Stew Smith Fitness News

This week's article was inspired by a former Marine who asked about staying active through his 60s, 70s, and 80s. Here is his story and question about longevity:I'm a 55-year-old former Marine 1969 to 1973. I've been in the Martial Arts since I was 15. I'm a Tae Kwon Do instructor and have maintained my conditioning all of my life. I train every morning from 4a.m. to 5a.m. using the methodologies I am accustomed to. I know in reality though that it's only a matter of time until the old body won't be able to keep up with what my...

Today's generation has more computerized and physically inactive forms of entertainment than ever before. We, as parents, must be the catalyst that motivates our children to exercise - plus it is not bad for us to exercise either. The earlier we introduce our children to a lifestyle of health and fitness, the less likely our children will grow to be part of the 60 percent (and growing - literally) of America that is obese. Researches have stated that childhood obesity is completely preventable, but almost entirely incurable.It does not take a bench press and a stair machine to get fit....

Eliminating Macro-Nutrients? Hello Stew -thanks for your service and your continued support of the military, police and their families in fitness and health. I am trying to lose weight and thought I’d try something that would eliminate carbohydrates from my diet for a while? What do you think of that as a weight loss idea?Just as a rule - never eliminate the macro-nutrients your body needs such as protein, carbs, or fat from your diet. There are many diets out there that play around with these critical components of our nutrition. HOWEVER, you can definitely LIMIT them in order to...

It appears that most people are concerned about eating properly, but many need a few tips. I have received several emails about proper dieting habits and what foods are good to eat during the day. Well, I am not a dietitian but one of my co-authors is, and this week's article is almost entirely Lauri Cutlipe's RN, LD, dieting recommendations. In the book Maximum Fitness: The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Cross-training, Lauri wrote the nutrition chapter. * Eat very S-L-O-W-L-Y and enjoy the flavors. Try to chew your food at least 40 times per mouthful. * Do not ever skip...

  This week an email prompted me to write about one of my favorite and most frequently done exercises in my workouts – the CRUNCH! The question asked was concerning when in your workouts do I like to do abs – in the beginning, after cardio, or in the middle? I have found that I do two types of abs that work very well for me as well as many of the people I train - - I REST WITH CRUNCHES and WARMUP WITH CRUNCHES! Many will say that crunches are in no way a resting exercise, but I disagree....