicely. Isobel is shorter than you, moody, mischievous, with black hair and a very pretty face. You like Emily. There’s something about her red hair and tomboy attitude that makes you feel good.

Like you, girls size-up boys and label them according to how they look, dress, and act. Depending on how girls see you, they might think you’re smart, cute, geeky, or a jock. If you wear Left-4-Dead t-shirts and talk about making U-Tube videos showing Modern Warfare 2 glitches, most girls will label you as a gamer. They won’t know—because they don’t see— the other side of you that’s a sensitive guy who writes songs and plays guitar.

It’s a fact that people see you differently than you see yourself. “If Emily would just give me a chance,” you say. But, unless she sees in you a quality she likes or something the two of you have in common, Emily probably won’t give you a second look. And that’s okay. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Remember that for every Emily, there’s another girl who likes sensitive guitar-playing gamers.

Here are the more popular labels girls have for guys. Do you see yourself?

Guy Labels

Jock: Athletic, good body, dresses well, socially popular.

Hot: Great body, handsome face, stylish hair, dresses well. Can seem unapproachable, making some girls want them all the more.

Funny: Always smiling, tells lots of jokes, good sense of humor, fun to be around, likes to be the center of attention. Can have a hard time being serious.

Nice: Solid all-around guy, average body, dresses okay, polite, friendly, easy-going personality. Nice guys have to try a little harder because they don’t stand out in a crowd.

Gamer: Quiet, shy, geeky, disengaged, messy hair, frumpy. Can look like they’re day dreaming all the time.

Smart: Studious, eccentric, a little nerdy, hair and clothes usually out of style. Can have a hard time fitting in socially.

Bad Boy: Rebellious, looking to be noticed, makes it a point not to fit in, ‘tough guy’ attitude, sometimes rowdy and loud. Can be a bully.

Rocker: Cool demeanor, funky clothes, dyed hair, body piercings, usually thin. Always talking rock, punk, or metal. Super ‘hot’ for girls into their kind of music.

Player: Good-looking, ingratiating, smooth, overly charming, makes it a point to be noticed. Considers himself a ladies-man. Keeps track of conquests like gunslingers notch their six-shooter handle.

Consider This: Being called ‘cute’ is good up to a point. As a general rule, the older you are, the less you want girls to think of you as cute. Babies and kittens are cute, not guys.

Tip: Be yourself.

Weight Lifting How-to’s (Fitness Fact #7)

Last week we talked about resistance exercises and the muscles they affect. This week we’re going to discuss the details on how to do the exercises.

Sets and Reps

A “set” is a group of exercise movements done one after another without resting. The number of times you do the movement is called a “rep” (repetition). If your plan is to do 3 sets of 12 biceps curls, begin by curling the weight 12 times in a row. That finishes the first set of 12 reps. Put the weights down and rest about a minute or so. Do the same for the second and third sets, and then you’re done!

Speed

A good pace for doing one repetition is 1 to 3 seconds for the lifting part of the exercise and 3 to 4 seconds for the lowering part. If you lift and lower the weight too fast, it’s the momentum of the weight, not your muscle, that’s doing most of the work. That won’t build up your muscles as fast as doing the exercise the right way. And don’t jerk the weight to get it moving. It puts a lot of unnecessary stress on your muscles and joints and can injure you.

Resistance

The number of repetitions you do for each exercise will depend on how much resistance (weight) you’re using. Maximum resistance is the most weight you can lift once using the proper form. Don’t do resistance exercises with the most weight you can lift. Get your coach or trainer to help you determine the right weight for you. It will be different for every exercise. A good rule of thumb is to do 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions using 65% to 85% of your maximum resistance. Training with more than 85% of your maximum resistance can injure you. Training with less than 65% of your maximum resistance won’t tone your body or strengthen your muscles very much.

Progression

As you do more and more resistance exercises, your muscles will develop and get used to the exercises. To continue toning your body and strengthening your muscles, you’ll need to slowly increase the resistance and the repetitions. Start out with a weight that allows you to do at least 8 repetitions. Once you can do 12 repetitions with that weight, increase the weight to the next level. Now, you’re doing 8 repetitions with the heavier weight. Just like before, work up to 12 repetitions with the heavier weight, then increase the weight and go back to doing 8 repetitions. The idea is to slowly increase repetitions and resistance, so you’ll continue to tone your body and strengthen your muscles.

Frequency

When you do resistance exercises, your muscle tissue “breaks down” under the strain of the exercise and grows back bigger and stronger. The process is known as hypertrophy. Your muscles recover and get stronger during the rest period between workouts, not while you’re exercising. You can exercise every day just don’t work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

Resistance Exercise Builds Muscles (Fitness Fact #6)

Let’s do an experiment with your arm muscles. First, stand with your arms at your side. Bend your right arm at the elbow, touching your fingers to your shoulder and then returning your arm to its starting position. Repeat the movement 10 times. Your arm isn’t tired, is it? The reason is that your arm muscles didn’t have to work very hard to lift your arm up and down.

Now, repeat the exercise holding a bottle of water in your right hand. This time your arm muscles feel tired. The reason is resistance. To lift the water bottle, your arm muscles had to overcome (resist) the weight of the water bottle. The heavier the bottle, the more resistance, and the harder your muscles have to work.

Resistance exercise is anaerobic, meaning it is “without oxygen.” Anaerobic exercise, like weight lifting and sprinting, uses muscles at high intensity for short periods of time (2 to 3 minutes), as opposed to aerobic exercise, which is low intensity for long periods of time (15 or more minutes). The energy for anaerobic exercise comes from glycogen stored in your muscles.

Now, let’s take a look at your voluntary muscles: the ones you use to do resistance exercises. Different exercises work different muscle groups. Here some good exercises for different parts of your body:

Muscle Group: Exercise(s)

Front of shoulder (delts): push-up, bench press, front dumbbell raise.

Middle of shoulder (delts): Side dumbbell raise.

Back of shoulder (delts): Rear dumbbell raise.

Upper chest (pecs): Push-up, chinup, regular and incline bench press.

Upper back (traps): Upright row, shoulder shrug, pull-up.

Middle of upper back: Chin-up, bent-over dumbbell row.

Middle back (lats): Pull-up, chin-up, dip, bent-over dumbbell row.

Lower back: Back extension.

Front of upper arm (biceps): Curls with barbell or dumbbell, chin-up.

Back of upper arm (triceps): Push-up, dip, triceps extension, bench press.

Abdomen: Crunch, leg lift, plank.

Buttocks: Squat, lunge, step-up.

Front of thigh (quads): Squat, lunge, step-up.

Back of thigh (hamstrings): Squat, lunge.

Inner and outer thigh: side-lying leg lift.

Back of lower leg (calves): calf raise.

As you make a list of the resistance exercises you’re going to do, be sure to include at least one exercise from each major muscle group on your list. Start your exercise sessions with compound exercises that involve two or more joint movements and work several muscle groups at once, like bench presses and squats. Work toward isolation exercises that primarily involve just one joint movement and one muscle group, like biceps curls and leg extensions. This approach allows you to do the most demanding exercises when your muscles are the least tired. For example, you’ll use better form on your bench presses if you do them before exhausting your triceps doing triceps extensions.

Check back next week for details on weight-lifting Sets and Reps, Speed, Resistance, Progression, and Frequency.

Muscles Make You Move (Fitness Fact #5

You have more than 600 muscles in your body. Some muscles are called involuntary muscles because you can’t control what they do.
Involuntary muscles make your heart, stomach, and intestines work. They do their jobs without you even thinking about them.

You also have muscles you can control, such as those in your arms, legs, and back. They are called voluntary muscles. Working together with your skeleton, voluntary muscles give you the ability to shoot a basketball, kick a soccer ball, and shadow box.

Voluntary muscles are divided into 14 major groups. Here are their names and where they’re located.
· Trapezius, also known as your traps. (Upper back)
· Rhomboids (Middle of upper back)
· Triceps (Back of upper arm)
· Latisimus dorsi, also known as your lats. (Middle back)
· Erector spinae (Lower back)
· Gluteals, also known as your glutes. (Buttocks)
· Hamstrings (Back of thigh)
· Calf (Back of lower leg)
· Deltoids, also know as your delts.(Shoulder)
· Pectoralis major, also known as your pecs. (Upper chest)
· Biceps (Front of upper arm)
· Abdominals, also known as your abs. (Abdomen)
· Quadricepts, also known as your quads. (Front of thigh)
· Hip adductors & abductors (Inner and outer thigh)

Moving your muscles takes lots of energy. Just like a car burns gasoline to make it go, your body burns sugar and fat to make you go. Here’s how it works:
· Nutrients from the food you eat are absorbed through your intestines.
· The nutrients make their way to your liver where they are converted to a simple sugar (also called glucose).
· The glucose is released into your blood where it moves through your circulatory system to the places it’s needed, such as your muscles, organs, and tissues.
· Any glucose (now in the form of glycogen) that isn’t used up is stored in your muscles and liver.
· If you have more glycogen than your body can store, your body converts the extra into body fat.

Crushes (Boy’s Guide to Girls Fact #1)

You don’t know her, but you can’t get her out of your mind. Don’t look now, but you have a crush. It could be your friend’s sister. It could be an older girl in your neighborhood. It could even be a teacher at your school or someone you’ve seen in the movies or on TV.

Crushes are part of growing up. Just like your body changes as you get older, your emotions and feelings change, too. Crushes are a kind of early romantic feeling. They are strong short-lived emotions toward a girl or woman who doesn’t know that you really like her.

A crush makes you feel great. You’re excited and happy. You daydream about being with her and how great it would be. You’re on top of the world. The good thing about crushes is that they’re safe because they let you experience romantic feelings without the risk of getting your feelings hurt. And because you don’t know the person well, if at all, you can idealize your crush and never have to face the fact that they aren’t the perfect person for you.

Then, just as fast as your crush started, it ends. And there’s someone new. After the first few times, you may get a crush on a girl you actually know. And that’s when things really start to get interesting.

Do you have a crush? If 3 or more of these describe your behavior, chances are good you do.
1. You write her name and yours side-by-side, over-and-over.
2. She’s all you think about.
3. She’s all you talk about.
4. You don’t know exactly why you like her, you just do.
5. Thinking about her makes you smile.

Winter-proof Your Kid

As featured on Penn State Live, kids are particularly susceptible to the cold, suffering cold-related injuries without knowing what's happening. As cold weather sets in, it's time to think about how to keep your kids safe and warm.
Here's what to watch for and consider:

• Frostnip, which precedes frostbite, turns skin white and numb. Especially watch noses, ears, fingers, and toes.
• Infants and toddlers are especially at risk for frostnip and frostbite. Their heads are relatively large in comparison to their bodies so they lose more heat than older children.
• Wind-chill temps below zero causes frostbite in minutes.
• Treat frostnip and frostbite with warm water at about the same temp as a hot tub. A warm drink also helps. Doctors don’t recommend rubbing.
• Watch for hypothermia. The symptoms are shivering, clumsiness and slurred speech. Get somewhere warm and go to the doctor for hypothermia.
• Dress kids in layers of clothing that breathe (thermal underwear, a turtleneck shirt, sweater, or fleece pullover). Add a knitted ski hat (wool or polypropylene), scarf, mittens (warmer than gloves), warm socks, waterproof winter boots, and a water-resistant coat with sleeves that snug tight at the wrist.
• If your plans include ice skating, skiing, snowboarding or sledding, consider a helmet and sunscreen. (Snow reflects the sun and kids get easily sunburned.)
  

Heart Rate Tells the Story (Fitness Fact # 4)

You already know that your heart beats faster when you’re exercising and slower when you’re resting. But just how much faster and how much slower does it beat?

The main objectives of aerobic exercise are to get you breathing faster and speed up your heart rate. But to get the most benefit from the aerobic exercise, you must keep your heart beating within a certain range—not too high and not too low.

To make sure that happens, you need to know three numbers:
Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
Target Heart Rate (THR)

FIRST, determine your RHR by counting how many times your heart beats in one minute. You can feel your heart beat, or pulse, anywhere there’s an artery near the surface of your skin. The two best places are on either side of your neck just below your jaw line (carotid artery) and the inside of either wrist on the thumb side (radial artery).

Here’s how to measure your RHR:
STEP 1.
Relax. The best time to measure your RHR is in the morning before you get out of bed.
STEP 2.
Lightly press your index and middle fingers on the arteries in either your neck or wrist. (Don’t use your thumb to measure your pulse rate because the artery in your thumb pulses so strongly that you may count its pulse by accident.)
STEP 3.
Count the number of pulses you feel in 10 seconds. Begin your count 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – and so on.
STEP 4.
Multiply by 6 the number of pulses you counted in 10 seconds. (For example, 12 pulses x 6 = RHR of 72 beats per minute, or bpm.)

As your aerobic fitness increases, your RHR will go down. This lets you measure your beginning aerobic fitness level and chart your progress over time.

SECOND, calculate your maximum heart rate, or MHR, using this formula:220 – YOUR AGE = MHR
Example: If you are 14 years old, your MHR would be 206 beats per minute (220 – 14 = 206 bpm).

THIRD, now that you know your RHR and MHR, you can calculate your target heart rate, or THR. There is an upper “intensity” and a lower “intensity” THR. Between them is the zone in which your heart and lungs get the most benefit from aerobic exercise. Your THR zone is generally between 60% and 85% of your MHR. Use the following formula (The Karvonen method) to calculate your upper and lower THR: ((MHR – RHR) X % INTENSITY) + RHR = THR

Example: If your MHR is 206 bpm and your RHR is 72 bpm, you would calculate your upper and lower THR as follows:
Lower intensity (60%):
((206 – 72) x 0.60) + 72 = 152 bpm
Upper intensity (85%):
((206 – 72) x 0.85) + 72 = 186 bpm

This means your THR zone is 152 bpm to 186 bpm. Take your pulse periodically as you exercise and adjust the intensity of your exercise to stay within the 60% to 85% range.

When you first start doing aerobic exercise, aim for the lowest part of your THR zone (60%). Slowly build up to the higher part of your THR zone. After six or more months of regular exercise, you may be able to exercise comfortably at the 85% upper intensity. However, remember that you don’t have to exercise that hard to stay in shape.

Talking to Your Kids About the Tiger Woods Scandal

When heroes like Tiger Woods disappoint, how do we approach our kids? According to a new article in the Dayton Daily News, you should let the children do the talking.

Greg Ramey, child psychologist and vice president for outpatient services at the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton, says news events provide great conversation openers. The key is to hear what the kids have to say, rather than just giving your opinion. Let them take the lead in the conversation.

It’s best, Ramey says, to ask open-ended questions, like “What do you think about what’s going on with Tiger Woods?” “Get them to reflect upon the causes,” says Ramey. “It should be a conversation, not a lecture. What you’re doing is opening the door to helping kids figure out issues of morality.”

Aerobic Exercise Makes You Sweat (Fitness Fact #3)

You’re playing soccer. It’s the second period and you’ve been running hard for the last 15 minutes. You’re working up a good sweat, you’re breathing hard, and your heart is pounding. That’s aerobic exercise.

When you breathe, your lungs take oxygen from the air and put it into your blood. Your heart pumps this oxygen-rich blood through your blood vessels to your muscles. Your muscles use the oxygen to burn sugar (in the form of glycogen) and fat to give you energy. To keep you running for the whole soccer game, your muscles demand more and more oxygen-rich blood. That makes your heart beat faster and faster to keep up.

Aerobic exercise involves continual rhythmic movement of your large muscles, especially your leg and buttocks muscles. Aerobic exercise is lower intensity exercise that you do for longer periods of time. For example, running a long distance at an average pace is an aerobic activity. But sprinting a short distance is not because of its high intensity. And swimming is an aerobic activity. But golf and baseball, with their more frequent breaks, are not.

With regular aerobic exercise, your heart muscle and the muscles that move air in and out of your lungs will grow stronger. As that happens, they’ll meet your voluntary muscles’ demands for oxygen without as much effort. And, over time, all your muscles will begin to use oxygen more efficiently. That means you’ll burn more sugar and fat, be more aerobically fit, and play soccer—or any sport you choose—longer without getting tired or out of breath.

There are many kinds of aerobic exercise. Some, like riding a stationary bike, are done only for the aerobic benefit. Others, like basketball, are played for fun and competition and the aerobic benefit is a welcome result. One last thing: After hard aerobic exercise, it’s a good idea to walk around for a few minutes to get your breathing back to normal and slow your heartbeat down. If time allows, it’s also a good idea to stretch your major muscle groups again. Stretching after you exercise will stop your muscles from cramping and getting sore.

Here are a few good aerobic activities:...
Bicycling.
Basketball.
Cross-country skiing.
Hiking.
In-line, ice, and roller skating.
Running and jogging.
Jumping rope.
Ice hockey.
Soccer.
Rugby.
Lacrosse.
Swimming.
Stair climbing.

Abused Michael Vick Dog Shows Kids How to Treat Animals

As featured on CBS affiliate WCCO, one of 52 abused and neglected dogs owned by NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his friends is now in Minnesota.

Hector, an American Pit Bull Terrier, is now part of a student service learning project which teaches kids not to be mean or hurt animals. He also visits nursing homes and hospitals around Minnesota.

And here's the best part, Hector's adopted family said his abusive former life did not change him into an aggressive and dangerous dog.